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At least 199 records · Page 11

Sorption (Kd) measurements on cinder block and grout in support of dose assessments for Zion Nuclear Station decommissioning

The Zion Nuclear Power Station is being decommissioned. ZionSolutions proposes to leave much of the below grade structures in place and to fill them with a backfill to provide structural support. Backfills under consideration include “clean” concrete demolition debris from the above grade parts of the facility, a flowable grout, cinder block construction debris and sand. A previous study (Yim, 2012) examined the sorption behavior of five nuclides (Fe-55, Co-60, Ni-63, Sr-85, and Cs-137) on concrete and local soils. This study, commissioned by ZionSolutions and conducted by the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) examines the sorption behavior on cinder block and grout materials. Specifically, this study measured the distribution coefficient for four radionuclides of concern using site-groundwater and cinder block from the Zion site and a flowable grout. The distributions coefficient is a measure of the amount of the radionuclide that will remain sorbed to the solid material that is present relative to the amount that will remain in solution. A high distribution coefficient indicates most of the radionuclide will remain on the solid material and will not be available for transport by the groundwater. The radionuclides examined in this set of tests were Co-60, Ni-63, Sr-85, and Cs-137. Tests were performed following ASTM C1733-10, Standard Test Methods for Distribution Coefficients of Inorganic Species by the Batch Method. Sr-85 was used in the testing as an analogue for Sr-90 because it behaves similarly with respect to sorption and has a gamma emission that is easier to detect than the beta emission from Sr-90.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Management and International Sorption Model Collaboration (M4SF-23LL010302062-NEA-TDB)

This progress report (Level 4 Milestone Number M4SF-23LL010302062) summarizes research conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) within the Crystalline International Collaborations Activity Number SF-23LL01030206. The activity is focused on our long-term commitment of engaging our partners in international nuclear waste repository research. This includes participation in the Nuclear Energy Agency Thermochemical Database (NEA-TDB) Project and development of methodologies for integrating US and international thermodynamic databases for use in SFWST Generic Disposal System Assessment (GDSA) efforts. A continuing focus for FY23 efforts has been to support the US participation in the NEA-TDB effort (Mavrik Zavarin replaced Cindy Atkins-Duffin on the NEA-TDB Management Board (MB) and Executive Group (EG)) and developing mechanisms for integration of NEA-TDB thermochemical data with LLNL’s SUPCRTNE thermodynamic database that supports the SFWST GDSA activities. This effort is coordinated with the Argillite work package SUPCRTNE database development efforts. The goal is to provide a downloadable database that will be hosted on a LLNL website which integrates NEA-TDB data into the LLNL SUPCRTNE database where appropriate. As part of our international activities, we continue our effort to integrate international sorption databases into L-SCIE (Zavarin et al., 2022b). We presented opportunities to include sorption in the next phase of NEA-TDB efforts at the April 2023 EG meeting in Paris. FY23 efforts focused on ensuring interoperable database development across multiple international database development activities. The overall goal is to produce an open source database that can be shared and integrated with multiple nuclear waste programs internationally and harness modern data science workflows and algorithms to incorporate these new approaches into reactive transport and performance assessment models. In collaboration with our Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf partners, we recently demonstrated the power of FAIR open source databases by fitting iron oxide (hydrous ferric oxide, goethite, hematite, and magnetite) protolysis constants to all available L-SCIE data. The results were submitted as a manuscript to J. Colloid Interface Science. This work will inform future metal sorption studies on a variety of iron oxides in order to discern the most appropriate acidity constants and surface complexation modeling constructs to account for pH-dependent mineral surface charge behavior. This work also explored automated surface complexation model development workflows in order to generate higher throughput model input files for a more facile incorporation into GDSA activities.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Iodine Sorption on AgZ-PAN

The Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain Program Material Recovery and Waste Form Development (MRWFD) Campaign Off-gas Sigma Team has performed research and development on iodine control and iodine waste forms for the past several years. This research and development has included iodine adsorption tests using a laboratory-scale test system containing multiple-segmented fixed beds of iodine adsorbents. Iodine capture performance has been tested using (a) non-radioactive synthetic gas mixtures blended from air, nitrogen, NO, NO 2 , water, to simulate dissolver off-gas (DOG) and vessel off-gas (VOG) streams from used nuclear fuel aqueous reprocessing, (b) inorganic and organic iodine species, and (c) different sorbents. An initial test of silver-functionalized mordenite in polyacrylonitrile matrix (AgZ-PAN) was conducted to assess if this sorbent, initially designed for selective sorption of Xe that evolves into used fuel reprocessing off-gas streams, could also be a candidate for iodine sorption. This test was conducted using the same deep-bed test system and methodologies used in many prior iodine sorption tests using other sorbents. Diatomic iodine (I2) was used as the target iodide in a gas stream containing air, NO, NO 2 , and moisture designed to simulate an aqueous reprocessing dissolver off-gas (DOG) stream.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Sorption, Structure and Dynamics of CO2 and Ethane in Silicalite at High Pressure: A Combined Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

Silicalite is an important nanoporous material that finds applications in several industries, including gas separation and catalysis. While the sorption, structure, and dynamics of several molecules confined in the pores of silicalite have been reported, most of these studies have been restricted to low pressures. Here we report a comparative study of sorption, structure, and dynamics of CO2 and ethane in silicalite at high pressures (up to 100 bar) using a combination of Monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The behavior of the two fluids is studied in terms of the simulated sorption isotherms, the positional and orientational distribution of sorbed molecules in silicalite, and their translational diffusion, vibrational spectra, and rotational motion. Both CO2 and ethane are found to exhibit orientational ordering in silicalite pores; however, at high pressures, while CO2 prefers to reside in the channel intersections, ethane molecules reside mostly in the sinusoidal channels. While CO2 exhibits a higher self-diffusion coefficient than ethane at low pressures, at high pressures, it becomes slower than ethane. Both CO2 and ethane exhibit rotational motion at two time scales. At both time scales, the rotational motion of ethane is faster. The differences observed here in the behavior of CO2 and ethane in silicalite pores can be seen as a consequence of an interplay of the kinetic diameter of the two molecules and the quadrupole moment of CO2.

Gautam, Siddharth (ORCID:0000000314435382)↗

Status Of Sorption Cryogenic Refrigeration

Report reviews sorption refrigeration. Developed for cooling infrared detectors, cryogenic research, and other advanced applications, sorption refrigerators have few moving parts, little vibration, and lifetimes of 10 years or more. Describes types of sorption stages, multistage and hybrid refrigeration systems, power requirements, cooling capacities, and advantages and disadvantages of various stages and systems.

Jones, Jack A.↗

Manganese Nitride Sorption Joule-Thomson Refrigerator

Proposed sorption refrigeration system of increased power efficiency combines MnxNy sorption refrigeration stage with systems described in "Regenerative Sorption Refrigerator" (NPO-17630). Measured pressure-vs-composition isotherms for reversible chemisorption of N2 in MnxNy suggest feasibility to incorporate MnxNy chemisorption stage in Joule-Thomson cryogenic system. Discovery represents first known reversible nitrogen chemisorption compression system. Has potential in nitrogen-isotope separation, nitrogen purification, or contamination-free nitrogen compression.

Jones, Jack A.↗

Multicomponent gas sorption Joule-Thomson refrigeration

The present invention relates to a cryogenic Joule-Thomson refrigeration capable of pumping multicomponent gases with a single stage sorption compressor system. Alternative methods of pumping a multicomponent gas with a single stage compressor are disclosed. In a first embodiment, the sorbent geometry is such that a void is defined near the output of the sorption compressor. When the sorbent is cooled, the sorbent primarily adsorbs the higher boiling point gas such that the lower boiling point gas passes through the sorbent to occupy the void. When the sorbent is heated, the higher boiling point gas is desorbed at high temperature and pressure and thereafter propels the lower boiling point gas out of the sorption compressor. A mixing chamber is provided to remix the constituent gases prior to expansion of the gas through a Joule-Thomson valve. Other methods of pumping a multicomponent gas are disclosed. For example, where the sorbent is porous and the low boiling point gas does not adsorb very well, the pores of the sorbent will act as a void space for the lower boiling point gas. Alternatively, a mixed sorbent may be used where a first sorbent component physically adsorbs the high boiling point gas and where the second sorbent component chemically absorbs the low boiling point gas.

Jones, Jack A.↗

Three-Stage Regenerative Sorption Cooler Reaches 65 K

Three-stage regenerative sorption cooler produces no measurable vibration, highly reliable, and exhibits efficiency comparable to that of less-reliable mechanical Stirling-cycle cooler. Represents improvement over two-stage sorption cooler described in "Regenerative Sorption Refrigerator" (NPO-17630).

Bard, Steven↗

Sorption cooling of astrophysics science instruments

The current status of continuous and periodic operation sorption cryocooler development for astrophysics missions requiring refrigeration to 4 K and below, is reviewed. These coolers are suited for the cooling of detectors in planned astrophysics missions such as the exploration of neighboring planetary systems planet finder array (ExNPS PFA). The cooler requirements imposed by these missions include a ten-year life, zero vibration, zero electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic charging operation, and the ability to scale designs to provide low refrigeration capability with low power consumption. Spaceflight test results are summarized for the brilliant eyes 10 K sorption cryocooler experiment. This experiment successfully validated flight cooler performance and provided characterization of all sorption cooler design parameters which may have shown sensitivity to microgravity effects. Ground test results from a continuous 25 K cooler planned for use in a long duration airborne balloon experiment are presented. A NASA program to develop 30 K, 10 K and 4 K vibration-free coolers for astrophysics missions is outlined.

Wade, Lawrence A.↗

Development of a microminiature sorption cooler

The development of a microcooler for operations below 80 K, for low temperature electronic devices requiring small cooling powers of the order of 10 mW is described. A sorption compressor combined with Joule-Thomson (JT) expansion was selected for miniaturization. The advantage of the system is considered to be its absence of moving parts, with the exception of the check valves. This facilitates the scaling down of the system, minimizes interferences and contributes to a long lifetime. The requirements for small scale cooling of low temperature electronics are listed. The sorption compressor and the JT expansion are described. A parameter study is reviewed together with the scaling of the sorption compressor.

Burger, Johannes↗

Experimental Investigation of a Novel High Energy Density Mobile Sorption–based Thermal Battery

Around 20% of the total primary energy use in the United States is for thermal demands of buildings, such as space cooling, dehumidification, and space heating. Low-grade geothermal energy is abundant and could effectively satisfy these thermal demands. However, low-grade geothermal energy is underused because geothermal fluids have an energy density too low to justify transportation between the existing resources and buildings. The mobile sorption-based thermal battery (MSTB) system was thus developed to store the low-temperature heat using three-phase (vapor-liquid solution-solid crystal) sorption technology with a much higher energy density than a geothermal fluid provides. The energy density of an MSTB is over 6 times that of conventional hot water, enabling economical long-distance transport of low-temperature heat for thermal end uses. This can alleviate peak demand on the electricity grid by offsetting space-conditioning loads, improving the reliability and resilience of US energy systems. High energy density, fast crystallization, and crystal dissolution of the sorption material are critical to the viability and performance of the MSTB system. Therefore, the design and operation of MSTB systems must ensure effective generation and dissolution of the salt crystals inside the MSTB. To achieve this target, this study developed a prototype MSTB and its testing apparatus, and experimentally investigated the prototype MSTB. The crystallization and dissolution performance were also theoretically defined and quantified. The experimental results showed that the prototype MSTB was able to achieve an energy storage density of 903.0 kJ/kg and a maximum discharge rate of 1.3 kW. This study proves the feasibility and high performance of the MSTB concept, which is helpful to further study and development of the MSTB system.

Wang, Lingshi↗

Sorption and Desorption Study of a Nerve-Agent Simulant from Office Materials for Forensic Applications

Dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) was used as a simulant to investigate the sorption and desorption of G-series nerve agents such as sarin (GB) released into an office space. DMMP was disseminated systematically as an aerosol and vapor on three common office materials, cardboard, polyurethane foam, and cured acrylic-based paint. The amount of DMMP initially captured on the office materials and the amount retained over a period of 10 hours was tracked gravimetrically and by solvent extraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Physicochemical properties of the office media including the specific surface area per mass, polarity, and Henry’s constants were determined to help explain the capture and release of DMMP that was observed. Polyurethane foam was found to have the largest sorption capacity for DMMP in a low-humidity setting, however, cardboard was found to have the largest sorption capacity at higher humidity. A fraction of the DMMP collected desorbed with first-order kinetics from all of the office materials in an open-air atmosphere over 8 hours. However, importantly for forensic purposes relevant to an indoor attack, a significant quantity (most notably on cardboard) of the nerve agent simulant was retained after 6 weeks and could be analyzed efficiently using solvent extraction followed by GC/MS.

chemical forensics↗

Sorption Behavior of Iodide Ions on Calcium Silicate Hydrate Formed under the Condition Saturated with Saline Water - 17069

The sorption behavior of iodide ions on calcium-silicate-hydrate (CSH gel) under the condition saturated with saline water was examined by using a Raman spectroscopy and ICP-AES, without drying process. In the sorption experiments, I-127 is a stable isotope was used as an alternative of I-129. CSH gel was synthesized with mixing CaO, SiO{sub 2}, and NaCl solution. The Ca/Si molar ratios of CSH gel were set to 0.4, 0.8, 1.2 and 1.6, and the concentration of NaCl solution was set to 0.6 M for simulating the condition of saline groundwater. The liquid/solid weight ratios of CSH gel were set to 10, 13, 15, 17, and 20, and the total weight of solid phase was 1.5 g. Furthermore, at the preparation of CSH gel, the substance of iodide ions in each sample was adjusted to 15 μmol. The synthesis procedure for all samples was conducted in a glove bag filled with nitrogen gas. The curing period was 7, 14, 30, and 60 days at a room temperature (298 K) with shaking at 120 strokes/min. The results of the sorption experiments, iodide ions adsorbed on CSH gel regardless of the high concentration of NaCl. The concentration of iodide ions in liquid phase was equal to the initial one under all experimental conditions. Moreover, the distribution coefficients, K{sub d}, were kept constant (K{sub d} = 1 mL/g) after 14 days. In the results of Raman analysis, the structure of CSH gel was scarcely influenced by incorporating iodide ions from the viewpoint of the silicate chain. These results suggest that iodide ions will be incorporated into CSH gel with the hydration water without changing its structure. Such effect of CSH gel formed with leaching cementitious constituents around the repository may retard the migration of radionuclide (I-129) in the natural barrier of the radioactive waste disposal system. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Physicochemical regularities of strontium sorption by sorbents based on di(tert-butyldicyclohexano)-18-crown-6

A number of sorbents based on di(tert-butyldicyclohexano)-18-crown-6, 1,1,7-trihydrododecafluoroheptanol, and various supports (Porolas-T, LPS-500, hydrophobized silica gel) were prepared. The effect of the supports on strontium sorption from nitric acid solutions was estimated. The physicochemical regularities of strontium sorption (isotherm, kinetics, and selectivity) were studied.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Neutron Insights into Sorption Enhanced Methanol Catalysis

Sorption enhanced methanol production makes use of the equilibrium shift of the CO 2 hydrogenation reaction towards the desired products. However, the increased complexity of the catalyst system leads to additional reactions and thus side products such as dimethyl ether, and complicates the analysis of the reaction mechanism. On the other hand, the unusually high concentration of intermediates and products in the sorbent facilitates the use of inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectroscopy. Despite being a post-mortem method, the INS data revealed the change of the reaction path during sorption catalysis. Concretely, the experiments indicate that the varying water partial pressure due to the adsorption saturation of the zeolite sorbent influences the progress of the reaction steps in which water is involved. Experiments with model catalysts support the INS findings.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

C–S–H gel densification: The impact of the nanoscale on self-desiccation and sorption isotherms

The relationship between humidity and water content in a hydrating cement paste is largely controlled by the nanostructure of the C–S–H gel. Current hydration models do not describe this nanostructure, thus sorption isotherms and self-desiccation are given as constitutive inputs instead of being predicted from microstructural evolution. To address this limitation, this work combines a C–S–H gel description from nanoscale simulations with evolving capillary pore size distributions from a simple hydration model. Results show that a progressive densification of the C–S–H gel must be considered in order to explain the self-desiccation of low-alkali pastes. The impact of C–S–H densification on the evolution of microstructure and sorption isotherms is then discussed, including the effect of water-to-cement ratio, cement powder fineness, and curing temperature. Overall, this work identifies an area where nanoscale simulations can integrate larger-scale models of cement hydration and poromechanics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mesoscale modelling of dynamic porosity in cement hydrate gel during a water sorption cycle: A lattice Boltzmann study

We describe a lattice Boltzmann modelling framework for fluid sorption coupled to a dynamic model of cement hydrate microstructure upon which it is possible to explore ideas of water sorption in cement emergent from NMR and other recent experimental studies. The results of the first simulations using the model are presented. We show that it is possible to extract transport and microstructural relaxation parameters from the simulations that are in good qualitative agreement with experiment. We discuss limitations of the methodology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of biofilm coatings at metal-oxide/water interfaces II: Competitive sorption between Pb(II) and Zn(II) at Shewanella oneidensis /metal-oxide/water interfaces

Competitive sorption of Pb(II) and Zn(II) on Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 biofilm-coated single-crystal α-Al 2 O 3 (1 –1 0 2) and α-Fe 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1) surfaces was investigated using long-period X-ray standing wave-florescence yield (LP-XSW-FY) spectroscopy. In situ partitioning of aqueous Pb(II) and Zn(II) between the biofilms and underlying metal-oxide substrates was probed following exposure of these complex interfaces to equi-molar Pb and Zn solutions (0.01 M NaNO 3 as background electrolyte, pH = 6.0, and 3-h equilibration time). At higher Pb and Zn concentrations (≥10 –5 M), more than 99% of these ions partitioned into the biofilms at S. oneidensis /α-Al 2 O 3 (1 –1 0 2)/water interfaces, which is consistent with the partitioning behavior of both Pb(II) or Zn(II) in single-metal-ion experiments. Furthermore, no apparent competitive effects were found in this system at these relatively high metal-ion concentrations. However, at lower equi-molar concentrations (≤10 –6 M), Pb(II) and Zn(II) partitioning in the same system changed significantly compared to the single-metal-ion systems. The presence of Zn(II) decreased Pb(II) partitioning onto α-Al 2 O 3 (1 –1 0 2) substantially (~52% to ~13% at 10 –7 M, and ~23% to ~5% at 10–6 M), whereas the presence of Pb(II) caused more Zn(II) to partition onto α-Al 2 O 3 (1 –1 0 2) surfaces (~15% to ~28% at 10 –7 M, and ~1% to ~7% at 10 –6 M) .The higher observed partitioning of Zn(II) (~28%) at the α-Al 2 O 3 (1 –1 0 2) surfaces compared to Pb(II) (~13%) in the mixed-metal-ion systems at the lowest concentration (10 –7 M) suggests that Zn(II) is slightly favored over Pb(II) for sorption sites on α-Al 2 O 3 (1 –1 0 2) surfaces under our experimental conditions.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗