Advanced Manufactured Sensors: Feedstock Development, Fabrication and Process Control
Advanced Manufactured Sensors Project Summary
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
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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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Automating Bug Report Classification with Few Shot Learning
Orthogonal defect classification (ODC) is a method used to categorize software defects, providing valuable insights into the development process. This study focuses on automating the classification of software bug reports into different ODC defect types using few shot learning, a machine learning approach that requires minimal labeled data. Previous research has manually classified bug reports or used traditional machine learning algorithms like linear support vector machine, achieving limited success. Our approach uses few shot learning to improve classification accuracy and efficiency. The results show a harmonic mean of recall and precision (i.e., the F1 score) of around 0.6 which is a performance improvement over previous methods. The results highlight the potential benefit of few shot learning techniques and their application in enhancing the safety and reliability of nuclear digital instrumentation and control (DI&C) systems. Future work will explore incorporating advanced techniques to supplement the model's training data and achieve better results.
42 - ENGINEERING↗
Electron pulse-dilation diagnostic instruments
During the past decade, a number of diagnostic instruments have been developed that utilize electron pulse-dilation to achieve temporal resolution in the 5–30 ps range. These development efforts were motivated by the need for advanced diagnostics for high-energy density physics experiments around the world. The new instruments include single- and multi-frame gated imagers and non-imaging detectors that record continuous data streams. Electron pulse-dilation provides high-speed detection capability by converting incoming signals into a free electron cloud and manipulating the electron signal with electric and magnetic fields. In this paper we discuss design details and applications of these instruments along with issues and challenges associated with employing the electron pulse-dilation technique. Additionally, methods to characterize instrument performance and improve tolerance to gamma and neutron background radiation are discussed.
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
Second Target Station (STS) Project: PIONEER Technical Report
PIONEER is a time-of-flight single-crystal neutron diffractometer at the Second Target Station (STS), aiming at providing the world-leading capability to measure tiny crystals (~0.001 mm 3 , i.e., X-ray diffraction size), ultra-thin epitaxial films (~10 nm thicknesses), and weak structural transitions and complex magnetism. The instrument will take advantage of STS source characteristics and utilize advancements in neutron optics to largely reduce the sample-volume requirement for single-crystal neutron diffraction. PIONEER will have a high-flux mode with multiple beam size options to improve the signal-to-background ratio in various sample environments. It will also provide a high Q-resolution mode by limiting beam divergence to study periodically modulated structures with characteristic lengths no less than 100 Å. Furthermore, it supports half-polarized neutron diffraction for investigating complex magnetism and local susceptibility. This report first overviews the proposed science case and the derived requirement. And then, the chosen technical solutions and expected performance will be described.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Non-visual analysis of miniaturized melt wire arrays for in-pile measurement of peak irradiation temperature
As a part of the in-pile instrumentation program, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has established in-house capabilities to fabricate and test new advanced manufactured printed sensors for measurement of peak temperature inside the harsh environment of a nuclear test reactor. Although nuclear test reactors may use standard methods that can provide real-time temperature information, such as thermocouples, the need for feedthroughs for real-time measurements greatly increases the cost of the experiment. Some experiments also present the problem of limited space available for instrumentation. To address this need, INL is working to improve temperature detection options for such applications. The lab is developing advanced manufactured melt wire arrays to determine peak temperatures in experiments with limited space. Furthermore, capabilities to print multiple melt wires with different melting properties on a single miniaturized unit is being established. Recent results and knowledge from this ongoing work have made it possible to develop unique temperature sensors that can accomplish user specific temperature ranges inside the harsh environments experienced during radiation testing.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Integration of Control Methods and Digital Twins for Advanced Nuclear Reactors
Advanced nuclear reactors offer a new set of features to energy generation, due to their ability to adapt to variable energy demand, operate autonomously, be deployed in rural locations and monitored remotely, afford compact size and lower power ratings, and rely on novel technologies to achieve safer operations. Thus, a requirement for the success of these reactors is the use of intelligent forms of control to track changing power demands, make autonomous decisions, and reduce the need for human involvement. Regulatory requirements pertaining to control of nuclear reactors could be met via historical means of control; however, these are not expected to enable the level of highly autonomous operations desired in advanced nuclear reactors. Historical control methods rely on both logical and high-performance (HP) control. These two types of control are usually used separately, with a human element being introduced whenever decisions are cascaded from one science to another. AI/ML control, on the other hand, can replace the human element in the current U.S. fleet of nuclear power plants (NPPs) by acting as a supervisory optimizer that understands the plant internal/external variables in order to make control decisions, and can easily handle non-linear and multi-input/multi out (MIMO) decisions—another requirement for advanced nuclear reactors that could be difficult to handle via logical and HP control. Because of the harsh operating environments produced in advanced reactors, resulting in the frequent failure of sensors and other types of equipment, and considering the lack of operating history for advanced nuclear reactors, control of advanced nuclear reactors would necessitate relying on a model that can track and adapt to the actual process (i.e., a digital twin). This digital twin can make approximations when knowledge and data are unavailable and would evolve as more knowledge is gained. The reactor control must also be risk-informed to account for the high-consequence nature of advanced reactors. This report introduces a high-level (i.e., not method- or process-specific) integration of the three different control and digital twinning methods able to meet the requirements for advanced nuclear reactors. These methods could be applied during both the operational and design stages of these reactors. The aim is to demonstrate how each method interfaces with and highlights enabling solutions necessitated by the unique features of advanced nuclear reactors.
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
Out-of-Pile Testing and Instrumentation Transient Water Irradiation System
Current initiatives to increase the burnup of conventional nuclear fuels past the approximate 62 GWd/t limit have been spurred on by direct savings to refueling and waste storage. The technical justification for a new license limit requires extensive qualification through experimental testing. Unlike beginning-of-life fuels, high-burnup fuels are more susceptible to fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal (FFRD), therefore more data is needed to characterize fuels under key accident scenarios. The Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) located at the Idaho National Laboratory has developed a testing apparatus architecture to test fuels and claddings at prototypic conditions. The Transient Water Irradiation System (TWIST) is the latest iteration of a testing device capable of conducting loss of coolant accidents (LOCAs) in TREAT. The Out-of-Pile Testing and Instrumentation TWIST (OPTI-TWIST) is an electrically heated device that is analogous to TWIST. OPTI-TWIST allows for detailed instrumentation and thermal-hydraulic characterization. TWIST ultimately aims to conduct the most advanced in-situ diagnostics to evaluate FFRD in a prototypic LOCA. Moreover, it will explore the phenomenological bifurcation of a decay-energy heat up driven LOCA and a stored-energy heat up driven LOCA. The instrumentation suite includes conventional thermocouples and pressure transducers in addition to an electro impedance sensor, an acoustic emission sensor, an optical pressure sensor, and an optical pyrometer. Characterizing these instruments in OPTI-TWIST eliminates complications of irradiation effects while preserving extreme thermal-hydraulic conditions. Finally, benchmarking both devices to a thermal-hydraulic code like the Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP)5-3D provides a unique opportunity for iteration. Pre-test predictions and post-test interpretations inform the physical designs, operational procedures, test conditions, and instrumentation types and positions.
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
Combustion Performance and Emissions Optimization Through Integration of a Miniaturized High-Temperature Multi Process Monitoring System
The main objective of this research program is to design, manufacture, and demonstrate a miniaturized, multi-process, monitoring system (mMPMS) for boiler condition management and easy system deployment to obtain a higher spatial resolution of wall conditions in utility boilers. This system will facilitate a Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) philosophy that actively monitors the health of assets to predict and prevent failures and maximize availability and generating capacity at a reduced cost. CBM systems can provide boiler data that the advanced process control (APC) system can utilize for plant performance optimization, which is increasingly relevant as coal power plants shift from predominantly base-load operation to predominantly transient operation involving large load swings. The mMPMS is based on an electrochemical sensor that provides a real-time indication of the risk of damage to key locations in the radiant or convective section of a coal-fired boiler such as metal loss rates, heat flux, metal surface temperature, and deposit thickness. These indications can be utilized to optimize boiler performance as well as improve boiler availability in conjunction with corresponding operating conditions. This monitoring system was developed and tested in the high-temperature regions of a coal-fired utility boiler in this project but can be applied to many other industries and applications as well. The new sensor design, leveraging the existing electrochemical noise-based monitoring system, is small enough to be installed through the webbing of the waterwalls without the need for long shut-downs to bend tubes and to make it feasible to obtain high spatial resolution in the boiler. Data can be transferred to the plant distributed control system (DCS) and any other control system. The sensor body that houses the sensor assembly was designed to ensure good conductive contact with boiler tubes to ensure the sensor is held at an identical temperature to the tube surface temperature. The data acquisition and signal conditioning modules were redesigned into a small footprint with optimized cooling of the module. System software was developed specifically for the new signal conditioning module and is compatible with plant PLCs. After the preliminary testing at a pilot-scale facility, five mMPMS were installed at a full-scale pulverized coal-fired plant, Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Leland Olds Unit 1. The systems were demonstrated over a 6-week period during typical operation. Sensor measurements of deposit thickness were validated during the demonstration and subsequently leveraged to determine sensor-based boiler cleaning strategies. These strategies have the benefit of reduced thermal stresses on boiler tubes from over-cleaning and improved boiler water management. At the end of the project, continued development of the sensor technology was carried out at PacifiCorp’s Hunter Station. REI leveraged the permanent installation of the mMPMS in Unit 3 made possible by DOE funding on a separate program. The work at Hunter Plant focused on application of machine learning and artificial intelligence-based models for integration of sensor signals into control and optimization of Hunter Unit 3 processes.
42 ENGINEERING↗
A science-driven approach to optimize the design for a biological small-angle neutron scattering instrument
Biological small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instruments facilitate critical analysis of the structure and dynamics of complex biological systems. However, with the growth of experimental demands and the advances in optical systems design, a new neutron optical concept is necessary to overcome the limitations of current instruments. This work presents an approach to include experimental objectives ( i.e. the science to be supported by a specific neutron scattering instrument) in the optimization of the neutron optical concept. The approach for a proposed SANS instrument at the Second Target Station of the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA, is presented here. Further, the instrument is simulated with the McStas software package. The optimization process is driven by an evolutionary algorithm using McStas output data, which are processed to calculate an objective function designed to quantify the expected performance of the simulated neutron optical configuration for the intended purpose. Each McStas simulation covers the complete instrument, from source to detector, including realistic sample scattering functions. This approach effectively navigates a high-dimensional parameter space that is otherwise intractable; it allows the design of next-generation SANS instruments to address specific scientific cases and has the potential to increase instrument performance compared with traditional design approaches.
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
Beamline Spectroscopy of Integrated Circuits With Hard X-Ray Transition Edge Sensors at the Advanced Photon Source
At Argonne National Laboratory, we are developing hard X-ray (2 to 20 keV) Transition Edge Sensor (TES) arrays for beamline science. The significantly improved energy resolution provided by superconducting detectors compared to semiconductor-based energy-dispersive detectors, but with better collection efficiency than wavelength-dispersive instruments, will enable greatly improved X-ray emission and absorption spectroscopic measurements. Additionally, a prototype instrument with 24 microwave-frequency multiplexed pixels is now in testing at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) 1-BM beamline. Initial measurements show an energy resolution ten times better (150 eV compared to < 15 eV) than the silicon-drift detectors currently available to APS beamline users, and in particular demonstrate the ability to resolve closely-spaced emission lines in samples containing multiple transition metal elements, such as integrated circuits. Comparing fluorescence spectra of integrated circuits measured with our TESs at the beamline to those measured with silicon detectors, we find emission lines and elements largely hidden (e.g. Hf alongside Cu) from a semiconductor-based detector but well resolved by a TES. This directly shows the strengths of TES-based instruments in fluorescence mapping.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Development and Application of In Situ Nanocharacterization to Photocatalytic Materials for Solar Fuel Generation
Photocatalytic materials offer an attractive approach for converting solar energy into chemical energy but the performance of the current generation of materials is insufficient to make a technology viable. To address this deficiency, it is necessary to develop a fundamental atomic level understanding of the functioning of such materials so that strategies can be developed to improve performance. This project was undertaken to explore the fundamental structure and properties of photocatalytic materials using atomic resolution imaging and spectroscopy techniques available on advanced transmission electron microscopy. Specifically, there is a need to develop an understanding of how atomic structures/defects and nanoparticle configurations regulate electronic, optical, and catalytic properties to facilitate the design of next generation photocatalysts for solar fuel production. The work focused on fundamental materials information that can be gained from advanced transmission electron microscopy study on novel and existing photocatalytic systems with an emphasis on the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Throughout the project, new instrumentation and microscopy characterization tools were developed. Two focus areas were: developing in situ TEM methods and advanced electron energy-loss spectroscopic for nanoscale analysis of catalysts. The work spanned a period of 12 years and for convenience, the report is divided into four phases, approximately corresponding to the four funding periods of the program. Most of the significant results are reported in archival journal publications.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Spatiotemporal features of traffic help reduce automatic accident detection time
Quick and reliable automatic detection of traffic accidents is of paramount importance to save human lives in transportation systems. However, automatically detecting when accidents occur has proven challenging, and minimizing the time to detect accidents (TTDA) by using traditional features in machine learning (ML) classifiers has plateaued. We hypothesize that accidents affect traffic farther from the accident location than previously reported. Therefore, leveraging traffic signatures from neighboring sensors that are adjacent to accidents should help improve their detection. We confirm this hypothesis by using verified ground-truth accident data, traffic data from radar detection system sensors, and light and weather conditions and show that we can minimize the TTDA while maximizing classification performance by considering spatiotemporal features of traffic. Specifically, we compare the performance of different ML classifiers (i.e, logistic regression, random forest, and XGBoost) when controlling for different numbers of neighboring sensors and TTDA horizons. We use data from interstates 75 and 24 in the metropolitan area that surrounds Chattanooga, TN. Our results show that the XGBoost classifier produces the best results by detecting accidents as quickly as 1.0 min after their occurrence with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of up to 83% and an average precision of up to 49%. We describe limitations, open challenges, and how the proposed framework can be used for quicker operational accident detection.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Validation and demonstration of the AEFC as a practical safeguards tool for inventory verification
The Advanced Experimental Fuel Counter (AEFC) is a nondestructive assay (NDA) instrument designed to determine the residual fissile mass in irradiated fuel assemblies for safeguards verification purposes. This is done by actively interrogating an assembly with a neutron source and measuring the total (Singles) and correlated (Doubles) neutron count rates resulting from induced fissions in the irradiated nuclear fuel and relating those rates to the residual fissile mass using calibration curves. Comprehensive NDA measurements of the irradiated fuel inventory at Israeli Research Reactor 1 (IRR-1) were taken with the AEFC to validate a set of previously developed calibration curves. During the campaign, measurements were acquired of 32 standard fuel assemblies and three control assemblies in just nine days. This is a significant majority of the research reactor's irradiated fuel inventory and the largest data set gathered by the AEFC to date. Many of the fuel assemblies measured during the campaign had much shorter cooling times than those assemblies previously measured with the instrument. Calibration curves developed from previous AEFC deployments were used to determine the residual 235 U mass in the measured standard fuel assemblies. The results of the campaign demonstrated that the AEFC can be used to estimate the 235 U mass remaining in a large number of irradiated fuel assemblies with 1%–5% uncertainty in a reasonable amount of time despite operating in a high dose environment.
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
Multimodal, Multidimensional, and Multiscale X-ray Imaging at the National Synchrotron Light Source II
Over the last couple of decades, the synchrotron radiation research community has witnessed tremendous advancement in the field of x-ray imaging and microscopy. Continuing enhancement of the light sources’ brightness, advances in x-ray focusing optics, incorporation of precision instruments, and development of innovative imaging techniques are some of the leading contributors for the rapid progress. New imaging and microscopy beamlines, such as the ones at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), a Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility located at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, are capable of performing more sophisticated and complicated measurements than ever before, either on their own or used together as a suite of tools. These sophisticated and complex measurements exhibit attributes for multimodal, multidimensional, and multiscale imaging. Recent popularity of these methods is strongly driven by the current trends in materials characterizations, where researchers desire to map out hierarchical materials structure over a large range of length scales, to understand structure-property correlation, to quantify materials structures in 3D, and/or to perform operando or in situ experiments. It is important to emphasize that “materials” under investigation are not only synthesized materials but also the natural materials. In this article, we describe multimodal, multidimensional and multiscale x-ray imaging capabilities of the NSLS-II beamlines and how these methods are used to tackle complex scientific problems.
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
A High-Speed, High-Resolution Transition Edge Sensor Spectrometer for Soft X-Rays at the Advanced Photon Source
This project explores the design and development of a transition edge sensor (TES) spectrometer for resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSXS) measurements developed in collaboration between Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Soft X-ray scattering is a powerful technique for studying the electronic and magnetic properties of materials on a microscopic level. However, the lack of high-performance soft X-ray spectrometers has limited the potential of this technique. TES spectrometers have the potential to overcome these limitations due to their high energy resolution, high efficiency, and broad energy range. This project aims to optimize the design of a TES spectrometer for RSXS measurements and more generally soft X-ray spectroscopy at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) 29-ID, leading to improved understanding of advanced materials. We will present a detailed description of the instrument design and implementation. The spectrometer consists of a large array of approximately 250 high-speed and high-resolution pixels. The pixels have saturation energies of approximately 1 keV, sub-ms pulse duration and energy resolution of approximately 1 eV. The array is read out using microwave multiplexing chips with MHz bandwidth per channel, enabling efficient data throughput. To facilitate measurement of samples in situ under ultra-high vacuum conditions at the beamline, the spectrometer is integrated with an approximately 1 m long snout.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Displacement driven balancing of a diamond turning machine flycutter
The spindle balancing operation is critical to the performance of precision lathes and should be conducted anytime the configuration of the spindle or its tooling is modified such that an unbalanced condition may occur. Within the machine tool community, accelerometers are typically used as the feedback device during the balancing operation. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), we have nearly 40 years of history using displacement sensors, such as capacitance gauges, in place of accelerometers when balancing precision spindles. The process of balancing a precision machine spindle using displacement sensors is presented in the context of two work examples. In this case, the details of the one-dimensional balancing operation performed after replacing a flycutter on the spindles of two unique large optic diamond turning machines is discussed. The pros and cons of accelerometer driven balancing and displacement driven balancing are also presented. In the accelerometer context, the level of balance achieved for our work example is less than 100 micro-g or a total indicator reading (TIR) of 1.6 µm. The process of balancing has been enhanced over the years as advances have been made in software, data acquisition systems, and instrumentation. The balancing system is described including details about instrumentation, set-up, how phase and spindle structure stiffness is calculated, and how the LLNL developed software that guides the user through the process by suggesting corrective action.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Considerations of Radiation-Hardened Electronics for Alpha Detectors in Molten Salt Reactors
Along with advanced generations of reactors quickly becoming reality, the need for instrumentation to provide reliable information for their safety and operation is also becoming relevant. Instrumentation-wise, molten salt reactors (MSRs) represent an especially challenging case in which detectors must survive extreme temperatures, high amounts of radiation, and a highly corrosive coolant. Adding to the complexity, tight material control and accounting must be maintained with any special nuclear material (SNM), a practice made more difficult by the nature of a loop of flowing fuel. Alpha spectroscopy offers a unique window into investigating the isotopic concentrations of actinides within just such a molten salt environment. The characteristic α emissions of specific actinide isotopes in the salt enable quantification of their concentrations. Semiconductor devices based on wide bandgap materials such as silicon carbide and gallium oxide can withstand the extreme temperatures within MSRs and offer good chemical stability with the corrosive salt. Collaborators at The Ohio State University are fabricating and testing a β gallium oxide α particle sensor that could identify actinide concentrations within the fuel salt to help improve the material control and accounting required for complicated system inherent to MSRs.
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
Integration of sensors through additive manufacturing leading to increased efficiencies of gas turbines for power generation and propulsion
To realize the full capability of additively manufactured components in complex energy systems, it is imperative to minimize early component failures during development phases and during operation. Traditional field feedback timelines and offline inspection protocols significantly reduce the design-manufacturing iteration times. To address this specific question, the project developed and demonstrated a method for the integration of sensors into complex components through additive manufacturing. The team used gas turbine engines as a platform, which meets the need of both power generation and propulsion and offer opportunities for cost reductions and efficiency increases. The innovation of this intelligent integration of sensors into complex components uniquely customized to address questions of integrity and durability for additively manufactured components. With real-time sensing data from additively manufactured components, turbine manufacturers will realize higher efficiencies, reduced component failures, and a 30-50% acceleration in product deployment of high efficiency gas turbine components due to a faster reduction in component risk assessment under actual operating conditions. This is a transformative shift towards a data-driven design and qualification of additively manufactured gas turbine components. To directly integrate sensors into additively manufactured components with all the complexities of actual hardware, powder bed fusion (direct metal laser sintering) and laser metal deposition technologies was developed. Validation took take place in two university laboratories both of which contain actual engine hardware and closely simulate a gas turbine prior to demonstrating the technology in a turbine development test. Indeed, two major technologies from this research cold impact turbine systems in the near future: (1) higher efficiency materials and designs enabled by additive manufacturing with 50% faster design to manufacturing cycle time, to enable faster time-to-market targets; and (2) integration of sensors into additively manufactured components enabling broad health and condition based prognostics for faster component and engine risk reduction.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗