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At least 343 records · Page 19

Best Practices Guide: Benchmarking Energy Efficiency in Laboratories

Purpose and Audience A wide spectrum of laboratory owners, ranging from universities to federal agencies, have explicit goals for energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions in their facilities. For example, new federal buildings and major renovations of existing buildings are to reduce fossil fuel-generated energy consumption by 90% in 2025, and 100% in 2030, compared with a 2003 baseline (FEMP n.d.). Minnesota SB2030 standard requires achieving an 80% reduction from the average building baseline for commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings (SB2030 n.d). A laboratory—new or existing—is much more likely to meet energy efficiency goals if quantitative metrics and targets are explicitly specified and tracked over the life cycle of the building, from design through construction, commissioning, operations, and renovations. If efficiency targets are not explicitly and properly defined, any additional capital costs or design time associated with attaining higher efficiencies can be difficult to justify relative to other priorities. The purpose of this guide is to provide guidance on how to specify and compute energy efficiency metrics and benchmarks for laboratories, at the whole-building as well as the system level. The information in this guide can be used to incorporate quantitative metrics and targets into new construction or retrofit of existing facilities. For information on strategies and technologies to achieve energy efficiency, the reader is referred to I2SL resources, including technology best practice guides and case studies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Large Game Distribution Camera Study at Los Alamos National Laboratory [Poster]

The unique habitats at the Laboratory support a diverse community of wildlife. The habitat types that include Pinon Juniper, Ponderosa Pine, and Mixed-conifer forests each provide different resources important for a variety of species. Wildlife monitoring for large game animals can be challenging because they avoid interactions with humans, and prefer undeveloped areas. This study was conducted to analyze the distribution of predators and other game animals seasonally across the Laboratory. The data gathered will be used to make recommendations regarding wildlife management for conservation and protection. Utilizing game cameras to remotely monitor wildlife was determined to be the most effective, noninvasive method to gather the necessary data. As camera technology has advanced, game cameras have become adequate for documenting individuals, and are commonly used in wildlife studies on predation, abundance, occupancy, diversity, and endangered species detection. Twenty cameras were placed across the LANL landscape using a modified systematic sampling design. They were deployed in February 2018 and retrieved in January 2019, thus each camera sampled for one full year. All images were reviewed and the species, number, age, and sex of all animals in the photo were recorded. Here we present data for the most abundant species encountered: deer, elk, coyote, bear, bobcat, mountain lion, and fox respectively. The data were summarized by species and season. Future work will include occupancy modelling for each species. This will allow the development of heat maps showing species distributions across the Laboratory.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Large Game Distribution Camera Study at Los Alamos National Laboratory

The unique habitats at the Laboratory support a diverse community of wildlife. The habitat types that include Pinon Juniper, Ponderosa Pine, and Mixed-conifer forests each provide different resources important for a variety of species. Wildlife monitoring for large game animals can be challenging because they avoid interactions with humans, and prefer undeveloped areas. This study was conducted to analyze the distribution of predators and other game animals seasonally across the Laboratory. This research informs decisions regarding wildlife management recommendations for conservation and protection. This study utilized game cameras to remotely monitor wildlife. As camera technology has advanced, game cameras have become adequate for documenting individuals, and are commonly used in wildlife studies on predation, abundance, occupancy, diversity, and endangered species detection. Twenty cameras were placed across the LANL landscape using a modified systematic sampling design. They were deployed in February 2018 and retrieved in January 2019, thus each camera sampled for one full year. All images were reviewed and the species, number, age, and sex of all animals in the photo were recorded. Here we present data for the most abundant species encountered: deer, elk, coyote, bear, bobcat, mountain lion, and fox respectively. The data were summarized by species and season. Future work will include occupancy modelling for each species. This will allow the development of heat maps showing species distributions across the Laboratory.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Considerations for Distributed Energy Resource Integration in Puerto Rico: DOE Multi-Lab Grid Modeling Support for Puerto Rico; Analytical Support for Interconnection and IEEE Std 1547-2018 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Task 3.0)

To ensure the sustainable long-term recovery of Puerto Rico's electric power grid from hurricanes María and Irma and to build capacity to manage future potential natural disasters in the most secure and resilient way, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) convened experts from multiple national laboratories to develop a comprehensive set of data, models, analytic tools, and studies, considering inputs from a wide variety of stakeholder groups, to support technically sound recommendations for Puerto Rico's energy investment decisions. A resilient electric grid is vital to Puerto Rico's security, economy, and way of life, and it will provide the foundation for essential services that people and businesses on the island rely on every day. This report shows progress for a grid modeling task under the DOE-sponsored project that is a collaboration among the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and other national laboratories. In Phase 1 of the multilab effort to support Puerto Rico's recovery, NREL provided the utility company Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) recommendations for a new framework of interconnection standards to accelerate the integration of utility-scale, transmission-connected renewable electrical generation and energy storage that ensure cross-technology compatibility and enable high deployment levels without compromising grid reliably, safety, or security. This Phase 2 report focuses on the interconnection of distributed energy resources (DERs) to the electric distribution system in Puerto Rico. This report is intended to familiarize the reader with Puerto Rico's distribution infrastructure and operational practices and procedures that are relevant to DER interconnection. The report also provides considerations for streamlining the interconnection process given the expected increase in deployments resulting from Puerto Rico's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) goal of 100% renewables by 2050. Accordingly, the report identifies considerations and concerns associated with the increase in intermittent generation, strategies for DER interconnection best practices, and the potential use of the latest technological solutions identified in the latest revision of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1547-2018 interconnection standard.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

US-DOE and Republic of South Africa Uranium Benchmarking: Results From Los Alamos National Laboratory (Study Report)

This report details work performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in support of an interlaboratory uranium (U) benchmarking collaboration between LANL, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa). The goal of this interlaboratory benchmarking exercise is to compare analytical methods and data obtained on uranium reference materials CUP-2 and New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL) certified reference material (CRM) 124-2. The LANL commitments for this project include performing microwave digestion of fresh CUP-2 and CRM 124-2 powders, measuring the U isotope composition of CUP-2 and CRM 124-2 by both single-collector and multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SC-ICP-MS and MC-ICP-MS, respectively), and determining trace-element abundances in CUP-2 and CRM 124-2 by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This report details the methods employed by LANL in support of these objectives and presents the data obtained during this collaborative exercise.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

2020 Annual Site Environmental Report for Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico

Sandia National Laboratories, hereinafter referred to as Sandia, is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. This Annual Site Environmental Report was prepared in accordance with and as required by DOE O 231.1B, Admin Change 1, Environment, Safety and Health Reporting , and is approved for public release. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its management and operating contractor for Sandia are committed to safeguarding the environment, continually assessing sustainability practices, and ensuring the validity and accuracy of the monitoring data presented here. This report summarizes the environmental protection, restoration, and monitoring programs in place for Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM), during calendar year 2020.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Environmental Monitoring Report, Calendar year 2020. Knolls Laboratory and Kesselring Site

The results of the effluent and environmental monitoring programs at the Knolls Laboratory and Kesselring Site are summarized and assessed in this report. Tables 1 - 4 summarize the major elements of the environmental monitoring programs at each site. Information regarding the U.S. Department of Energy – Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) Separations Process Research Unit (SPRU) Disposition Project (SPRU DP), is also included in this report; however, the project was completed in 2020 and will no longer be reported in subsequent reports. DOE-EM will be continuing to perform other Decontamination & Decommissioning (D&D) work at Knolls Laboratory and Kesselring Site, which may require environmental monitoring, and will be included in this report, as warranted. Operations at the Knolls Laboratory, which includes SPRU and other DOE-EM activities, and the Kesselring Site continue to have no adverse effect on human health and the quality of the environment.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

2021 Annual Site Environmental Report for Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Field Office administers the contract and oversees contractor operations at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico. Activities at the site support research and development programs with a wide variety of national security missions, resulting in technologies for nonproliferation, homeland security, energy and infrastructure, and defense systems and assessments.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

2021 Annual Site Environmental Report for Sandia National Laboratories, Kauai Test Facility, Hawaii

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Field Office administers the contract and oversees contractor operations at Sandia National Laboratories, Kaua‘i Test Facility in Hawai‘i. Activities at the site are conducted in support of U.S. Department of Energy weapons programs, and the site has operated as a rocket preparation launching and tracking facility since 1962.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

2021 Annual Site Environmental Report for Sandia National Laboratories, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Field Office administers the contract and oversees contractor operations at Sandia National Laboratories, Tonopah Test Range. Activities at the site are conducted in support of U.S. Department of Energy weapons programs and have operated at the site since 1957.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Los Alamos National Laboratory 2021 Annual Site Environmental Report

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL’s or the Laboratory’s) annual site environmental reports are prepared each year by the Laboratory’s environmental organizations as required by U.S. Department of Energy Order 231.1B, Administrative Change 1, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting, and Order 458.1, Administrative Change 4, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A Non-Invasive Approach for Elucidating the Spatial Distribution of In-Situ Stress in Deep Subsurface Geologic Formations Considered for CO 2 Storage (Task 3 Report Laboratory Characterization of Stress Dependent Wavespeed)

This report presents a summary of Task 3 (Laboratory Experimental Characterization of Stress Dependent Wavespeed in Rocks and Application for In-Situ Stress Estimation) of the project titled “A Non-Invasive Approach for Elucidating the Spatial Distribution of In-Situ Stress in Deep Subsurface Geologic Formations Considered for CO 2 Storage”. The main objective of this component of the project was to employ non-destructive techniques to determine how compressional (P)-wave and shear (S)-wave propagation velocities are related to triaxial-stress conditions in laboratory test samples of targeted reservoir rocks. The overarching principle is that such laboratory measurements can provide a basis whereby field measurements of wave-propagation velocities in rocks can be used to ascertain the stress state that would be expected to generate the observed wave-propagation behavior.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Savannah River National Laboratory Participation in the International Atomic Energy Agency CPC Interlaboratory Comparison Exercise 2

International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards Analytical Services (IAEA-SGAS) oversees coordinating the second Controlled Potential Coulometry Quality Control Interlaboratory Comparison (CPC QC ILC) on behalf of the Nuclear Material Laboratory (NML). The purpose of the exercise is to: (1) verify the ability of participating laboratories to measure the Pu concentration in the sample solutions, and (2) estimate the method performance (repeatability and intermediate reproducibility). Sample shipping coordination was performed by IAEA-SGAS. The test sample is a plutonium nitrate solution (estimated molarity of 3-5 M), delivered in two PTFE screw-capped quartz ampoules. Each participating laboratory is to receive two ampoules. Each ampoule holds approximately 8 mL of solution containing approximately 10 mg Pu/g. The gross weights of the ampoules were provided. The test sample is assumed to have an iron content below the level of significance for the CPC. The isotopic composition of the plutonium test sample was provided; however, no analysis date was provided. In addition, IAEA-SGAS provided analytical instructions to participants. On September 20, 2022, SRNL received the samples sent by IAEA-SGAS.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Laboratory and Field Characterization of the Electrical Response of Modules Containing Configurable Current Cells (C3) Under Non-Optimal Conditions Such as Shading (Final Report)

This work is to be conducted in support of the American Made Challenges Solar Prize. The intent is to connect competitor teams with national laboratories that can help accelerate the development of innovative solutions and products. Teams who have won the Set! and Go! Contests are eligible to utilize vouchers at national laboratories to advance their ideas. Laboratory and field characterization of the electrical response of modules containing Configurable Current Cells (C3) under non-optimal conditions such as shading.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Vouchers to Enable Laboratory and Organizational Collaboration for Innovation and Technology Improvements (VELOCITI) (Abstract)

For the past several years, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) have provided technical assistance to the recipients of Department of Energy (DOE) -funded voucher programs, namely American-Made Challenges (AMC), the Incubator Program, and the Small Business Vouchers Program. Drawing on lessons learned and from first-hand experiences, NREL and SNL are co-leading a new holistic and streamlined voucher program aimed at strengthening ties between American innovators and the national labs. This new program, “Vouchers to Enable Laboratory and Organizational Collaboration for Innovation and Technology Improvements,” or VELOCITI, will leverage the successful elements of past programs, create administrative efficiencies, and enable the buildout of a national program to drive strong relationships between entrepreneurs and the national labs to accelerate the roll-out of new technologies in the US solar sector.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Environmental Report 2021

The purposes of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Environmental Report 2021 are to record Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) compliance with environmental standards and requirements, describe LLNL’s environmental protection and remediation programs, and present the results of environmental monitoring at the two LLNL sites—the Livermore Site and Site 300. The report is prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by LLNL’s Environmental Functional Area. Submittal of the report satisfies requirements under DOE Order 231.1B, “Environment, Safety and Health Reporting,” and DOE Order 458.1, “Radiation Protection of the Public and Environment.” The report is distributed electronically and is available at https://saer.llnl.gov/, the website for the LLNL annual environmental report. Previous LLNL annual environmental reports beginning with 1994 are also on the website. Some references in the electronic report text are underlined, which indicates that they are clickable links. Clicking on one of these links will open the related document, data workbook, or website. Sampling location maps throughout this report were created using ArcGIS® software by Esri. The report begins with an executive summary, which provides the purpose of the report and an overview of LLNL’s compliance and monitoring results. The first three chapters provide background information: Chapter 1 is an overview of the location, meteorology, and hydrogeology of the two LLNL sites; Chapter 2 is a summary of LLNL’s compliance with environmental regulations; and Chapter 3 is a description of LLNL’s environmental programs with an emphasis on the Environmental Management System including pollution prevention. The majority of the report covers LLNL’s environmental monitoring programs and monitoring data for 2021: effluent and ambient air monitoring and dose assessment (Chapter 4); waters, including wastewater, storm water runoff, surface water, rain, and groundwater (Chapter 5); and terrestrial, including soil, sediment, vegetation, foodstuff, ambient radiation, and special status wildlife and plants (Chapter 6). The remaining two chapters discuss LLNL’s groundwater remediation program (Chapter 7), and quality assurance for the environmental monitoring programs (Chapter 8). Complete monitoring data, which are summarized in the body of the report, are provided in Appendix A. The report uses Système International units, consistent with the federal Metric Conversion Act of 1975 and Executive Order 12770, “Metric Usage in Federal Government Programs” (1991). For ease of comparison to environmental reports issued prior to 1991, dose values and many radiological measurements are given in both metric and U.S. customary units. A conversion table is provided in the glossary. The report is the responsibility of LLNL’s Environmental Functional Area. Monitoring data were obtained through the combined efforts of the Environmental Functional Area; Environmental Restoration Department; Physical and Life Sciences Environmental Monitoring Radiological Laboratory; and the Radiation Protection Functional Area.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Characterizing PuO 2 Powder at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the Multi-Lab Plutonium Process Signatures Campaign FY 2022

This report highlights the development of advanced analytical capabilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to characterize PuO 2 powder to support the Multi-Lab Plutonium Process Signatures Campaign in FY 2022. Two samples from a batch of 76 statistical precipitation runs were packaged and shipped from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the beginning of FY 2022. Techniques were used to characterize the sample, including powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. A brief description of each technique, the results and discussion, and future work are described in this report. Opportunities to expand current capabilities and include additional analytical capabilities for the next campaign will also be discussed.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Cultural Resource Management Plan for Brookhaven National Laboratory

The Cultural Resource Management Plan (CRMP) for Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) provides an organized guide that describes or references the facets and interrelationships of cultural resources at BNL. Management strategies included within this CRMP are designed to adequately identify the cultural resources that BNL and DOE consider significant and to acknowledge associated management actions. A principal objective of the CRMP is to reduce the need for additional regulatory documents and to serve as the basis for a formal agreement between the DOE and the New York State Historic Preservation Officer (NYSHPO). The BNL CRMP is designed to be a “living document.” Each section includes identified gaps in the management plan, with proposed goals and actions for addressing each gap. The plan will be periodically revised to incorporate new documentation. The current (2023) update incorporates new findings and/or updated text based on completed or ongoing projects related to cultural resources at BNL since inception of the last updated CRMP in 2013. Historically, Brookhaven National Laboratory had little need for cultural resource management because many of its buildings were less than 50 years old. Most of the features that are potentially eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places were protected simply by avoiding the features. Compliance with cultural resource laws and regulations has included archeological surveys, such as those associated with the 1977 Final Environmental Impact Statement for Brookhaven National Laboratory and the 1978 Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proton-Proton Storage Accelerator Facility (ISABELLE). In 1979, World War I trenches associated with the former Camp Upton and located near ISABELLE were determined to be eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places; however, many of these trenches had been destroyed by construction work. In 1991, the NYSHPO provided BNL with a letter indicating that only three structures and features were likely to be eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Between 1991 and 1999, little work associated with cultural resource management was accomplished. Beginning in 1999, awareness for the need of a program to manage cultural resources grew out of the realization that over half of the buildings at BNL were either 50 years old or were reaching that age and were, therefore, subject to the requirements in Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. This fact, concomitant with the decontamination and decommissioning of the Brookhaven Graphite Research Reactor (BGRR) and the subsequent determination of BGRR’s eligibility for listing as an historical site, fueled the need for developing and implementing a more structured program for managing cultural resources at BNL.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗