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Default Radioactive and Hazardous Waste Management (RHWM) Dose Conversion Factors (DCFs) and Weighting Factors and plutonium-239 equivalent Curie (PE-Ci) methodology for acceptance into the Waste Storage Facilities

DOE-STD-5506-2007 (Ref. 1) is the standard that provides the methodology for preparing hazard analysis and accident analysis for transuranic (TRU) waste facilities. The Waste Storage Facilities hazard and accident analysis for the DSA is developed in accordance with DOE-STD- 5506-2007. Two related issues need to be addressed when implementing DOE-STD-5506-2007 regarding the calculation of consequences from TRU waste releases in accident analysis: Consequences determined in accident analysis must be modeled using inhalation Dose Conversion Factors (DCFs) that are consistent with those from the International Commission on Radiological Protection Publication 72 (ICRP-72, Ref. 2).; The use of a statistical Material at Risk (MAR) representing the distribution of radiological loading of TRU waste containers based on the use of a plutonium-239 equivalent Curie (PE-Ci) methodology. The PE-Ci methodology simplifies accident analysis by allowing one to model releases based on the Curie value of one standard nuclide (e.g., Pu-239) instead of needing to model releases for every potential nuclide of interest. This is accomplished by normalizing the Curie value of all nuclides to a single Curie value of a standard nuclide by using a Weighting Factor that is a ratio of the DCFs associated with the nuclides and that of the standard nuclide. By using the ICRP-72 DCFs to calculate PE-Ci values used in the statistical MAR, the accident analysis that uses that statistical MAR will be consistent with the consequence methodology identified in DOE-STD- 5506-2007.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Electromagnetic Analysis of ITER Electron Cyclotron Emission Model

The ITER electron cyclotron emission (ECE) diagnostic system is located at diagnostics shielding module 2 (DSM2), equatorial port 9 (EP9), to measure electron temperature profile and electron temperature fluctuations, and also assess nonthermal electron distributions via the oblique view. Therefore, ECE has both radial and oblique views with two hot sources for calibration and two couples of mirrors for two different optical views. It shall receive that the large electromagnetic (EM) loads up to 100-MN/m3 force density due to the eddy currents on the copper mirrors generated by the short transient plasma disruption. The simplified EM analysis model using magnetic field ( B ) data and flux variations (dB/dt) method based on the worst case of plasma disruption, MD_DW_EXP16MS_CATIII, has been developed to calculate the force and moments for each ECE component and support structure for EP9 DSM2 Bay2 and Bay3. The B and dB/dt methods use the constant B and dB/dt assumed for each local bay space, but the real B and dB/dt are basically varied along the radial direction of each bay. The complex global model with the local ECE components and support structure using Maxwell transient has been developed to do EM analysis to compare the results of the B and dB/dt models. The volumetric EM force density of the whole ECE components and support structure can be used for the subsequent structural analysis. In conclusion, combined with the thermal and nuclear loads and seismic and initial loads, the ECE integration analysis can be finalized for the operation case.

Fang, J. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPP↗

Multiphysics Analysis of Li Cooled Divertor Substrate During Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA)

In the ongoing study of potential designs for liquid metal (LM) plasma-facing components (PFCs), so-called “slow” and “fast” Li flow divertor concepts are under investigation. In the previous studies on design and analysis of the slow Li flow divertor and comparison with the fast Li flow divertor, the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)/heat transfer effects of the Li flowing inside the substrate as a second coolant were comprehensively investigated under the normal steady-state operation conditions. Here, in the present study, the multiphysics analysis is extended to the unsteady abnormal divertor scenario where the Li layer on top of the substrate does not provide full coverage or even totally disappears for a certain period of time, so that the substrate becomes directly exposed to the incident high plasma heat flux. Such an unwanted event may happen regardless of the concept of the divertor and is worth detailed investigations, typically referred to as a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). To address this situation, a simplified scoping analysis is conducted first in 2-D, and then an integrated 3-D modeling is performed using a time-dependent multiphysics model in COMSOL Multiphysics that integrates LM MHD, heat transfer, and solid mechanics. The main goal is to evaluate conditions under which the major material limits, such as the maximum allowable temperature, stress, and displacement of the substrate, can still be met. It was shown that the maximum time over which the substrate of RAFM steel can retain structural integrity during the LOCA is around 0.2 ∼ 0.3 s. Any divertor concept that utilizes RAFM steel as a substrate material and liquid Li as a second coolant should take such a permitted time into consideration.

divertor↗

Support of the Development of EPP Plus SMT Design Method (FY2020 Test Results)

Experiments in support of the development of the integrated Elastic–Perfectly Plastic (EPP) analysis and Simplified Model Test (SMT) design methodology continued in FY 2020. The previously developed single-bar SMT (SBSMT) technique was successfully extended to tubular shaped Alloy 617 specimens for evaluation of the effect of primary pressure load on SMT creep-fatigue (CF) properties at 950°C. A series of pressurized SMT tests were performed with various elastic follow-up factors and strain ranges. The results show that the primary pressure load reduces the SMT CF cycles. The reduction of SMT CF life due to primary load was found to be dependent on strain ranges, elastic follow up and test temperatures. These results are crucial for verification of the EPP strain range analysis in the EPP+SMT evaluation procedure. Additionally, hold time effect on the SMT CF life cycles is a determining factor for generating the EPP+SMT CF design curves. Lack of test data in the high cycle and low strain range region results in major uncertainty in developing the design curves. In FY2020, experiments were designed, and testing started on Alloy 617 at 950°C to fill the gap in experimental data. The on-going CF and additional SMT CF with elastic follow-up at low strain ranges will generate the information needed to verify the methods for extrapolation to long hold time and finalize the EPP+SMT design method.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

An Experimental Investigation of Students? Learning Effects When Using a Simplified Nuclear Simulator

This study focuses on investigating students' learning effects and performance trends over a certain period using the Rancor Microworld Simulator. Specifically, it aims to determine the training required to collect HRA data from non-experts (i.e., students) using Rancor Microworld and the differences in human performance measures between students and professional operators. A longitudinal experiment is conducted with sixteen undergraduate students, using four Rancor Microworld scenarios in each of the four experiment trials. The study considers four human performance measurements workload, situation awareness, time, and error. Finally, the trend of students' performance is compared with operator data collected from the previous experiment. Overall, this research complements previous studies by providing insights into how much training is required to collect HRA data from non-experts and the differences in human performance measures between students and professional operators.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Up‐And‐Coming Advances in Optical and Microwave Nonreciprocity: From Classical to Quantum Realm

Reciprocity is a fundamental physical principle that roots in the time‐reversal symmetry of physical laws. It allows making predictions on any arbitrary complex system's response and operation and hence simplifies the analysis. However, there are many practical situations in which it is advantageous to break reciprocity, e.g., isolators preventing wave scattering back to lasers and generators, full‐duplex systems for multiplexing transmission and receiving in the same channel, nonreciprocal cavity excitation, and protection of fragile states of superconductor quantum computers from thermal noise. The most widespread approach to time‐reversal symmetry breaking and nonreciprocity based on magnetic field biasing suffers from bulkiness, cost ineffectiveness, and loss, motivating researchers and engineers to search for more practical approaches. Herein, the up‐and‐coming advances in optical nonreciprocity, including new materials (Weyl semimetals, topological insulators, metasurfaces), active structures, time‐modulation, parity‐time (PT)‐symmetry breaking, nonlinearity combined with a structural asymmetry, quantum nonlinearity, unidirectional gain and loss, chiral quantum states and valley polarization are overviewed. A general description of nonreciprocal systems is provided and the pros and cons of the mentioned approaches to nonreciprocity are discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Simulation-based anomaly detection for multileptons at the LHC

Decays of Higgs boson-like particles into multileptons is a well-motivated process for investigating physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). A unique feature of this final state is the precision with which the SM is known. As a result, simulations are used directly to estimate the background. Current searches consider specific models and typically focus on those with a single free parameter to simplify the analysis and interpretation. In this paper, we explore recent proposals for signal model agnostic searches using machine learning in the multilepton final state. These tools can be used to simultaneously search for many models, some of which have no dedicated search at the Large Hadron Collider. We find that the machine learning methods offer broad coverage across parameter space beyond where current searches are sensitive, with a necessary loss of performance compared to dedicated searches by only about one order of magnitude.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Temperature-Dependent Mechanical Properties of Ni-Based Concentrated Alloys: Insights from First-Principles Calculations

The present work focuses on predicting temperature-dependent mechanical properties of Ni-based concentrated alloys Ni 18 Cr 10 Co 10 Fe 6 M 4 (abbreviated by X 44 M 4 , with M = Al, V, Mn, Fe, Nb, Mo, and W) using density functional theory (DFT). These predictions are based on shear (plastic) and elastic deformations, utilizing the special quasirandom structure (SQS), the phonon-based quasiharmonic approach (QHA), and the quasistatic approach. The resulting properties include coefficient of thermal expansion via QHA, ideal shear strength (τ IS ), and stable and unstable stacking fault energies (γ SF and γ US ) through pure alias shear deformation, and elastic constants (c ij ), bulk modulus (B 0 ), and shear modules (G 0 ) via elastic deformation. Notably, predicting accurate γ SF is challenging due to uncertainties that can exceed the γ SF values. τ IS and γ US exhibit a strong linear relationship, enabling the accurate prediction of γ US based on the precisely determined τ IS . All mechanical properties of X 44 M 4 decrease with increasing temperature, except for some γ SF cases such as X 44 M 4 with M = V, Mn, Fe, Mo, and W. Among the X 44 M 4 alloys, X 44 Nb 4 exhibits the lowest τ IS , γ US , and G 0 values, and the highest B 0 /G 0 ratio, while X 44 Mn 4 has the lowest B 0 and B 0 /G 0 ratio. We found that volume is a crucial descriptor for understanding and modeling mechanical properties (except B0 and maybe also γ SF ) affected by alloying elements and temperature. Ni-based dilute alloys (e.g., Ni 11 M 1 and Ni 31 M 1 ) and concentrated alloys (e.g., X 44 M 4 ) show similar trends in mechanical properties influenced by alloying elements and temperature, simplifying the analysis and design of Ni-based alloys.

Elastic properties↗

Empirical validation and comparison of methodologies to simulate micro and macro-encapsulated PCMs in the building envelope

Thermal Energy Storage (TES) has the potential to shift peak electricity demand. Passive TES is usually implemented in building envelope as micro and macro encapsulated phase change materials (PCM) to shift electric energy demand and therefore requires careful heat transfer analysis. Whole building energy modelling with simplified heat transfer analysis has become extremely important for designers, architects, engineers, and researchers to predict energy performance of buildings. It is important to validate PCM modelling algorithms used in building energy programs to quantify their error and prove their capacity to model different PCM encapsulation types. This study uses data from a microencapsulated PCM and two macroencapsulated PCMs (Bio based PCM and hydrate salts) tested in full-scale using the Advanced Multiscale Building Energy Research (AMBER) Lab located at the Colorado School of Mines and is used to validate a numerical algorithm written in MATLAB language. To approximate the heat transfer through a wall assembly with macroencapsulated PCM pouches, several modelling techniques that can reduce 3D heat transfer characteristics to 1D are explored in this research. A parallel path heat transfer modelling approach is found to give the closest agreement with the experimental data for the pouched PCMs in building envelope applications.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Health and air pollutant emission impacts of net zero CO2 by 2050 scenarios from the energy modeling forum 37 study

Carbon dioxide and non-greenhouse gas air pollutants are emitted from many of the same sources. Decarbonization actions thus typically yield air pollutant emission reductions, resulting in significant air quality benefits. Although several studies have highlighted this connection, including in the context of net zero carbon emission targets, substantial uncertainty remains regarding how alternative technological pathways to this goal will affect the spatial distribution and magnitude of air pollutants. Comprehensive multi-model and multi-scenario analyzes are needed to explore the relative impacts of alternative pathways. Here, our study begins to address this gap by leveraging the results from the recent Energy Modeling Forum 37 inter-model comparison exercise on U.S. decarbonization pathways. Comparing the results of the six teams who submitted air pollutant emissions suggests that strategies that target net zero U.S. carbon emissions would yield significant reductions in many air pollutants, and that this finding is generally robust across pathways. However, some energy sources, such as biomass and fossil fuels with carbon capture, will emit air pollutants and can potentially influence the magnitude, spatial distribution, and even sign of localized air pollutant emission changes. In the second part of this analysis, a simplified air quality and health impacts screening model is used to evaluate the air quality impacts in 2035 of sectoral emission changes from the three models that provided sectoral detail. Relative to a reference scenario, a net zero pathway is estimated to reduce fine particulate matter concentrations across the contiguous U.S., with health benefits from reduced mortality ranging from $\$$65 billion to $\$$250 billion in 2035 alone (2023$\$$s). These benefits would be expected to grow over time as the net zero trajectory becomes more stringent. Both the magnitude of potential benefits and the substantial variation of the projections across models underscore the need for an EMF-like inter-model comparison exercise focused on air quality.

Air pollutants↗

Near-axis expansion of stellarator equilibrium at arbitrary order in the distance to the axis

A direct construction of equilibrium magnetic fields with toroidal topology at arbitrary order in the distance from the magnetic axis is carried out, yielding an analytical framework able to explore the landscape of possible magnetic flux surfaces in the vicinity of the axis. This framework can provide meaningful analytical insight into the character of high-aspect-ratio stellarator shapes, such as the dependence of the rotational transform and the plasma beta limit on geometrical properties of the resulting flux surfaces. The approach developed here is based on an asymptotic expansion on the inverse aspect ratio of the ideal magnetohydrodynamics equation. The analysis is simplified by using an orthogonal coordinate system relative to the Frenet–Serret frame at the magnetic axis. The magnetic field vector, the toroidal magnetic flux, the current density, the field line label and the rotational transform are derived at arbitrary order in the expansion parameter. Moreover, a comparison with a near-axis expansion formalism employing an inverse coordinate method based on Boozer coordinates (the so-called Garren–Boozer construction) is made, where both methods are shown to agree at lowest order. Finally, as a practical example, a numerical solution using a W7-X equilibrium is presented, and a comparison between the lowest-order solution and the W7-X magnetic field is performed.

Physics↗

Quasioptical modeling of wave beams with and without mode conversion. IV. Numerical simulations of waves in dissipative media

We report the first quasi-optical simulations of wave beams in a hot plasma using the quasi-optical code PARADE (PAraxial RAy DEscription) [K. Yanagihara, I. Y. Dodin, and S. Kubo, Phys. Plasmas 26, 072112 (2019)]. This code is unique in that it accounts for inhomogeneity of the dissipation-rate across the beam and mode conversion simultaneously. We show that the dissipation-rate inhomogeneity shifts beams relative to their trajectories in cold plasma and that the two electromagnetic modes are coupled via this process, an effect that was ignored in the past. Additionally, we propose a simplified approach to account for the dissipation-rate inhomogeneity. This approach is computationally inexpensive and simplifies the analysis of actual experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Thermo-Mechanical Distortion of Tungsten-Coated Steel During High Heat Flux Testing Using Plasma Arc Lamps

An experimental setup and a test section were designed and fabricated for high heat flux testing (HHFT) of neutron-irradiated specimens using water-wall plasma arc lamps. Because of the radiological considerations and limitations of reactor irradiation, the size of the test articles was limited to disks less than 10 mm in diameter. The specimen was clamped onto an actively cooled block, and clamping allowed the insertion of several thermocouples on the back surface of the specimen through a copper (Cu) block. Five vacuum plasma sprayed tungsten (W)–coated F82H steel specimens were subjected to HHFT. Surface profilometry measurements, which were conducted after HHFT, revealed central bowing of the top W surface. This type of residual distortion occurred for all of the specimens, and the larger the specimens were, the larger was the distortion.In an attempt to understand specimen distortion and address the science questions related to the testing of subsize specimens during HHFT, a simplified thermo-mechanical model was developed. By using a measured temperature in the Cu as an isothermal boundary condition, the model eliminated the need for coupling cooling fluid flow models with stress models, greatly simplifying the analysis. The main variable in the proposed model is hC, i.e., the thermal contact conductance between the F82H and the Cu washer. Inelastic properties, including hardening properties, were considered for F82H steel and Cu. Numerical simulation results demonstrated a buildup of residual deformation during HHFT and a very complex state of stress and deformation during typical heat flux (HF) cycling. Additionally, hoop stress evolution during a high heat flux cycle reveals that F82H at an interface with W would be mainly in compression during HF application and experienced a transition to a tension state during cooldown. Also, specimen distortion evolves during each HF cycle, as the specimen bows downward during HF application and upward during the cooldown period between HF cycles. The final specimen distortion, i.e., upward bowing of the specimen center, was qualitatively predicted for hC values of 4000 to 5000 W/(m 2 ·K). This hC range of values, for which bulging is obtained, is at the lower spectrum of the range of values for hC, consistent with the low thermal contact conductance expected from the unpolished F82H surface.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

AC losses of Roebel and CORC ® cables at higher AC magnetic fields and ramp rates

We have measured ReBCO coated conductor-based conductor on round core (CORC ® ) and Roebel cables at 77 K in a spinning magnet calorimeter, which subjected the tapes in the samples to a radial magnetic field of 566 mT (peak) at frequencies up to 120 Hz (272 T s -1 , cyclic average) with an approximately sinusoidal waveform. The samples were oriented such that the field applied to the tapes within the cables was entirely radial, simplifying subsequent analysis. An expression for loss which included hysteretic, flux creep and eddy current losses was fit to both the CORC ® and the Roebel cables. This expression allowed easy comparison of the relative influence of eddy currents and flux creep (or power-law behavior) effects. The loss of both the CORC ® and Roebel cables measured here were seen to be essentially the sum of the hysteretic loss, flux creep effects, and the normal metal eddy current losses of the individual tapes. The losses of these cables were measured at high B × d B /d t with no coupling current loss observed under the present preparation conditions. The influence of flux creep effects on loss were not negligible. The losses of the CORC ® cable per meter of tape were seen to be reduced from the case of a flat tape because of the helical geometry of the tapes.

Physics↗

Not even 6 dB: Gaussian quantum illumination in thermal background

Abstract In analyses of target detection with Gaussian state transmitters in a thermal background, the thermal occupation is taken to depend on the target reflectivity in a way which simplifies the analysis of the symmetric quantum hypothesis testing problem. However, this assumption precludes comparison of target detection performance between an arbitrary transmitter and a vacuum state transmitter, i.e. ‘detection without illumination’, which is relevant in a bright thermal background because a target can be detected by its optical shadow or some other perturbation of the background. Using a target-agnostic thermal environment leads to the result that the oft-claimed 6 dB possible reduction in the quantum Chernoff exponent for a two-mode squeezed vacuum transmitter over a coherent state transmitter in high-occupation thermal background is an unachievable limiting value, only occurring in a limit in which the target detection problem is ill-posed. Further analyzing quantum illumination in a target-agnostic thermal environment shows that a weak single-mode squeezed transmitter performs worse than ‘no illumination’, which is explained by the noise-increasing property of reflected low-intensity squeezed light.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Mixing bispectrum multipoles under geometric distortions

We derive general expressions for how the Alcock–Paczynski distortions affect the power spectrum and the bispectrum of cosmological fields. We compute explicit formulas for the mixing coefficients of bispectrum multipoles in the linear approximation. The leading-order effect for the bispectrum is the uniform dilation of all three wavevectors. The mixing coefficients depend on the shape of the bispectrum triplet. Our results for the bispectrum multipoles are framed in terms of the ‘natural’ basis of the lengths of three wavevectors but can be easily generalized for other bases and reduction schemes. Our validation tests confirm that the linear approximation is extremely accurate for all power spectrum multipoles. The linear approximation is accurate for the bispectrum monopole but results in sub-per cent level inaccuracies for the bispectrum quadrupole and fails for the bispectrum hexadecapole. Our results can be used to simplify the analysis of the bispectrum from galaxy surveys, especially the measurement of the baryon acoustic oscillation peak position. They can be used to replace numeric schemes with exact analytical formulae.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Quasi-deuteron model at low renormalization group resolution

The quasi-deuteron model introduced by Levinger is used to explain cross sections for knocking out high-momentum protons in photoabsorption on nuclei. This is within a framework we characterize as exhibiting high renormalization group (RG) resolution. Assuming a one-body reaction operator, the nuclear wave function must include two-body short-range correlations (SRCs) with deuteronlike quantum numbers. In Phys. Rev. C 104, 034311 (2021), we showed that SRC physics can be naturally accounted for at low RG resolution. We describe the quasi-deuteron model at low RG resolution and determine the Levinger constant, which is proportional to the ratio of nuclear photoabsorption to that for photodisintegration of a deuteron. We extract the Levinger constant based on the ratio of momentum distributions at high relative momentum. We compute momentum distributions evolved under similarity RG (SRG) transformations where the SRC physics is shifted into the operator as a universal two-body term. The short-range nature of this operator motivates using local-density approximations with uncorrelated wave functions in evaluating nuclear matrix elements, which greatly simplifies the analysis. The operator must be consistently matched to the RG scale and scheme of the interaction for a reliable extraction. We apply SRG transformations to different nucleon-nucleon (NN) interactions and use the deuteron wave functions and Weinberg eigenvalues to determine approximate matching scales. We predict the Levinger constant for several NN interactions and a wide range of nuclei comparing to experimental extractions. The predictions at low RG resolution are in good agreement with experiment when starting with a hard NN interaction and the initial operator. Similar agreement is found using soft NN interactions when the additional two-body operator induced by evolution from hard to soft is included.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Convective and turbulent motions in non-precipitating Cu. Part 1: Method of separation of convective and turbulent motions

Atmospheric motions in clouds and cloud surroundings have a wide range of scales, from several kilometers to centimeters. These motions have different impacts on cloud dynamics and microphysics. Larger-scale motions (hereafter referred to as convective motions) are responsible for mass transport over distances comparable with cloud scale, while motions of smaller scales (hereafter referred to as turbulent motions) are stochastic and responsible for mixing and cloud dilution. This distinction substantially simplifies the analysis of dynamic and microphysical processes in clouds. The present research is Part I of the study aimed at describing the method for separating the motion scale into a convective component and a turbulent component. An idealized flow is constructed, which is a sum of an initially prescribed field of the convective velocity with updrafts in the cloud core and downdrafts outside the core, and a stochastic turbulent velocity field obeying the turbulent properties, including the -5/3 law and the 2/3 structure function law. A wavelet method is developed allowing separation of the velocity field into the convective and turbulent components, with parameter values being in a good agreement with those prescribed initially. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated by an example of a vertical velocity field of a cumulus cloud simulated using the System for Atmospheric Modeling (SAM) with bin microphysics and resolution of 10 m. It is shown that vertical velocity in clouds indeed can be represented as a sum of convective velocity (forming zone of cloud updrafts and subsiding shell) and a stochastic velocity obeying laws of homogeneous and isotropic turbulence.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗