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Millikelvin cryogenics is an emergent area for Fermilab with broad applications in particle detection for the cosmic frontier and quantum information science. Fermilab Cryogenic Engineering currently supports multiple experiments, including the SuperCDMS SNOLAB and ADMX dark matter experiments, along with several millikelvin test facilities. More programs are expected to come online in future.
This document provides the progress of a research project at Texas A&M University (TAMU), led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), in support of the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) program and work scope area of gas-cooled fast reactors. The VTR TAMU INL project started in October 2018. The document includes the main objectives of the project, scaling analysis applied to the experimental facilities, experimental methodology including instrumentation and techniques applied, and up-to-date results from the experimental and numerical studies.
The objective of the Photovoltaic Collaborative to Advance Multi-climate and Performance Research (PVCAMPER) is to create a multi-climate research platform similar to the US DOE Regional Test Center (RTC) program. Overall, the goal is to foster collaborative research and to build an international organization dedicated to sharing data and exchanging best practices related to PV performance.
The failure of the NSTX-U coil in 2016 resulted in a redirection of UCLA’s NSTX-U research program. At that time UCLA had two functioning fluctuation reflectometer systems installed on the tokamak and was in the process of installing the new DBS/CPS system. These projects were placed on hold due to the NSTX-U recovery effort. UCLA in consultation with DOE OFES began a program of utilizing the equipment installed at NSTX-U in order to maximize the science output. In these discussion it was decided to move the V-band 50-75 GHz and the W-band 83-88 GHz multifrequency fluctuation reflectometer systems to the DIII-D tokamak. This would achieve two goals – to continue to provide important scientific input the US fusion research program and to test the new W-band system in a fusion research relevant plasma.
Our priority throughout COVID has been protecting our employees and our communities. To this end, we stood up internal testing and vaccination programs; kept disease risk low via maximum teleworking; leveraged world-class expertise to support federal and state through disease modeling and forecasting; and stored vaccines for the school district. COVID-19 taught us there are many ways to leverage technology to work safely and effectively.
OTERR (Optimization of TEst Reactor Reloading) is a software tool created to assist in the determination of optimal fuel reloading patterns for test reactors. The intended application is for the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) program, but it provides functions that could be useful for analysis and optimization of many types of fast reactors. OTERR does not perform neutron/gamma transport, heat transfer, thermal hydraulics, or depletion calculations. Instead, it acts as a wrapper around codes that provide these capabilities, with a native genetic algorithm optimization capability. At this time, wrapping is only implemented for Argonne Reactor Computation (ARC) codes DIF3D, REBUS, and GAMSOR, and SE2-ANL. OTERR also has capabilities to facilitate input creation for DASSH, a thermal hydraulics code similar to SE2- ANL being developed for the VTR program.
OTERR (Optimization of Test Reactor Reloading) is a software tool which assists in finding optimal fuel assembly reloading patterns for nuclear reactors. It was created specifically to support the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) program, but its functionality is general enough to be applied to most fast spectrum reactors which use hexagonal prismatic fuel elements. This document is meant to be a primer for new users of OTERR to walk through example workflows for core reloading optimization cases. Simple cases are followed step-by-step to discuss what needs to be done to complete a reloading optimization sequence. Note that the intent of this document is to provide practical examples for users to follow along with so they can quickly start using OTERR and then make changes to fit their own modeling needs. Detail is limited in terms of addressing additional features not used in these examples and especially lacking in discussion of theory used in the code. To better address these points, users are highly encouraged to refer to the OTERR User Manual and the OTERR Theory Manual.
The Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 98, Frenchman Flat (FF) Closure Report (CR) (NNSA/NFO, 2016) and its ensuing Records of Technical Change (ROTCs) (compiled in DOE/EMNV, 2019) required the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Management (EM) Nevada Program’s Underground Test Area (UGTA) Activity to collect data for five years to establish triggers for the monitoring network and analyze the monitoring points for viability in long-term monitoring. This document provides the results of the five-year evaluation and presents recommendations for future monitoring of CAU 98.
During the program's tenure, Applied Materials delivered high-quality (>99.9%) ultra-pure thin lithium metal in sheets and in roll to roll (R2R) formats to program partners for testing, cell builds and evaluation. The thickness range of the deposited Lithium can be controlled between 1-20 μm (<3% nonuniformity). A second R2R tool was commissioned for Li processing and inline CO 2 passivation module was validated. Additionally, S2S deposition tools were used to explore five different surface protection materials for Li-metal. One surface passivation chemistry was down selected for testing and showed improved performance. Key results are summarized in this final report.
The Microreactor Applications Research Validation and EvaLuation (MARVEL) project is producing a high temperature liquid metal-cooled nuclear test bed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to ultimately improve the integration of microreactors to end-user applications. This ambitious effort seeks to design, authorize, construct, test, and operate the reactor within five years. In order to construct and operate the MARVEL reactor in a timely manner, the system will utilize materials and component designs which have already been used, qualified, or licensed from previous reactors. The MARVEL reactor will be located at the INL Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facility in the north high-bay equipment pit and will use the existing 304 stainless steel-clad U-ZrH1.6 pin-type fuel system developed by General Atomics and purchased from TRIGA International. This fuel has been previously qualified under the United States Department of Energy’s (US DOE) Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) Program. Even though the regulator of the MARVEL reactor is the US DOE, the standards and overall approach recommended by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is well-defined and utilized here. Following NUREG-1537 regulatory guidance, this report documents the authorization case for the MARVEL fuel system’s application to MARVEL and establishes stable and predictable fuel performance during the most thermophysically unfavorable conditions achievable in the MARVEL reactor. To that end, this report provides a comprehensive survey of the known thermophysical properties, performance, and quantitative relationships associated with the MARVEL reactor fuel element and uses this information to determine its mechanical integrity and risk of reaching unacceptable conditions during the most extreme accident scenarios predicted for the reactor using the most conservative assumptions available. The information contained herein is compiled from a combination of historical reports and peer reviewed scientific publication manuscripts. Known mechanisms under which the fuel is susceptible to failure are highlighted and compared to conditions that could exist in the MARVEL reactor during an unanticipated transient or accident scenario. The two scenarios considered for analysis in this report are (1) an unprotected loss of flow accident and (2) a hypothetical unprotected loss of coolant accident during the loss of flow accident. Preliminary 2D steady-state analyses herein indicate that both fuel-cladding chemical interactions and fuel-cladding mechanical interactions are negligible throughout the fuel’s operational cycle under both normal and high temperature accident scenario conditions. Although higher fidelity 3D time-dependent modeling and simulations are planned, the following may be concluded presently. The MARVEL fuel element maintains its geometric stability and structural integrity during the most extreme accident scenarios predicted for the MARVEL reactor. The hoop stress during the unprotected loss of flow accident reaches about -1.27 MPa; this negative stress indicates that it is compressive rather than tensile. The compressive stress is a result of the NaK pressure on the outside of the fuel element, caused by the restricted thermal expansion of the NaK coolant, exceeding the internal pressures generated inside of the fuel element. The hoop stress generated in the cladding during the unprotected loss of coolant accident reaches a maximum of about approximately 10 MPa, which is nearly an order of magnitude less than the predicted yield strength of the cladding under high-temperature accident scenario conditions. Calculations were compared with results from high performance computational simulations using BISON and are in very close agreement. A conservative MARVEL fuel meat peak temperature limit of 900 °C is recommended presently, which is about 180 °C higher than the peak fuel temperature predicted to occur during the most extreme accident. Based on the known properties and behavior of the MARVEL fuel element, the fuel successfully meets its design and safety requirements under normal and most extreme accident conditions with a large safety margin.
Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) recognizes that threats in the cyberspace domain continue to grow, which requires CWMD devices and supporting systems to be both cybersecure (ability to protect or defend from cyber-attacks) and resilient (ability to maintain required capability in the face of adversity) to cyber threats. The CWMD cybersecurity characterization approach in this document supports existing cyber resilience activities within the Acquisition Lifecycle Framework. Similarly, this process supports existing Department of Homeland Security Cyber Resilience Test and Evaluation activities, which consist of iterative processes, starting at the initiation of system acquisition and continuing throughout the entire device and system life cycle. Cyber resilience is the ability of an information system to continue to operate while under attack, even if in a degraded or debilitated state, and to rapidly recover operational capabilities for essential functions after a successful attack. The goal of the security characterization task for CWMD is to support the development of a CBRN device-dependent profile that aligns with device network capabilities and maps to recommended security controls to create a characterization security profile impact levels. The impact levels for CWMD devices should be characterized as Low (L), Moderate (M), High (H) to align with the low, moderate, high control baselines. To estimate the impact levels, the device’s security-related attributes are translated into the security objectives: Confidentiality (C), Integrity (I), and Availability (A), known as the CIA triad. The potential impact for each device can be L, M, H, for devices that connect and transmit different types of data and may have different impact levels. National Institute of Standards and Technology Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 199 states, “the potential impact values assigned to the respective security objectives shall be the highest value from among those security categories that have been determined for each type of information resident on the information system.” As CWMD is determining the cybersecurity impact levels of CBRN devices based on network connections and data transfers, the impact levels are aligned with the associated attributes of network connections and communications. For example, if the device system is connected to a wireless network and transmits different data types based on the confidentiality of the data, the highest impact value for each security objective should represent the device’s CIA impact level. This document is intended to be used by test managers, test team, and program managers.
High-consequence nuclear facilities are required to implement a physical protection system (PPS) capable of preventing a design basis threat (DBT) adversary from completing radiological sabotage or theft of nuclear material. Response forces are a core component of the PPS. A rigorous testing and evaluation program is required to ensure that the response forces are appropriately trained and equipped and are capable of meeting the regulatory and mission requirements.
Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) recognizes that threats in the cyberspace domain continue to grow, which requires CWMD devices and supporting systems to be both cybersecure (ability to protect or defend from cyber-attacks) and resilient (ability to maintain required capability in the face of adversity) to cyber threats. The CWMD cybersecurity characterization approach in this document supports existing cyber resilience activities within the Acquisition Lifecycle Framework. Similarly, this process supports existing Department of Homeland Security Cyber Resilience Test and Evaluation activities, which consist of iterative processes, starting at the initiation of system acquisition and continuing throughout the entire device and system life cycle. Cyber resilience is the ability of an information system to continue to operate while under attack, even if in a degraded or debilitated state,1 and to rapidly recover operational capabilities for essential functions after a successful attack.2 The goal of the security characterization task for CWMD is to support the development of a CBRN device-dependent profile that aligns with device network capabilities and maps to recommended security controls to create a characterization security profile impact levels. The impact levels for CWMD devices should be characterized as Low (L), Moderate (M), High (H) to align with the low, moderate, high control baselines. To estimate the impact levels, the device’s security-related attributes are translated into the security objectives: Confidentiality (C), Integrity (I), and Availability (A), known as the CIA triad. The potential impact for each device can be L, M, H, for devices that connect and transmit different types of data and may have different impact levels. National Institute of Standards and Technology Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 199 states, “the potential impact values assigned to the respective security objectives shall be the highest value from among those security categories that have been determined for each type of information resident on the information system.”3 As CWMD is determining the cybersecurity impact levels of CBRN devices based on network connections and data transfers, the impact levels are aligned with the associated attributes of network connections and communications. For example, if the device system is connected to a wireless network and transmits different data types based on the confidentiality of the data, the highest impact value for each security objective should represent the device’s CIA impact level. This document is intended to be used by test managers, test team, and program managers.
This research was conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in collaboration with the S&C Electric Inc. through funding provided by the ESTCP. The project demonstrates use of cybersecure Automated Demand Response (ADR) technology to effectively manage microgrid loads during grid-independent, also known as "islanded," operation. When military microgrids become isolated from the main electrical grid, they are required to balance electricity supply and demand locally. Given that local generation may be constrained, the prevailing strategy involves shedding all but the most critical loads by tripping smart circuit breakers, which then necessitate manual resetting. This approach is generally implemented at the building level, which means that the buildings with mission-critical activities are exempt from load management and remain fully powered, whereas those deemed non-critical can experience a complete loss of service. In this research we developed a method that allows building automation systems to selectively control their assets in response to load shedding request from a microgrid controller, avoiding total loss of service in contrast to the conventional control approach. A commercial OpenADR client server by GridFabric is used for communication between the microgrid controller and the building management system (BMS). The microgrid controller monitors both generation capacity and various assets within the microgrid and issues a demand reduction request when necessary. This request is communicated to the OpenADR server via Modbus. Upon receiving the request, the OpenADR server forwards it to the BMS utilizing the OpenADR protocol. The BMS is pre-configured with various levels of load reduction strategies based on the controllable assets available, allowing for a nuanced approach to demand reduction. Both lab and field tests were performed that considered load shedding needed to achieve closed transition into island mode and to accommodate changing loads and power source availability while islanded. A commercial microgrid controller was used for these tests with normal programming within the expected constraints of the system capabilities. That is, the solution did not require any specialized modification to the code base of the controller. Given the latency of the round-trip communication path between the microgrid controller and the various devices involved with the load shed processes, there are certain scenarios for which the demonstrated solution are appropriate and some which are not. The methods described in this report can be used for load shedding/restoration during transitions between islanded and grid-tied modes of operation, as well as accommodating normal variations in load and the need to remove a power source from operation for maintenance. These methods should not be used for scenarios that require load shedding within a second or two such as sudden and unanticipated significant load increases or loss of power sources through equipment faults.
Advanced energy technologies have the potential to enhance energy security and resilience; however, they can introduce new vulnerabilities even as they mitigate existing ones. This dichotomy highlights that both action and inaction carry strategic risks in a contested and logistically complex operating environment. Regardless of U.S. civilian or military adoption of such technologies, key allies and adversaries are on adoption paths that will impact the U.S. military at the tactical, operational, and strategic level. The global adoption of advanced energy technologies presents the potential for both positive and negative consequences for U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) missions in the next 10-20 years. Three categories of risk drivers are presented in this analysis: infrastructure-related, adoption-related, and response-related. Each risk type can generate consequences for DOD, including power disruptions, suboptimal DOD mission performance and operational effectiveness, higher costs and shortages for both legacy and advanced energy technologies, and loss of U.S. influence and strategic deterrent value. Specific impacts could include tactical impacts, operational impacts, and strategic impacts. Mitigation strategies could include energy resource and technology planning, cybersecurity, supply chain resilience, workforce development, exercises and simulations, investments in commercialized technology, operational testing and pilot programs, research into emerging technologies, partnerships and working groups, common standards, budget planning, and repurposing infrastructure.
We report the discovery of a luminous “yellow” post–asymptotic giant branch (PAGB) star in the globular cluster (GC) M19 (NGC 6273), identified during our uBVI survey of Galactic GCs. The uBVI photometric system is optimized to detect stars with large Balmer discontinuities, indicating very low surface gravities and high luminosities. The spectral energy distribution (SED) of the star is consistent with an effective temperature of about 6250 K and a surface gravity of logg=0.5. We use Gaia data to show that the star’s proper motion and radial velocity are consistent with cluster membership. One aim of our program is to test yellow PAGB stars as candidate Population II standard candles for determining extragalactic distances. We derive a visual absolute magnitude of M {sub V} = − 3.39 ± 0.09 for the M19 star. This is in close agreement with the M {sub V} values found for yellow PAGB stars in the GCs ω Cen, NGC 5986, and M79, indicating a very narrow luminosity function. These objects are 4 mag brighter than RR Lyrae variables, and they can largely avoid the issues of interstellar extinction that are a problem for Population I distance indicators. We also identified a second luminous PAGB object in M19, this one a hotter “UV-bright” star. Its SED is consistent with an effective temperature of about 11,750 K and logg=2.0. The two objects have nearly identical bolometric luminosities, logL/L{sub ⊙}=3.24 and 3.22, respectively.
Recoil imaging entails the detection of spatially resolved ionization tracks generated by particle interactions. This is a highly sought-after capability in many classes of detector, with broad applications across particle and astroparticle physics. However, at low energies, where ionization signatures are small in size, recoil imaging only seems to be a practical goal for micro-pattern gas detectors. This white paper outlines the physics case for recoil imaging, and puts forward a decadal plan to advance towards the directional detection of low-energy recoils with sensitivity and resolution close to fundamental performance limits. The science case covered includes: the discovery of dark matter into the neutrino fog, directional detection of sub-MeV solar neutrinos, the precision study of coherent-elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering, the detection of solar axions, the measurement of the Migdal effect, X-ray polarimetry, and several other applied physics goals. We also outline the R&D programs necessary to test concepts that are crucial to advance detector performance towards their fundamental limit: single primary electron sensitivity with full 3D spatial resolution at the $\sim$100 micron-scale. These advancements include: the use of negative ion drift, electron counting with high-definition electronic readout, time projection chambers with optical readout, and the possibility for nuclear recoil tracking in high-density gases such as argon. We also discuss the readout and electronics systems needed to scale-up such detectors to the ton-scale and beyond.
The SNS Beam Test Facility research program is focused detailed studies of beam distributions for medium-energy ion beams, with the goal of reconstructing realistic 6D bunch distributions to enable halo prediction. For complete characterization of the initial distribution, scan time scales exponentially with scan dimension. Currently, a full 6D measurement with ~10 points across most dimensions requires 30 hours. However, measurement of the 5D distribution f(x, x’,y,y’,w) can be done very rapidly using a hybrid slit/screen method. This approach requires ~4 hours to obtain at least 32 points/dimension, with very high resolution (0.5 keV) in the energy distribution. This presentation reports on the approach and results for 5D characterization of the initial RFQ-formed bunch. This includes higher-resolution views of previously reported transverse-longitudinal dependence and additional interplane dependencies that were not previously reported.