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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 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling the Impact of Grain Size on Corrosion Behavior of Ni-Based Alloys in Molten Chloride Salt via Cellular Automata

Molten chloride salts hold significant promise as both thermal transfer and storage media for next-generation concentrated solar power (CSP) systems. However, molten chlorides pose a considerable corrosion risk to structural materials, particularly Ni-based alloys. One approach to enhancing corrosion resistance is through the optimization of grain structure; however, it remains uncertain whether increasing or decreasing grain size enhances corrosion resistance. A cellular automata (CA) program was developed to evaluate the interplay between grain size and corrosion in Ni-based alloy. Our CA program tracks alloy composition, surface roughness, and thickness loss via a graphical user interface, displaying corrosion and diffusion status, and multiple user input cards for tuning the simulation. CA simulations of Inconel 625 indicate enhanced corrosion resistance with increased grain size, with passivating oxides offering limited protection. Additionally, the temporal evolution of alloy surface roughness demonstrates notable fluctuations, with abrupt increases attributed to corrosion along vertical grain boundaries and sudden decreases to grain detachment from the protective film.

Materials Science↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evaluating Unified Memory Performance in HIP

Heterogeneous unified memory management between a CPU and a GPU is a major challenge in GPU computing. Recently, unified memory (UM) has been supported by software and hardware components on AMD computing platforms. The support could simplify the complexities of memory management. In this paper, we attempt to have a better understanding of UM by evaluating the performance of UM programs on an AMD MI100 GPU. More specifically, we evaluate data migration using UM against other data transfer techniques for the overall performance of an application, assess the impacts of three commonly used optimization techniques on the kernel execution time of a vector add sample, and compare the performance and productivity of selected benchmarks with and without UM. The performance overhead associated with UM is not trivial, but it can improve programming productivity by reducing lines of code for scientific applications. We aim to present early results and feedback on the UM performance to the vendor.

Jin, Zheming↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluating performance and portability of high-level programming models: Julia, Python/Numba, and Kokkos on exascale nodes

We explore the performance and portability of the high-level programming models: the LLVM-based Julia and Python/Numba, and Kokkos on high-performance computing (HPC) nodes: AMD Epyc CPUs and MI250X graphical processing units (GPUs) on Frontier’s test bed Crusher system and Ampere’s Arm-based CPUs and NVIDIA’s A100 GPUs on the Wombat system at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facilities. We compare the default performance of a hand-rolled dense matrix multiplication algorithm on CPUs against vendor-compiled C/OpenMP implementations, and on each GPU against CUDA and HIP. Rather than focusing on the kernel optimization per-se, we select this naive approach to resemble exploratory work in science and as a lower-bound for performance to isolate the effect of each programming model. Julia and Kokkos perform comparably with C/OpenMP on CPUs, while Julia implementations are competitive with CUDA and HIP on GPUs. Performance gaps are identified on NVIDIA A100 GPUs for Julia’s single precision and Kokkos, and for Python/Numba in all scenarios. We also comment on half-precision support, productivity, performance portability metrics, and platform readiness. We expect to contribute to the understanding and direction for high-level, high-productivity languages in HPC as the first-generation exascale systems are deployed.

Godoy, William↗
DOE OSTI2012

Attic or Roof? An Evaluation of Two Advanced Weatherization Packages

This project examines implementation of advanced retrofit measures in the context of a large-scale weatherization program and the archetypal Chicago brick bungalow. One strategy applies best practice air sealing methods and a standard insulation method to the attic floor. The other strategy creates an unvented roof assembly using materials and methods typically available to weatherizationcontractors. Through implementations of the retrofit strategies in a total of eight (8) test homes, the research found that the two different strategies achieve similar reductions in air leakage measurement (55%) and predicted energy performance (18%) relative to the pre-retrofit conditions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2014

Assessing Interpersonal and Communication Skills in Radiation Oncology Residents: A Pilot Standardized Patient Program

Purpose: There is a lack of data for the structured development and evaluation of communication skills in radiation oncology residency training programs. Effective communication skills are increasingly emphasized by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and are critical for a successful clinical practice. We present the design of a novel, pilot standardized patient (SP) program and the evaluation of communication skills among radiation oncology residents. Methods and Materials: Two case scenarios were developed to challenge residents in the delivery of “bad news” to patients: one scenario regarding treatment failure and the other regarding change in treatment plan. Eleven radiation oncology residents paired with 6 faculty participated in this pilot program. Each encounter was scored by the SPs, observing faculty, and residents themselves based on the Kalamazoo guidelines. Results: Overall resident performance ratings were “good” to “excellent,” with faculty assigning statistically significant higher scores and residents assigning lower scores. We found inconsistent inter rater agreement among faculty, residents, and SPs. SP feedback was also valuable in identifying areas of improvement, including more collaborative decision making and less use of medical jargon. Conclusions: The program was well received by residents and faculty and regarded as a valuable educational experience that could be used as an annual feedback tool. Poor inter rater agreement suggests a need for residents and faculty physicians to better calibrate their evaluations to true patient perceptions. High scores from faculty members substantiate the concern that resident evaluations are generally positive and nondiscriminating. Faculty should be encouraged to provide honest and critical feedback to hone residents' interpersonal skills.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Keys to the House: Unlocking Residential Savings With Program Models for Home Energy Upgrades

After more than 40 years of effort, energy efficiency program administrators and associated contractors still find it challenging to penetrate the home retrofit market, especially at levels commensurate with state and federal goals for energy savings and emissions reductions. Residential retrofit programs further have not coalesced around a reliably successful model. They still vary in design, implementation and performance, and they remain among the more difficult and costly options for acquiring savings in the residential sector. If programs are to contribute fully to meeting resource and policy objectives, administrators need to understand what program elements are key to acquiring residential savings as cost effectively as possible. To that end, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored a comprehensive review and analysis of home energy upgrade programs with proven track records, focusing on those with robustly verified savings and constituting good examples for replication. The study team reviewed evaluations for the period 2010 to 2014 for 134 programs that are funded by customers of investor-owned utilities. All are programs that promote multi-measure retrofits or major system upgrades. We paid particular attention to useful design and implementation features, costs, and savings for nearly 30 programs with rigorous evaluations of performance. This meta-analysis describes program models and implementation strategies for (1) direct install retrofits; (2) heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) replacement and early retirement; and (3) comprehensive, whole-home retrofits. We analyze costs and impacts of these program models, in terms of both energy savings and emissions avoided. These program models can be useful guides as states consider expanding their strategies for acquiring energy savings as a resource and for emissions reductions. We also discuss the challenges of using evaluations to create program models that can be confidently applied in multiple jurisdictions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2019

October 2019 SAPHIRE 8 Software Quality Assurance Oversight Status Report

The software quality assurance oversight consists of updating and maintaining revision control of the System Analysis Program for Hands-on Integrated Reliability Evaluations (SAPHIRE) Version 8 quality assurance program documentation and of monitoring revision control of the SAPHIRE Version 8 source code. This report summarizes the oversight efforts through description of the revision control system (RCS) setup, operation and contents. Documents maintained under revision control include the Acceptance Test Plan (ATP), Configuration Management Plan, Quality Assurance Plan, Software Project Plan, Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM), System Test Plan, Significance Determination Process (SDP) Interface Training Manual, and the SAPHIRE 8 “New Features and Capabilities Overview.” These documents are referred to and can be transmitted upon request of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Advancing Equity in Utility Regulation

Increasingly, states are recognizing equity as a goal of utility regulation, going beyond traditionally stated objectives to ensure that electricity systems are reliable, safe, and fairly priced. State initiatives are critical not only to address historical inequities, but to ensure equitable benefits and burdens in the transition to net-zero emissions by 2050. This report provides four perspectives on advancing equity in electric utility regulation, from representatives of energy justice and consumer organizations and a leading utility in this area. The authors provide recommendations related to regulatory issues such as stakeholder engagement, defining "public interest," intervenor funding, electricity infrastructure siting, access to distributed energy technologies, consumer protections, bill affordability programs, rate design, program design, and metrics to track and evaluate results of policies, regulations, and programs intended to deliver equitable outcomes.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2016

Behavioral Health/Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Report FY 15

The Sandia National Laboratories’ (SNL) Corporate Behavioral Health Program is a workplace based program that 1) assists in the early identification and resolution of personal concerns which may impact job performance, 2) assists managers and the organization in addressing productivity issues, and 3) supports the SNL commitment to provide a safe and healthful work environment. The program is offered to approximately 10,711 employees in New Mexico. The Behavioral Health Program is a corporate program combining services in NM and CA. It is integrated with other occupational health and clinical services including disability, disease management and preventive health programs. In addition, Sandia’s Behavioral Health Program interfaces with external organizations in Human Resources, the Department of Energy and Security through the Clinical Evaluation (CE) Human Reliability Program (HRP) and Workplace Violence programs. The program supports Sandia National Laboratories’ mission to safeguard national security, the environment, the public and is a proactive approach to early identification, intervention and assessment. Last, it reduces barriers to accessing mental health services and assists with reducing health care costs attributed to illness or injuries related to unhealthy lifestyles and behaviors. The EAP team is comprised of a professional staff including a licensed Clinical Psychologist who has a NM state license for psychotropic medication prescriptive authority, is board certified in Clinical Neuropsychology, and a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP), a licensed professional clinical counselor NM State Licensed (LPCC) and a licensed Marriage and Family counselor (MFT) who is also a Certified Employee Assistance Professional and who holds a doctorate in counseling psychology.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Intrinsic value of the international benchmark projects, ICSBEP and IRPhEP, for advanced reactor development

The International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project, a sanctioned program under the auspices of the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, has been a highly successful and productive collaboration, now encompassing over 5,000 evaluated experimental benchmarks trusted and relied upon throughout the international nuclear communities. The success of this project led to the development of the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project, which is dedicated to the evaluation of benchmark experiment data to sustain current and future reactor physics validation needs. These exemplary programs, and their widely utilized handbooks, serve as gold standards to which other databases strive to emulate. The purpose of the two projects is to preserve modern and legacy experimental data and evaluate it in a standardized handbook format to provide quality benchmarks to support modern and future criticality safety and reactor physics validation. These two projects have often served as the mechanism through which historic and modern neutronics experiments are evaluated and shared across international borders, to best provide unique, high-quality peer-reviewed, and often otherwise unavailable, benchmark data. The contents of these handbooks are utilized not only in validating criticality safety, reactor physics, and advanced reactor calculations, but are used to validate neutronics calculations and nuclear data for most other nuclear applications. This paper discusses both international programs and available content to enable advanced reactor design validation.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Evaluation of the 2018 Version of the Integrated Surveillance Program Database Pressure Equation

The Integrated Surveillance Program (ISP) Database Pressure Equation was developed to determine with reasonable certainty the total maximum pressure of hydrogen and other gases in packaged 3013 containers stored at Savannah River Site (SRS) in support of the destructive evaluation (DE) process. The pressure equation in the Department of Energy (DOE) 3013 Standard, “Standard for Stabilization, Packaging and Storage of Plutonium- Bearing Materials” (DOE-STD-3013-2004) used a bounding assumption that all the water is decomposed to form hydrogen. However, the results of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) shelf-life experiments showed that hydrogen is consumed, and that the maximum pressures would not approach the design pressure of the 3013 container. Therefore, the ISP Database Pressure Equation was revised in 2008 to include terms for the generation of helium and hydrogen as a function of time, as well as the consumption of water and destruction of hydrogen based on shelf-life results. The 2008 ISP Database Pressure Equation provided a more reasonable estimate of the total maximum pressure in packaged 3013 containers than the pressure equation in versions of the 3013 Standard issued prior to 2018.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Cultural Resource Survey of 110.55 Acres at the Coyote Test Field, Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, Bernalillo County, Albuquerque, New Mexico

This report presents the results of a Section 110 cultural resource survey of Sandia National Laboratories’ (Sandia) 9930 and 9939 Complexes, in the Coyote Test Field (CTF), located on lands permitted to the Department of Energy (DOE) by the Department of Defense (DOD), Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB), Bernalillo County, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Sandia Field Office (DOE/NNSA SFO) and National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, in accordance with Section 110 and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and its implementing regulations 36 C.F.R. Part 800, states that every federal agency must establish their own historic preservation program for the identification, evaluation, and protection of historic properties and to ensure that historic preservation is fully integrated into the ongoing programs of federal agencies. Sandia’s Cultural Resources Program (CRP) establishes areas of potential effects based upon projected Sandia mission needs. Some of these areas have no immediate undertakings planned but are in areas where undertakings can happen at a future date.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Groundwater Monitoring Optimization of Post Closure Waste Sites at SRS - 13184

Groundwater monitoring at the Savannah River Site (SRS) is required at dozens of waste sites and includes sampling at over 1,000 monitoring wells. The expected longevity of groundwater contamination and associated groundwater monitoring and reporting constitutes a significant long-term cost that represents an increasing proportion of the environmental management budget as surface waste units are closed. Therefore, a comprehensive evaluation of the monitoring program for eighteen regulated waste units was conducted to identify areas where monitoring could be optimized. The units evaluated varied considerably in the scope of monitoring; ranging from two wells to hundreds of wells. In order to systematically evaluate such disparate monitoring networks, SRS developed a decision-logic analysis using flow sheets to address potential areas of optimization. Five areas were identified for evaluation, including: (1) Comparison of current monitoring to regulatory requirements, (2) Spatial distribution, (3) Temporal sampling, (4) Analyte requirements, and (5) Reporting frequency and content. Optimization recommendations were made for fifteen of the eighteen groundwater units. The spatial evaluation resulted in recommendations to suspend sampling in 79 wells and add sampling at 16 wells. The temporal evaluation resulted in recommendations to reduce the number of well visits per year by 504. Analyte reductions were recommended at three groundwater units, with increases at three other units. Reporting frequency reductions were recommended for five units. Approximately $700,000 (direct dollars) of potential annualized cost savings were identified for these groundwater units, provided all recommendations are approved. The largest area of savings was associated with reducing the reporting frequency. The optimization approach has been presented to the EPA and South Carolina Department of Environmental Control (SCHDEC), with unit-specific recommendations approved for all five units presented. This approach can be expected to be highly successful for sites with rich historical data sets and where the requirements in regulatory monitoring plans can be negotiated. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Long‐term evaluation of fitness and demographic effects of a Chinook Salmon supplementation program

Abstract While the goal of supplementation programs is to provide positive, population‐level effects for species of conservation concern, these programs can also present an inherent fitness risk when captive‐born individuals are fully integrated into the natural population. In order to evaluate the long‐term effects of a supplementation program and estimate the demographic and phenotypic factors influencing the fitness of a threatened population of Chinook Salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ), we genotyped tissue samples spanning a 19‐year period (1998–2016) to generate pedigrees from adult fish returning to Johnson Creek, Idaho, USA. We expanded upon previous estimates of relative reproductive success (RRS) to include grandparentage analyses and used generalized linear models to determine whether origin (hatchery or natural) or phenotypic traits (timing of arrival to spawning grounds, body length, and age) significantly predicted reproductive success (RS) across multiple years. Our results provide evidence that this supplementation program with 100% natural‐origin broodstock provided a long‐term demographic boost to the population (mean of 4.56 times in the first generation and mean of 2.52 times in the second generation). Overall, when spawning in nature, hatchery‐origin fish demonstrated a trend toward lower RS compared to natural‐origin fish ( p < 0.05). However, when hatchery‐origin fish successfully spawned with natural‐origin fish, they had similar RS compared to natural by natural crosses (first‐generation mean hatchery by natural cross RRS = 1.11 females, 1.13 males; second‐generation mean hatchery by natural cross RRS = 1.03 females, 1.08 males). While origin, return year, and body length were significant predictors of fitness for both males and females ( p < 0.05), return day was significant for males but not females ( p > 0.05). These results indicate that supplementation programs that reduce the potential for genetic adaptation to captivity can be effective at increasing population abundance while limiting long‐term fitness effects on wild populations.

Janowitz‐Koch, Ilana↗
DOE OSTI2013

Reverse Osmosis Optimization

This technology evaluation was prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). The technology evaluation assesses techniques for optimizing reverse osmosis (RO) systems to increase RO system performance and water efficiency. This evaluation provides a general description of RO systems, the influence of RO systems on water use, and key areas where RO systems can be optimized to reduce water and energy consumption. The evaluation is intended to help facility managers at Federal sites understand the basic concepts of the RO process and system optimization options, enabling them to make informed decisions during the system design process for either new projects or recommissioning of existing equipment. This evaluation is focused on commercial-sized RO systems generally treating more than 80 gallons per hour.

McMordie Stoughton, Kate L.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Reverse Osmosis Optimization

This technology evaluation was prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). The technology evaluation assesses techniques for optimizing reverse osmosis (RO) systems to increase RO system performance and water efficiency. This evaluation provides a general description of RO systems, the influence of RO systems on water use, and key areas where RO systems can be optimized to reduce water and energy consumption. The evaluation is intended to help facility managers at Federal sites understand the basic concepts of the RO process and system optimization options, enabling them to make informed decisions during the system design process for either new projects or recommissioning of existing equipment. This evaluation is focused on commercial-sized RO systems generally treating more than 80 gallons per hour.

osmosis, optimization↗