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All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2018

Ultrasonic Piezoelectric Atomizers: Electromechanical Modeling and Performance Testing

Ultrasonic atomization of bulk liquids has received extensive attention in the past few decades due to the ability to produce controlled droplet sizes, a necessity for many industries such as spray coating and aerosol drug delivery. Despite the increase in attention, one novel application of this technology has been overlooked until recently, and that is the moisture removal capabilities of atomization. The first ever ultrasonic dryer, created by researchers at Oak Ridge National Lab in 2016, applies the mechanisms of atomization to mechanically remove moisture from clothing. The process utilizes the ultrasonic vibrations created by a piezoelectric transducer in direct contact with a wet fabric to rupture the liquid-vapor boundary of the retained water. Once ruptured, smaller droplets are ejected from the bulk liquid and are actively removed from the fabric pores. The mechanisms of droplet ejection from this event are related to both capillary waves forming on the liquid surface (Capillary Wave Theory), as well as the implosion of cavitation bubbles formed from the hydraulic shocks propagating from the transducer (Cavitation Theory). In this work, we present an analytical model for predicting the moisture removal rate of a wet fabric exposed to ultrasonic vibrations, and connect the atomization events to a global variable, acceleration, in order to decouple the nondeterministic relationship between the transducer and applied voltage. The acceleration governing atomization is predicted using a verified numerical model. The numerical model is shown to assist in developing ultrasonic drying by means of efficiently evaluating transducer design changes.

Dupuis, Eric D.↗

DOE OSTI2022

NLIT 2022 Axonius Presentation

Axonius, a cybersecurity asset management tool used at INL, provides visibility into users, devices, software, and hardware in use at the lab. This visibility, provided by aggregating data on lab entities from many tools' perspectives, makes incident response, configuration management, and IT operations more capable.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS1990

User's view of Space Station

It is pointed out that the current Space Station Freedom (SSF) design is the minimum station capable of satisfying the top-level user requirements, effectively incorporating the international partners, and providing the 'hooks' and 'scars' required to cost-effectively evolve the capabilites of the SSF. Research requirements have resulted in very important design drivers on the SS: three labs, three crewmembers per shift, low microgravity in the labs, minimum disturbances, high power for users, high data rates, multiple external attach points, and clean induced environment. Also addressed are the design capabilities that allow the SSF to support the development of technologies and the operations to expand the human presence in the solar system.

Holt, Alan C.↗

DOE OSTI2026

NLR CSP Optical Facilities: Illuminating the Path Forward Through Innovation and Impact: Agreement 38490

This initiative is a multi-faceted project at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) aimed at strengthening its Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Optical Facilities to advance the development of low-cost, high-performance materials for solar and other applications. The project's strategy is built on three pillars: strategic stakeholder engagement, diligent facility maintenance and utilization, and the development of new research capabilities. The overarching goal is to ensure the facilities remain state-of-the-art resources for industry and academia, thereby accelerating the conversion of concentrated sunlight into energy. A key driver of the project is an international Advisory Board, which provides critical guidance on research priorities and industry needs, leading to new collaborations and secured funding. This external engagement, combined with proactive outreach to industry partners, ensures the lab's work remains aligned with real-world challenges, including materials durability and performance certification. Significant efforts in facility maintenance have addressed challenges with aging infrastructure. Notable achievements include the complete refurbishment of the hail-damaged Ultra-Accelerated Weathering System (UAWS) and the successful replacement of a failing 15-year-old Lambda 1050 spectrophotometer with a new-generation model, substantially upgrading material characterization capabilities. These maintenance activities were complemented by achieving a prestigious ISO 9001:2015 certification for the Advanced Optical Materials Labs, formally recognizing the quality and reliability of NLR's measurement capabilities. Despite these successes, challenges remain, including high demand for the High Flux Solar Furnace (HFSF) and intermittent failures of other key instruments. The project has delivered major advancements in research techniques and capabilities. At the Flatirons campus, a new indoor laboratory, was established to house advanced deflectometry and photogrammetry systems for heliostat characterization. For on-sun testing, a novel, actively cooled turning mirror was developed for the HFSF, enabling more realistic testing of particle receivers and components. A collaboration with Virginia Tech successfully demonstrated the high-temperature durability of a new solar absorber coating through extensive cyclic testing. Concurrently, new modeling took place to better predict material degradation on rough, fractal surfaces. In summary, this project has systematically enhanced NLR's CSP Optical Facilities through strategic upgrades, rigorous maintenance, and stakeholder-guided research. By overcoming equipment failures, budgetary constraints, and logistical hurdles, the project has reinforced NLR's role as a central hub for CSP innovation and materials testing. Future work will focus on securing diverse funding, expanding collaborations, and continuing to provide the critical infrastructure needed to accelerate the development and deployment of next-generation technologies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Process Capability Study on the Volume Manufacturing of a Complex Rotating Automotive Component in Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing

Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) and Ford Motor Company used an AddUp FormUp 350 to print a turbo wheel geometry to show feasibility of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing (AM) in producing cost-effective components for automotive industries. L-PBF AM has potential to disrupt traditional manufacturing techniques by introducing novel materials and geometries that cannot otherwise be produced. Fundamental challenges associated with L-PBF include limitations on printing overhang geometries and resulting surface finish. In this collaboration, ORNL and Ford partnered with AddUp to show the viability of using L-PBF for an AM design turbine wheel while reducing as-fabricated surface roughness. A cost model associated with mass production was produced to analyze benefits of pursing LPBF AM compared to investment casting.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1994

RoboLab and virtual environments

A useful adjunct to the manned space station would be a self-contained free-flying laboratory (RoboLab). This laboratory would have a robot operated under telepresence from the space station or ground. Long duration experiments aboard RoboLab could be performed by astronauts or scientists using telepresence to operate equipment and perform experiments. Operating the lab by telepresence would eliminate the need for life support such as food, water and air. The robot would be capable of motion in three dimensions, have binocular vision TV cameras, and two arms with manipulators to simulate hands. The robot would move along a two-dimensional grid and have a rotating, telescoping periscope section for extension in the third dimension. The remote operator would wear a virtual reality type headset to allow the superposition of computer displays over the real-time video of the lab. The operators would wear exoskeleton type arms to facilitate the movement of objects and equipment operation. The combination of video displays, motion, and the exoskeleton arms would provide a high degree of telepresence, especially for novice users such as scientists doing short-term experiments. The RoboLab could be resupplied and samples removed on other space shuttle flights. A self-contained RoboLab module would be designed to fit within the cargo bay of the space shuttle. Different modules could be designed for specific applications, i.e., crystal-growing, medicine, life sciences, chemistry, etc. This paper describes a RoboLab simulation using virtual reality (VR). VR provides an ideal simulation of telepresence before the actual robot and laboratory modules are constructed. The easy simulation of different telepresence designs will produce a highly optimum design before construction rather than the more expensive and time consuming hardware changes afterwards.

Giarratano, Joseph C.↗

DOE OSTI2015

SQUID Noise Measurements for CDMS Detectors

The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search is the second iteration of SuperCDMS dark matter experiments with an increase in sensitivity to low mass dark matter particles. The experiment uses germanium and silicon crystals which are capable of detecting both the charges and phonon signals produced from dark matter interactions. Detectors are housed in towers which are then housed in a cryogenics system able to cool down to 15 mK. The experiment will be installed in an underground lab in Sudbury, Ontario in order to shield from cosmic rays and background radiation. SQUIDs are an acronym for superconducting quantum interference devices that are capable of detecting extremely small magnetic fields. A typical dark matter nuclear recoil interaction can be detected by a TES (transition edge sensor). SQUIDs are then used to read out and amplify the signals generated by the TES. It is essential that these SQUIDS add negligible noise to the intrinsic noise of the TES to be able to distinguish the internal circuit noise from a true dark matter interaction signal. The noise was measured while varying several parameters. Both an Agilent and an SRS785 spectrum analyzer were used. Furthermore, an amplifier which amplified the signal 10x was tested. The Agilent machine produced more noticeably greater noise in the region from 100-1000 Hz, whereas the SRS785 did not. Next, the amplifier was tested and the signal generated was analyzed in comparison to the original signal. The amplifier did not produce any noticeable additional noise over the intrinsic noise of the SQUID. Further work includes testing to see if detectors with higher voltage sources can also be used with negligible noise.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2022

A case study of high-temperature polyetherimide film capacitor fabrication

Capacitors, as the basic building block of power electronics and electrical systems, are the major constraint of the increasingly integrated power systems that require new capable polymer dielectric films operating at higher temperatures >125 °C. Despite tremendous research efforts on the lab scale, there remains a considerable barrier and knowledge basis for converting polymeric films to functioning capacitors desired in actual applications. Here, the authors tackled the polyetherimide (PEI) film scale up issues and developed various engineering processes for film de-wrinkling, optimal metallization, static elimination, and capacitor fabrication improvement. The authors discovered various fabrication challenges such as the electrostatic charge, metallization scheme, winding tension, and end electrode disconnects. To fabricate a high yield of PEI capacitor bobbins, it is necessary to utilize static eliminators (radioactive ionizers), moderately thick aluminum metallization (15–30 Ω/sq), and winding tension (60–100 g). It is also effective to evaluate capacitance, dielectric loss, equivalent series resistance, and thermal cycling stability of capacitors. This work sheds some light on converting PEI films and other polymeric films to capacitors on a scale up fabrication effort. The practical learning from film handling to capacitor fabrication in this work provided the necessary knowledge for manufacturing high-temperature polar film capacitors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2015

Versatile common instrumentation for optical detection of pH and dissolved oxygen

The recent trend toward use of disposable and miniature bioreactors requires the use of appropriate sensors. pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) are often measured using optical chemical sensors due to their small form factor and convenience in use. These sensors are often interrogated using a specialized opto-electronic transducer that is designed around the optical sensor. In this contribution, we are presenting a new class of opto-electronic transducers that are usable with several different chemical sensors without the need to switch the optics or hardware when changing the type of the chemical sensor. This allows flexibility closer to the lab-grade devices while the size is closer to a dedicated sensor. This versatile instrumentation is capable of seamlessly switching between the pH and DO measurement modes and is capable of auto recognition of the sensor type. The principle of ratiometric fluorescence is used for pH measurements, and that of fluorescence lifetime for DO measurements. An approach to obtain identical calibrations between several devices is also presented. The described hardware constitutes common instrumentation for measuring either pH or DO and has been tested in actual bioprocesses. It has been found adequate for continuous bioprocess monitoring.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2019

A possible low-energy positron source at Jefferson Lab

Jefferson Lab is interested in the production of positrons for nuclear physics applications but also has the capability of producing low energy positrons that could be used for positron annihilation studies. Using the LERF accelerator at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, it is possible to produce a high brightness source of very low-energy positrons. The accelerator requirements are well within the capabilities of the installed hardware. For these experiments, we only need run at up to 100 MeV. A challenge is the production of the positrons. The gamma converter must be able to absorb the 50 kW of beam power that the linac delivers. At this low an energy, the converter, though challenging, is feasible. The transport of the low energy positrons from the production target to the next stage, where the energy is reduced even further, must have a very large acceptance to be able to efficiently transport the flux of positrons from the positron production target to the moderator. We propose to accomplish such a transport by means of a guiding solenoidal field with a novel endcap design. Finally, it is in principle possible to produce a spin polarized beam by filtering the positrons at low energy. The layout of the proposed device will be described in this presentation.

Benson, Stephen↗

DOE OSTI2018

Risso's dolphins plan foraging dives

ABSTRACT Humans remember the past and use that information to plan future actions. Lab experiments that test memory for the location of food show that animals have a similar capability to act in anticipation of future needs, but less work has been done on animals foraging in the wild. We hypothesized that planning abilities are critical and common in breath-hold divers who adjust each dive to forage on prey varying in quality, location and predictability within constraints of limited oxygen availability. We equipped Risso's dolphins with sound-and-motion recording tags to reveal where they focus their attention through their externally observable echolocation and how they fine tune search strategies in response to expected and observed prey distribution. The information from the dolphins was integrated with synoptic prey data obtained from echosounders on an underwater vehicle. At the start of the dives, whales adjusted their echolocation inspection ranges in ways that suggest planning to forage at a particular depth. Once entering a productive prey layer, dolphins reduced their search range comparable to the scale of patches within the layer, suggesting that they were using echolocation to select prey within the patch. On ascent, their search range increased, indicating that they decided to stop foraging within that layer and started searching for prey in shallower layers. Information about prey, learned throughout the dive, was used to plan foraging in the next dive. Our results demonstrate that planning for future dives is modulated by spatial memory derived from multi-modal prey sampling (echoic, visual and capture) during earlier dives.

Arranz, Patricia↗

DOE OSTI2021

Development of a Turbulent Liquid Spray Atomization Model for Diesel Engine Simulations (Final Technical Report)

This project addresses the systematic lack of predictive capabilities by spray models within engine CFD codes. We develop a new modeling approach to predict the breakup of diesel sprays based on recent literature showing that liquid turbulence plays a fundamental role in spray atomization. A new body of quantitative validation data is also developed as a critical element of the project, leveraging the joint capabilities of Georgia Tech’s high-pressure continuous-flow spray chamber and Argonne National Lab’s near-nozzle x-ray diagnostics at the Advanced Photon Source. This project contributes spatially-resolved measurements of drop size distribution within well-characterized diesel injectors, Spray A and D, from the Engine Combustion Network (ECN) to the engine combustion community for the first time. Utilizing this new body of measurements, we validate and demonstrate a new spray model for diesel sprays, termed the KH-Faeth model, that predicts global and local spray characteristic more accurately than the widely adopted and employed KH model. Predicted drop size distributions are seen to predict measured drops sizes both quantitatively and predictively, with accurate response in droplet size distributions over a wide range of ambient density, injection pressure, and injector nozzle size (Spray A and D) without model tuning. The KH-Faeth model can reduce error in the predicted centerline droplet size profile by up to 80% for ECN Spray D simulations when compared to use of the widely employed KH model.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

NASA NTRS2023

Using Mylar-Insulated Cryopumping Panels to Improve Vacuum Level During Warm Temperature Testing at JSCs Large Thermal Vacuum Facilities

The Johnson Space Center’s Space Environment Simulation Lab (SESL) has both Chamber A, the world’s largest purpose-built thermal vacuum chamber capable of creating deep space conditions, and Chamber B, the largest human rated thermal vacuum chamber. A unique design feature of these chambers is the gaseous helium cryopumping panels within the liquid nitrogen shroud. This shroud is used to bring the chamber to cryogenic temperatures while the cryopumping panels trap gasses using their large surface area in order to create a high vacuum environment of 5*10^-6 Torr. In preparation for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) flight test, a series of functionals required the chamber to run at higher temperatures, and therefore did not need active cooling from the liquid nitrogen shroud. During testing, cryopumping panels were used to mitigate contamination during this main shroud warm-up. One of the cryopumping panels in Chamber A was covered with several layers of aluminized mylar in order to thermally protect the zone from the warmed shroud. This strategy was effective and became part of operations during JWST testing. Currently, Chamber B has requests for both commercial and NASA space suit tests at both high and low temperatures to accurately generate thermal models. High temperature tests would greatly benefit from simultaneous shroud warming and the high vacuum environment provided by the cryopumping panels. This paper will quantitatively define the thermal loads on the panels used in previous Chamber A warm up sequences. Additionally, this report will perform a thermal analysis to judge the feasibility of adding layers of aluminized mylar to the cryopumping panels of Chamber B.

Cryogenics↗

NASA NTRS2023

Using Mylar-Insulated Cryopumping Panels to Improve Vacuum Level During Warm Temperature Testing at JSC's Large Thermal Vacuum Facilities

Cryogenics↗

NASA NTRS2023

Using Mylar-Insulated Cryopumping Panels to Improve Vacuum Level During Warm Temperature Testing at JSC's Large Thermal Vacuum Facilities

Johnson Space Center’s Space Environment Simulation Lab (SESL) has both Chamber A, the world’s largest purpose-built thermal vacuum chamber capable of creating deep space conditions, and Chamber B, the largest human rated thermal vacuum chamber. A unique design feature of these chambers is the gaseous helium cryopumping panels within the liquid nitrogen shroud. This shroud is used to bring the chamber to cryogenic temperatures while the cryopumping panels trap gasses on its surface area to create a high vacuum environment of 5*10-6 Torr. In preparation for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) flight test, a series of functionals required the chamber to run at higher temperatures, and therefore did not need active cooling from the liquid nitrogen shroud. During testing, cryopumping panels were used to mitigate contamination during this main shroud warm-up. One of the cryopumping panels in Chamber A was covered with several layers of aluminized mylar to thermally protect the zone from the warmed shroud. This strategy was effective and became part of operations during JWST testing. Currently, Chamber B has requests for both commercial and NASA space suit tests at both high and low temperatures to validate thermal models. High temperature tests could benefit from reduced heater demand with an insulated shroud while still sustaining the high vacuum environment provided by the cryopumping panels. This paper will quantitatively define the thermal loads on the panels used in previous Chamber A warm up sequences. Additionally, this report will perform thermal analyses to assess the feasibility of adding layers of aluminized mylar to the cryopumping panels of Chamber B.

Cryogenics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space Transformation -- Localizing the Remote and Connecting the Isolated

In motivating the Space Transformation theme for this year’s 4S symposium, the organizers provided the following context, “Transformation of economies are driven by a change in values and accelerated by new technologies.” These words rang particularly true when I read them at the beginning of the holiday season. Like so many others, I was in the early phases of my Christmas shopping procrastination campaign, and I’d just been reflecting on how Amazon Prime was the transformational tool I’d been waiting for. Basic limiting principles of time and space, supply and demand, were all but erased by the Amazon Prime phenomenon. Coupled with emerging 3D printing and other adaptive manufacturing technologies, a transformation from deliberate planning to “think it … have it” had occurred, empowering me to procrastinate longer than I’d ever dreamed possible. The organizers went on to ponder, “Will space transformation also affect society?”, just as our team at the Air Force Research Lab’s (AFRL) Center for Rapid Innovation (CRI) were working alongside partners within our larger Integrated Capabilities Directorate, NASA’s Flight Opportunities and Small Spacecraft Technology programs, and DARPA’s Luna-10 program to develop technologies and execute demonstration missions that leverage the space domain to genuinely connect even the most remote and austere domains on the timeline of need. Picking apart the miracle that is Amazon prime, where does the model fail, and why? More relevantly to the theme of this year’s symposium, how can the space domain be used to overcome its limitations and minimize its weaknesses? Perhaps it is best assessed in the context of Use Cases. What are the Amazon delivery cost, schedule, and cargo limiters to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Research Station, or the Lunar South Pole Research Station? This paper will explore enabling infrastructure that allows Amazon prime to thrive and assess the transformational enabling technologies that would be necessary to extend that miracle to the truly remote or the truly austere. Localizing the Remote • First, it will evaluate the ability of the on-going AFRL Rocket Cargo and Space Initiatives Ringside Seats systems, coupled with Astrobotic’s Xodiak and Xogdor capabilities, developed to support the NASA Flight Opportunities Program (FOP), to supply orbital/suborbital delivery to both improved and austere sites on the Earth and Moon. • Then, it will add the surface terminal distribution leg, with an examination of Lunar Outpost’s Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP), equipped with Mobile Autonomous Robotic Swarm (MARS) software, and Intuitive Machine’s Hopper, developed with support of AFRL and NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Connecting the Isolated From there, it will focus on the destination, asking what implied destination services are required to support highly assured autonomous delivery. • Specifically, it will highlight Astrobotic’s Skymage mesh-networked publish and subscribe communication and navigation service, as well as AFRL’s on-going developments of radioisotope and reactor nuclear-sourced thermoelectric power generation and distribution systems under development under the Joint Emergent Technology Supplying On-orbit Nuclear Power (JETSON) program by Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, Intuitive Machines, and Zeno Power, to provide the power service to locations well off the grid. • Finally, the paper will connect to the “human machine”. What connects the remote or in-situ human consumer to the remote domain? What connects the diverse international government and commercial services to each other? The former will focus on AFRL’s OraCloud feeding their Space Defense Control and Characterization System (SDCCS) and Lunar Station’s MoonHacker systems, while the latter will focus on the BlueHalo/Tensor LunX Technology Platform for the Cislunar Commodity Marketplace. In 1984, Krafft Ehricke famously remarked that, “If God wanted man to become a spacefaring species, He would have given man a Moon.” This paper is not about the Moon, but is about humans as a spacefaring species, shedding the pesky land/air limitations of the Amazon Prime model … so that we can all live a procrastinator’s “think it … have it” existence.

Charles Finley↗

DOE OSTI2020

Lab-Scale, Closed-Loop Experimental Characterization, Model Refinement, and Validation of a Hydrokinetic Energy-Harvesting Ocean Kite

This paper presents a study wherein we experimentally characterize the dynamics and control system of a lab-scale ocean kite, and then refine, validate, and extrapolate this model for use in a full-scale system. Ocean kite systems, which harvest tidal and ocean current resources through high-efficiency cross-current motion, enable energy extraction with an order of magnitude less material (and cost) than stationary systems with the same rated power output. However, an ocean kite represents a nascent technology that is characterized by relatively complex dynamics and requires sophisticated control algorithms. In order to characterize the dynamics and control of ocean kite systems rapidly, at a relatively low cost, the authors have developed a lab-scale, closed-loop prototyping environment for characterizing tethered systems, whereby 3D printed systems are tethered and flown in a water channel environment. While this system has been shown to be capable of yielding similar dynamic characteristics to some full-scale systems, there are also fundamental limitations to the geometric scales and flow speeds within the water channel environment, making many other real-world scenarios impossible to replicate from the standpoint of dynamic similarity. Here, to address these scenarios, we show how the lab-scale framework is used to refine and validate a scalable dynamic model of a tethered system, which can then be extrapolated to full-scale operation. In this work, we present an extensive case study of this model refinement, validation, and extrapolation on an ocean kite system intended for operation in the Gulf Stream or similar current environments.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2017

Site Environmental Report for 2016

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL, Berkeley Lab) is a multi-program scientific facility operated by the University of California (UC) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Berkeley Lab’s research is focused on the physical, biological, environmental, and computational sciences with the objective of delivering scientific knowledge and discoveries pertinent to DOE’s mission. This annual report describes environmental protection activities and potential impacts resulting from LBNL operations conducted in 2016. The format and content of this report satisfy the requirements of both DOE Order 231.1B Admin Chg 1, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting, and the operating contract between UC and DOE (DOE Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231, also known as Contract 31). Activities are planned and conducted with full regard to protecting employees, the public, and the environment, as well as complying with all applicable environmental, safety, and health laws and regulations. Berkeley Lab implements an Environmental Management System (EMS) to oversee these compliance activities and improve overall environmental performance while maintaining operational capability and sustaining its overall mission. The effectiveness of the EMS and environmental programs is reviewed annually as part of the operating contract’s performance evaluation process. For fiscal year (FY) 2016, which began October 1, 2015, and ended September 30, 2016, the EMS was given a performance rating of A minus for its management of environmental activities (on a scale from A plus as the highest grade to F as the lowest). The measurement and rating system was developed jointly by Berkeley Lab, UC, and DOE. The FY 2016 rating was based on how Berkeley Lab met the objective in DOE’s FY 2017 Performance Evaluation and Measurement Plan (Appendix B in Contract 31, Section J) of providing an efficient and effective EMS. To support this rating, Berkeley Lab prepared a list of projects completed during the performance period that achieved reduced environmental impacts. The EMS was also graded through the federal Office of Management and Budget’s EMS Annual Report Data, in which elements of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 standard are rated and the degree of integration between the EMS and Berkeley Lab’s sustainable practices is measured. Overall scores fall into one of three categories: green (highest), yellow (middle), or red (lowest). For FY 2016, Berkeley Lab received a score of green, as described in more detail in Chapter 2. An overview of environmental protection and restoration programs is provided (Chapter 3), including information about compliance activities, operating permits, and regulatory agency inspections that occurred during 2016. Six minor violations issued during these inspections are discussed, one of which was rescinded in 2017. This report also includes information on environmental monitoring performed in 2016 (Chapter 4). The results of these monitoring activities confirmed that groundwater cleanup actions continue to show improving conditions, and all emissions and discharges from LBNL operations were within environmental compliance release limits with the exception of some stormwater discharges. While most stormwater discharges measured throughout the LBNL site fall within acceptable levels established by the state's stormwater permit, iron and aluminum exceeded permitted levels. Berkeley Lab is aggressively implementing controls to reduce iron and aluminum discharge levels. The controls include construction of asphaltic berms to restrain and filter runoff to storm drains, and installation of filtration units in storm drain basins to absorb metal contaminants. The radiological dose assessments (Chapter 5) performed in 2016 concluded that the maximum dose to a hypothetical resident from Berkeley Lab’s airborne radionuclide releases was approximately 0.12% of the DOE and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency annual limit of 10 millirem per year (mrem/year); the dose from all radiation sources at Berkeley Lab was approximately 0.1% of the average natural background radiation dose of 310 mrem/yr in the United States, and about 0.4% of the DOE annual limit of 100 mrem/yr from all sources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗