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At least 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Human Factors Principles in Information Dashboard Design - 278

Refueling outages remain one of the largest opportunities for improving capacity factor and reducing costs available to commercial nuclear power plants. Although the nuclear industry has made steady improvement in outage optimization, each day of a refueling outage still represents an opportunity to save millions of dollars and each day an outage extends past its planned end date represents millions of dollars that may have been spent unnecessarily. Reducing planned outage duration or preventing outage extensions requires careful management of the outage schedule as well as constant oversight and monitoring of work completion during the outage execution. During a typical outage, there are typically more than 10,000 activities on the schedule that, if not managed efficiently, may cause expensive outage delays. Management of outages currently relies largely on paper-based resources and general-purpose office software. A typical method currently used to monitor work performance is a burn-down curve, where total remaining activities are plotted against the baseline schedule to track bulk work completion progress. While methods like this are useful, there is still considerable uncertainty during a typical outage whether bulk work progress is adequate and therefore a lot of management time is spent analyzing the situation on a daily basis. This paper is a case study of how new technology, in combination with established human-factors and user-centered design knowledge, can be used to support Outage Control Center (OCC) personnel decision making. In particular, we describe recent advances made in developing a framework for the design of visual outage information presentation, as well as an overview of the human factors principles that informed the development of the visualizations. To test the utility of advanced visual outage information presentation, an outage management dashboard software application was created as part of the Department of Energy's Advanced Outage Control Center project (AOCC). This dashboard is intended to present all the critical information an outage manager would need to understand the current status of a refueling outage. The dashboard presents the critical path, bulk work performance, key performance indicators, outage milestones and metrics relating current performance to historical performance. Additionally, the dashboard includes data analysis tools to allow outage managers to drill down into the underlying data to understand the drivers of the indicators. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment (GEARED): National Network Administrator (Final Report)

DOE developed the five-year, Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment (GEARED) initiative and provided funding to create four Distributed Technology Training Consortia (DTTC) made up of universities, utilities, and organizations. These DTTCs supported the inclusion of power systems analysis, research and development, into training activities such as curriculum and short course development, internships & coops, and continuing education. Additionally, DOE aimed to build a national framework for power systems training and curriculum that accelerates the growth of power systems programs and human capacity. To that end, the GEARED initiative utilized a National Network Administrator (NNA) to manage and leverage the activities of the four DTTCs as well as that of others participating in distributed technology and engineering through research or practice. DOE chose the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) as the NNA.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment (GEARED) - Topic 2: National Network Administrator (Final Report)

DOE developed the five-year, Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment (GEARED) initiative and provided funding to create four Distributed Technology Training Consortia (DTTC) made up of universities, utilities, and organizations. These DTTCs supported the inclusion of power systems analysis, research and development, into training activities such as curriculum and short course development, internships & coops, and continuing education. Additionally, DOE aimed to build a national framework for power systems training and curriculum that accelerates the growth of power systems programs and human capacity. To that end, the GEARED initiative utilized a National Network Administrator (NNA) to manage and leverage the activities of the four DTTCs as well as that of others participating in distributed technology and engineering through research or practice. DOE chose the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) as the NNA.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

3P Program: Phenotyping X Prediction = Productivity (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

The goal of the 3P Program was to establish integrated, real-time phenotyping and to analyze above- and below-ground plant architecture and total carbon partitioning and allocation to predict heterosis and develop superior crop hybrids by fully leveraging the Sorghum gene pool. There were two overarching themes: 1) the development of a new crop improvement approach utilizing advances in high-throughput phenotyping (HTP), computing, and genomics for public dissemination and 2) leveraging this platform for sorghum crop improvement and commercialization. The Clemson team worked on creating genomic resources and using both statistical learning and high-throughput phenotyping in genomics-assisted breeding. Research was broadly interested in the genetics of carbon partitioning, with the aim of improving crop performance and achieving sustainability. The technology and resources created can be readily found in the public domain and serve to advance scientific understanding of crop genomics and breeding. Genomic prediction was able to identify top crosses to be made, and a hybrid prediction pipeline is in place to drive year-over-year genetic gain. Roots have long been ignored by plant breeders and agronomists, not because they are unimportant but because they are hard to measure. This is an untapped white space of potential insight and innovation. To address this, Hi Fidelity Genetics developed the RootTracker to measure roots in the field on a continuous basis. A database system called RootTracker Tracker was developed to handle data coming from the RootTrackers. In using this device, valuable data was observed for plant breeding, hydrochemical development, and other agricultural biology applications. Carnegie Mellon’s goal was developing new techniques to generate high-resolution 3D models of plants from data collected in the field. The idea was that more useful and more informative phenotypes could be extracted by resolving small features, such as seeds and flowers, and that by modeling in 3D, the spatial structure of plants could be examined. To achieve this, multiple images collected by a new small format structured light stereo imager were fused together. A sorghum panicle modeling pipeline was developed to allow the collection and processing of data. Carolina Seed Systems is an agricultural technology company focused on decarbonizing the agricultural system. Their technology pipeline serves to drive fundamental progress towards creation and distribution of carbon negative crops. The genomic and the engineering technology developed through the 3P Program was leveraged to deliver both value and sustainability from the grower to the consumer. Promising sorghum hybrids were scaled up and commercialized. The overall goal of our research was to integrate, create, and deploy genetic and engineering concepts and technologies to enhance crop productivity in a sustainable fashion. The combination of public and private partners allowed the basic research and hypothesis testing to be quickly accelerated for commercial application by the companies yet maintained that the core framework and academic insights remain in the public domain for continued market disruption, competition, and innovation.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development of a scalable, robust electrocatalytic technology for conversion of CO 2 to formic acid via microstructured materials

This project was funded by the Bioenergy Engineering for Product Synthesis (BEEPS) program under the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001916 Topic Area 5 “Rewiring Carbon Utilization”. This FOA sought projects that would electrocatalytically reduce CO 2 to a carbon intermediate and then upconvert to a multi-carbon product or fuel via non-photosynthetic biological system engineering. The project sought to combine the expertise of OCO Chem, whose chief scientist had previously developed an efficient electrocatalytic reactor for conversion of CO 2 to formate with potential to scale, Montana State University investigators who had recently patented a method for laterally grading membranes with the potential of improving reactant distribution and more uniform efficiency across membrane-based reactors, and University of South Florida which had recently discovered a novel C-C bond forming reaction not known to naturally occur in biological systems and which uses C1 substrates and circumvents the central microbial metabolism.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Developing a Human Factors Engineering Program Plan and End State Vision to Support Full Nuclear Power Plant Modernization

The Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program, which is sponsored by the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE), conducts research and development (R&D) to establish the technical bases to sustain U.S. nuclear assets. One area in the LWRS program is the Plant Modernization pathway, which includes human factors R&D, human factors engineering (HFE), and ergonomics. LWRS program researchers in this pathway conduct targeted R&D to address aging and reliability concerns with the legacy instrumentation and control (I&C) and related information systems in commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). One key aspect of this pathway is to develop a strategy for full nuclear plant modernization, which previous LWRS plant modernization milestone reports have begun to describe. To further support this comprehensive plan and vision for full plant modernization, additional details need to be further developed. In particular, a core aspect of a strategy for full nuclear plant modernization is an HFE program plan and an end state vision for plant modernization that is well-integrated with both 1) a technically defensible approach to migrating the existing, mostly analog I&C infrastructure to a digital I&C infrastructure, and 2) a valid business case methodology to cost-justify the modernization activity. Thus, the purpose of this LWRS R&D activity and milestone report is threefold. First, the report provides guidance for operating commercial NPPs to support their development and evaluation of an HFE program management plan (HFE PMP) and an end state vision for plant modernization. The report presents best practices and lessons learned related to HFE PMPs based on MCR modifications in which analog systems were replaced by digital I&C systems. Second, the report summarizes the rationale for full digital I&C integration, highlights a number of factors that are critical to consider, and describes how HFE should merge with full digital I&C integration. Finally, the report summarizes and integrates the economic factors that must be considered to cost-justify HFE involvement in plant modernization.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

DP-Based Optimization of BESS to Substitute RICE Reserves for Improved Economic Benefits

In regions with a significant proportion of renewable energy sources, reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE or IC) are frequently employed as grid reserve solutions. This study suggests a scheduling technique for battery energy storage systems (BESS) that utilizes dynamic programming (DP) to replace IC units, adding versatility to the total reserve capacity and resulting in higher BESS earnings compared to traditional scheduling approaches. The capacity sweeping approach to optimize BESS’s revenue sometimes leads to operation which is counter intuitive to conventional battery sizing approaches.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Bio-fuel effects and seasonal fuel property variations related to abnormal combustion occurrences observed in the field

Since 2015, the automotive industry has regularly observed sharp increases in customer complaints of poor driveability and increased warranty claims during the months of September and October. These persistent seasonal complaint increases have been tracked to occur from increased abnormal combustion events that coincide with the seasonal transition from summer to winter fuel volatility, beginning on September 15th annually. The Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) of gasoline during this seasonal transition has been found to be the primary property attributed to this annual issue. It’s hypothesized that an increase in volatile butanes and pentanes from advanced petroleum recovery techniques and hydrofracking production has hastened the transition from summer to winter fuel volatility in the marketplace, rather than the gradual increase of the RVP over time as historically intended. At worst, mid-winter fuel, with an RVP ranging from 12 to 16 psi, depending on location in the U.S., enters the market while ambient temperatures can still be above average for the winter season. This combination of high volatility fuel with unseasonably warm weather will increase fuel system flash boiling, injector spray cavitation, and spray collapse inside the engine’s combustion chamber, ultimately linking fuel property variations to abnormal engine combustion processes. This CRADA program will investigate these known knowledge gaps by coupling with two national laboratories, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to employ both unique tools and expertise throughout the industry to provide the insight, knowledge, and data critical to understand the observed interactions. Overall findings of this work are that fuel wall retention increased SPI proportionally, and fuels with an increased distillation (i.e. energy fraction) above the wall temperature increased fuel retention. Likewise fuels with increased enthalpy of vaporization (HoV) increased fuel retention proportional to the temperature reduction from the HoV (~13K reduction in this work). Thus, fuel with increased HoV and increased fuel distillation above the linear temperature also exhibited increased SPI rates. Fuel with high RVP did exhibit increased fuel spray collapse form spray imaging measurements, but in SPI testing the high volatility of these fuels at the tested conditions did not necessarily increase SPI rates despite exhibiting increased spray collapse in injector imaging and increased spray-wall impingement measured in fired engine testing. It was also found that spray imaging showed collapse was possible at throttled conditions, but this was not relevant to high boost pressures relevant to SPI conditions, however, under transient load and or speed encountered in real-world operation fuel spray collapse could affect fuel retention and real-world SPI that were not probed in the automated high load test sequence of this work.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Building Blocks for Secure and Prosperous Defense Critical Supply Chains: A Case Study from Microelectronics

Securing defense-critical supply chains, built on resilient and sustainable microelectronics fabrication and deployment, is a national imperative and one that requires an investment in basic and applied research, development, and deployment into industries in (and out of) the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Critical next steps include the development of pilots for revolutionary concepts in a new formal verification model and the Cyber-Physical Passport (CPP) concept for chain of custody. Critical infrastructure leadership should take action with a sense of urgency. Working in conjunction with the Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering should establish pilot programs with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the service labs to build and test both concepts in legacy and new system development.. Additionally, the Pentagon may be aware that an existing Manufacturing Innovation Institute is piloting, with the semiconductor industry, cyber innovations to provide verifiable security properties and guarantees of physical functions to build a more cyber secure, resilient and efficient micro-electronics supply chain.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Oscilloscope Data Push Program

This paper details the development of a Python program designed to automate the data acquisition and conversion for an oscilloscope for the purposes of a one-off/temporary data acquisition system for users that readily need data, and do not have the option of obtaining a Data Acquisition (DAQ) solution. Creating DAQ systems for analyzing a system requires expensive electronics and a dedicated team of engineers for support. Traditionally, manual data collection and processing are time consuming and prone to error. By automating these processes, the cost, efficiency and accuracy of data handling are improved upon. This project involves the creation of a program that interacts with the oscilloscope. During this interaction, there are various functions being performed such as the acquisition of waveform data via floating points, generating plots with the acquired wave points, and storing of floating points in a CSV file format for future reference and plotting purposes. While the initial aim of the project included continuous logging to a cloud database, this was deferred due to time constraints. The results portrayed an almost-instant rate of data collection with a buffer time, showcasing the potential for further integration and real-time data processing.

Osei-Tutu, Jason↗
DOE OSTI2018

FY2017 Advanced Combustion Systems and Fuels Annual Progress Report

The Advanced Combustion Systems and Fuels Program supports VTO’s goal and focuses early-stage research and development (R&D) to improve understanding of the combustion processes, fuel properties, and emission control technologies while generating knowledge and insight necessary for industry to develop the next generation of engines.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Large scale centrifuge test of a geomembrane-lined landfill subject to waste settlement and seismic loading

Highlights: • A large centrifuge model of a geomembrane-lined landfill was seismically loaded. • The scaled peak acceleration of the strongest input motion was 0.6 g. • Laboratory testing was conducted to obtain properties of the model materials. • Collected data included liner strains due to downdrag and seismic loading. • Results show that settlement and seismic loading can potentially damage geomembranes. • Results can be used to validate numerical models for geomembrane performance. •The laboratory and centrifuge testing data is publicly available. - Abstract: A large scale centrifuge test of a geomembrane-lined landfill subject to waste settlement and seismic loading was conducted to help validate a numerical model for performance based design of geomembrane liner systems. The test was conducted using the 240 g-ton centrifuge at the University of California at Davis under the U.S. National Science Foundation Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Research (NEESR) program. A 0.05 mm thin film membrane was used to model the liner. The waste was modeled using a peat-sand mixture. The side slope membrane was underlain by lubricated low density polyethylene to maximize the difference between the interface shear strength on the top and bottom of the geomembrane and the induced tension in it. Instrumentation included thin film strain gages to monitor geomembrane strains and accelerometers to monitor seismic excitation. The model was subjected to an input design motion intended to simulate strong ground motion from the 1994 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake. Results indicate that downdrag waste settlement and seismic loading together, and possibly each phenomenon individually, can induce potentially damaging tensile strains in geomembrane liners. The data collected from this test is publically available and can be used to validate numerical models for the performance of geomembrane liner systems.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Systematic Literature Review: How is Model-Based Systems Engineering Justified?

The genesis for this systematic literature review was to search for industry case studies that could inform a decision of whether or not to support the change process, investment, training, and tools needed to implement an MBSE approach across the engineering enterprise. The question asked was, how the change from a document - based systems engineering approach (DBSE) to a model-based systems engineering approach (MBSE) is justified? The methodology employed for this systematic literature review was to conduct a document search of electronically published case studies by authors from the defense, space, and complex systems product engineering industries. The 67 case studies without metrics mainly attributed success to completeness, consistency, and communication of requirements. The 21 case studies with metrics on cost and schedule primarily attributed success to the ability of an MBSE approach to improve defect prevention strategies. The primary conclusion is that there is a significant advantage to project performance by applying an MBSE approach. An MBSE approach made the engineering processes on a complex system development effort more efficient by improving requirements completeness, consistency, and communication. These were seen in engineering processes involved in requirements management, concept exploration, design reuse, test and qualification, Verification and Validation, and margins analyses. An MBSE approach was most effective at improving defect prevention strategies. The approach was found to enhance the capability to find defects early in the system development life cycle (SDLC), when they could be fixed with less impact and prevented rework in later phases, thus mitigating risks to cost, schedule, and mission. However, if a program only employed an MBSE approach for requirements management, advantages from finding defects early could not be leveraged in later phases, where the savings in cost and schedule from rework prevention is realized. Significant performance success was achieved when the systems engineer (SE) held a leadership role over engineering process es. A number of the case studies addressed a general lack of skilled MBSE engineers as a major hindrance to implementing an MBSE approach successfully.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

NanoMechanics: Elasticity and Friction in Nano‐Objects

A large scientific and technological effort is underway to investigate the properties of two‐dimensional (2D) materials to become building blocks in integrated nano‐electronic and photonic circuits, composites, coatings, energy harvesting nano‐ systems, nano‐sensors, and nano‐electro‐mechanical systems (NEMS).While several experiments and calculations have revealed exciting novel phenomena in these nanostructures, many scientific and technological questions remain open. In particular, understanding and controlling the structure and mechanical properties of 2D materials at the interface with a solid surface is of key importance to enable the aforementioned nanotechnologies, as well as to fulfill the potential of strain engineering to tailor their properties. The vision of this DoE research program was to investigate novel mechanical properties and phenomena in 1D and 2D materials with the overarching goal of defining a new basic understanding of mechanical behavior in nano and quantum systems. The group of the PI has developed in the last years several studies on the mechanical properties of Carbon nanotubes and oxide nanobelts, more recently the PI has focused her attention on the properties of two‐dimensional materials, such as graphene and MoS 2 , which are a few‐atomic‐layer thick films and hold a great potential for technological and energy applications. The most studied 2D material is graphene, existing as a single layer of graphite or a few‐layer thick epitaxial graphene film. Graphene possesses a large in‐plane Young’s modulus as well as high intrinsic carrier mobility, and high in‐plane thermal conductivity. Besides graphene, also 2D films of graphene oxide (GO), hexagonal Boron Nitride (h‐BN), and transition metal dichalcogenides such as MoS 2 exhibit unique and excellent properties and hold great promise for nanotechnology applications. This research program was aimed at developing a new basic understanding of the mechanical properties of 1D and 2D materials at the interface with solid substrates, with a focus on the role of defects, materials structure, and substrate interaction. Ultimately, we aimed at developing the basic knowledge and experimental tools for manipulating 1D and 2D materials’ structure, stacking, substrate interaction, defects, and number of layers to realize an entirely new class of ultra‐hard, ultra‐thin, and ultra‐light active materials with ad‐ hoc mechanical properties for a variety of applications.

2D Materials↗
DOE OSTI2026

Roadmap to Advance Heliostat Technologies for High Temperature Solar-Thermal Systems

Since its establishment, the Heliostat Consortium (HelioCon) has made substantial progress toward closing many of the gaps in concentrating solar power (CSP) research. Numerous techno-economic studies have been performed, investigating topics ranging from the trade-off between size and temperature for industrial process heat applications to optimization of the heliostat design itself for various applications. Significant improvements have been made in optical metrology techniques, with first steps toward in situ measurement of heliostat fields. Several standards have been, and continue to be, developed with the coordination of an international group of CSP industry participants. Training programs have been developed, with universities including CSP in their engineering curricula, and many public webinars have been held to provide broad access to the latest CSP research. Improved CSP components such as mirror facets and wireless communication systems have been developed, and the solar tower at Sandia National Laboratories has been upgraded with a testbed for closed-loop controls research and development. Field deployment challenges involving heliostat foundations and sensitive wildlife habitats have been explored, with progress made toward methods for streamlining project development and permitting. Additional knowledge has been added to the body of work on wind behavior of heliostats and arrays of heliostats, with progress made toward a holistic understanding of wind design methods. Finally, techniques have been developed and demonstrated for assessing soiling conditions at a proposed project site, with predictive models for the soiling rate showing good results. Taking these results together, HelioCon has contributed greatly to the global CSP research and development effort over the past several years.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

KRUSTY Reactor Design

The Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY (KRUSTY) was a reactor design, development, and test program to demonstrate the nuclear operation of a Kilopower reactor. Kilopower systems are intended to provide between 1 and 10 kW(electric) in space, or on the surface of planets or moons, with a clear evolution to substantially higher power systems. KRUSTY was a prototype of a 1-kW(electric) highly enriched uranium–fueled Kilopower system. In March of 2018, KRUSTY successfully operated as a fission power system and was the first nuclear-powered operation of any truly new reactor concept in the United States in over 40 years. This paper discusses the design of the KRUSTY reactor along with the philosophy, goals, and engineering work that ultimately led to KRUSTY’s success.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Execution Strategy Analysis (ESA) Origin Sites Readiness Model - 19073

This is a technical paper that does not take into account the contractual limitations under the Standard Contract for Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and/or High-Level Radioactive Waste (Standard Contract) (10 CFR Part 961). Under the provisions of the Standard Contract, DOE does not consider spent nuclear fuel in multi-assembly canisters to be an acceptable waste form, absent a mutually agreed to contract amendment. To the extent discussions or recommendations in this paper conflict with the provisions of the Standard Contract, the Standard Contract provisions prevail. The DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition (SFWD) Integrated Waste Management System (IWMS) program is developing an Execution Strategy Analysis (ESA) Origin Sites Readiness Model using the Goldsim{sup TM} software application to provide information on potential future approaches for removing SNF and HLW from origin sites such as commercial nuclear power plant sites. The purpose of this ESA model is to apply integrated waste management system analysis, system engineering, and decision analysis principles to inform future decisions regarding potential future nuclear waste management system architectures. The ESA Origin Sites Readiness Model is a dynamic simulation modeling capability. It is developed for use in the analysis and comparison of potential future implementation strategies associated with an integrated nuclear waste management program. The model is designed to be independent of the destination of the SNF or HLW so the results from the Origin Sites Readiness Model are equally applicable to a wide range of scenarios involving shipments to generic destinations in an integrated waste management system. The model explicitly takes significant assumptions, uncertainties, and risks into account. Currently, the ESA Origin Sites Readiness Model includes 14 shutdown sites (Maine Yankee, Yankee Rowe, Connecticut Yankee, Vermont Yankee, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Zion, Kewaunee, Fort Calhoun, Trojan, Rancho Seco, Humboldt Bay, San Onofre, and Crystal River) and is designed to be modular so that other sites can be added in the future. The model also includes multiple transportation modes (heavy haul truck, rail, and barge), activities related to the acquisition of transportation assets such as railcars and transportation casks, and site-specific considerations of on-site and near-site transportation infrastructure. The model was developed using the ESA process with Subject Matter Experts (SME); it incorporates uncertainty and risks and provides a structured, systematic methodology for evaluating potential SNF campaign scenarios. The model also complements other system-level logistics tools being developed by SFWD. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗