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At least 199 records · Page 11

Hot-spot mix in large-scale HDC implosions at NIF

Mix of high-Z material from the capsule into the fuel can severely degrade the performance of inertial fusion implosions. On the Hybrid B campaign, testing the largest high-density-carbon capsules yet fielded at the National Ignition Facility, several shots show signatures of high levels of hot-spot mix. We attribute a ~40% yield degradation on these shots to the hot-spot mix, comparable to the level of degradation from large $P_2$ asymmetries observed on some shots. Additionally, a range of instability growth factors and diamond crystallinity were tested and they do not determine the level of mix for these implosions, which is instead set by the capsule quality.

Fusion experiments↗

Evaluating the Lightning Strike Damage Tolerance for CFRP Composite Laminates Containing Conductive Nanofillers

Conductive nanofillers, such as carbon nanotube, graphene nanoplatelets, and carbon black particles (with diameters in nanometers) have been shown to enhance the electrical conductivity of fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites in many existing studies. The motivation is primarily for lightning strike protection, electromagnetic interference shielding, de-icing, and the manufacturing of lightweight electronic components. Here, we evaluate the lightning strike damage tolerance of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) matrix composite laminates containing conductive nanofillers with varying weight fractions, including carbon black (CB), carbon nanotubes (CNT), and a mix of CB and CNT, through simulated lightning strike tests, followed by both non-destructive ultrasonic inspection and destructive sectioning to characterize the damage inflicted by the simulated lightning strike. Three-point flexural tests are performed to evaluate the residual strength retained by all CFRP specimens. Results show that lightning strike damage experienced varying levels of reduction for CFRP composite specimens containing conductive fillers in comparison to the baseline specimen without fillers. Notably, the delamination only penetrated to the interface between the 1st and 2nd layer for the specimen with 0.25 wt.% CNT in comparison to the baseline CFRP specimen for which the delamination penetrated to the interface between the 5th and 6th layer. Moreover, the retention of the flexural modulus increased from 26.5% to a maximum of 95.0% for the specimen with 0.25 wt.% hybrid CB and CNT. Yet, we show that using our chosen conductive fillers cannot fully eliminate lightning strike damage. Additionally, adding conductive fillers could compromise the flexural properties. We provide discussions on future recommendations on using conductive fillers for the lightning strike protection of CFRP composites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Cluster expansion by transfer learning for phase stability predictions

Recent progress towards universal machine-learned interatomic potentials holds considerable promise for materials discovery. Yet the accuracy of these potentials for predicting phase stability may still be limited. In contrast, cluster expansions provide accurate phase stability predictions but are computationally demanding to parameterize from first principles, especially for structures of low dimension or with a large number of components, such as interfaces or multimetal catalysts. We overcome this trade-off via transfer learning. Using Bayesian inference, we incorporate prior statistical knowledge from machine-learned and physics-based potentials, enabling us to sample the most informative configurations and to efficiently fit first-principles cluster expansions. Furthermore, this algorithm is tested on Pt:Ni, showing robust convergence of the mixing energies as a function of sample size with reduced statistical fluctuations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Post-irradiation examinations of annular mixed oxide fuels with average burnup 4 and 5% FIMA

In this paper, we present post-irradiation examination results on two type of annular mixed oxide fuel pins irradiated in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) sodium cooled reactor to an average burnup between 4% and 5% fission of initial heavy atom (FIMA). The pins differed only from the initial Pu content, which was 22 wt% and 26 wt%, respectively. The overall performance of the pins was excellent, in line with previous historical results. The pins with higher Pu content experienced higher irradiation temperatures which influenced the fission gas release, fuel swelling, and Cs distribution compared to the other pins. All the post-irradiation examinations results are discussed against the irradiation parameters. In particular, the pins with higher initial Pu content, i.e., 26 wt%, experienced higher power that resulted in enhanced fission gas release compared to the other two pins with 22 wt% initial Pu content. For the pins with higher fission gas release, onset of Cs redistribution was observed. The two pins that had lower initial Pu content and burnup showed a Cs axial distribution similar to the as-produced one.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Supported ionic liquid membranes (SILMs) with exceptional selectivity and permeability for dilute CO 2 separations

Supported ionic liquid membranes (SILMs), containing phosphonium ionic liquids with aprotic N-heterocyclic anions (AHA ILs) in an inert inorganic support, were tested under both dry and humidified (40 % RH) mixed-gas conditions down to 420 ppm CO 2 in N 2 at 35 °C. In the dry case, the best performing IL, triethyl(octyl)phosphonium 4-bromopyrazolide ([P 2228 ][4-BrPyra]) exhibited mixed-gas CO 2 permeabilities and CO 2 /N 2 permeability selectivities as high as 26,800 barrer and 7,000, respectively. In the presence of humidity, the CO 2 permeability and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity increased to 49,100 barrer and 13,200, respectively, and these are the highest reported combination in the literature. Humidity amplifies CO 2 permeabilities and CO 2 /N 2 permeability selectivities through increases in CO 2 capacity due to bicarbonate formation and through faster mobility of the mobile carrier from decreased viscosity. Furthermore, N 2 permeability stayed roughly invariant in the presence of humidity, likely from competing effects of viscosity reduction and lower N 2 solubility.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Validation and Sensitivity Analysis of a 1-D Lake Model Across Global Lakes

Lakes have important influence on weather and climate from local to global scales. However, their prediction using numerical models is notoriously difficult because lakes are highly heterogeneous across the globe, but observations are sparse. In this study, we assessed the performance of a 1-D lake model in simulating the thermal structures of 58 lakes with diverse morphometric and geographic characteristics by following the phase 2a local lake protocol of the Inter-sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP2a). After calibration, the root-mean-square errors (RMSE) were below 2 °C for 70% and 75% of the lakes for epilimnion and full-profile temperature simulations, with an average of 1.71 °C and 1.43 °C, respectively. The model performance mainly depended on lake shape rather than location, supporting the possibility of grouping model parameters by lake shape for global applications. Furthermore, through machine-learning based parameter sensitivity tests, we identified turbulent heat fluxes, wind-driven mixing and water transparency as the major processes controlling lake thermal and mixing regimes. Snow density was also important for modeling the ice phenology of high-latitude lakes. The relative influence of the key processes and the corresponding parameters mainly depended on lake latitude and depth. Turbulent heat fluxes showed a decreasing importance in affecting epilimnion temperature with increasing latitude. Wind-driven mixing was less influential to lake stratification for deeper lakes while the impact of light extinction, on the contrary, showed a positive correlation with depth. Our findings may guide improvements in 1-D lake model parameterizations to achieve higher fidelity in simulating global lake thermal dynamics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The Impacts of Distinct Flexibility Enhancements on the Value and Dynamics of Natural Gas Power Plant Operations

The rapid increase of renewable generation and its anticipated continued growth requires greater operational flexibility in modern power systems. Previous studies explored the addition of more flexible resources to improve system flexibility, but this may also be achieved at lower cost by enhancing existing power plants via flexibility retrofits. Potential flexibility upgrades to existing thermal plants include modifications that enable faster ramp rates, increase maximum load levels, decrease minimum load levels, and provide faster and lower cost startup operations. In this paper, we focus on improvements to existing natural gas combined cycle generators, and apply a unit commitment model to analyze the impact that each specific upgrade has on their operational dynamics and profitability from both the system perspective and from the asset owner perspective. We show that the value of each type of flexibility improvement varies depending on the capacity factor and usage pattern of the generator before the upgrade, and that the relative benefit of each type of flexibility varies. We demonstrate diminishing returns to increased flexibility when upgrading multiple generators simultaneously. Sensitivity tests for several shares of renewable generation, different generation mixes and different net load realizations confirm the generality of the results shown.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

The Effects of Lithium Ions and pH on the Function of Polyacrylic Acid Binder for Silicon Anodes

Binder plays a critical role in the performance of silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries, specifically by connecting particles of active material and promoting adhesion to the current collector. Recent studies have differed on the relative cycle life of silicon anodes made from water-based polyacrylic acid (PAA) vs LiOH-PAA binders. Differences between the two may be due to the pH value or the extra Li + in the binder, both of which change when LiOH is added to PAA. Here we investigate the impact of these two variables on the performance of silicon anodes. Regarding the effect of Li + , cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results confirm our hypothesis that the extra Li + facilitates ion transport. Regarding pH, we find that high pH in binders is detrimental to the electrode mechanical integrity, as observed in peeling tests and cross-sectional imaging. However, viscosity tests reveal that increased pH benefits the coating and mixing process. Further, our cycling results show that LiOH-PAA binder maintains greater cell capacity than does PAA, and further that LiOH-PAA at pH 4.5 leads to a cell with the highest capacity. Therefore, an intermediate pH is an optimal compromise between benefits observed for the low and high pH experiments.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Knowledge Oriented Graph Unified Transformer (KOGUT) v0.1

KOGUT — Knowledge Oriented Graph Unified Transformer KOGUT implements the Relational Graph Transformer (RelGT) architecture for knowledge graph link prediction in biological domains, with a primary focus on microbial growth media prediction. While the original RelGT (arXiv:2505.10960) targets relational tables, time series, and multi-table databases, KOGUT adapts this architecture for heterogeneous biological knowledge graphs, providing first-in-class AI predictive models for microbial cultivation. Key Adaptations Beyond Original RelGT: - Knowledge Graph Focus: Applied to biological KGs with semantic node types (taxa, chemicals, media, phenotypes, environments) versus generic relational database tables, trained on the KG-Microbe knowledge graph (1.3M entities, 2.9M edges, 24 relation types). - Multimodal Node Encoding: Integrates node labels, categories, descriptions, and synonyms from KG metadata through learned embedding layers—adapting relational column features to graph node attributes with textual semantics. - Extended K-Hop Subgraph Strategy: Optimized neighborhood sampling (3-hop default, configurable up to 200 nodes) tuned for sparse biological networks, building on the original local-global attention framework with biological relation preservation. - Biolink Predicate Preservation: Type-specific transformations for 24 biological edge semantics (occurs_in, consumes, produces, has_phenotype, subclass_of) beyond standard relational foreign keys, enabling multi-relation link prediction. - Inductive Learning Support: Enables zero-shot predictions for novel taxa through feature-based embeddings (temperature, oxygen requirements, gram stain, cell shape), extending the original transductive relational benchmark scope to uncultured microorganisms. CheapSOTA Performance Optimizations (This Distribution): - VQ-EMA Centroid Attention: Vector quantization with exponential moving average for improved global context modeling (+5-10% MRR improvement). - HDF5 Precomputed Data Loading: One-time preprocessing of k-hop subgraphs to eliminate redundant graph traversals (2-5× training speedup). - Distributed Data Parallel Training: Multi-GPU support for scaling to larger knowledge graphs (tested on 4× NVIDIA A100 GPUs at NERSC Perlmutter). - Mixed Precision Training: Automatic mixed precision (AMP) for memory efficiency and faster training. Advantages Over Standard Knowledge Graph Embedding Models: Combines RelGT's proven multi-element tokenization (features, type, hop, structure) with graph-native biological representations, enabling interpretable link prediction across heterogeneous entities that standard embedding models (TransE, RotatE, ComplEx) and table-based transformers cannot directly model. Achieves near-perfect performance on microbial growth media prediction (MRR: 0.9966, Precision@1: 0.9932, Hit@10: 1.0000) while maintaining explainability through attention-based reasoning over biological pathways. Training Data: - KG-Microbe merged knowledge graph: 1,379,337 nodes, 2,960,472 edges - 24 biological relation types including taxonomic hierarchies, metabolic interactions, phenotype associations, and environmental relationships - Primary prediction task: Growth media suitability for microbial taxa (biolink:occurs_in, 50K edges) - Multi-relation capability: Predicts links for any of the 24 relation types, including chemical consumption/production, phenotype associations, and taxonomic classification Citation: Original RelGT Architecture: Dwivedi et al., "Relational Graph Transformer", arXiv:2505.10960, 2025 KOGUT Implementation: Knowledge Oriented Graph Unified Transformer for Microbial Growth Media Prediction Developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Trained on NERSC Perlmutter supercomputer

Joachimiak, Marcin [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab↗

Environmental predictors of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) sputum positivity among persons with cystic fibrosis in the state of Florida

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are opportunistic human pathogens that are commonly found in soil and water, and exposure to these organisms may cause pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease. Persons with cystic fibrosis (CF) are at high risk for developing pulmonary NTM infections, and studies have shown that prolonged exposure to certain environments can increase the risk of pulmonary NTM. It is therefore important to determine the risk associated with different geographic areas. Using annualized registry data obtained from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry for 2010 through 2017, we conducted a geospatial analysis of NTM infections among persons with CF in Florida. A Bernoulli model in SaTScan was used to identify clustering of ZIP codes with higher than expected numbers of NTM culture positive individuals. Generalized linear mixed models with a binomial distribution were used to test the association of environmental variables and NTM culture positivity. We identified a significant cluster of M . abscessus and predictors of NTM sputum positivity, including annual precipitation and soil mineral levels.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Design Optimization of A generic Fissile Solution for Mo99 production using Electron Beam-based Neutron Generator using MCNP+CFD

Molybdenum-99 ( 99 Mo) is a medical isotope used in 80% of all medical imaging procedures today. However, 99 Mo is not directly administered to patients for imaging; its decay product, technetium-99m ( 99 mTc), is a metastable isotope with a half-life of ~6 hours. Such a short half-life does not allow for production, separation, and application to a patient before decaying further. Therefore, the solution is to produce the precursor to 99 mTc, 99 Mo. 99 Mo has a half-life of 66 hours, long enough to produce the material and send it to the desired location before it fully decays. Under National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) highly enriched uranium (HEU) minimization mission, the Material Management and Minimization (M3) office leads the Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) program. A major goal of the Mo-99 program is to develop methods of producing 99 Mo using low enriched uranium (LEU) opposed to the traditionally used HEU domestically in the U.S. Internationally, LEU is the new standard for use in research reactors and isotope production facility. In this study, we introduce a generic fissile solution system for 99 Mo production facility meeting the design requirement of 1) LEU usage as fissile material and 2) subcritical fissile system coupled with a horizontal electron beam (E-beam) accelerator. The focus of this research is to optimize a fissile solution configuration for maximum 99 Mo production yield using MCNP model, and ultimately implement the optimized design with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to understand thermal hydraulic behavior and solution convection characteristic. The report consists of two parts: 1) isotope yield calculation and criticality analysis with a wide range of parametric test matrix, and 2) thermal hydraulic analysis for solution mixing and cooling assessment.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Results of the Analyses of SMECT Mercury Sample Collected During Mercury Pump (MB1) Functional Check

A pump added to remove mercury from the sump of the Slurry Mix Evaporator Condensate Tank (SMECT) in DWPF was successfully tested in 2020, resulting in a sample of contaminated mercury obtained from the Mercury Purification Process (MPP) cell. The mercury in the sump of the SMECT was present as a result of steam stripping of sludge slurry in the Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) at DWPF. A schematic of the MPP system provided by DWPF personnel is shown in Appendix A. DWPF personnel supplied the following detailed description of the Hg sampling: “The sample provided is the result of DWPF extraction of mercury by means of the Mercury Pump-Water Cart. The Mercury Pump extracted the sample from the SMECT mercury sump. The pump uses pressurized water to transfer a small amount of mercury to a leachate bucket located at the Lab Mercury cell. The mercury and water were allowed to be self separated, and mercury was gravity decanted from the leachate bucket.” DWPF personnel indicate that the leachate bucket is equipped with both a top stopcock/drain and a lower/bottom stopcock/drain from which the mercury was decanted or drained out, while the separated water layer remained above the mercury during draining. The DWPF customer requested SRNL to analyze the sample for the following: gross alpha/nonvolatile beta analysis and perform a Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) per the Environmental Protection Agency's Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste: Physical/Chemical Methods, SW-846. While the TCLP was preferred, a Total Metals analysis of the eight Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) metals was deemed acceptable.2 The analytical data collected on this mercury sample will be used in planning for sample disposition as well to start a profile for future Hg disposition of Hg collected from steam stripping.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Root Pulling Force Across Drought in Maize Reveals Genotype by Environment Interactions and Candidate Genes

High-throughput, field-based characterization of root systems for hundreds of genotypes in thousands of plots is necessary for breeding and identifying loci underlying variation in root traits and their plasticity. We designed a large-scale sampling of root pulling force, the vertical force required to extract the root system from the soil, in a maize diversity panel under differing irrigation levels for two growing seasons. We then characterized the root system architecture of the extracted root crowns. We found consistent patterns of phenotypic plasticity for root pulling force for a subset of genotypes under differential irrigation, suggesting that root plasticity is predictable. Using genome-wide association analysis, we identified 54 SNPs as statistically significant for six independent root pulling force measurements across two irrigation levels and four developmental timepoints. For every significant GWAS SNP for any trait in any treatment and timepoint we conducted post hoc tests for genotype-by-environment interaction, using a mixed model ANOVA. We found that 8 of the 54 SNPs showed significant GxE. Candidate genes underlying variation in root pulling force included those involved in nutrient transport. Although they are often treated separately, variation in the ability of plant roots to sense and respond to variation in environmental resources including water and nutrients may be linked by the genes and pathways underlying this variation. While functional validation of the identified genes is needed, our results expand the current knowledge of root phenotypic plasticity at the whole plant and gene levels, and further elucidate the complex genetic architecture of maize root systems.

Woods, Patrick↗

Flame Flashback Investigations in Hydrogen-Enriched Low Swirl Flames using High-Speed Hydroxyl (OH) Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence

This study reports flashback mechanism observed in hydrogen-enriched flames stabilized in a low swirl burner (LSB) at atmospheric pressure and temperature conditions. The fundamentals of hydrogen-rich stable flames and spatiotemporal investigation of flashback phenomena were observed experimentally using a high-repetition-rate nanosecond (ns)-duration hydroxyl radical planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) diagnostic. Testing was conducted in an optically accessible pre-mixing section of LSB with inlet pre-mixing velocities from 5 to 10 m/s for methane and hydrogen (50 – 90% by mole) blends. Swirlers with two different turning angles, 26 and 33 degrees and three different perforated plate hole diameters, 1.08, 1.12 and 1.16 mm with measured swirl numbers varying from 0.43 to 0.49 were used. The flashback propensity showed dependence on the proximity of the lifted flame to the burner exit which was dependent on pre-mixer velocity, hydrogen content and equivalence ratio (ER). High-speed OH-PLIF images revealed lifted flames were first observed at low ER condition which is changed to M-shaped flame attached to burner rim with the increase in ER. Then, further increase in ER triggers flame flashback into the nozzle. Flashback occurred when burning occurs in the outer shear layer and the leading flame brush ingresses into the nozzle.

Parajuli, Pradeep↗

High-Speed OH-PLIF Diagnostics of Flame Flashback in Low Swirl Hydrogen-Enriched Flames

This paper reports flashback events observed in hydrogen-enriched flames stabilized in a low swirl burner (LSB) at atmospheric pressure and temperature conditions. The fundamentals of hydrogen-rich stable flames and spatiotemporal investigation of flashback phenomena were observed experimentally using a high-repetition-rate nanosecond (ns)-duration hydroxyl radical planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) diagnostic. Testing was conducted in an optically accessible pre-mixing section of a LSB with inlet pre-mixing velocities ranging from 5 to 10 m/s for methane and hydrogen (50 – 90% by mole) blends. Swirlers with two different turning angles, 26o and 33o, and three different perforated plate hole diameters, 1.08, 1.12 and 1.16 mm, with measured swirl numbers varying from 0.43 to 0.49 were used in this study at atmospheric temperature and pressure inlet conditions. The flashback propensity showed a dependence on the proximity of the lifted flame to the burner exit (termed as lift-off length, L) which was dependent on the pre-mixer velocity (V), hydrogen content (XH2) and equivalence ratio (ϕ) at constant temperature and pressure conditions. High-speed OH-PLIF images revealed lifted flames were first observed at low ϕ/ XH2 condition which then changed to a M-shaped flame attached to burner rim with the increase in ϕ/ XH2. Further increases in ϕ/XH2, depending upon other inlet parameters, triggered flame flashback into the pre-mixing section. Flashback occurred when burning began in the outer shear layer and the leading flame brush propagated into the nozzle. Such spatiotemporally resolved high-speed OH-PLIF imaging provides insights on different stages of flashback in a LSB – flashback initiation, transition of flame propagation from burner exit to the swirler and flashback to flame holding transition. Flame ϕ at flashback showed an expected linearly increasing trend with increasing V and decreasing XH2 and the conclusions drawn aligned well with detailed investigations. For identical inlet conditions, flashback propensity decreased with increasing perforated-plate hole diameter and increasing swirler vane angle.

Parajuli, Pradeep↗

Respirator Cartridge Performance on Mixed Vapors from Hanford Tank Headspaces and Exhausters - 20427

Between 2016 and 2018, the Hanford Tank Operations Contractor - Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) - conducted a series of tests of air-purifying respirator (APR) chemical cartridges commonly used at Hanford tank farms to determine the period of time for which the cartridges would provide adequate performance when used in APRs and powered-air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) to protect workers when exposed to a mixture of vapors exiting tank headspaces. Although cartridge manufacturers provide service life estimating tools for individual chemical compounds, the projected performance of these cartridges on complex vapor mixtures is not available, and the adequacy of APRs for tank farm applications represents an important workforce concern. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration identifies cartridge testing as a valid approach for establishing cartridge service life. The primary function of the WRPS Cartridge Test Program was to obtain objective data to determine service lives for the APR and PAPR cartridges used at Hanford tank farms. WRPS contracted with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to analyze the test data and offer an independent analysis of and recommendations based on respirator cartridge performance. A total of 28 APR and 10 PAPR cartridge tests were conducted between 2016 and 2018 on 12 different tank headspaces and tank farm exhauster slipstreams. Two APR cartridges from SCOTT (now 3M) and two PAPR cartridges from MSA Safety, Inc. and 3M were evaluated using a cartridge testing system specifically designed to measure and monitor test conditions and sample cartridge inlet and outlet vapor streams for important chemical compounds. Testing focused on analysis of approximately 61 tank vapor chemicals of potential concern (COPCs) that have been previously detected in tank vapors at levels above 10% of their occupational exposure limits (OELs). Each test was conducted over 16 hours of run time. Evidence of chemical breakthrough was assessed by comparing inlet and outlet COPC concentrations over the duration of each test. The breakthrough threshold was normally defined as exceeding 10% of the compounds OEL at the cartridge outlet. Ammonia breakthrough was observed in a majority of the cartridge tests and occurred earlier than breakthrough of any other chemical compound. Several other COPCs did exhibit breakthrough behavior, including mercury, 1,3-butadiene, furan, 2,5 dihydrofuran, and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), but only in a very limited number of cartridge tests and only after ammonia breakthrough had occurred. In addition, tests results suggest that breakthrough of some of these COPCs may have been affected by competition with and breakthrough of other non-COPC organics, such as ethanol and acetone, with substantially lower toxicological hazard. Comparison of cartridge manufacturers' service life estimates with the experimentally derived breakthrough times indicates that manufacturers' estimates are generally conservative, even in the presence of the complex mixed vapor streams experienced in these tests. With consideration of appropriate safety margins, these results provide valuable insights on cartridge performance to inform industrial hygiene professionals in establishing appropriate cartridge change-out schedules for APR and PAPR use in the Hanford tank farms. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Assessment of the literature about Be-W mixed material layer formation in the fusion reactor environment

Abstract All plasma facing surfaces in a fusion reactor, whether initially pure or an alloy, will rapidly evolve into a mixed material due to plasma-induced erosion, migration and redeposition. Beryllium (Be) erosion from the main chamber, and its transport and deposition on to a tungsten (W) divertor results in the growth of mixed Be-W layers, which can evolve to form beryllides. These Be-W mixed materials exhibit generally less desirable properties than pure tungsten or pure beryllium, such as lower melting points. In order to better understand the parameter space for growth of these alloys, this paper reviews the literature on Be-W mixed material formation experiments—in magnetically confined fusion reactors, in linear plasma test stands, and during thin-film deposition—and on computational modeling of Be-W interactions, as well as briefly assesses the Be-W growth kinetics. We conclude that the following kinetic steps drive the material mixing: adsorption of the implanted/deposited ion on the metal surface; diffusion of the implanted/deposited ion from surface into the bulk, which is accelerated by defects; and loss of deposited material through erosion. Adsorption dominates (or prevents) material mixing in thin-film deposition experiments, whereas diffusion drives material mixing in plasma exposures due to the energetic ion implantation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Assessment of the literature about Be-W mixed material layer formation in the fusion reactor environment

All plasma facing surfaces in a fusion reactor, whether initially pure or an alloy, will rapidly evolve into a mixed material due to plasma-induced erosion, migration and redeposition. Beryllium (Be) erosion from the main chamber, and its transport and deposition on to a tungsten (W) divertor results in the growth of mixed Be-W layers, which can evolve to form beryllides. These Be-W mixed materials exhibit generally less desirable properties than pure tungsten or pure beryllium, such as lower melting points. In order to better understand the parameter space for growth of these alloys, this paper reviews the literature on Be-W mixed material formation experiments—in magnetically confined fusion reactors, in linear plasma test stands, and during thin-film deposition—and on computational modeling of Be-W interactions, as well as briefly assesses the Be-W growth kinetics. We conclude that the following kinetic steps drive the material mixing: adsorption of the implanted/deposited ion on the metal surface; diffusion of the implanted/deposited ion from surface into the bulk, which is accelerated by defects; and loss of deposited material through erosion. Adsorption dominates (or prevents) material mixing in thin-film deposition experiments, whereas diffusion drives material mixing in plasma exposures due to the energetic ion implantation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗