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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Computed Tomography Scanning and Petrophysical Measurements of the Wellington KGS 2-32 Core

This report describes the use of the computed tomography facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia to characterize core from the Wellington KGS 2-32 well (API 15-191-22770). Core from the well was obtained as part of the Small-Scale Field Test Demonstrating Carbon Dioxide Sequestration in Arbuckle Saline Aquifer and by CO 2 -Enhanced Oil Recovery at Wellington Field, Sumner County, Kansas (DE-FE0006821). The primary impetus of this work was to capture a detailed a digital representation of the core from the Wellington KGS 2-32 well (Sumner County, Kansas). The collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) NETL and the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) at the University of Kansas enables other research entities to access information about this potential carbon storage location and formations. The resultant datasets are presented in this report and can be accessed from NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX) online system using the following link: https://edx.netl.doe.gov/dataset/wellington2-32-core.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Computed Tomography Scanning and Geophysical Measurements of the One Earth Energy Well #1 Core

The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown, West Virginia were used to characterize the Lower Mt. Simon Sandstone and Eau Claire Formation core from the One Earth Energy Well #1 (OEE Well #1) in the Illinois Basin. The primary impetus of this work is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), the University of Illinois, and One Earth Energy to characterize and make publicly available core information of interest to carbon sequestration efforts in the Illinois Basin. This stratigraphic well and the core data produced in this report will aid in understanding the carbon sequestration potential of the Lower Mt. Simon Sandstone and the sealing capacity of the overlying units. The resultant datasets are presented in this report and can be accessed from NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX) online system using the following link: https://edx.netl.doe.gov/dataset/illinois-storage-corridor-one-earth-energy-1-core.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Regulatory Treatment of Non-Core Sources of Radioactivity for Advanced Reactor Designs

The recent resurgence in advance (non-light water) reactor development has been paralleled by the development of risk-informed performance-based (RIPB) licensing pathways. Specifically, the creation of the RIPB Licensing Modernization Project (LMP) approach and subsequent endorsement by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) now provides advanced reactor vendors with a defined RIPB method to develop an affirmative safety case for licensing. In addition, the Technology Inclusive Content of Applications Project (TICAP) has published guidance on developing a license application based on the LMP approach. To support the utilization of risk information as part of advanced reactor design and licensing efforts, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)/American Nuclear Society (ANS) Joint Committee on Nuclear Risk Management (JCNRM) has developed a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) standard for advanced reactors. The standard, which was formerly approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in 2021 and recently endorsed by the NRC in trial use Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.247, is an integral standard, covering from initiating events to offsite consequence. A major feature of the standard is that it permits the inclusion of any source of radioactivity material at the site within the plant PRA. Therefore, non-core sources of radioactivity, such as fuel storage, fuel processing, and purification systems, can be included within a single comprehensive plant PRA. For those advanced reactor vendors utilizing a RIPB licensing approach, there is an opportunity to include the non-core sources of radioactivity within the RIPB framework for licensing decision-making, such as the categorization of events, classification of structures, systems, and components (SSCs), and evaluation of the adequacy of defense-in-depth (DID). For advanced reactor designs that contain multiple non-core sources of radioactivity, or for monolithic plant sites that include associated fuel facilities, this approach could potentially simplify licensing applications through the use of a single, uniform, and consistent decision-making framework across all radioactive sources at the site. In addition, a RIPB approach could provide additional insights regarding plant behavior, flexibility regarding licensing decision-making, and potentially allow the use of risk information as part of the plant oversight process. Risk-informing these aspects of advanced reactor licensing would also be consistent with the NRC’s risk policy statement. However, there is diverse regulation and guidance regarding the licensing of non-core sources of radioactivity and generally limited experience using RIPB approaches for the evaluation as part of licensing.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Optimization of a Welding Procedure for Making Critical Aluminum Welds on the LBNF Absorber Core Block

he LBNF Absorber consists of thirteen 6061-T6 aluminum core blocks. The core blocks are water cooled with de-ionized (DI) water which becomes radioactive during beam operations. The cooling water flows through gun-drilled channels in the core blocks. A weld quality optimization was performed to produce National Aeronautical Standard (NAS) 1514 Class I quality welds on the aluminum core blocks. This was not successful in all cases. An existing Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) was fine tuned to minimize, in most cases, and eliminate detectable tungsten inclusions in the welds. All the weld coupons however, passed welding inspection as per the piping code: ASME B31.3 Normal Fluid Service. Tungsten electrode diameter, type, and manufacturer were varied. Some of the samples were pre-heated and others were not. It was observed that larger diameter electrodes, 5/32 in., with pre-heated joints resulted in welds with the least number of tungsten inclusions. It is hypothesized that thinner electrodes breakdown easily and get lodged into the weld pool during the welding process. This breakdown is further enhanced by the large temperature differential between the un-preheated sample and the hot electrode.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Carbon Storage Core Characterization Efforts at NETL

The multi-scale Computed Tomography (CT) and core flow facility in the Geocharacterization Laboratory at NETL, Morgantown yields porosity, permeability, and fracture properties of rock core samples obtained from the subsurface while maintaining the integrity of the sample. Additionally, geophysical bulk rock properties are analyzed with the laboratory’s GeoTEK multi-sensor core logger in a comparable fashion to downhole methods. NETL researchers collaborate with stakeholders within the carbon storage, oil and gas, and critical minerals sectors. Since 2017, over 1.88 miles of core have been analyzed within the laboratory and all data is publicly available through the Technical Report Series (TRS) on the Energy Data eXchange (EDX). Additionally, the website, RokBase, was curated to extrapolate and visualize the high-resolution data from field operations. The characterization of the Lively Grove #1 (LG#1) well provides a case study into the full capabilities of the Geocharacterization Laboratory. During the comprehensive study of LG#1 ~1-2 mm in diameter, vertical to bedding, cylindrical structures were identified throughout the St. Peter Formation. These structures are pervasive throughout the St. Peter Formation at depth and are characterized as the trace fossil, Skolithos.

Isom, Shelby L↗
DOE OSTI2024

Prospecting for Critical Minerals and Rare Earth Elements from Marcellus Shale in the Western Portion of the Appalachian Basin with Non-Destructive Core Characterization

Identification of sources for domestic critical minerals and rare earth elements (CM/REE) has been deemed essential for the energy transition by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The U.S. DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) Geomaterials Characterization Laboratory has performed non-destructive core characterizations on energy-relevant rock cores for the past decade. During this time, NETL has published over 36 technical reports and made the associated data publicly available. Much of this work focuses on unconventional shale gas, subsurface carbon storage systems, and carbon-ore. These efforts provide cm-scale petrophysical and elemental data, photographic documentation, detailed core descriptions, and computed tomography (CT) data for each well. This provides a first phase prospecting resource for CM/REE resources and can provide a map for pin-pointing intervals and lithologies for further development. Using historical core characterization data from 12 Marcellus wells from the western portion of the Appalachian Basin, this study builds an improved understanding of the chemostratigraphy of the basin. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and CT images were used to determine lithologic intervals and potential ore bodies for further analysis, including benchtop digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to better understand the CM/REE enrichments.

Paronish, Thomas J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Radioisotope Science and Technology Division FY 2025 Core R&D Summary Report: Competitive Projects, Postdoctoral Researchers, and Student Interns

R&D efforts in support of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Isotope Program Radioisotope Portfolio are led by the Radioisotope Science and Technology Division (RSTD). In addition to supporting the ORNL Isotope Program Radioisotope Portfolio, RSTD supports a portfolio of research related to fundamental properties of radioisotopes and radioisotope applications, including diagnostic and therapeutic uses of medical radioisotopes, radioisotopes for national security, and the production of 238 Pu for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy. RSTD is organized into functional science and engineering groups, with most staff members supporting multiple programs. The goal of this organization is to enable synergy between programs such that R&D advances coming from other programs may provide benefit to the ORNL Isotope Program. R&D within RSTD is focused around addressing five grand challenges, as documented in the strategic plan for the DOE Office of Isotope R&D and Production, or DOE Isotope Program (IP), Radioisotope Production R&D activities at ORNL: 1. Maximizing the scientific output of radioisotope transmutation resources, 2. Maximizing the scientific output of radioisotope processing resources, 3. Minimizing waste and having optimal waste disposition, 4. Focusing on product quality and reliability, and 5. Expanding the use of beneficial isotopes. The ORNL Core R&D program, one of the primary R&D components within the ORNL Isotope Program Radioisotope Portfolio, ranges from benchtop to demonstration activities, with a focus on researching enhanced production techniques, developing emerging isotopes, and developing the talent pipeline for radioisotope science and technology. Projects within the Core R&D Program are led primarily by RSTD staff members. In supporting enhanced production techniques, the Core R&D program presents an opportunity to fund novel R&D that might not be tied to a specific radioisotope product but still presents a high potential for broad applicability in the longer term. In supporting the development of emerging isotopes, the Core R&D program develops high-priority isotopes that are not able to be fully supported through production funds.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Computational Tool Compatible with NEAMS Code Packages for Optimizing the Shape of Nuclear Reactor Components and of Whole Core Performance

We designed and implemented a shape optimization tool that functions with NEAMS codes, and that nuclear scientists and engineers can employ to optimize the shape of individual components and the whole core under the applicable single- or multi-physics model comprising the employed code(s). The shape-optimization tool enables varying the geometric shape itself as well as its dimensions to yield, potentially, new component designs that are not limited by the designer’s intuition and previous experience. In cases where the optimal-shape object is an individual component, we provide the capability for additional verification that the whole-core performance using the optimized component performs better, under the prescribed optimization criteria, than the initial design. Our shape-optimization tool couples to NEAMS codes via a flexible input- composer interface and enables the user to constrain the shape’s evolution to ensure the component’s manufacturability. Finally, we demonstrate our shape-optimization tool with single- and multi-physics NEAMS codes. This objective is motivated by the recent advances in manufacturing technology that, combined with rising interest in novel reactor concepts, are creating new opportunities for innovation in the design of individual components that affect the performance of the full reactor system. In particular, Additive Manufacturing (AM) enables mass production of highly precise, intricate and complex component shapes that are not feasible with traditional manufacturing techniques. To accomplish this goal we developed and implemented in MOOSE: (1) discrete shape optimization capability based on a state-space search that uses Artificial Intelligence strategies to find the optimal state/shape; (2) smooth shape optimization tool that employs PETSc’s toolkit for advanced optimization (TAO) to optimize node-displacement of the components’ model sidesets; (3) hierarchical core optimization workflow that recognizes the repeating patterns typical in a nuclear reactor and performs the optimization one level at a time with increasing length scale. Each of these tools is equipped with user-specified constraints to avoid optimal shapes that are not manufacturable. The developed shape optimization tool is verified and demonstrated on various nuclear reactor core components and models. The optimization process accounts for tightly coupled physics that govern the behavior of these target reactors, and exercises several NEAMS codes in a coupled multiphysics fashion. The impact of the delivered shape optimization tool will materialize in the optimal design, from the outset, of advanced reactors currently contemplated to regain the US’s leadership in nuclear energy R&D. Novel reactor concepts, e.g. Molten Salt Reactors, and sizes/capacities, e.g. micro- reactors, provide a unique opportunity to optimize performance from the early stages of development, before the investment in components’ production lines, validation experiments, and licensing regimes make future improvements in performance prohibitively expensive and force sub-optimal performance on the affected reactor concept in perpetuity. This benefit will be realized by the delivered shape optimization tool regardless of the applicable manufacturing process whether traditional or AM, thereby broadening the impact of this project on current and future reactor concepts and technologies

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Core-corona hadronization model and muon puzzle in extensive air showers

The discrepancy between models and measurements concerning the muon content in air showers produced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays, the so-called muon puzzle, remains unsolved. String fragmentation models currently used in hadronic interactions fail to reproduce the observations, while recent measurements at the LHC hint towards the existence of production mechanisms, such as collective statistical hadronization, which lead to an increase in the muon production after a hadronic interaction. The core-corona model of heavy ions implements both production mechanisms, where the large-density region of interaction (core) hadronizes statistically, while the low-density (corona) hadronizes following string fragmentation. In this contribution, we present a modification of the CONEX framework to implement the core-corona model in air shower simulations. We demonstrate a significant impact of the core effect, as observed at the LHC, on the muon content in air showers produced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mechanisms for the Generation of Complex Fracture Networks: Observations From Slant Core, Analog Models, and Outcrop

We use observations of hydraulic fractures in core, outcrop attributes of natural hydraulic fractures, and analogue models, to address how hydraulic fracture networks evolve. A slant core from the Wolfcamp Formation—an unconventional shale hydrocarbon reservoir in the Permian Basin of West Texas—collected within 18 m and 30 m of two hydraulically stimulated horizontal wells, provided an opportunity to examine hydraulic fractures directly. In approximately 183 m of core, 309 calcite-sealed natural opening-mode fractures and 375 hydraulic fractures were identified. Many hydraulic fractures in the core show complex morphology, including twist-hackle segmentation, diversion, and bifurcation; these structures most commonly develop at lithological bed boundaries and mechanical heterogeneities such as natural fractures and concretions. An outcrop of bed-parallel pavements in the Cretaceous Boquillas Formation in West Texas contains opening-mode fractures that likely formed by natural hydraulic fracturing. Fracture traces provide evidence of twist-hackle segmentation, and are typically associated with bed boundaries and preexisting bed-parallel stylolites. A laboratory study of hydraulic fracturing of 33 synthetic blocks of gypsum and hydrostone revealed fracture steps, diversions, twist hackles, and multiple overlapping fractures together with information on fracture growth directions. These complexities in the fracture network were dominantly nucleated at inclusions used to simulate pre-existing fractures, and as a result of mechanical heterogeneity introduced by the wellbore and perforations. Collectively, our results show that complex fracture networks are produced in hydraulic fracturing of self-sourced reservoir strata. Mechanical stratigraphic boundaries and other heterogeneities are likely to enhance fracture network complexity through the processes of segmentation, diversion, and bifurcation. These processes create multiple fracture strands, resulting in an increased number of hydraulic fractures over those initiated, thereby increasing total fracture surface area. Our study provides insight into hydraulic fracture network propagation, and has applications for evaluation, completion, production, and fracture modeling of unconventional reservoirs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Core Mass Estimates in Strong Lensing Galaxy Clusters Using a Single-halo Lens Model

The core mass of galaxy clusters is an important probe of structure formation. Here we evaluate the use of a single-halo model (SHM) as an efficient method to estimate the strong lensing cluster core mass, testing it with ray-traced images from the Outer Rim simulation. Unlike detailed lens models, the SHM represents the cluster mass distribution with a single halo and can be automatically generated from the measured lensing constraints. In this work we find that the projected core mass estimated with this method, $M_{\text{SHM}}$, has a scatter of 8.52% and a bias of 0.90% compared to the "true" mass within the same aperture. Our analysis shows no systematic correlation between the scatter or bias and the lens-source system properties. The bias and scatter can be reduced to 3.26% and 0.34%, respectively, by excluding models that fail a visual inspection test. We find that the SHM success depends on the lensing geometry, with single giant arc configurations accounting for most of the failed cases due to their limiting constraining power. When excluding such cases, we measure a scatter and bias of 3.88% and 0.84%, respectively. Finally, we find that when the source redshift is unknown, the model-predicted redshifts are overestimated, and the $M_{\text{SHM}}$ is underestimated by a few percent, highlighting the importance of securing spectroscopic redshifts of background sources. Our analysis provides a quantitative characterization of $M_{\text{SHM}}$, enabling its efficient use as a tool to estimate the strong lensing cluster core masses in the large samples, expected from current and future surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Last Journey. II. SMACC—Subhalo Mass-loss Analysis Using Core Catalogs

Here we introduce Subhalo Mass-loss Analysis using Core Catalogs (SMACC). SMACC adds a mass model to substructure merger trees based on halo "core tracking." Our approach avoids the need for running expensive subhalo finding algorithms and instead uses subhalo mass-loss modeling to assign masses to halo cores. We present details of the SMACC methodology and demonstrate its excellent performance in describing halo substructure and its evolution. Validation of the approach is carried out using cosmological simulations at significantly different resolutions. We apply SMACC to the 1.24-trillion-particle Last Journey simulation and construct core catalogs with the additional mass information. These catalogs can be readily used as input to semianalytic models or subhalo abundance matching approaches to determine approximate galaxy distributions, as well as for in-depth studies of small-scale structure evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Transport of Protostellar Cosmic Rays in Turbulent Dense Cores

We report recent studies have suggested that low-energy cosmic rays (CRs) may be accelerated inside molecular clouds by the shocks associated with star formation. We use a Monte Carlo transport code to model the propagation of CRs accelerated by protostellar accretion shocks through protostellar cores. We calculate the CR attenuation and energy losses and compute the resulting flux and ionization rate as a function of both radial distance from the protostar and angular position. We show that protostellar cores have nonuniform CR fluxes that produce a broad range of CR ionization rates, with the maximum value being up to two orders of magnitude higher than the radial average at a given distance. In particular, the CR flux is focused in the direction of the outflow cavity, creating a "flashlight" effect and allowing CRs to leak out of the core. The radially averaged ionization rates are less than the measured value for the Milky Way of ζ ≈ 10 -16 s -1 ; however, within r ≈ 0.03 pc from the protostar, the maximum ionization rates exceed this value. We show that variation in the protostellar parameters, particularly in the accretion rate, may produce ionization rates that are a couple of orders of magnitude higher or lower than our fiducial values. Finally, we use a statistical method to model unresolved subgrid magnetic turbulence in the core. We show that turbulence modifies the CR spectrum and increases the uniformity of the CR distribution but does not significantly affect the resulting ionization rates.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

SDSS-IV MaNGA: Cannibalism Caught in the Act—On the Frequency of Occurrence of Multiple Cores in Brightest Cluster Galaxies

Although it is generally accepted that massive galaxies form in a two-phased fashion, beginning with a rapid mass buildup through intense starburst activities followed by primarily dry mergers that mainly deposit stellar mass at outskirts, the late time stellar mass growth of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs), the most massive galaxies in the universe, is still not well understood. Several independent measurements have indicated a slower mass growth rate than predictions from theoretical models. We attempt to resolve the discrepancy by measuring the frequency of BCGs with multiple cores, which serve as a proxy of the merger rates in the central region and facilitate a more direct comparison with theoretical predictions. Using 79 BCGs at z = 0.06–0.15 with integral field spectroscopic data from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) project, we obtain a multiple-core fraction of 0.11 ± 0.04 at z ≈ 0.1 within an 18 kpc radius from the center, which is comparable to the value of 0.08 ± 0.04 derived from mock observations of 218 simulated BCGs from the cosmological hydrodynamical simulation IllustrisTNG. We find that most cores that appear close to the BCGs from imaging data turn out to be physically associated systems. Anchoring on the similarity in the multiple-core frequency between the MaNGA and IllustrisTNG, we discuss the mass growth rate of BCGs over the past 4.5 Gyr.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

How Many Bursts Does It Take to Form a Core at the Center of a Galaxy?

We present a novel method for systematically assessing the impact of the central potential fluctuations associated with bursty outflows on the structures of dark matter halos for classical and ultrafaint dwarf (UFD) galaxies. Specifically, we use dark-matter-only simulations augmented with a manually added massive particle that modifies the central potential and approximately accounts for a centrally concentrated baryonic component. This approach enables precise control over the magnitude, frequency, and timing of rapid outflow events. We demonstrate that this method can reproduce the established result of core formation for systems that undergo multiple episodes of bursty outflows. In contrast, we also find that equivalent models involving only single (or a small number of) burst episodes do not form cores with the same efficacy. This is important because many UFDs in the local Universe are observed to have tightly constrained star formation histories that are best described by a single early burst of star formation. Using a suite of cosmological zoom-in simulations, we identify the regimes in which single bursts can and cannot form a cored density profile. Our results suggest that it may be difficult to form cores in UFD-mass systems with a single early burst, regardless of its magnitude.

cold dark matter↗
DOE OSTI2020

Vortex Cores in Narrow Thin-Film Strips

In this work, we study vortex current distributions in narrow thin-film superconducting strips with the help of analytic expression of the vortex current derived within the London theory. Using definition of the vortex core “boundary” as a curve where the current reaches the depairing value, vortex core size and shape are estimated as a function of vortex position in the strip. We show that the core size near the strip edges is smaller than in the rest of the strip, indicating that the Bardeen–Stephen flux-flow resistivity should be reduced near the edges. Moreover, at elevated temperatures, when the depairing current is small, the vortex core may extend to the whole strip width, thus turning into an edge-to-edge phase-slip line.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Lubricant compositions comprising core-shell nanoparticles

Lubricant compositions, core-shell nanoparticles, and related methods are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a lubricant composition includes a plurality of core-shell nanoparticles. The nanoparticles include a core, a first shell disposed on the core, and a second shell disposed on the first shell. The first shell is formed from a siliceous material and the second shell is formed from a hydrophobic material. The first and second shells form functional coatings that reduce wear and friction of parts lubricated with the lubricant composition.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nuclear Requalification of the New ATR Core

The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) creates a unique high neutron flux materials testing environment that subsequently causes neutron embrittlement damage to its beryllium reflector eventually requiring a replacement during a reactor Outage. Concurrently, a piece-for-piece core replacement is conducted to maintain reactor functionality called a core internals changeout (CIC). Once changeout is complete, ATR Reactor Engineering utilizes previous CIC data to model and predict criticality scenarios for the new unirradiated core. However, CIC data has been inconsistently reported over the years making it difficult to find data trends that could be useful for the modeling and prediction process. So nuclear requalification testing is conducted using different flux and irradiation tests to accurately verify the models and to recalibrate nuclear monitoring instrumentation in the ATR core allowing for safe re-start of normal operations.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗