Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “CLOSURES”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 271 records · Page 15

High-precision Penning trap mass measurements of neutron-rich chlorine isotopes at the 𝑁 = 28 shell closure

Although it is known that the N = 28 spherical shell closure erodes, the strength of the closure with decreasing proton number Z < 20 is an open question in nuclear structure. Here, in this region of interest, high-precision mass measurements of neutron-rich 43-45 Cl isotopes were performed at the Low Energy Beam and Ion Trap (LEBIT) when coupled to the National Superconducting Cyclotron Lab. The resulting mass excesses (MEs) are ME(⁴³Cl) = -24114.4(1.7) keV, ME(⁴⁴Cl) = -20450.8(10.6) keV, and ME(⁴⁵Cl) = -18240.1(3.7) keV, and improve the uncertainty of these masses by up to a factor of ∼40 compared to the previous values reported in the 2020 Atomic Mass Evaluation. Comparison to ab initio calculations using the Valence-Space In-Medium Similarity Renormalization Group (VS-IMSRG) shows good agreement up to and including the closure.

Erington, H. [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, ↗

MLUQ (Uncertainty quantification for ML closure models) [SWR-24-36]

Data-based closure models are increasingly being used to replace physic-based closure models because of their flexibility and the growing availability of data. However, closure models are subject to uncertainty because of lack of data in parts of the input space (epistemic uncertainty) or because of noise in the data (aleatoric uncertainty). This software contains a toolbox for training bayesian neural nets that can estimate both uncertainties. A specific treatment is provided to ensure accuracy outside of the data distribution. A set of tools are provided to reduce the dimensionality of the uncertain parameter space, thereby enabling fast uncertainty propagation.

Hassanaly, Malik↗

Reversible domain closure modulates GlnBP ligand binding affinity

Glutamine binding protein (GlnBP) is an Escherichia Coli periplasmic binding protein, which binds and carries glutamine to the inner membrane ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter. GlnBP binds the ligand with affinity around 0.1μM measured by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and ligand binding stabilizes protein structure shown by its increase in thermodynamic stability. However, the molecular determinant of GlnBP ligand binding is not known. Electrostatic and hydrophobic interaction between GlnBP and glutamine are critical factors. We propose that the freedome of closure movement is also vital for ligand binding. In order to approve this hypothesis, we generate a series of mutants with different linker length that has different magnitude of domain closure. Mutants show different ligand binding affinity, which indicates that the propensity of domain closure determines the ligand binding affinity. Ligand binding triggers gradual ensemble conformational change. Structural changes upon ligand binding are monitored by combination of small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and NMR spectroscopy. Detailed structure characterization of GlnBP contributes to a better understanding of ligand binding and provides the structural basis for biosensor design.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Evolution of chemical conditions and estimated solubility controls on radionuclides in the residual waste layer during post-closure aging of high-level waste tanks

This document provides information specific to H-Area waste tanks that enables a flow and transport model with limited chemical capabilities to account for varying waste release from the tanks through time. The basis for varying waste release is solubilities of radionuclides that change as pore fluids passing through the waste change in composition. Pore fluid compositions in various stages were generated by simulations of tank grout degradation. The first part of the document describes simulations of the degradation of the reducing grout in post-closure tanks. These simulations assume flow is predominantly through a water saturated porous medium. The infiltrating fluid that reacts with the grout is assumed to be fluid that has passed through the closure cap and into the tank. The results are three stages of degradation referred to as Reduced Region II, Oxidized Region II, and Oxidized Region III. A reaction path model was used so that the transitions between each stage are noted by numbers of pore volumes of infiltrating fluid reacted. The number of pore volumes to each transition can then be converted to time within a flow and transport model. The bottoms of some tanks in H-Area are below the water table requiring a different conceptual model for grout degradation. For these simulations the reacting fluid was assumed to be 10% infiltrate through the closure cap and 90% groundwater. These simulations produce an additional four pore fluid compositions referred to as Conditions A through D and were intended to simulate varying degrees of groundwater influence. The most probable degradation path for the submerged tanks is Condition C to Condition D to Oxidized Region III and eventually to Condition A. Solubilities for Condition A are estimated in the text for use in sensitivity analyses if needed. However, the grout degradation simulations did not include sufficient pore volumes of infiltrating fluid for the grout to evolve to Condition A. Solubility controls for use in a flow and transport model were estimated for 27 elements in each of the chemical stages generated in the grout simulations plus local groundwater. The grout simulations were run with the initial infiltrating fluid in equilibrium with atmospheric oxygen to account for degradation of the reduction capacity of the grout. However, a lower Eh was used in pore fluids in the oxidizing conditions used to estimate solubilities to be more consistent with measured Eh values and natural systems. Solubilities of plutonium are affected by this decision, but those of other elements are not. In addition, the baseline for H-Area tanks is that they will be washed with oxalic acid prior to being filled with grout. Hence, oxalate was included in the pore fluids by assuming equilibrium with calcium oxalate. Solubility estimates were done by equilibrating a solubility controlling phase for each element with the pore fluid compositions using The Geochemist’s Workbench®. Condition B pore fluids are similar to Condition D. Therefore, solubilities for Condition B were not estimated, but assumed to be the same as in Condition D. In general solubility controlling phases were selected to bias solubilities to higher values. Several elements had no solubility controls and solubility estimates for other elements were omitted because the elements had short half-lives or were present in residual waste in very low amounts. For these it is recommended that release from the tank be instantaneous when the tank liner is breached. There is considerable uncertainty in this approach to enabling a flow and transport model to account for variable waste release. Yet, it is also flexible and requires much less computing time than a fully coupled reactive transport model. This allows some of the uncertainty to be addressed by multiple flow and transport sensitivity cases. Some of the uncertainties are addressed within this document. These include uncertainty in infiltrate composition, grout mineralogy, and disposition of certain components during the simulations. Uncertainty in the solubility estimates is addressed in part by examining sensitivity of solubilities for four key elements to uncertainty in thermodynamic data, pH, Eh, total inorganic carbon concentration, and oxalate concentration. In addition, the solubilities for the elements estimated here are compared to two other compilations of solubilities in cementitious materials.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Survey of Multi-Material Closure Models in 1D Lagrangian Hydrodynamics [Poster]

Accurately treating the coupled sub-cell thermodynamics of computational cells containing multiple materials is an inevitable problem in hydrodynamics simulations, whether due to initial configurations or evolutions of the materials and computational mesh. When solving the hydrodynamics equations within a multi-material cell, we make the assumption of a single velocity field for the entire computational domain, which necessitates the addition of a closure model to attempt to resolve the behavior of the multi-material cells’ constituents. In conjunction with a 1D Lagrangian hydrodynamics code, we present a variety of both the popular as well as more recently proposed multi-material closure models and survey their performances across a spectrum of examples. We consider standard verification tests as well as practical examples using combinations of fluid, solid, and composite constituents within multi-material mixtures. Our survey provides insights into the advantages and disadvantages of various multi-material closure models in different problem configurations.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Reinvestigation into Closure Predictions of Room D at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Room D was an in-situ, isothermal, underground experiment conducted at theWaste Isolation Pilot Plant between 1984 and 1991. The room was carefully instrumented to measure the horizontal and vertical closure immediately upon excavation and for several years thereafter. Early finite element simulations of salt creep around Room D under predicted the vertical closure by 4.5×, causing investigators to explore a series of changes to the way Room D was modeled. Discrepancies between simulations and measurements were resolved through a series of adjustments to model parameters, which were openly acknowledged in published reports. Interest in Room D has been rekindled recently by the U.S./German Joint Project III and Project WEIMOS, which seek to improve the predictions of rock salt constitutive models. Joint Project participants calibrate their models solely against laboratory tests, and benchmark the models against underground experiments, such as room D. This report describes updating legacy Room D simulations to today’s computational standards by rectifying several numerical issues. Subsequently, the constitutive model used in previous modeling is recalibrated two different ways against a suite of new laboratory creep experiments on salt extracted from the repository horizon of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Simulations with the new, laboratory-based, calibrations under predict Room D vertical closure by 3.1×. A list of potential improvements is discussed.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 415: Project 57 No. 1 Plutonium Dispersion (NTTR) Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada, Revision 0 with ROTC-1

This Closure Report (CR) presents information supporting the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 415: Project 57 No. 1 Plutonium Dispersion, which is located on Range 4808A of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). This CR complies with the requirements of the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) that was agreed to by the State of Nevada; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Management; U.S. Department of Defense; and DOE, Legacy Management. CAU 415 comprises one corrective action site (CAS): NAFR-23-02, Pu Contaminated Soil. The purpose of this CR is to provide justification and documentation supporting the recommendation that no further corrective action is needed for CAU 415 based on the implementation of the corrective action of Closure in Place.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Soil Sampling Results for Closure of a Portion of Solid Waste Management Unit #16

The U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/ NNSA) and National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC (NTESS), the management and operating contractor for Sandia National Laboratories/California (SNL/CA), has prepared this soil sampling results report for closure of a portion of Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) #16. The entire network of SNL/CA sanitary sewer lines, including building laterals, was identified as SWMU #16 under a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Assessment conducted for SNL/CA in April 1991 (DOE 1992). Along with the previous SWMU #16 investigation results (SNL/CA 2019), the results of this investigation are intended to support closure decisions by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), as discussed below. SNL/CA personnel completed upgrading its sanitary sewer discharge network in 2019. These upgrades included installing new sections of underground lines and decommissioning certain sections of the old piping system by capping in place. To date, several sections of the sewer line have been abandoned-in-place by capping as new sewer lines were installed or flow was rerouted to other existing lines. To formally close these abandoned sections of the sewer line, the RWQCB required that SNL/CA personnel collect soil samples to be analyzed for contaminants potentially released from the sewer lines. SNL/CA personnel hired Weiss Associates (Weiss) of Emeryville, California to prepare a sampling and analysis plan, implement the sampling plan and report the results of the investigation under Purchase Order #2166257. The Sampling and Analysis Plan for Partial Closure of Solid Waste Management Unit #16 (SAP) was submitted to the RWQCB on August 14, 2020 by Weiss on behalf of SNL/CA. The RWQCB approved the SAP on September 30, 2020 after Weiss updated the method detection limit and reporting limits for total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and individual aroclors. Soil sampling was conducted in accordance with the SAP except that fewer locations were sampled due to site constraints, as discussed below. This report presents the results of the sampling effort and documents all associated field activities including borehole clearing, soil sample collection, storage and transportation to the analytical laboratories, borehole backfilling and surface restoration, and storage of investigation-derived waste (IDW) for future profiling and disposal by SNL/CA waste management personnel.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Post-Closure Report for Closed Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Units, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada (CY2021)

This report serves as the combined annual report for post-closure activities in compliance with the requirements listed in Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Permit Number NEV HW0101 associated with the following closed corrective action units (CAUs): CAU 90, Area 2 Bitcutter Containment, CAU 91, Area 3 U-3fi Injection Well, CAU 92, Area 6 Decon Pond Facility, CAU 110, Area 3 WMD U-3ax/bl Crater, CAU 111, Area 5 WMD Retired Mixed Waste Pits, and CAU 112, Area 23 Hazardous Waste Trenches. This report covers calendar year 2021. The post-closure requirements for these sites are described in RCRA Permit NEV HW0101 and are summarized in each CAU-specific section of this report. The results of the inspections, a summary of maintenance activities, and an evaluation of monitoring data are presented in this report. This report will address all monitoring requirements noted in the RCRA Permit NEV HW0101, except groundwater monitoring. Groundwater monitoring is documented in the Nevada National Security Site Data Report: Groundwater Monitoring Program Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site. All required inspections, maintenance, and monitoring were conducted in accordance with the post-closure requirements of the permit. Revision 6 of RCRA Permit NEV HW0101 was issued effective December 10, 2015, and remained in effect until December 10, 2020. At the time of this report submittal, the new RCRA permit application was in review.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Post-Closure Inspection and Monitoring Report for Surface Corrective Action Unit 417 at the Central Nevada Test Area, Nevada, Site

This report documents the biennial postclosure site inspections conducted in June 2018 at the surface Corrective Action Unit (CA U) 417 at the Central Nevada Test Area, Nevada, Site. The UC-I, UC-3, and UC-4 sites are inspected every 2 years, in accordance with the Post-Closure Monitoring Plan provided in the CAU 417 Closure Report published in 2001. The requirements for postclosure monitoring have been modified over the years through negotiations with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). Modifications were documented through three separate Records of Technical Change to the Closure Report, which were approved by NDEP in 2003, 2011, and 2015. The UC-1, UC-3, and UC-4 sites were all observed as being in good condition during the 2018 inspections. A few minor cracks on the UC-1 Central Mud Pit cover were repaired during the UC- I inspection. A concrete monument at the northeast corner of Mud Pit U3E at the UC-3 site had some damage near the top of the monument, but the damage has not impacted the functionality of the monument or survey pin on top of the monument. No issues were identified at the UC-4 site. No maintenance or additional repair activities are recommended at the UC-1, UC-3, and UC-4 sites.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Post-Closure Report for Closed Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Units, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada: For Calendar Year 2020 (Rev. 2)

This report serves as the combined annual report for post-closure activities in compliance with the requirements listed in Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Permit Number NEV HW0101 associated with the following closed corrective action units (CAUs): 1) CAU 90, Area 2 Bitcutter Containment; 2) CAU 91, Area 3 U-3fi Injection Well; 3) CAU 92, Area 6 Decon Pond Facility; 4) CAU 110, Area 3 WMD U-3ax/bl Crater; 5) CAU 111, Area 5 WMD Retired Mixed Waste Pits; 6) CAU 112, Area 23 Hazardous Waste Trenches The locations of the sites are shown in Figure ES-1. This report covers calendar year 2020. The post-closure requirements for these sites are described in RCRA Permit NEV HW0101 and are summarized in each CAU-specific section of this report. The results of the inspections, a summary of maintenance activities, and an evaluation of monitoring data are presented in this report. Site inspections are conducted annually at CAUs 90, 91, and 112; semiannually at CAUs 92 and 110; and quarterly at CAU 111. Additional inspections are conducted at CAUs 92 and 111 if precipitation occurs in excess of 1.0 inch in a 24-hour period. Inspections include an evaluation of the condition of the units, including covers, fences, signs, gates, and locks. At CAUs 110 and 111, soil moisture monitoring and subsidence surveys are conducted in addition to the visual inspections. At CAU 110, the site fence, gate, lock, and use restriction signs are evaluated. At CAU 111, an ecological survey, direct radiation monitoring, air monitoring, radon flux monitoring, and groundwater monitoring are also conducted. This report will address all monitoring item notes above except groundwater monitoring. Groundwater monitoring is documented in the Nevada National Security Site Data Report: Groundwater Monitoring Program Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site. All required inspections, maintenance, and monitoring were conducted in accordance with the post-closure requirements of the permit. Revision 6 of RCRA Permit NEV HW0101 was issued effective December 10, 2015, and remained in effect until December 10, 2020. At the time of this report submittal, the new RCRA permit application was in review.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Performance Assessment Closure Plan for the Active Low-Level Burial Ground Trenches 31, 34, and 94 at the Hanford Site

This report documents the closure plan for the active trenches within the Low-Level Burial Grounds of the Hanford Site, namely Trenches 31 and 34 in the 200 West Area and Trench 94 in 200 East Area. This closure plan is developed to meet the requirements of DOE O 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management. It is one of the several technical basis documents, along with the performance assessment (DOE/RL-2021-26, Performance Assessment of Active Trenches in 200 East and West Low-Level Burial Grounds at the Hanford Site), which is required for maintaining the Operating Disposal Authorization Statement as described in DOE-STD-5002-2017, Disposal Authorization Statement and Tank Closure Documentation.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Post-Closure Inspection and Monitoring Report for Corrective Action Unit 417: Central Nevada Test Area Surface, Hot Creek Valley, Nevada-March 2012

This report presents data collected during the annual post-closure site inspection conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) at the Central Nevada Test Area (CNTA) surface Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 417. This report has been prepared in accordance with the Post-Closure Monitoring Plan contained in the CAU 417 Closure Report (NNSA/NV 2001) and Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) (FFACO 1996). Responsibility for environmental site restoration of the CNTA was transferred from the DOE Office of Environmental Management to LM on October 1, 2006.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Improvement of Closures and Mechanistic Limit Modeling in Sockeye

Several improvements were made to the heat pipe application Sockeye, including implementation of closure relations and a second-order spatial discretization. The closures improvements include a new, flexible closures system, interfacial heat transfer coefficients, wall heat transfer coefficients, vapor pressure drop, and liquid pressure drop. These improvements were tested on three test cases, with results compared to analytic solutions and the legacy heat pipe code HTPIPE.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Advanced Closures for Nonlinear Fluid Simulations of Plasmas (Final Report)

Advanced Closures for Nonlinear Fluid Simulations of Plasmas E. Held, Utah State University (Principal Investigator) J.-Y. Ji, Utah State University (Co-Investigator) Utah State University (USU) continued to develop and apply closures for hybrid fluid/kinetic simulations of magnetized fusion plasmas. The closures developed by USU's fusion theory and computation group use the drift ordering and are referred to as "continuum" and "general moment" approaches. They differ in their representation for the distribution functions which probabilistically describe the density of particles in 5 dimensional phase space. The two chosen velocity variables, needed in studies of kinetic physics for magnetized plasmas, are the speed and the component of a particle's velocity along the magnetic field. In magnetized plasmas, the charged particle trajectories are tied closely to the magnetic field lines. Both approaches account for binary interactions between particles using the Coulomb collision operator. Theoretical and computational development along both lines provided avenues for verification between the two approaches. This funding allowed USU to further develop physically accurate and numerically efficient models that advance our understanding of kinetic physics in experiments like the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The ITER device will likely prove the physical practicality of thermonuclear fusion by producing 500 megawatts of clean, abundant fusion power. This work helped to realize this goal by advancing our simulation capability using hybrid fluid/kinetic models.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Quantifying Intrinsic Variability of Sagittarius A∗ Using Closure Phase Measurements of the Event Horizon Telescope

General relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of accretion disks and jets associated with supermassive black holes show variability on a wide range of timescales. On timescales comparable to or longer than the gravitational timescale t{sub G}=GM/c{sup 3}, variation may be dominated by orbital dynamics of the inhomogeneous accretion flow. Turbulent evolution within the accretion disk is expected on timescales comparable to the orbital period, typically an order of magnitude larger than t {sub G}. For Sgr A*, t {sub G} is much shorter than the typical duration of a VLBI experiment, enabling us to study this variability within a single observation. Closure phases, the sum of interferometric visibility phases on a triangle of baselines, are particularly useful for studying this variability. In addition to a changing source structure, variations in observed closure phase can also be due to interstellar scattering, thermal noise, and the changing geometry of projected baselines over time due to Earth rotation. We present a metric that is able to distinguish the latter two from intrinsic or scattering variability. This metric is validated using synthetic observations of GRMHD simulations of Sgr A*. When applied to existing multi-epoch EHT data of Sgr A*, this metric shows that the data are most consistent with source models containing intrinsic variability from source dynamics, interstellar scattering, or a combination of those. The effects of black hole inclination, orientation, spin, and morphology (disk or jet) on the expected closure phase variability are also discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Improving the representation of shallow cumulus convection with the simplified-higher-order-closure–mass-flux (SHOC+MF v1.0) approach

Abstract. Parameterized boundary layer turbulence and moist convection remain some of the largest sources of uncertainty in general circulation models. High-resolution climate modeling aims to reduce that uncertainty by explicitly attempting to resolve deep moist convective motions. An example of such a model is the Simple Cloud-Resolving E3SM Atmosphere Model (SCREAM) with a target global resolution of 3.25 km, allowing for a more accurate representation of complex mesoscale deep convective dynamics. Yet, small-scale planetary boundary layer turbulence and shallow convection still need to be parameterized, which in SCREAM is accomplished through the turbulent-kinetic-energy-based (TKE-based) simplified higher-order closure (SHOC) – a simplified version of the assumed-double-Gaussian-PDF (probability density function) higher-order-closure method. In this paper, we implement a stochastic-multiplume mass-flux (MF) parameterization of dry and shallow convection in SCREAM to go beyond the limitations of double-Gaussian-PDF closures and couple it to SHOC (SHOC+MF). The new parameterization implemented in a single-column model type version of SCREAM produces results for two shallow cumulus convection cases (marine and continental shallow convection) that agree well with the reference data from large-eddy simulations, thus improving the general representation of the thermodynamic quantities and their turbulent fluxes as well as cloud macrophysics in the model. Furthermore, SHOC+MF parameterization shows weak sensitivity to the vertical grid resolution and model time step.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Turbulence processes and simple closure schemes

The problem of closure in turbulence in the case of two-point correlations resides in the existence of two unknowns E and W, the energy spectrum function and the transfer function, respectively, in the spectrum equation. In the case of weak turbulence, W is negligible. In case of higher correlations, closure can be effective by neglecting the inertia term in the highest order term used. Specifying a certain number of spectra at an initial time is also a way of getting around the closure problem. A simple case of turbulent shear flow is then considered, where two-point correlation equations are used and the velocity is broken into mean and fluctuating components. This yields a differential equation for the energy spectrum, the three terms of which are the energy spectrum, production term and dissipation term. They are plotted for a particular time. Similar analyses and comparisons with experiment are made for pipe and boundary layer flows.

Deissler, R. G.↗