Results for “Containers” — Page 22

NASA NTRS2020

Application of Fault Containment Principles to EMC

A hardware fault in aerospace is an undesired response to a designed engineering function in hardware. Therefore, in aerospace systems fault management is of prime importance. An important aspect of hardware faults is fault propagation. Fault propagation (also known as failure propagation) is a condition where a fault will not only produce an undesired hardware response, at its location of origin, but the fault will also propagate to other interfaced hardware and cause additional faults, or failures. Fault containment is necessary to avoid fault propagation. A fault containment region is an electronic or electromechanical region within a given hardware assembly where a fault in that region will not physically propagate to other regions of the assembly, and beyond. Rather, the fault will cause a functional failure of the hardware, where the fault occurred, without causing any additional propagated failures. Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) is a desired state in aerospace hardware. Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) in aerospace hardware is a fault condition of EMC. Like other faults EMI can also propagate to other aerospace hardware unless it occurs inside an EMI containment region. The paper addresses the concepts of fault containment region and introduces the concept of EMI containment region with examples of both.

Perez, Reinaldo↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Planetary Protection Strategy of the Earth Return Orbiter–Capture, Containment & Return System in the Context of the Mars Sample Return Campaign

The Mars Sample Return Campaign aims at bringing back to Earth the rock and atmospheric samples that the rover Perseverance has started to collect on the surface of Mars with the goal of analyzing them in a facility built specifically for this purpose to answer questions about the habitability of Mars. The Campaign consists of several missions, including the Earth Return Orbiter–Capture, Containment & Return System (ERO-CCRS), which will capture the samples previously put in Martian orbit, contain them in redundant containers to ensure that no unsterilized particles are released, and return them to Earth through a parachute-less entry vehicle. Both NASA and ESA policies address the United Nations’ Outer Space Treaty by addressing potential harm from material returned from solar system bodies beyond the Earth-Moon system. In the conduct of Mars Sample Return, the two agencies have agreed to apply approaches consistent with their own standards to campaign elements each provides. This work presents the overall strategy for both forward and backward planetary protection for the ERO-CCRS mission. Specifically, for forward planetary protection, CCRS is not required to meet specific bioburden requirements as a Category III mission provided the ERO (1) meets orbital lifetime requirements during orbiter operations and (2) any elements jettisoned at Mars meet orbital lifetime requirements. CCRS is required to be built in ISO-8 or better cleanrooms and, by agreement with ERO, be compatible with direct bioburden verification methods. For backward planetary protection, the overall approach includes building robust, highly reliable systems to prevent inadvertent release of unsterilized Mars material through redundant containment vessels and particle transport analyses. Ongoing work to define verification approaches and quantify containment assurance levels for specific sample return systems will also be discussed, along with how those data will inform launch approval for ERO-CCRS.

Giuseppe Cataldo↗

DOE OSTI2017

Identification of uncommon objects in containers

A system for identifying in an image an object that is commonly found in a collection of images and for identifying a portion of an image that represents an object based on a consensus analysis of segmentations of the image. The system collects images of containers that contain objects for generating a collection of common objects within the containers. To process the images, the system generates a segmentation of each image. The image analysis system may also generate multiple segmentations for each image by introducing variations in the selection of voxels to be merged into a segment. The system then generates clusters of the segments based on similarity among the segments. Each cluster represents a common object found in the containers. Once the clustering is complete, the system may be used to identify common objects in images of new containers based on similarity between segments of images and the clusters.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2016

Testing of the Authenticatable Container Tracking System (ACTS)

The Authenticatable Container Tracking System (ACTS) is being designed to provide a secure container tag that can be used to optimize chain-of-custody monitoring for packaged nuclear materials as they are being stored, processed, and transported. ACTS is an active device that uses an almost-universal core platform that can be appropriately configured to provide the necessary data acquisition, data logging, and communications functions needed for 21st century material accountancy, monitoring, and tracking applications. The core design supports active monitoring of containment, movement, and location and provides secure data transmission via selectable communication methods that can be used throughout the world. This core architecture enables appropriately designed modules to be easily interfaced to the basic system, thus providing an integration path for current and new technologies. ACTS contains a built-in set of sensors but also supports an expansion bus for up to six additional communications, tracking, or sensing modules that may enhance monitoring and tracking of particular containers for specific applications. ACTS stores events in memory, communicates activity to Argonne National Laboratory’s ARG-US TransPort tracking and information server, and provides options for data encryption and authentication. We are currently beginning a testing phase that will field five devices outdoors in a controlled environment to allow evaluation of the functionality of the systems and the hardness of the devices to outdoor conditions. Partners for this system are Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Savannah River National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and commercialization partner The Aquila Group.

Britton Jr, Chuck↗

DOE OSTI2018

Containment vessel drain system

A system for draining a containment vessel may include a drain inlet located in a lower portion of the containment vessel. The containment vessel may be at least partially filled with a liquid, and the drain inlet may be located below a surface of the liquid. The system may further comprise an inlet located in an upper portion of the containment vessel. The inlet may be configured to insert pressurized gas into the containment vessel to form a pressurized region above the surface of the liquid, and the pressurized region may operate to apply a surface pressure that forces the liquid into the drain inlet. Additionally, a fluid separation device may be operatively connected to the drain inlet. The fluid separation device may be configured to separate the liquid from the pressurized gas that enters the drain inlet after the surface of the liquid falls below the drain inlet.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2018

Slips surface based on metal-containing compound

A method of preparing an article having a slippery surface includes providing a metal-containing surface, chemically modifying the metal-containing surface to roughen the metal-containing surface, and disposing a lubricating layer on the roughened metal-containing surface, wherein the lubricating layer is substantially stabilized on the roughened metal-containing surface.

Aizenberg, Joanna↗

DOE OSTI2020

Container with expiration date alarm

A container assembly with an expiration date alarm that preserves its battery life by only triggering its alarm when needed. The container assembly includes a container for enclosing a food item, medication, or other product that should not be used after an expiration date; a sensor for sensing when the container has been opened; an alarm; and a timing circuit coupled with the sensor and the alarm for triggering the alarm only if the container is opened after the expiration date has been reached.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Identification of uncommon objects in containers

A system for identifying in an image an object that is commonly found in a collection of images and for identifying a portion of an image that represents an object based on a consensus analysis of segmentations of the image. The system collects images of containers that contain objects for generating a collection of common objects within the containers. To process the images, the system generates a segmentation of each image. The image analysis system may also generate multiple segmentations for each image by introducing variations in the selection of voxels to be merged into a segment. The system then generates clusters of the segments based on similarity among the segments. Each cluster represents a common object found in the containers. Once the clustering is complete, the system may be used to identify common objects in images of new containers based on similarity between segments of images and the clusters.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2015

Comparison of German and American fabrication standards for transportation and storage containments of high level radioactive material type B packages - 15055

As the competent authority for the evaluation of German radioactive material (RAM) transport and storage packages, BAM (the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing) has evaluated various international cask manufacturers regarding compliance with the German Type B(U) licensing requirements. The US NRC has recommended paragraphs in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel (B and PV) Code, Section III, Division 3, as the measure to quantify the safety requirements of the US regulations regarding fabrication of RAM transportation and storage containments. The objective of this study is to compare the fabrication criteria of the German Dangerous Goods Procedural Rules (BAM-GGR) and the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) with the US quantitative measures for fabrication of RAM package containment vessels. This comparison will cover major similarities and differences between the requirements of the German standards and the ASME Code requirements for Type B package containment fabrication QC (quality control). While the material most often used for German RAM containment applications is ductile cast iron (DCI), in the US forged austenitic stainless steel is typically used. This study focuses on fabrication QC measures required to ensure reproducible and acceptable properties for DCI containments. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2026

Hydrogeological assessment of CO2 containment assurance and wellbore integrity at a Gulf Coast storage site

Abstract A large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiative on the Texas Gulf Coast serves as a premier demonstration of the U.S. Department of Energy’s CarbonSAFE program. Targeting deep saline formations, specifically Oligo-Miocene deltaic sequences, the project aims to establish technical and commercial viability for geologic CO2 storage within a major industrial corridor. This study provides a rigorous hydrogeological assessment to support Class VI permitting by quantifying the high degree of containment security. Utilizing a compositional reservoir simulator, we developed a suite of 27 distinct simulation cases to evaluate vertical plume dynamics near both planned injection wells and proximal legacy infrastructure. To ensure numerical accuracy near wellbores, we implemented a refined mesh strategy, determining that a 5.6 ft × 5.6 ft grid refinement offered the optimal balance between computational efficiency and descriptive precision. The modeling framework utilized a systematic sensitivity-based approach to evaluate the mechanical redundancy of the subsurface system by performing a bounding analysis of wellbore interfaces against hypothetical high-permeability microannuli. By systematically isolating competing physical drivers, including permeability, porosity, gas hysteresis, thermal gradients, salinity, and solubility trapping (quantified via Henry’s law with dynamically adjusted coefficients), this work moves beyond binary assessments to establish a nuanced hierarchy of containment factors. The results confirm that primary trapping mechanisms (e.g., gas hysteresis and solubility), combined with the site's unique geomechanical stratigraphy, significantly restrict vertical mobility and reinforce the robust containment security of the reservoir. Baseline results demonstrate substantial vertical separation between the CO2 plume and the upper confining system, ensuring robust containment. Sensitivity analysis reveals that even under highly conservative bounding scenarios—assuming theoretical 10-Darcy pathways at specific wellbore locations—the 2,900-ft thick multi-layered confining zone remains a reliable barrier. In these hypothetical upper-bound cases, peak upward fluxes of CO2 and saltwater after 15 years of injection remain localized and dissipate rapidly within the lower sections of the confining interval, leaving the integrity of the seal uncompromised. Furthermore, the study identifies that while localized wellbore pathways define theoretical upper bounds of vertical migration, the Area of Review (AoR) is primarily sensitive to regional thermal gradients and hysteresis, which can influence the AoR by over 3,000 acres in pessimistic configurations. Also, primary trapping mechanisms, specifically gas hysteresis and solubility, work in tandem with the Gulf Coast’s unique geomechanical stratigraphy to significantly restrict vertical mobility. Ductile, smectite-rich mudstones facilitate natural borehole convergence and the self-healing of potential conduits, creating a natural geomechanical bridge that effectively mitigates migration potential at both current injection points and legacy-well locations. This comprehensive modeling effort demonstrates that the integration of high-resolution wellbore simulations and regional geomechanical observations confirms the long-term storage security of the studied site, providing a physics-based foundation for industrial-scale CCS deployments. This modeling framework establishes a baseline for future research into coupled geomechanical effects, such as time-dependent borehole convergence, to further refine long-term containment projections. Acknowledgements We thank the Gulf Coast Carbon Center (GCCC) at the Bureau of Economic Geology for foundational research support. We appreciate Alex Bump for technical guidance and David Hoffman for model mesh generation. This work used TACC’s Frontera cluster for simulations and CMG Ltd. software licenses provided to UT-Austin. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Number DE-FE0032338. Disclaimer This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Office under the CarbonSAFE program, award Number DE-FE0032338. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2026

Hydrogeological assessment of CO2 containment assurance and wellbore integrity at a Gulf Coast storage site

Abstract A large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiative on the Texas Gulf Coast serves as a premier demonstration of the U.S. Department of Energy’s CarbonSAFE program. Targeting deep saline formations, specifically Oligo-Miocene deltaic sequences, the project aims to establish technical and commercial viability for geologic CO2 storage within a major industrial corridor. This study provides a rigorous hydrogeological assessment to support Class VI permitting by quantifying the high degree of containment security. Utilizing a compositional reservoir simulator, we developed a suite of 27 distinct simulation cases to evaluate vertical plume dynamics near both planned injection wells and proximal legacy infrastructure. To ensure numerical accuracy near wellbores, we implemented a refined mesh strategy, determining that a 5.6 ft × 5.6 ft grid refinement offered the optimal balance between computational efficiency and descriptive precision. The modeling framework utilized a systematic sensitivity-based approach to evaluate the mechanical redundancy of the subsurface system by performing a bounding analysis of wellbore interfaces against hypothetical high-permeability microannuli. By systematically isolating competing physical drivers, including permeability, porosity, gas hysteresis, thermal gradients, salinity, and solubility trapping (quantified via Henry’s law with dynamically adjusted coefficients), this work moves beyond binary assessments to establish a nuanced hierarchy of containment factors. The results confirm that primary trapping mechanisms (e.g., gas hysteresis and solubility), combined with the site's unique geomechanical stratigraphy, significantly restrict vertical mobility and reinforce the robust containment security of the reservoir. Baseline results demonstrate substantial vertical separation between the CO2 plume and the upper confining system, ensuring robust containment. Sensitivity analysis reveals that even under highly conservative bounding scenarios—assuming theoretical 10-Darcy pathways at specific wellbore locations—the 2,900-ft thick multi-layered confining zone remains a reliable barrier. In these hypothetical upper-bound cases, peak upward fluxes of CO2 and saltwater after 15 years of injection remain localized and dissipate rapidly within the lower sections of the confining interval, leaving the integrity of the seal uncompromised. Furthermore, the study identifies that while localized wellbore pathways define theoretical upper bounds of vertical migration, the Area of Review (AoR) is primarily sensitive to regional thermal gradients and hysteresis, which can influence the AoR by over 3,000 acres in pessimistic configurations. Also, primary trapping mechanisms, specifically gas hysteresis and solubility, work in tandem with the Gulf Coast’s unique geomechanical stratigraphy to significantly restrict vertical mobility. Ductile, smectite-rich mudstones facilitate natural borehole convergence and the self-healing of potential conduits, creating a natural geomechanical bridge that effectively mitigates migration potential at both current injection points and legacy-well locations. This comprehensive modeling effort demonstrates that the integration of high-resolution wellbore simulations and regional geomechanical observations confirms the long-term storage security of the studied site, providing a physics-based foundation for industrial-scale CCS deployments. This modeling framework establishes a baseline for future research into coupled geomechanical effects, such as time-dependent borehole convergence, to further refine long-term containment projections. Acknowledgements We thank the Gulf Coast Carbon Center (GCCC) at the Bureau of Economic Geology for foundational research support. We appreciate Alex Bump for technical guidance and David Hoffman for model mesh generation. This work used TACC’s Frontera cluster for simulations and CMG Ltd. software licenses provided to UT-Austin. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Number DE-FE0032338. Disclaimer This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Office under the CarbonSAFE program, award Number DE-FE0032338. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

Thermographic inspection of pipes, tanks, and containment liners

Nuclear power plants are required to operate at a high level of safety. Recent industry and license renewal commitments aim to further increase safety by requiring the inspection of components that have not traditionally undergone detailed inspected in the past, such as tanks and liners. NEI 09-14 requires the inspection of buried pipes and tanks while containment liner inspections are required as a part of license renewal commitments. Containment liner inspections must inspect the carbon steel liner for defects - such as corrosion - that could threaten the pressure boundary and ideally, should be able to inspect the surrounding concrete for foreign material that could be in contact with the steel liner and potentially initiate corrosion. Such an inspection requires a simultaneous evaluation of two materials with very different material properties. Rapid, yet detailed, inspection results are required due to the massive size of the tanks and containment liners to be inspected. For this reason, thermal NDE methods were evaluated to inspect tank and containment liner mockups with simulated defects. Thermographic Signal Reconstruction (TSR) was utilized to enhance the images and provide detailed information on the sizes and shapes of the observed defects. The results show that thermographic inspection is highly sensitive to the defects of interest and is capable of rapidly inspecting large areas.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2015

Recent progress in 3-D imaging of sea freight containers

The inspection of very large objects like sea freight containers with X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) is an emerging technology. A complete 3-D CT scan of a see-freight container takes several hours. Of course, this is too slow to apply it to a large number of containers. However, the benefits of a 3-D CT for sealed freight are obvious: detection of potential threats or illicit cargo without being confronted with legal complications or high time consumption and risks for the security personnel during a manual inspection. Recently distinct progress was made in the field of reconstruction of projections with only a relatively low number of angular positions. Instead of today’s 500 to 1000 rotational steps, as needed for conventional CT reconstruction techniques, this new class of algorithms provides the potential to reduce the number of projection angles approximately by a factor of 10. The main drawback of these advanced iterative methods is the high consumption for numerical processing. But as computational power is getting steadily cheaper, there will be practical applications of these complex algorithms in a foreseeable future. In this paper, we discuss the properties of iterative image reconstruction algorithms and show results of their application to CT of extremely large objects scanning a sea-freight container. A specific test specimen is used to quantitatively evaluate the image quality in terms of spatial and contrast resolution and depending on different number of projections.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

Acoustic streaming, fluid mixing, and particle transport by a Gaussian ultrasound beam in a cylindrical container

A computational study is reported of the acoustic streaming flow field generated by a Gaussian ultrasound beam propagating normally toward the end wall of a cylindrical container. Particular focus is given to examining the effectiveness of the acoustic streaming flow for fluid mixing within the container, for deposition of particles in suspension onto the bottom surface, and for particle suspension from the bottom surface back into the flow field. The flow field is assumed to be axisymmetric with the ultrasound transducer oriented parallel to the cylinder axis and normal to the bottom surface of the container, which we refer to as the impingement surface. Reflection of the sound from the impingement surface and sound absorption within the material at the container bottom are both accounted for in the computation. The computation also accounts for thermal buoyancy force due to ultrasonic heating of the impingement surface, but over the time period considered in the current simulations, the flow is found to be dominated by the acoustic streaming force, with only moderate effect of buoyancy force.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

In-Containment Signal Conditioning and Transmission via Power Lines within High Dose Rate Areas of Nuclear Power Plants

Signal conditioning and transmission for sensor systems and networks within the containment of nuclear power plants (NPPs) still poses a challenge to engineers, particularly in the case of equipment upgrades for existing plants, temporary measurements, decommissioning of plants, but also for new builds. This paper presents an innovative method for efficient and cost-effective instrumentation within high dose rate areas inside the containment. A transmitter-receiver topology is proposed that allows simultaneous, unidirectional point-to-point transmission of multiple sensor signals by superimposing them on existing AC or DC power supply cables using power line communication (PLC) technology. Thereby the need for costly installation of additional cables and containment penetrations is eliminated. Based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronic parts, a radiation hard transmitter is designed to operate in harsh environment within the containment during full plant operation. Hardware modularity of the transmitter allows application specific tradeoffs between redundancy and channel bandwidth. At receiver side in non-radiated areas, signals are extracted from the power line, demodulated, and provided either in analog or digital output format. Laboratory qualification tests and field test results within a boiling water reactor (BWR) are validating the proof of concept of the proposed system. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Robust Containment Queries over Collections of Trimmed NURBS Surfaces via Generalized Winding Numbers

Here, we propose a containment query that is robust to the watertightness of regions bound by trimmed NURBS surfaces, as this property is difficult to guarantee for in-the-wild CAD models. Containment is determined through the generalized winding number (GWN), a mathematical construction that is indifferent to the arrangement of surfaces in the shape. Applying contemporary techniques for the 3D GWN to trimmed NURBS surfaces requires some form of geometric discretization, introducing computational inefficiency to the algorithm and even risking containment misclassifications near the surface. In contrast, our proposed method leverages properties of the 3D solid angle to solve the relevant surface integral using a boundary formulation with rapidly converging adaptive quadrature. Batches of queries are further accelerated by memoizing (i.e., caching and reusing) quadrature node positions and tangents as they are evaluated. We demonstrate that our GWN method is robust to complex trimming geometry in a CAD model, and is accurate up to arbitrary precision at arbitrary distances from the surface. The derived containment query is therefore robust to model non-watertightness while respecting all curved features of the input shape.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2019

Water Ingress Testing of Commercially Available Containers for the TA-55 Criticality Safety Program

This memorandum outlines the water ingress test results for several commercially available container types that are advertised as “leak tight” but need to be tested to the water resistant criteria set forth by the TA-55 Criticality Safety Program. The usage of SAVY-4000 containers as water resistant containers inside gloveboxes, although allowed, is expensive, ergonomically challenging, and could be avoided if there is a commercial alternative that meets the water ingress criterion. The contents of this document are strictly for TA55 Criticality Safety Requirements (PA-RD01009), and it is not to be used to assign a damage ratio for the reduction of material at risk or implementation in the documented safety analysis. The NMCC will proceed as identified under PA-DOP-0091, and will be invoked as the review and approval control regarding usage of these containers in the facility.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2019

Pressurizing Hagan and SAVY containers to 30-psig (air) to measure the release of analytical cerium oxide test powder

The need to pressure-test known nuclear material storage containers has been made apparent by the CSE (cognizant systems engineer) assigned to containers at TA-55. The main goal of the current study is to understand the behavior of the SAVY-4000 and Hagan containers during an internal pressurization (30 psig) event. The experiments incorporated a nominal mass of 100 g of CeO 2 (cerium oxide) powder to simulate MAR (material at risk) conditions. For the experimental results with mass losses of 0.0±0.1 g mass loss), using ASME error analysis, there is a total expanded uncertainty in a 95% confidence interval (±0.25 g) for the tested SAVY-4000 and Hagan containers. For purposes of conservatism, this has been rounded upward to yield a bounding value for the damage ratio DR = 0.003 = 0.3%.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗