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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Optical design for the single crystal neutron diffractometer Pioneer

Pioneer is a single-crystal neutron diffractometer optimized for small-volume samples and weak signals at the Second Target Station at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This paper presents the preliminary optical design progress, focusing on the rationale behind key design choices. It covers the T 0 and bandwidth disk choppers, guide and beam control system, incident-beam polarizer, scattering beam collimators, and additional strategies. The chopper locations are selected to maximize neutron transport while taking advantage of standardized shielding structures. To accommodate the maintenance shield, operational shutter, and polarizing V-cavity, the guide design includes significant gaps. When these optical components are moved out of the beam path, oversized collimators, rather than guides, will be translated in. Pioneer will utilize slit packages to control beam size and divergence and a translatable polarizing V-cavity. Absorbing panels are strategically placed near the end station to minimize background. An oscillating radial collimator, operating in a shift mode, will be used with the vertical cylindrical detector, while a fixed multi-cone collimator will be used with the bottom flat detector. In conclusion, these collimators will enable the detection of weak signals when complex sample environments are used.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

MAGIS-100 environmental characterization and noise analysis

We investigate and analyze site specific systematics for the MAGIS-100 atomic interferometry experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. As atom interferometers move out of the laboratory environment passive and active mitigation for noise sources must be implemented. To inform the research and development of the experiment design, we measure ambient temperature, humidity, and vibrations of the installation site. We find that temperature fluctuations will necessitate enclosures for critical subsystems and a temperature controlled laser room for the laser system. We also measure and analyze the vibration spectrum above and below ground for the installation site. The seismic vibration effect of gravity gradient noise is also modeled using input from a low-noise seismometer at multiple locations and a mitigation scheme is studied using a stochastic simulation and characterized by a suppression factor.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Sequential Perturbation-based FDIA Detection using DERs for Unbalanced Distribution System

The power distribution system with its reliance on automated monitoring and control infrastructure makes it a complicated cyber-physical system and vulnerable to various cyber-attacks. This paper proposes a moving target defense inspired false data injection attack (FDIA) detection mechanism for an unbalanced distribution system. In the proposed grid diagnosis service framework, the distribution system operator judiciously manipulates power outputs of a subset of inverter-based distribution energy resources (DERs) to create secret low magnitude voltage perturbations which are inconsequential to the normal operation of the grid. A mixed-integer-linear-programming algorithm is developed to select the optimal set of DERs that can create a voltage perturbation signal of the required magnitude at each sensor location at a minimum cost. Then, a sequential detector is applied that detects for the FDIA as measurements are received from individual sensors. The performance of the proposed perturbation-based FDIA detection framework is demonstrated via simulation of the IEEE 123 bus test system.

Attack Detection↗
DOE OSTI2026

Redefining precision interferometry and spectroscopy with high-performance optical interference coatings

High-performance optical interference coatings have transformed precision interferometry and spectroscopy by enabling unparalleled control over light–matter interactions. This review explores recent innovations in ion-beam sputtered amorphous dielectric, as well as substrate-transferred crystalline coatings, and their impact on systems at the forefront of precision metrology. These state-of-the-art coating techniques generate multilayers with ultralow optical losses, yielding mirrors with exceptional reflectivity. Refinements in their noise performance push the ultimate limits of sensitivity, resolution, and stability in demanding laser-based metrology applications. These technologies underpin the most advanced timekeeping and spatial measurement tools, enabling high-finesse reference cavities for the world’s most precise optical atomic clocks and low-noise reflective test masses for km-baseline gravitational-wave detectors. Emerging hybrid designs combining these techniques expand access to the mid-infrared spectral region, enabling the first ultralow-optical-loss coatings in the 3000–5000 nm wavelength range for enhanced spectroscopy and trace-gas detection. We highlight how these technologies redefine coating performance metrics and set new benchmarks in quantum science, fundamental physics, and precision optical sensing.

Cole, Garrett D. [University of Arizona, Tucson, A↗
DOE OSTI2021

Quantity of 135I Released from the AGR 5/6/7 Experiment

A series of four Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) experiments have been conducted in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). From 2006 through 2020, these experiments supported the development and qualification of the new U.S. tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel for Very High Temperature Reactors (VHTR). Each Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) experiment consisted of multiple fueled capsules, each plumbed for independent temperature control using a mix of helium and neon gases. The gas leaving a capsule was routed to individual Fission Product Monitor (FPM) detectors. For intact fuel particles, the TRISO particle coatings provide a substantial barrier to fission product release. However, particles with failed coatings, whether because of a minute percentage of initially defective particles, those which fail during irradiation, or those designed to fail (DTF) particles, can release fission products to the flowing gas stream. Because reactive fission product elements like iodine and cesium quickly deposit on cooler capsule components and piping structures as the effluent gas leaves the reactor core, only the noble fission gas isotopes of Kr and Xe tend to reach FPM detectors. The FPM system utilizes High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors coupled with a thallium activated sodium iodide NaI(Tl) scintillator. The HPGe detector provides individual isotopic information, while the NaI(Tl) scintillator is used as a gross count rate meter. During irradiation, the 135mXe concentration reaching the FPM detectors is from both direct fission and by decay of the accumulated 135I. About 2.5 hours after irradiation (ten 15.3 minute 135mXe half lives) the directly produced 135mXe has decayed and only the longer lived 135I remains as a source. Decay systematics dictate that 135mXe will be in secular equilibrium with its 135I parent, such that its production rate very nearly equals the decay rate of the parent, and its concentration in the flowing gas stream will appear to decay with the parent half life. This equilibrium condition enables the determination of the amount of 135I released from the fuel particles by measurement of the 135mXe at the FPM following reactor shutdown. In this paper, the 135I released will be reported.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Crosstalk Effects in Microwave SQUID Multiplexed TES Bolometer Readout

Transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers are broadly used for background-limited astrophysical measurements from the far-infrared to mm-waves. Many planned future instruments require increasingly large detector arrays, but their scalability is limited by their cryogenic readout electronics. Microwave SQUID multiplexing offers a highly capable scaling solution through the use of inherently broadband circuitry, enabling readout of hundreds to thousands of channels per microwave line. As with any multiplexing technique, the channelization mechanism gives rise to electrical crosstalk which must be understood and controlled so as to not degrade the instrument sensitivity. Here, in this study, we explore implications relevant for TES bolometer array applications, focusing in particular on upcoming mm-wave observatories such as the Simons Observatory and AliCPT. We model the relative contributions of the various underlying crosstalk mechanisms, evaluate the difference between fixed-tone and tone-tracking readout systems, and discuss ways in which crosstalk nonlinearity will complicate on-sky measurements.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Three-Wave Mixing Kinetic Inductance Traveling-Wave Amplifier with Near-Quantum-Limited Noise Performance

We present a theoretical model and experimental characterization of a microwave kinetic inductance traveling-wave (KIT) amplifier, whose noise performance, measured by a shot-noise tunnel junction (SNTJ), approaches the quantum limit. Biased with a dc current, this amplifier operates in a three-wave mixing fashion, thereby reducing by several orders of magnitude the power of the microwave pump tone and associated parasitic heating compared to conventional four-wave mixing KIT amplifier devices. It consists of a 50 Ω artificial transmission line whose dispersion allows for a controlled amplification bandwidth. We measure $16.5^{+1}_{–1.3}$ dB of gain across a 2 GHz bandwidth with an input 1 dB compression power of –63 dBm, in qualitative agreement with theory. Using a theoretical framework that accounts for the SNTJ-generated noise entering both the signal and idler ports of the KIT amplifier, we measure the system-added noise of an amplification chain that integrates the KIT amplifier as the first amplifier. This system-added noise, 3.1 ± 0.6 quanta (equivalent to 0.66 ± 0.15 K) between 3.5 and 5.5 GHz, is the one that a device replacing the SNTJ in that chain would see. This KIT amplifier is therefore suitable to read large arrays of microwave kinetic inductance detectors and promising for multiplexed superconducting qubit readout.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Developing an intrinsically secure information barrier for arms control verification through machine learning

Near-term solutions are needed to allow for flexible engagement in future nuclear arms control discussions. This project developed a method for implementing an information barrier (IB) on commercial systems, shortening the research and development lifecycle for warhead verification technologies while offering improved and inherently flexible capabilities. The crux of the verification challenge remains the difficulty in developing an authenticatable IB which prevents sensitive host country information from inadvertent transmission to an inspector. Many concepts for IB’s rely on dedicated “trusted” processor modules developed with dedicated custom radiation detection systems and associated algorithms. Without a priori knowledge of the treaty item, the parameter space for measurements can be nearly infinite and robustness against spoofing without the ability to view sensitive data is key. This project has produced an unclassified framework capable of ingesting data from common gamma detectors and identifying the presence of weapons grade nuclear material at over 90% accuracy.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2026

Module Testing Procedures and Results for the CMS Phase-2 Outer Tracker Upgrade at Fermilab

The High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will operate at significantly increased luminosities and is expected to deliver about 3000 $fb^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}=14$ TeV over a decade of operation. To maintain efficient tracking and triggering performance under high pileup and radiation conditions, the CMS experiment is upgrading its tracking detector for Phase-2 operations. The upgraded Outer Tracker (OT) will consist of Pixel-Strip (PS) and Strip-Strip (2S) silicon modules capable of providing tracking information to the Level-1 trigger at 40 MHz. Production and qualification of OT modules have been ongoing for about one year across several assembly and testing centers in the US, Europe, India, and Pakistan, requiring extensive testing to ensure stable operation in the HL-LHC environment. Fermilab is responsible for the production and testing of a significant fraction of the OT modules. The testing activities include IV characterization of silicon sensors, noise and pedestal measurements, verification of communication between module components, and burn-in studies using cold-box systems operated under controlled thermal conditions. Results from module testing and qualification studies performed during production will be presented.

Baradia, Sweta [UC, Davis (main)]↗
DOE OSTI2021

Simulation of Isotopic Concentrations and Gamma Spectra from Dynamic Fission Sources

A tool was developed to rapidly generate synthetic gamma-ray spectra to evaluate safeguards material control and accounting methods for liquid-fueled molten salt reactors. Molten salt reactor operations pose unique challenges to nuclear safeguards methods and protocols compared to deployed reactors designs (e.g., light water reactors). This research evaluates the use of gamma-ray spectroscopy to monitor fission product isotopic flow through a reactor model to understand expected operations and investigate changes to the spectra with material diversion scenarios. The large design space of molten salt reactors (e.g., liquid-fueled, liquid-cooled, online separations) could potentially lead to many measurement points within the reactor system. The developed analytical tool generates and evaluates synthetic gamma-ray spectra from dynamic reactor simulations by extracting isotopic inventory to generate source terms. An implementation in the Gamma Detector Response and Analysis Software (GADRAS) Application Program Interface (API) uses the source terms, a model of the reactor component, a detector response function, and measurement plan to quickly generate and analyze spectra. Prospective measurements are then evaluated in the more accurate but slower Geant4 simulations. Utilization of the developed modeling tool and analysis of the subsequent spectra enables optimization of collimation, shielding requirements, and expected count rates that are used to determine key measurement points in the modeled reactor design.

O'Brien, Sean↗
DOE OSTI2023

CRADA Number NFE-19-07847 with MantaPoole Technologies (CRADA Final Report)

As the world becomes more automated, smart and autonomous systems that utilize advanced 3D machine vision are becoming ever more prevalent. To function autonomously, these smart machines need to be able to identify the “what” and “where” of their application by capturing color and depth information. The color information provides the needed contrast information to identify the “what” of a scene while the depth information allows the smart machine to identify “where” an object in a 3D environment is. To capture both the color and depth information using only a single sensor, MantaPoole Technologies (MPT) is developing a new type of 3D light field camera. The approach leverages MPT’s active micro-optics technology which when aligned and placed over an imaging detector are designed to act as an advanced optical filter that controls the direction of light that reaches the underlying pixels.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Rapid sensing of hidden objects and defects using a single-pixel diffractive terahertz sensor

Abstract Terahertz waves offer advantages for nondestructive detection of hidden objects/defects in materials, as they can penetrate most optically-opaque materials. However, existing terahertz inspection systems face throughput and accuracy restrictions due to their limited imaging speed and resolution. Furthermore, machine-vision-based systems using large-pixel-count imaging encounter bottlenecks due to their data storage, transmission and processing requirements. Here, we report a diffractive sensor that rapidly detects hidden defects/objects within a 3D sample using a single-pixel terahertz detector, eliminating sample scanning or image formation/processing. Leveraging deep-learning-optimized diffractive layers, this diffractive sensor can all-optically probe the 3D structural information of samples by outputting a spectrum, directly indicating the presence/absence of hidden structures or defects. We experimentally validated this framework using a single-pixel terahertz time-domain spectroscopy set-up and 3D-printed diffractive layers, successfully detecting unknown hidden defects inside silicon samples. This technique is valuable for applications including security screening, biomedical sensing and industrial quality control.

Li, Jingxi (ORCID:0000000165958680)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evaluation of Oak Ridge National Laboratory Health Physics Research Reactor Operation Data for Critical Benchmark Creation [Abstract]

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Health Physics Research Reactor (HPRR) was a research reactor designed and built at ORNL in 1961. The critical assembly was using a highly enriched uranium and molybdenum alloy as the fuel, and it could be operated in steady-state or burst modes. The reactor was used for about 25 years to produce a lot of publications related to dosimetry, radiobiology and radiation detectors testing before its decommissioning in 1987. In recent years, the idea of using legacy operation data from the to create a valuable critical accident alarm system shielding benchmark arose. Such a benchmark has been submitted to the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiment Project (ICSBEP) Technical Review Group for a potential inclusion in the 2022 version of the handbook. Another way to use the valuable data from the operation of the HPRR is to evaluate the feasibility of the creation of a subcritical or prompt supercritical benchmark for inclusion in the ICSBEP or the International Reactor Physics Experiments Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) handbooks. To initiate a burst, the HPRR had to be operated in a slightly subcritical state for a few minutes. Then, the insertion of the burst control rod would greatly increase the reactivity of the system and start the burst. No critical configuration of the HPRR critical assembly could be located. The only information available concerns stable subcritical and prompt supercritical states, found in a burst experiments’ logbook. In the recovered logbook pages, information about 8 different bursts is available. The information includes the rods positions before and during a burst, the recorded subcritical reactor period and reactivity, and the burst fission yield derived from the temperature elevation sulfur pellet irradiation analysis. By using the HPRR logbook information and the as-built drawings of the critical assembly, a highly detailed model of the HPRR was created with SCALE 6.2.4/KENO-VI. Eight KENO-VI models were created to replicate the sub-critical assembly configurations described in the eight bursts from the recovered logbook pages. KENO-VI calculates k eff and it can be linked to a reactivity value in cents by using the delayed neutron fraction B eff , also calculated by KENO-VI. KENO-VI can also be used to model the prompt super-critical configurations of the HPRR and to assess the similarity with the burst measurements by comparing the calculated k eff and the measured fission yields between each burst. Unfortunately, high uncertainty exist and the obtained discrepancies between experiments and calculation results are high, compromising the creation of a valuable critical benchmark from HPRR operation data. The reasons of the discrepancies and potential ways to solve them are explored.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Deep Learning enabled spectral energy conversion for in situ exposure measurements

A detector-specific deep learning (DL) approach is presented for spectra-to-exposure conversion using large-format sodium iodide (NaI(Tl)) detectors deployed for in situ environmental radiation measurements in emergency response scenarios. Accurate determination of exposure from NaI spectra is challenging due to poor energy resolution, partial energy absorption, and the strong sensitivity of traditionally deployed analytical conversion methods to calibrated source geometry and pre-deployment assumptions. Here, to address these limitations, a multi-layer perceptron model was trained on a hybrid in situ /Monte Carlo dataset constructed to span a broad range of photon energies, spatial extents, and realistic deployment variability, representative of general in situ emergency response conditions. The DL model was evaluated against commonly fielded analytical approaches under matched simulation conditions, including a single-factor method, a G-function method, and a modeled pressurized ion chamber (PIC) baseline. This study was intentionally computational in scope to enable controlled, like-for-like comparisons between conversion techniques while minimizing confounding real-world variability. Comparison to the modeled PIC provides contextual benchmarking and is not intended as a field inter-comparison with deployed instruments. Across the evaluated 20 keV to 3 MeV energy range, the DL approach consistently exhibited higher accuracy and reduced variance relative to the analytical methods against a deterministically calculated exposure. This may indicate improved robustness to spectral complexity without reliance on source-, geometric-, or spectral region-specific optimization. While results do not represent real-world validation, the presented work demonstrates that deep learning may effectively learn the nonlinear detector response-to-exposure relationship for asymmetric NaI(Tl) detectors and offers a promising pathway for improving in situ exposure estimation using spectroscopic systems already integrated into initial real-time emergency response operations.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2021

System and method for passive assay of holdup deposits in nuclear piping

Disclosed herein are a method, apparatus, and software for passive, non-destructive assay of holdup deposits in nuclear piping by in-pipe apparatus. A detector deployed within a pipe is collimated to observe radiation impinging radially inward from decay of deposits that lie on the pipe wall. A radiation detector is centered in the pipe and collimated by a pair of coaxial shielding discs disposed equidistant from the detector. This arrangement causes radiation from a truncated cylinder of pipe deposit within a field of regard to impinge on the detector, while precluding radiation emanating from pipe walls beyond the field of regard from reaching the detector. Hence, observations are unique to a known cylindrical length of pipe. The detector assembly is translated through pipes by an autonomous mobile robotic apparatus. Computer software controls the robotic apparatus, logs data, and post-processes to assay deposits.

Whittaker, William Lawrence↗
DOE OSTI2022

Experimental demonstration and modeling of a robotic neutron detector with spectral and directional sensitivity for treaty verification

International safeguards and arms control agreements often require labor-intensive, intrusive onsite inspections to perform verification tasks. The ability to localize a neutron source and/or characterize a neutron field may be imperative for identifying anomalies. We are interested in the role of autonomous mobile robots, which, if designed properly, may be more effective and efficient and less intrusive than their human counterparts. Toward developing such a capability, we, for this study, have constructed the N-SpecDir Bot, comprised of three boron-coated straw detectors azimuthally-distributed within a cylinder of high-density polyethylene, which is mounted on an omni-directional robotic platform. Our N-SpecDir Bot is specifically designed to provide spectral and directional sensitivity, in addition to gross counts, by utilizing the signals from the three detectors. The detection system has been extensively characterized by MCNP modeling, which has been benchmarked to experiments conducted at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. We demonstrate the spectral and directional sensitivity experimentally and in simulation, and provide a simple yet robust method for directional measurements.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2026

Corroborating VNA and thermal measurements of transmission loss on the DIII-D ECH waveguide system

Electron cyclotron heating (ECH) and current drive (ECCD) will play a large role in tokamak-based fusion reactors. At the DIII-D tokamak, 110 GHz microwaves injected into the plasma can provide core heating and current drive as well as impurity control, neoclassical tearing mode mitigation, and breakdown assistance. Understanding the physics of these processes relies on accurate estimates of injected ECH power. DIII-D’s ECH system consists of six MW-class Microwave Power Products (MPP) gyrotron microwave sources. Operating the gyrotrons far from the tokamak removes them from magnetic field interference, so 31.75 mm inner-diameter corrugated waveguides transmit the microwave power the 80 m from the gyrotrons to steerable launchers in the tokamak chamber. Estimates of injected power rely on knowing the generated power at the source and then subtracting transmission loss. Conventional transmission loss measurements based on calorimetric dummy loads are onerous and only possible during extended maintenance periods. This work examines two tools that provide more flexibility for the transmission loss measurements. Furthermore, a resistive temperature detector (RTD) array installed along a waveguide measures heat lost to the transmission line, and low power time domain reflectometry (TDR) measurements with a vector network analyzer (VNA) allows loss measurements without burdensome hardware modifications.

ECH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Methane generation from low-maturity coals and shale source rocks at low temperatures (80–120 °C) over 14–38 months

This study contributes long-term (14 to 38 months) experimental evidence for geocatalytically mediated methanogenesis in immature to early mature shale and coal source rocks at temperatures from 80 to 120 °C. Borosilicate glass tubes with pre-outgassed coal and shale source rock chips and water were sealed under vacuum, sterilized, heated isothermally, and finally opened in connection with a vacuum line where headspace gases methane (CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) were collected. The possibility of admitting pre-existing CH 4 from closed pores into product gases during heating experiments was evaluated by comparative ball milling of original and heated rock chips, followed by quantitation of released gases with a novel closed-circuit laser-based SARAD RTM2200 gas detector system with sub-µmol sensitivity. The yields of produced CH 4 from individual source rocks were corrected by subtracting the amounts of pre-existing CH 4 from formerly closed pores in original source rocks that had leaked during long-term heating. Different shales and coals express contrasting propensities to geocatalytically generate CH 4 and CO 2 , with CH 4 yields ranging from 0.1 to 5.5 µmol g-1 total organic carbon (TOC). CH 4 yields from two petrographically different samples of Springfield Coal with comparable thermal maturity suggest that liptinite expresses a far higher propensity for methanogenesis, but liberates less CO 2 than vitrinite. Shale from the Second White Specks Formation generated approximately 10 times more CH 4 than New Albany Shale per g of TOC, further suggesting complex controls on CH 4 generation during catalytic methanogenesis. Higher temperature can enhance the activities of catalytic methanogenesis. Here, the extrapolation of laboratory-based reaction rates to natural conditions in organic-rich buried sediments suggests that geocatalytic methanogenesis can be fast enough in some source rocks to generate economically sizeable gas plays from immature to early mature source rocks over geologic time.

03 NATURAL GAS↗