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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 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Building America Case Study: Performance and Costs of Ductless Heat Pumps in Marine Climate High-Performance Homes: Habitat for Humanity -- The Woods, Tacoma, Washington

The Woods is a Habitat for Humanity (HFH) community of ENERGY STAR Homes (c) Northwest (ESHNW)-certified homes located in the marine climate of Tacoma/Pierce County, Washington. This research report builds on an earlier preliminary draft 2014 BA report, and includes significant billing analysis and cost effectiveness research from a collaborative, ongoing Ductless Heat Pump (DHP) research effort for Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). This report focuses on the results of field testing, modeling, and monitoring of ductless mini-split heat pump hybrid heating systems in seven homes built and first occupied at various times between September 2013 and October 2014. The report also provides WSU documentation of high-performance home observations, lessons learned, and stakeholder recommendations for builders of affordable high-performance housing such as HFH.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2016

U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2016 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report: June 6-10, 2016, Washington, DC

The fiscal year 2016 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June 6-10, 2015, in Washington, D.C.. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Washington

Energy used by Washington single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

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DOE OSTI2015

Requalification and Experimental Validation of the Epithermal Neutron Beam Facility for Radiotherapy Research at Washington State University

Approximately ten years ago the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Washington State University (WSU) completed the construction of a new epithermal-neutron beam for collaborative preclinical Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT) research at the WSU TRIGATM research reactor facility. Since then the reactor core has been reconfigured to use Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) fuel, and significant interest has emerged recently with respect to potential use of the facility for actual clinical (human) trials as well as for preclinical work. Both of these developments have necessitated a complete experimental revalidation of the neutronic performance of the beamline over the past 18 months. This article summarizes the results of the physics requalification effort.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Washington's Clean Energy Jobs Potential Through 2030

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Washington had 5,017,738 people in its working population (15 to 64 years of age) in 2019. The graphs below show solar photovoltaic (PV), land-based wind, battery energy storage (BES), and energy efficiency job estimates in 2020, 2025, and 2030. These job estimates do not represent net job creation. Rather, they represent the size of the workforce required to achieve projected national deployment levels of each technology for 2025 and 2030 if the state captures the same proportion of jobs in the sector as it did in 2020.

clean energy↗
DOE OSTI2022

Washington DC's Clean Energy Jobs Potential Through 2030

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Washington DC had 416,300 people in its working population (15 to 64 years of age) in 2019. The graphs below show solar photovoltaic (PV), land-based wind, battery energy storage (BES), and energy efficiency job estimates in 2020, 2025, and 2030. These job estimates do not represent net job creation. Rather, they represent the size of the workforce required to achieve projected national deployment levels of each technology for 2025 and 2030 if the state captures the same proportion of jobs in the sector as it did in 2020.

clean energy↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantifying and Understanding the Access Time to Dockless Micromobility: A Case Study in Washington, D.C.

Micromobility has been widely deployed in many cities. Similar as how access time/distance affects the travel demand to use public transit and informs transit system design, access time/distance to micromobility service measures its service efficiency and also serves as an equity indicator to inform city agencies from a regulation perspective. Though there is an increasing need to understand it, access to micromobility has not been sufficiently studied. This paper developed a framework to quantity the access time to dockless micromobility service (i.e., the minimum time needed to walk to reach the closest dockless micromobility vehicles). Based on the real-time vehicle location data collected from Washington, DC, this research quantified the access time to dockless micromobility, analyzed its spatial and temporal variation patterns and investigated its relationship with socio-demographic variables (i.e., population density, employment density and low-income population). The results revealed that the access time to dockless micromobility ranges between 0 to 4 minutes with the most frequently observed range of 0.5 to 1 minutes, and the city center area tends to have shorter access time than the outskirts areas. Results also indicate a quite stable access time level in DC with access time standard deviation of 0.2 to 0.5 minutes. After correlating the access time at census-block-group level with socio-demographic data, it was discovered that shorter access time usually aligns with larger population and employment density, and the proportion of low-income population was found not helpful with explaining the access time variation, which indicating a relatively equitable micromobility program.

access time↗
DOE OSTI2013

Automated Groundwater Monitoring of Uranium at the Hanford Site, Washington - 13116

An automated groundwater monitoring system for the detection of uranyl ion in groundwater was deployed at the 300 Area Industrial Complex, Hanford Site, Washington. The research was conducted to determine if at-site, automated monitoring of contaminant movement in the subsurface is a viable alternative to the baseline manual sampling and analytical laboratory assay methods currently employed. The monitoring system used Arsenazo III, a colorimetric chelating compound, for the detection of the uranyl ion. The analytical system had a limit of quantification of approximately 10 parts per billion (ppb, μg/L). The EPA's drinking water maximum contaminant level (MCL) is 30 ppb [1]. In addition to the uranyl ion assay, the system was capable of acquiring temperature, conductivity, and river level data. The system was fully automated and could be operated remotely. The system was capable of collecting water samples from four sampling sources, quantifying the uranyl ion, and periodically performing a calibration of the analytical cell. The system communications were accomplished by way of cellular data link with the information transmitted through the internet. Four water sample sources were selected for the investigation: one location provided samples of Columbia River water, and the remaining three sources provided groundwater from aquifer sampling tubes positioned in a vertical array at the Columbia River shoreline. The typical sampling schedule was to sample the four locations twice per day with one calibration check per day. This paper outlines the instrumentation employed, the operation of the instrumentation, and analytical results for a period of time between July and August, 2012. The presentation includes the uranyl ion concentration and conductivity results from the automated sampling/analysis system, along with a comparison between the automated monitor's analytical performance and an independent laboratory analysis. Benefits of using the automated system as an alternative to traditional sample collection and analysis includes the following: - Field observations that provide more characterization information than is possible using traditional monitoring methods. - Potentially significant reductions in labor and analytical costs if traditional methods are complemented by automated systems. - The reduced cost of acquiring samples will allow for more frequent collection of samples that may be automatically introduced into real-time graphical flux programs allowing site managers to observe the changes in contaminant concentrations during remediation projects and across discrete river stage events. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2012

The River Corridor Closure Contract How Washington Closure Hanford is Closing A Unique Department of Energy Project - 12425

Cleanup of the Hanford River Corridor has been one of Hanford Site's top priorities since the early 1990's. This urgency is due to the proximity of hundreds of waste sites to the Columbia River and the groundwater that continues to threaten the Columbia River. In April 2005, the U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) awarded the Hanford River Corridor Closure Contract (RCCC), a cost-plus incentive-fee closure contract with a 2015 end date and first of its kind at Hanford Site, to Washington Closure Hanford (WCH), a limited-liability company owned by URS, Bechtel National, and CH2M HILL. WCH is a single-purpose company whose goal is to safely, compliantly, and efficiently accelerate cleanup in the Hanford River Corridor and reduce or eliminate future obligations to DOE-RL for maintaining long-term stewardship over the site. Accelerated performance of the work-scope while keeping a perspective on contract completion presents challenges that require proactive strategies to support the remaining work-scope through the end of the RCCC. This paper outlines the processes to address the challenges of completing work-scope while planning for contract termination. WCH is responsible for cleanup of the River Corridor 569.8 km{sup 2} (220 mi{sup 2}) of the 1,517.7 km{sup 2} (586 mi{sup 2}) Hanford Site's footprint reduction. At the end of calendar year 2011, WCH's closure implementation is well underway. Fieldwork is complete in three of the largest areas within the RCCC scope (Segments 1, 2, and 3), approximately 44.5% of the River Corridor (Figure 3). Working together, DOE-RL and WCH are in the process of completing the 'paper work' that will document the completion of the work-scope and allow DOE-RL to relieve WCH of contractual responsibilities and transition the completed areas to the Long-Term Stewardship Program, pending final action RODs. Within the next 4 years, WCH will continue to complete cleanup of the River Corridor following the completion goals. As field work-scope is completed, progressive reductions of business processes, physical facilities, and staff will occur. Organizations will collapse and flatten commensurate with workload. WCH employees will move on to new endeavors, proud of their accomplishments and the legacy they are leaving behind as being the first and largest environmental cleanup closure contract at Hanford. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

High-Resolution Characterization of Comingled Contaminants in the Deep Vadose Zone, Hanford Site, Washington - 17387

The contaminated deep vadose zone in the Central Plateau of the Hanford Site in Washington state presents a unique challenge to remediation. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, commonly known as the CERCLA project responsible for addressing these deep contaminants is designated as the 200-Deep Vadose Zone Operable Unit (DV-1 project). The vadose zone is 55-82 meters (180-270 feet) thick and is contaminated with both radiological and chemical contaminants from multiple historical waste streams. The mobile contaminants from this waste are still present in the deep vadose zone and pose a potential threat to the groundwater. Characterizing the nature and extent of the comingled mobile contaminants is an important step before assessing possible remedial alternatives. One factor controlling the migration and distribution of subsurface contaminants is the lithologic heterogeneity of the vadose zone sediments. A sampling plan for the DV-1 project includes continuous sediment core collection and analysis to identify key lithologic factors (i.e., small-scale bedding and structural features) that act as barriers, preferential pathways or conduits for mobile contaminants migrating through the vadose zone. Over six hundred meters (2,000 feet) of intact sediment core from 26 boreholes were collected in 1.5 meters (5 feet) long, 10 centimeter (4-inch) diameter segments. These intact sediment samples provide significant improvement in the level of detail and understanding of mechanisms and features controlling contaminant distribution that is not possible with traditional homogenized drill cuttings or conventional split-spoon samples. Detailed geological descriptions and photographs of the intact core are correlated to high-resolution geophysical logs which aid in the development of a comprehensive contaminant distribution profile of the borehole. These lithologic interpretations are used to define specific depth intervals for sampling based on changes in moisture, lithology, and elevated gamma radiation. The selected samples are analyzed for contaminants of concern, geochemical parameters, and hydraulic properties. Significant lithologic features observed in the intact cores include sharp contact boundaries to graded bedding, iron-oxide and carbonate cementation, silty laminations, clastic dike intrusions, and soft sediment deformation. Preliminary geologic logs integrated with the sample analysis indicate features that correlate to the variable distribution of contaminants both laterally and vertically. Integration of measured hydraulic parameters to lithologic units in individual borehole profiles provide key inputs for more precise geo-framework and vadose zone flux models supporting the DV-1 project. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

Performance Assessment for the Waste Management Area C at the Hanford Site in Southeast Washington - 17515

An initial performance assessment (PA) of Single-Shell Tank (SST) Waste Management Area C (WMA C) located at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site in southeastern Washington has been completed to satisfy the requirements of the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (HFFACO), as well as other Federal requirements and State-approved closure plans and permits. The WMA C PA assesses the fate, transport, and impacts of radionuclides within residual wastes left in tanks and ancillary equipment and facilities in their assumed closed configuration, and the subsequent risks to humans into the far future. This PA focused on radiological impacts has been developed to meet the requirements for a closure authorization under DOE O 435.1 that includes a waste incidental to reprocessing determination for residual wastes remaining in tanks, ancillary equipment, and facilities. PA results indicate that the performance objectives and measures for the all-pathways dose, the air pathway dose, the radon flux, and groundwater protection are met for both the 1,000-year compliance time period (2020 to 3020) and the post-compliance period (3020 to 12020). The peak dose for the all-pathways analysis in the 1,000-year compliance period is associated with the air pathway, with the peak dose of 4 x 10{sup -5} mSv/yr dominated by tritium resulting from upward gaseous diffusive flux from the residual waste. The peak dose within the sensitivity/uncertainty analysis time period (1,000 to 10,000 years after closure) occurs at about 1,500 years after closure, and results primarily from a peak in {sup 99}Tc groundwater concentration at 100 m down-gradient of the facility. The peak total dose within the sensitivity/uncertainty analysis time period is 0.001 mSv/yr. For all of the sensitivity analyses and uncertainty analyses evaluated, the disposal system also met the performance objectives. In the uncertainty analysis performed with the system level model based on GoldSim{sup C}, the highest calculated groundwater dose in the compliance period was about 7 x 10{sup -4} mSv/yr, and the highest calculated peak dose in the sensitivity/uncertainty analysis period was 0.025 mSv/yr.Doses associated with hypothetical inadvertent human intrusion were calculated for all sources in WMA C and compared to the acute and chronic performance measures in DOE O 435.1. The calculated doses for acute and chronic exposure scenario from potential intrusion into a waste transfer pipeline remain below the DOE O 435.1 performance measure for the time period evaluated beyond 100 years after closure. Acute exposure from drilling into the waste yielded a dose of about 0.36 mSv after the assumed 100-year institutional control period, well below the 5 mSv performance measure for acute exposure. Chronic exposure to waste from drill cuttings in a rural pasture scenario resulted in a dose of about 0.08 mSv/yr after the assumed 100-year institutional control period, well below the 1 mSv/yr performance measure for chronic exposure. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2015

Preliminary performance assessment for the Waste Management Area C at the Hanford site in southeast Washington - 15331

A performance assessment of Single-Shell Tank Waste Management Area C located at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southeastern Washington is being conducted to satisfy the requirements of the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, as well as other Federal requirements and State-approved closure plans and permits. The Waste Management Area C performance assessment assesses the fate, transport, and impacts of radionuclides and hazardous chemicals within residual wastes left in tanks and ancillary equipment and facilities in their assumed closed configuration and the subsequent risks to humans into the far future. The part of the performance assessment focused on radiological impacts is being developed to meet the requirements for a closure authorization under U.S. Department of Energy Order 435.1 that include a waste incidental to reprocessing determination for residual wastes remaining in tanks, ancillary equipment, and facilities. An additional part of the performance assessment will evaluate human health and environmental impacts from hazardous chemical inventories in residual wastes remaining in Waste Management Area C tanks, ancillary equipment, and facilities needed to meet the requirements for permitted closure under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976. Preliminary results of the performance assessment are evaluating the groundwater and air pathways to determine radiation exposure once radionuclides are released to the environment due to degradation of the engineered barriers. Per DOE Order 435.1, results of the preliminary analyses are being compared to the performance objectives during the 1,000-year post-closure period of compliance. Per the Order, performance assessment results are also being compared to the performance measures related to acute and chronic inadvertent intruder analyses and groundwater protection. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2016

Endpoint Evaluation for 200-PW-1 Operable Unit Soil Vapor Extraction, Hanford Site, Washington - 16478

On the Central Plateau of the Hanford Site in semi-arid southeast Washington State, the 216-Z-9 Trench, 216-Z-1A Tile Field, and 216-Z-18 Crib were used from 1955 to 1973 for soil column disposal of liquid wastes containing carbon tetrachloride. The geological setting underneath these disposal areas consists of an approximately 70 m thick vadose zone with a nominally 5 m thick low-permeability layer at a depth of 30 m. Infiltration of the liquid waste through the vadose zone to the groundwater was driven by the liquid volume introduced during disposal. Carbon tetrachloride readily volatilises in the vadose zone, making soil vapor extraction (SVE) the preferred remediation technology. Between 1992 and 2012, SVE recovered 80,107 kg of carbon tetrachloride from the vadose zone below the three waste sites. Of this total recovery, 93 percent was removed during the first 5 years of operations. The last 7 percent was recovered in the last 16 years of operation. In 2011, a final cleanup level of 100 ppmv for carbon tetrachloride in soil vapor was established in the record of decision for the 200-PW-1 Operable Unit, which includes the three carbon tetrachloride waste sites. The final cleanup decision specified that soil vapor concentrations and the cleanup level would be further refined and assessed in the future to ensure groundwater protection. A subsequent treatability test was conducted and the results were used to further refine the definition of vadose zone source conditions that are protective of groundwater. Based on this treatability test, predictions indicate that current and future vadose zone conditions will meet groundwater protection objectives. SVE operations were not performed in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and soil vapor concentrations in all SVE wells (and all but two monitoring probes installed using direct-push technology) remained below the 100 ppmv cleanup level during this time. SVE endpoint guidance was prepared in 2013 as a joint effort between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This SVE guidance was used to develop a path forward for the 200-PW-1 Operable Unit SVE remedy. The guidance asks the following questions: 1. Are data collected to date adequate to support a well-defined conceptual site model? 2. Have remediation goals (cleanup levels) been defined? 3. Are environmental pathways and risk understood well enough to support site closeout? 4. Will remaining contamination in the vadose zone cause groundwater cleanup levels to be exceeded? If the answer to the first three questions is 'Yes', and the answer to the fourth question is 'No', then the site is ready for closure. At this time, the site has compiled appropriate information to answer these questions to support a remedy decision to terminate SVE operations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently provided concurrence that termination of SVE operations within the 200-PW-1 Operable Unit is appropriate. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2016

Online Interactive Reporting of Groundwater Monitoring and Remediation Progress at the Hanford Site, Washington - 16485

DOE annually publishes a groundwater monitoring report and separate groundwater remediation summary reports to comply with reporting and regulatory requirements for the Hanford Site, located in southeastern Washington State. The reports describe year-over-year groundwater monitoring and remediation progress. The annual groundwater monitoring report provides a summary of groundwater monitoring for chemical and radioactive liquid waste releases to the soil that contaminated groundwater from past operations at the site. Content initially consisted of paper reports with static electronic copies available online. Based on an initiative from DOE to provide additional transparency of data and data interpretations presented in the reports, companion interactive versions of the reports were deployed online starting in 2012. The online version provides readers with map-based tools and links to supporting documents and reference materials; individual users can read the reports at their own personal level of expertise and interactively explore groundwater contaminant plume evolution, analytical data, site geology, and remediation system performance. An online user's guide and tutorials for each tool are also provided to assist the user with the overall application and individual tools. The online reports are available at: http://www.hanford.gov/page.cfm/SoilGroundwaterAnnualReports. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2020

Risk to Ecological Resources on Burial Waste Sites on the Hanford Site, Washington - 20248

The US and other nations have a large nuclear and chemical waste remediation task remaining from World War II, the Cold War, and industrial activities. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has the largest task in the U.S., with Hanford (Washington State) being the most contaminated site, with the longest and most costly cleanup program projected to extend to the end of the century. One of the greatest remediation problems at Hanford are the burial waste facilities, some of which are inside the 200 Areas on the Central Plateau, while others are outside the 200 Areas. These areas are associated with waste sites, pipes, and contaminated trenches, posing technical cleanup challenges to meet DoE's remediation goals, including protection of human health and the environment commensurate with Tri- Party Agreement and current regulatory requirements. In this paper we select one of the legacy waste sites (the BC Cribs and Trenches) as a case study to explore how risk to ecological resources varies during and as a consequence of remediation on sites primarily considered legacy waste sites. We used the risk methodology developed by the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP) during the Hanford Site-wide Risk Review. The CRESP methodology included evaluating the risk to receptors, including human health, the Columbia River, groundwater, and ecological and cultural resources. The risk evaluation process for ecological receptors included defining the boundaries of each evaluation unit (EU) to be remediated, definition of a suitable buffer area that might be affected, and consideration of the known resource value based on field work. This information, coupled with known remediation options or strategies, allowed us to develop a risk rating for ecological resources. Site risks were evaluated on a scale of 'not discernible' to 'very high' risk. Consideration of the risks at the buried waste sites was complicated by uncertainties in remediation methods and the degree of restoration that would occur as part of the remediation process. We use the BC Cribs and Trenches as a case study to explore why the risks are low currently but increase during remediation. The current 'not discernible to low' risk rating is due to the lack of high quality ecological resources on the BC Cribs and Trenches EU, except for edge areas (with some state-listed species). During remediation the risks increase to 'medium', mainly due to high quality resources on adjacent buffer lands, which could be disrupted during active remediation. Medium and high quality resources on the edge of the site are continuous with higher quality native shrub-steppe habitat on the buffer. Ecological resources on some of the areas surrounding the 200 East and West Areas are some of the highest quality shrub-steppe areas on the Hanford Site, and risk to these resources could be prevented by planning before and during remediation to minimize disruption. For example, lay down areas for the BC Cribs and Trenches can be minimized by careful planning. Heavy truck and other vehicular traffic can be minimized. Spread of the noxious weeds now on some of the site can be prevented, and the spread of invasive species into the site (particularly near undisturbed shrub-steppe habitat) can be reduced. Further, the areas around and between the 200 East and West Areas have been largely undisturbed and can serve as a source of seeds and propagules for any revegetation that occurs as part of the remediation process. (authors)

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