Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Completeness”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 361 records · Page 20

Launch Complex 34, SWMU CC054 2023 DNAPL Source Zone Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring, Site-Wide Long-Term Monitoring, and Hot Spot 6 Air Sparge System Annual Performance Monitoring and Phase Two Expansion Construction Completion Report Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

This Annual Performance Monitoring Report (PMR) for the Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) Source Zone (DSZ), Site-Wide Long-Term Monitoring (LTM), and Hot Spot 6 (HS 6) Air Sparge (AS) System presents the results of Year 14 operations and performance monitoring of the hydraulic containment (HC) Interim Measure (IM), details associated with construction and implementation of the HS 6 AS system expansion (Phase Two), and the results of operations and performance sampling of the HS 6 AS IM at Launch Complex 34 (LC34), located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), Florida. The timeframe for activities documented in this PMR extends from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. LC34 has been designated Solid Waste Management Unit CC054 under the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Program. The objective of the HC IM at LC34 is to contain the shallow and deep DSZ and surrounding dissolved-phase trichloroethene (TCE) high concentration plume via operation of a hydraulic containment system (HCS). The pre-IM design 300 micrograms per liter (μg/L) TCE groundwater contour was used to establish the deep zone capture area for deep recovery wells, and the shallow zone capture area was defined by the DSZ. The system began operating in 2010, and in 2015, the system was expanded to provide HC for areas within the 300 μg/L TCE groundwater isocontours of HS 3 and 4. In 2018 and 2019, an investigation was conducted to recharacterize the DSZ, which included investigating TCE mass in Layer 7. This data was subsequently used to optimize the pumping rates of the HCS and install additional recovery wells in Layer 7 to more adequately capture residual contaminant mass. The operational period for Year 14 of the HCS was from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. Operational runtime for the system was 94 percent during Year 14, with downtime events attributed to planned maintenance, system repairs, and power outages. As of March 31, 2024, a total of 344,849,634 cumulative gallons of groundwater containing 94,656 pounds of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) have been removed by the HCS. During the reporting period covered under this report, the HCS recovered 31,176,393 gallons and approximately 6,319 pounds of CVOC mass. Total combined influent concentrations of TCE have decreased since startup from approximately 280,000 µg/L (January 2010) to 25,000 µg/L (March 2024). During the reporting period, all effluent concentrations from the HCS (aqueous and vapor) were below regulatory reporting limits, indicating the system continues to operate as intended. Performance monitoring was conducted in January 2024 within the DSZ to evaluate TCE contamination. Groundwater samples were collected via DPT at nine locations, consistent with previous events between 2017 and 2022. Full vertical profile sampling was completed at each DPT from 8 to 98 feet below land surface (bls), at 5-foot intervals. The DPT performance monitoring results are summarized in this PMR. The results revealed TCE remains at concentrations greater than 11,000 µg/L in the DSZ (1-percent solubility, indicative of DNAPL) at eight of the nine DPT locations and at depths ranging from 28 to 98 feet bls. An overall decreasing trend of TCE concentrations was observed in DPT samples during this reporting period, which is a reduction from the previous event (December 2022) and the peak event in December 2021, where TCE percentages appeared to increase in all depth zones because several recovery wells were turned off during the AS pilot study in the DSZ. The maximum TCE concentration in January 2024 was 1,600,000 µg/L in the 53 feet bls depth interval at DPT594 (previous maximum result in 2022 was 1,800,000 µg/L in the 48 feet bls depth interval at DPT599). This maximum concentration in the 53 feet bls depth interval is in the deep capture zone. During the January 2024 DPT event, the largest portion of TCE mass was observed in the 48 feet bls interval above/within Layer 4. This trend remains consistent with previous years and appears to indicate continued mass discharge from Layer 4 (fine-grained unit). In addition to DPT sampling, annual groundwater samples were collected from 11 deep monitoring wells in the DSZ area (Layers 7 and 8) in December 2023 to verify vertical and horizontal delineation. Three of the wells were also sampled biweekly to evaluate operations of recovery well RW21D (screened 86 to 106 feet bls), which was installed in January 2023. Of the Layer 7/8 monitoring sampled only annually, results were non-detect or less than groundwater cleanup target levels GCTLs in December 2023, with the exception of one well, IW45D2, which had a cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE), detection greater than the GCTL. Of the three wells sampled biweekly during the operational period, the well located closest to Layer 7 recovery well RW21D (IW44D2, screened 105 to 115 feet bls) had concentrations of TCE, cDCE and vinyl chloride (VC) greater than GCTLs throughout the operational period, but displayed a decreasing trend since the peak concentrations in September 2023. The maximum TCE concentration during this operational period was 190,000 µg/L at IW44D2 in September 2023, but reduced to 700 µg/L in March 2024, indicating the HCS is still effectively removing mass from the source area. Expansion of the HCS and addition of new recovery wells is ongoing and will continue to be evaluated as the groundwater recovery scheme is optimized. Details of the expansion and optimization will be provided in a future PMR. The HS 6 AS IM was initiated in 2018 with 160 AS wells and expanded in 2019 with another 140 AS wells. An additional expansion of the HS 6 AS IM was completed during the reporting period covered under this report and details of the construction implementation and startup of the expansion are detailed in Section III of this report. The new expansion, referred to as Phase Two, was implemented between August 17, 2022 and August 28, 2023, and included the installation of 190 air sparge wells to treat an additional 11.2 acres. The original configuration (referred to as Phase One) operated until Phase Two came online, then all but 52 AS wells were turned off so the components could be moved and utilized in the Phase Two area. The 52 AS wells that remain on are in a barrier configuration preventing contaminated groundwater from impacting the treated area. The HS 6 AS system (both Phase One and Two) operated normally during the reporting period covered under this report. Semi-annual performance monitoring of the Phase One configuration was conducted in April and November 2023, consistent with previous years. For the Phase Two configuration, 21 new monitoring wells were installed and sampled quarterly, with a baseline event in July 2023, and quarterly events in November 2023 and February 2024 summarized in this report. Semi-annual monitoring results collected in April and October 2023 show concentrations of contaminants of concern (cDCE, trans-1,2-dichloroethene, and VC) have decreased to less than GCTLs in nearly all wells and not impacting the surface water drainage canal, indicating the HS 6 IM continues to meet objectives. The baseline and quarterly sampling for the Phase Two configuration indicate generally decreasing concentrations in wells within and around the perimeter of the treatment area. At least two more quarters of monitoring will be conducted and once those results are evaluated a reduced the sampling frequency may be considered. Overall, the tasks associated with Year 14 operation of the HC IM and operation of the HS 6 AS IM were performed in accordance with recommendations included in the previous 2022 LC34 (Year 13) PMR. Evaluation of results from the HC IM and HS 6 IM show that these systems are operating as designed and meeting performance objectives.

groundwater remediation↗

Complete One-Loop Renormalization of the Higgs-Electroweak Chiral Lagrangian

The electroweak sector of the Standard Model can be formulated in a way similar to Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT), but extended by a singlet scalar. The resulting effective field theory (EFT) is called Higgs-Electroweak Chiral Lagrangian (EWCh$\mathcal{L}$) and is the most general approach to new physics in the Higgs sector. It solely assumes the pattern of symmetry breaking leading to the three electroweak Goldstone bosons (i.e. massive $W$ and $Z$) and the existence of a Higgs-like scalar particle. The power counting of the EWCh$\mathcal{L}$ is given by a generalization of the momentum expansion of ChPT. It is connected to a loop expansion, making the theory renormalizable order by order in the EFT. I will briefly review the construction of the EWCh$\mathcal{L}$ and its power counting. Then, I will discuss the complete one-loop renormalization of the EWCh$\mathcal{L}$ employing the background-field method and the super-heat-kernel expansion. This computation confirms the power counting assumptions, is consistent with the completeness of the operator basis, and reproduces known results of subsectors in the appropriate limits.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Completion design improvement using a deep convolutional network

Maximizing stimulated natural and hydraulic fracture network is one of the primary hydraulic fracturing concerns for economic production from a horizontal shale gas well. Geomechanical facies and preexisting fractures in each stage are identified based on similarities in formation characteristics to optimize the locations of perforation clusters. This often requires analyzing large volumes of drilling, Logging While Drilling (LWD) and Measurement While Drilling (MWD) data. In this paper, we develop a methodology that calculates the mechanical specific energy (MSE) using real-time drill string acceleration signals directly from its definition. High resolution vibration signals have been collected using a tri-axial accerlometer, which was an auxiliary tool included in acoustic borehole imager. This technique provides a cost-efficient solution for engineered completion design. Furthermore, we adopt deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with signal processing to build a data pipeline that effectively extracts patterns from dynamic acceleration signals for rock lateral MSE classification. First, we apply discrete wavelet transform and Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) for signal denoising and pattern recognition. Then we construct an image dataset using multi-scale image fusion at pixel level from 3 sensor channels, including axial, lateral acceleration spectrograms and zero-padded revolutions per minute (RPM). The resulted RGB image dataset includes 4,000 images of 5 MSE ranges with various rock strength conditions. Our results demonstrate that the proposed deep learning model can achieve more than 90% classification accuracy. The deep learning results, as a reference source, were applied in selected Marcellus Shale Energy and Environmental Lab (MSEEL) wells engineered completion located in the Marcellus shale gas site.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

A Mixed Fracture-Matrix Model for Evaluating Well Orientation and Completion Options for the Utah FORGE Site

Orientation and completion for well pairs that have been subjected to multi-zonal stimulation play a critical role in the long-term performance of an Enhanced Geothermal Reservoir. Here we present the development of a methodology to rapidly and efficiently numerically simulate mixed fracture-matrix flow systems for evaluation of well design and completion options. An example evaluation based on a small fracture network representative of FORGE Well 16(A and B)-78(32) follows a discussion of the theory and model validation.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Evaluation and Optimization of Well Completion Options for the Utah FORGE Site

Orientation and completion for well pairs that have been subjected to multi-zonal stimulation play a critical role in the long-term performance of an Enhanced Geothermal Reservoir. Enhanced geothermal systems often rely on preferential flow along fractures between well injection and production locations. Modeling this preferential flow using discrete fracture networks (DNF) relies on stochastic realizations of the DFN based on geological sampling. Here we present the development of a stochastic optimization methodology to determine well completion options in a discrete fracture network based on using parallel subset simulation. Stochastic optimization will provide insight into regions where placements of the injection and production wells are optimal. An example optimization of well-pair location optimization based on a deterministic-stochastic DFN model representing FORGE follows a discussion of the theory.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

WIPP PA Sensitivity Studies in Support of CRA-2014 Completeness Determination and Compliance Decision - 18209

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) has been developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the geologic (deep underground) disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste. Containment of TRU waste at the WIPP is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The DOE demonstrates compliance with the containment requirements by means of performance assessment (PA) calculations. WIPP PA calculations estimate the probability and consequence of potential radionuclide releases from the repository to the accessible environment for a regulatory period of 10,000 years after facility closure. Since TRU waste was first received at the WIPP in 1999, compliance recertification applications (CRAs) have been required by the EPA on five-year cycle. The latest CRA (CRA-2014) was submitted by the DOE to the EPA in 2014. As part of the application, a formal set of PA calculations (CRA-2014 PA) was performed and results were documented in detail. The CRA-2014 PA incorporated several parameter updates based on new data, as well as the implementation of a different model for panel closures, barriers planned for the opening of each waste panel. The results presented as part of the CRA-2014 showed via the required complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) release curves that the estimated releases were within compliance limits. As part of their process for reviewing the completeness of the CRA-2014 [1], the EPA formally requested that the DOE perform sensitivity studies based on EPA-requested changes to model parameters. The DOE performed and documented the results of three sensitivity studies described below: CRA14-SEN2 [2], CRA14-SEN3 [3], and CRA14-SEN4 [4]. In each case, the new analysis results were compared to CRA- 2014 PA (CRA14) results to determine the impact of the EPA-requested changes. CRA14-SEN2: the application of EPA-requested modified parameters in the operations and experimental (non-waste) areas of the repository to simulate an accelerated (instantaneous) creep closure, the inclusion of capillary pressure effects on relative permeability, and an increase in initial/residual brine saturation and residual gas saturation. The modifications to the repository model resulted in increased pressures and decreased brine saturations in waste areas and increased pressures and brine saturations in the operations and experimental areas. However, the overall effects on total high-probability mean releases from the repository were entirely insignificant. It was concluded that the modeling assumptions associated with the operations and experimental areas of the repository have an insignificant effect on the prediction of total releases from the repository and/or adequacy of the current (CRA14) model to demonstrate compliance with the regulatory limits. CRA14-SEN3: the application of EPA-requested modified parameters in the panel closure areas and operations and experimental (non-waste) areas of the repository to simulate an accelerated (instantaneous) creep closure, the inclusion of capillary pressure effects on relative permeability, and an increase in initial/residual brine saturation and residual gas saturation. The modifications to the repository model predominantly result in increased pressures and decreased brine saturations in waste areas, increased pressures and brine saturations in the operations and experimental areas, and decreased brine and gas flows across all panel closures. The pressure increases in repository waste regions yielded slightly decreased brine saturations (on average) in those areas. However, the overall effects on total high-probability mean releases from the repository are entirely insignificant. It was concluded that the modeling assumptions made for this sensitivity study which were associated with the panel closures and north end areas of the repository have only a small effect on the prediction of total releases from the repository and/or adequacy of the current (CRA14) model to demonstrate compliance with the regulatory limits. CRA14-SEN4: the application of several changes to the current WIPP PA model (CRA14), including: parameter changes, use of an updated code, and a revised computational grid for the BRAGFLO code. The modifications to the repository model resulted in increased releases in all primary release mechanisms. The impacts of each EPA-requested change to CRA14 were analyzed with respect to each release mechanism in the CRA14-SEN4 study. Overall, total high-probability predicted mean releases from the repository were increased by about 15%. Total low-probability predicted mean releases were increased by about 107%. It was concluded that the EPA-requested changes to the CRA14 result in increases to the predicted total releases from the repository. However, releases calculated in the CRA14-SEN4 analysis remained below regulatory limits, demonstrating continued compliance of the WIPP. In January 2017, the EPA determined that CRA-2014 was complete and then began a technical evaluation of CRA-2014 to determine whether the WIPP continued to comply with the radiation protection standards for disposal. During their evaluation, the EPA utilized the sensitivity study results to inform their ultimate determination in July 2017 that the WIPP continues to comply with regulatory standards. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

"Hybrid fracture/matrix modeling for well completion options evaluation"

Orientation and completion for well pairs that have been subjected to multi-zonal stimulation play a critical role in the long-term performance of an Enhanced Geothermal Reservoir. Here we present the development of a methodology to rapidly and efficiently numerically simulate mixed fracture-matrix flow systems for evaluation of well design and completion options. The methodology is based on a loose coupling framework, allowing the fracture and matrix systems to be meshed separately. The fracture system includes the integration of fracture growth and aperture data from well stimulation simulations of stochastically generated fracture networks. Automatic mesh refinement is used in the matrix simulation to resolve heat transfer near the fracture network. This simulation framework is used to efficiently determine optimal production and injection well placement using adaptive sampling.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

A Mixed Fracture-Matrix Model for Evaluating Well Orientation and Completion Options for the Utah FORGE Site

Orientation and completion for well pairs that have been subjected to multi-zonal stimulation play a critical role in the long-term performance of an Enhanced Geothermal Reservoir. Here we present the development of a methodology to rapidly and efficiently numerically simulate mixed fracture-matrix flow systems for evaluation of well design and completion options. An example evaluation based on a small fracture network representative of FORGE Well 16(A and B)-78(32) follows a discussion of the theory and model validation.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

An Investigation of the Low-speed Static Stability Characteristics of Complete Models Having Sweptback and Sweptforward Wings

An investigation has been conducted in the Langley 300 MPH 7- by 10-foot tunnel to determine the static stability characteristics at low speeds of complete models with various swept wings so that comparisons might be made with available theoretical and empirical methods of predicting the stability characteristics. Longitudinal and lateral stability characteristics, flaps up and down, were obtained for models having 0 degree, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, and 45 degrees sweptforward and sweptback wings.

SWEEP - COMPLETE WINGS↗

Causal horizons, geodesic completeness and stability in slow contraction cosmology

We show that cosmological models with a semi-infinite phase of slow contraction (ekpyrosis) possess a combination of properties that can address several fundamental problems in cosmology, otherwise faced in contracting de Sitter phases or standard big bang expansion. In particular, flat or open slow contraction admits a stable past attractor that asymptotes to Minkowski space and is past geodesically complete, as well as a stable, flat, homogeneous, and isotropic future attractor with negligible Weyl curvature (and, therefore, negligible gravitational entropy). In bouncing cosmologies, this contracting attractor is terminated by a smooth, non-singular bounce that transforms the attractor properties at the end of contraction into the initial conditions for the subsequent expanding phase. Cosmologies incorporating a slow contraction phase have no particle horizon and therefore avoid the causal horizon problem. The past Minkowski attractor also generates an initial spectrum of vacuum-like quantum fluctuations on all wavelengths. Moreover, because the averaged expansion rate along past-directed geodesics is non-positive, models incorporating a semi-infinite phase of slow contraction also evade the Borde–Guth–Vilenkin theorem. By contrast, contracting de Sitter space possesses a finite particle horizon and becomes unstable in the presence of scalar fields, matter, or radiation.

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.C↗

In situ studies of surface of NiFe 2 O 4 catalyst during complete oxidation of methane

Here, NiFe 2 O 4 with an inverse spinel structure exhibits high activity for a complete oxidation of methane at 400 °C–425 °C and a higher temperature. The surface of the catalyst and its adsorbates were well characterized with ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AP-XPS) and in situ infrared spectroscopy (IR). In situ studies of the surface of NiFe 2 O 4 using AP-XPS suggest the formation of methoxy-like and formate-like intermediates at a temperature lower than 200 °C, supported by the observed vibrational signatures in in situ IR studies. Evolutions of C1s photoemission features and the nominal atomic ratios of C/(Ni + Fe) of the catalyst surface suggest that the formate-like intermediate is transformed to product molecules CO 2 and H 2 O in the temperature range of 250–300 °C. In situ studies suggest the formation of a spectator, – O lattice – CH 2 – O lattice –. It strongly bonds to surface through C–O bonds and cannot be activated even at 400 °C.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Systematic Structure–Property Relationship Studies in Palladium-Catalyzed Methane Complete Combustion

To limit further rising levels in methane emissions from stationary and mobile sources and to enable promising technologies based on methane, the development of efficient combustion catalysts that completely oxidize CH 4 to CO 2 and H 2 O at low temperatures in the presence of high steam concentrations is required. Palladium is widely considered as one of the most promising materials for this reaction, and a better understanding of the factors affecting its activity and stability is crucial to design even more improved catalysts that efficiently utilize this precious metal. Here we report a study of the effect of three important variables (particle size, support, and reaction conditions including water) on the activity of supported Pd catalysts. We use uniform palladium nanocrystals as catalyst precursors to prepare a library of well-defined catalysts to systematically describe structure–property relationships with help from theory and in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy. With this approach, we confirm that PdO is the most active phase and that small differences in reaction rates as a function of size are likely due to variations in the surface crystal structure. We further demonstrate that the support exerts a limited influence on the PdO activity, with inert (SiO 2 ), acidic (Al 2 O 3 ), and redox-active (Ce 0.8 Zr 0.2 O 2 ) supports providing similar rates, while basic (MgO) supports show remarkably lower activity. Finally, we show that the introduction of steam leads to a considerable decrease in rates that is due to coverage effects, rather than structural and/or phase changes. Altogether, the data suggest that to further increase the activity and stability of Pd-based catalysts for methane combustion, increasing the surface area of supported PdO phases while avoiding strong adsorption of water on the catalytic surfaces is required. Furthermore, this study clarifies contrasting reports in the literature about the active phase and stability of Pd-based materials for methane combustion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Geometry-complete diffusion for 3D molecule generation and optimization

Abstract Generative deep learning methods have recently been proposed for generating 3D molecules using equivariant graph neural networks (GNNs) within a denoising diffusion framework. However, such methods are unable to learn important geometric properties of 3D molecules, as they adopt molecule-agnostic and non-geometric GNNs as their 3D graph denoising networks, which notably hinders their ability to generate valid large 3D molecules. In this work, we address these gaps by introducing the Geometry-Complete Diffusion Model (GCDM) for 3D molecule generation, which outperforms existing 3D molecular diffusion models by significant margins across conditional and unconditional settings for the QM9 dataset and the larger GEOM-Drugs dataset, respectively. Importantly, we demonstrate that GCDM’s generative denoising process enables the model to generate a significant proportion of valid and energetically-stable large molecules at the scale of GEOM-Drugs, whereas previous methods fail to do so with the features they learn. Additionally, we show that extensions of GCDM can not only effectively design 3D molecules for specific protein pockets but can be repurposed to consistently optimize the geometry and chemical composition of existing 3D molecules for molecular stability and property specificity, demonstrating new versatility of molecular diffusion models. Code and data are freely available on GitHub .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Benchmarking the completely renormalised equation-of-motion coupled-cluster approaches for vertical excitation energies

When vertical energies are excited for a comprehensive test set of about 150 singlet excited states of 28 medium-sized organic molecules computed using two variants of the completely renormalised (CR) equation-of-motion (EOM) coupled-cluster (CC) method with singles, doubles, and non-iterative triples, abbreviated as δ-CR-EOMCCSD(T), and the analogous two variants of the newer, left-eigenstate δ-CR-EOMCC(2,3) approach are benchmarked against the previously published CASPT2, CC3, and EOMCCSDT-3 results, as well as the suggested theoretical best estimate (TBE) values. The δ-CR-EOMCC approaches are also used to identify and characterise about 50 additional excited states, including several states having substantial two-electron excitation components, which have not been found in the previous work and which can be used in future benchmark studies. We demonstrated that the non-iterative triples corrections to the EOMCCSD excitation energies defining the relatively inexpensive, single-reference, black-box δ-CR-EOMCC approaches provide significant improvements in the EOMCCSD data, while closely matching the results of the iterative and considerably more expensive CC3 and EOMCCSDT-3 calculations and their CASPT2 and TBE counterparts. It is also shown that the δ-CR-EOMCC methods, especially δ-CR-EOMCC(2,3), are capable of bringing the results of the CC3 and EOMCCSDT-3 calculations to a closer agreement with the CASPT2 and TBE data, demonstrating the utility of the cost-effective δ-CR-EOMCC methods in applications involving molecular electronic spectra. Finally, we show that there may exist a relationship between the magnitude of the triples corrections defining δ-CR-EOMCC approaches and the reduced excitation level diagnostic resulting from EOMCCSD.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Multiphase Control for Robust and Complete Soft-Charging Operation of Dual Inductor Hybrid Converter

This paper presents a new Multiphase Dual Inductor Hybrid (MP-DIH) Converter for application in data center and telecommunication systems. The converter is based on addition of two output filter inductors to a Dickson switched-capacitor converter. The inductors are operated in multiple phases that are non-overlapped and evenly distributed over one switching cycle, completely soft-charging all flying capacitors even in the presence of practical capacitor mismatches and voltage ripples. In this converter operation, each branch of the switched-capacitor network is activated individually in one charging phase, and two interleaved inductors are employed to softly charge and discharge the capacitors to achieve high efficiency without any complex capacitor sizing or split phase operation. To verify the topology and its soft-charging advantages, a 48V-to-1.8V 20W experimental converter prototype is constructed. The converter achieves 92.4% peak efficiency for 40V-to-1.8V conversion and 92.1% peak efficiency for 48V-to-1.8V conversion at 4A load, and with 20% capacitance variations.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Completion Report for Well ER-3-3 Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Revision 0

Well ER-3-3 was drilled for the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada National Security Administration Nevada Field Office in support of the Underground Test Area (UGTA) Activity. The well was drilled and completed from February 21 to March 15, 2016, as part of the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) for Yucca Flat/Climax Mine Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 97. The primary purpose of the well was to collect hydrogeologic data to assist in validating concepts of the flow system within the Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU, and to test for potential radionuclides in groundwater from the WAGTAIL (U3an) underground test.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗