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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Performance Testing of Tracer Gas and Tracer Aerosol Detectors for use in Radionuclide NESHAP Compliance Testing

The Rad-NESHAP program, part of the Air Quality Compliance team of LANL’s Compliance Programs group (EPC-CP), and the Radiation Instrumentation & Calibration team, part of the Radiation Protection Services group (RP-SVS), frequently partner on issues relating to characterizing air flow streams. This memo documents the most recent example of this partnership, involving performance testing of sulfur hexafluoride detectors for use in stack gas mixing tests. Additionally, members of the Rad-NESHAP program performed a functional trending test on a pair of optical particle counters, comparing results from a non-calibrated instrument to a calibrated instrument. Prior to commissioning a new stack sampling system, the ANSI Standard for stack sampling requires that the stack sample location must meet several criteria, including uniformity of tracer gas and aerosol mixing in the air stream. For these mix tests, tracer media (sulfur hexafluoride gas or liquid oil aerosol particles) are injected into the stack air stream and the resulting air concentrations are measured across the plane of the stack at the proposed sampling location. The coefficient of variation of these media concentrations must be under 20% when evaluated over the central 2/3 area of the stack or duct. The instruments which measure these air concentrations must be tested prior to the stack tests in order to ensure their linear response to varying air concentrations of either tracer gas or tracer aerosol. The instruments used in tracer gas and aerosol mix testing cannot be calibrated by the LANL Standards and Calibration Laboratory, so they would normally be sent off-site for factory calibration by the vendor. Operational requirements can prevent formal factory calibration of some instruments after they have been used in hazardous settings, e.g., within a radiological facility with potential airborne contamination. The performance tests described in this document are intended to demonstrate the reliable performance of the test instruments for the specific tests used in stack flow characterization.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

Power Performance Test Report for the SWIFT Wind Turbine

This report summarizes the results of a power performance test that NREL conducted on the SWIFT wind turbine. This test was conducted in accordance with the International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) standard, Wind Turbine Generator Systems Part 12: Power Performance Measurements of Electricity Producing Wind Turbines, IEC 61400-12-1 Ed.1.0, 2005-12. However, because the SWIFT is a small turbine as defined by IEC, NREL also followed Annex H that applies to small wind turbines. In these summary results, wind speed is normalized to sea-level air density.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance Testing of Moving Bed Gasifier Using Biomass and Waste Fuels to Generate Low-Cost Clean Hydrogen

Our need for hydrogen is growing as the world transitions toward a low-carbon future. Hydrogen provides long-term energy storage for grid stability in a solar- and wind-dominated power market and can be used to decarbonize other sectors. One promising process for generating low-cost hydrogen that produces net-negative carbon is to gasify biomass with a mixture of legacy coal wastes, waste plastics, and other wastes with carbon capture. Use of waste fuels lowers costs and diverts waste from landfills. EPRI is leading a project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, to conduct performance testing of modular, moving-bed gasification for the generation of low-cost, clean hydrogen from biomass mixed with legacy coal waste, waste plastic, and/or refuse derived fuels. The work scope includes preparation of multiple pellet feedstocks using biomass (both woody biomass and corn stover) with a mixture of legacy coal waste, plastic waste (wire insulation), and refuse-derived fuel (RDF). These pelletized feedstocks are being qualified based on performance testing of selected fuel blend compositions in updraft moving-bed gasifier located in Sardinia, Italy. Testing is being conducted to obtain relevant data to advance the modular design of the moving-bed gasification process, and successfully use these feedstocks to produce a high hydrogen content raw syngas that can be shifted to produce clean hydrogen. Testing results will be used to determine the effects of the various fuels on feedstock development, the resulting products (i.e., syngas compositions, organic condensate production, and ash characteristics), and impacts on gasifier operations.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2016

Parallel File System I/O Performance Testing On LANL Clusters

These are slides from a presentation on parallel file system I/O performance testing on LANL clusters. I/O is a known bottleneck for HPC applications. Performance optimization of I/O is often required. This summer project entailed integrating IOR under Pavilion and automating the results analysis. The slides cover the following topics: scope of the work, tools utilized, IOR-Pavilion test workflow, build script, IOR parameters, how parameters are passed to IOR, *run_ior: functionality, Python IOR-Output Parser, Splunk data format, Splunk dashboard and features, and future work.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Performance Testing of Software Upgrade for SRNL CPC Instrument at the Nuclear Material Laboratory, Office of Safeguards Analytical Services, International Atomic Energy Agency

This report summarizes the performance testing for the Software upgrade for the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) Controlled Potential Coulometry (CPC) instrument. This upgrade is specifically to meet the needs of the Nuclear Material Laboratory, Office of Safeguards Analytical Services, International Atomic Energy Agency at Seibersdorf, Austria. The instrument hardware was upgraded in 2010, but the software continued to operate on a Windows platform using a High Tech Basic (HT Basic) application. HT Basic usage is declining. The IAEA requested an upgrade to the existing coulometer software to Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW), an object-oriented programming language in wide use and one the NML staff is familiar with. The software was developed by SRNL Software Engineer, with assistance from Electrical Engineer and Scientist. Once developed, the new LabVIEW software was validated, tested with Iron (surrogate for plutonium) and plutonium. Once testing was completed, the software was installed at the International Atomic Energy Agency Nuclear Material Laboratory (IAEA NML) coulometer, and SRNL provided hands on training to NML staff on using the new software.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2019

Performance Test and Evaluation on Polymer Form of Carbonized Waste - 19164

A carbonized waste is a material obtained by treating combustible wastes with superheated steam for volume reduction. A surrogate-carbonized waste was solidified to a monolith type of polymer form by using epoxy resin because it was obtained in powder form. The polymer form of carbonized waste was tested in accordance with standardized methods to evaluate its performance in terms of its mechanical integrity, durability, leaching properties, and microbiological stability for final disposal in Korea. Performance test results demonstrate that the polymer form of carbonized waste has excellent mechanical integrity and retains its structural integrity after thermal cycling, irradiation and 90-day water immersion. Leachability indices for cesium, cobalt, and strontium of the polymer form of carbonized waste were better than those required of a final disposal site in Korea. In addition, no culture growth of fungi or bacteria and no biodegradation were observed on the polymer form of carbonized waste. (authors)

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

So ware-Defined Network Solutions for Science Scenarios: Performance Testing Framework and Measurements

High-performance scientific work flows utilize supercomputers, scientific instruments, and large storage systems. Their executions require fast setup of a small number of dedicated network connections across the geographically distributed facility sites. We present Software-Defined Network (SDN) solutions consisting of site daemons that use dpctl, Floodlight, ONOS, or OpenDaylight controllers to set up these connections. The development of these SDN solutions could be quite disruptive to the infrastructure, while requiring a close coordination among multiple sites; in addition, the large number of possible controller and device combinations to investigate could make the infrastructure unavailable to regular users for extended periods of time. In response, we develop a Virtual Science Network Environment (VSNE) using virtual machines, Mininet, and custom scripts that support the development, testing, and evaluation of SDN solutions, without the constraints and expenses of multi-site physical infrastructures; furthermore, the chosen solutions can be directly transferred to production deployments. By complementing VSNE with a physical testbed, we conduct targeted performance tests of various SDN solutions to help choose the best candidates. In addition, we propose a switching response method to assess the setup times and throughput performances of different SDN solutions, and present experimental results that show their advantages and limitations.

Settlemyer, Bradley↗
DOE OSTI2022

A PRELIMINARY CRYOGENIC PERFORMANCE TEST OF THE 4.8-M-LONG CRYOSTAT FOR SUPERCONDUCTING UNDULATORS

A 4.8-m-long cryostat has been developed to cool a pair of 1.9-m-long planar superconducting undulator magnets (SCUs). The final design and the thermal model of this cryocooler-cooled LHe-based cryostat have been completed. The cryostat is fabricated, and a preliminary cooldown test has been performed. This paper presents a comparison between measured and calculated thermal performance of the 4.8-m-long cryostat for the SCU.

Shiroyanagi, Y.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Nuclear code case development of printed-circuit heat exchangers with thermal and mechanical performance testing

The U.S. Department of Energy has agreed to fund a three-year integrated research project to close technical gaps involved with compact heat exchangers to be used in nuclear applications. This paper introduces the goals of the project, the research institutions, and industrial partners working in collaboration to develop a draft Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Case for this technology. Heat exchanger testing, as well as non-destructive and destructive evaluation, will be performed by researchers across the country to understand the performance of compact heat exchangers. Testing will be performed using coolants and conditions proposed for Gen IV Reactor designs. Preliminary observations of the mechanical failure mechanisms of the heat exchangers using destructive and non-destructive methods is presented. Unit-cell finite element models assembled to help predict the mechanical behavior of these high-temperature components are discussed as well. Performance testing methodology is laid out in this paper along with preliminary modeling results, an introduction to x-ray and neutron inspection techniques, and results from a recent pressurization test of a printed-circuit heat exchanger. The operational and quality assurance knowledge gained from these models and validation tests will be useful to developers of supercritical CO 2 systems, which commonly employ printed-circuit heat exchangers.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2013

System Performance Testing of the Pulse-Echo Ultrasonic Instrument for Critical Velocity Determination during Hanford Tank Waste Transfer Operations - 13584

The delivery of Hanford double-shell tank waste to the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is governed by specific Waste Acceptance Criteria that are identified in ICD 19 - Interface Control Document for Waste Feed. Waste must be certified as acceptable before it can be delivered to the WTP. The fluid transfer velocity at which solid particulate deposition occurs in waste slurry transport piping (critical velocity) is a key waste acceptance parameter that must be accurately characterized to determine if the waste is acceptable for transfer to the WTP. Washington River Protection Solutions and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have been evaluating the ultrasonic PulseEcho instrument since 2010 for its ability to detect particle settling and determine critical velocity in a horizontal slurry transport pipeline for slurries containing particles with a mean particle diameter of =14 micrometers (μm). In 2012 the PulseEcho instrument was further evaluated under WRPS' System Performance test campaign to identify critical velocities for slurries that are expected to be encountered during Hanford tank waste retrieval operations or bounding for tank waste feed. This three-year evaluation has demonstrated the ability of the ultrasonic PulseEcho instrument to detect the onset of critical velocity for a broad range of physical and rheological slurry properties that are likely encountered during the waste feed transfer operations between the Hanford tank farms and the WTP. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2012

Overall results of and lessons learned from the IAEA CRP on sodium natural circulation test performed during the Phenix end-of-life experiments

In 2007, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) launched the Coordinated Research Project (CRP) 'Control Rod Withdrawal and Sodium Natural Circulation Tests Performed during the Phenix End-of-Life Experiments'. The overall purpose of the CRP, performed within the framework of the IAEA programme in support of innovative fast reactor technology development and deployment, is to improve the Member States' analytical capabilities in the various fields of research and design of sodium-cooled fast reactors through data and codes verification and validation. In particular the CRP, taking advantage of the End-of-Life set of experiments performed before the final shut-down of the French prototype fast breeder power reactor Phenix, aims at improving fast reactor simulation methods and design capabilities in the field of temperature and power distribution evaluation, as well as of the analysis of sodium natural circulation phenomena. The paper presents the overall results of the CRP, including blind calculations and post-test and sensitivity analyses carried out by the CRP participants, as well as lessons learned and recommendations for further future implementations to resolve open issues. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Heavy Duty Hydrogen: Reference Station, Fueling Performance Test Device Concepts, and Station Capacity Model (CRADA Final Report)

This project will provide valuable information on (1) reference station design, (2) exploration of design concepts for a fueling performance test device, and (3) modeling of station capacity. The work applies to heavy-duty (HD) hydrogen fueling stations with large dispensing capacity and high flowrates servicing HD hydrogen trucks such as class 8 trucks in long haul applications. Additionally, a 4th area will provide near-real-time verification of fuel quality with on-site hydrogen contaminant detectors (HCDs) for use at both light-duty (LD) and HD stations. The work leverages national lab capabilities including staff and equipment at SNL, NLR, and ANL with collaboration and funding cost share from California agencies (CEC, SCAQMD, and GO-Biz). This project will provide tools and information that lead to more efficient design, acceptance, and commissioning of these larger capacity, higher flowrate stations serving HD applications. The HCD work will benefit both LD and HD stations. Note: The 4th area (HCD) mentioned above continued outside of this CRADA and will not be included in this report. There are no tasks included in this CRADA for HCD and the summary text for it should have been removed prior to this CRADA contract execution but remained in error and is included here for completeness.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2014

Load responsive multilayer insulation performance testing

Cryogenic insulation designed to operate at various pressures from one atmosphere to vacuum, with high thermal performance and light weight, is needed for cryogenically fueled space launch vehicles and aircraft. Multilayer insulation (MLI) performs well in a high vacuum, but the required vacuum shell for use in the atmosphere is heavy. Spray-on foam insulation (SOFI) is often used in these systems because of its light weight, but can have a higher heat flux than desired. We report on the continued development of Load Responsive Multilayer Insulation (LRMLI), an advanced thermal insulation system that uses dynamic beam discrete spacers that provide high thermal performance both in atmosphere and vacuum. LRMLI consists of layers of thermal radiation barriers separated and supported by micromolded polymer spacers. The spacers have low thermal conductance, and self-support a thin, lightweight vacuum shell that provides internal high vacuum in the insulation. The dynamic load responsive spacers compress to support the external load of a vacuum shell in one atmosphere, and decompress under reduced atmospheric pressure for lower heat leak. Structural load testing was performed on the spacers with various configurations. LRMLI was installed on a 400 liter tank and boil off testing with liquid nitrogen performed at various chamber pressures from one atmosphere to high vacuum. Testing was also performed with an MLI blanket on the outside of the LRMLI.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Modifications to JLab 12 GeV Refrigerator and Wide Range Mix Mode Performance Testing Results

Analysis of data obtained during the spring 2013 commissioning of the new 4.5-K refrigeration system at Jefferson Lab (JLab) for the 12 GeV upgrade indicated a wide capacity range with good efficiency and minimal operator interaction. Testing also showed that the refrigerator required a higher liquid nitrogen (LN) consumption for its pre-cooler than anticipated by the design. This does not affect the capacity of the refrigerator, but it does result in an increased LN utility cost. During the summer of 2015 the modifications were implemented by the cold box manufacturer, according to a design similar to the JLab 12 GeV cold box specification. Subsequently, JLab recommissioned the cold box and performed extensive performance testing, ranging from 20% to 100% of the maximum capacity, and in various modes of operation, ranging from pure refrigeration, pure liquefaction, half-and-half mix mode and at selected design modes. This testing demonstrated the modifications resulted in a LN consumption significantly lower than the expected design for the nominal and maximum capacity modes and equal to the expected design for the pure refrigeration mode (which is the most demanding). The testing also demonstrated that the refrigerator system has a good and fairly constant performance over this wide capacity range and different modes of operation. Also, a pulsed-load test, similar to what is expected for cryogenic systems supporting fusion experiments, was conducted to observe the response using the Floating Pressure ? Ganni Cycle, which was stable and robust. This paper will discuss the results and analysis of this testing pertaining to the LN consumption, the system efficiency over a wide range of capacity and different modes and the behavior of the system to a pulsed load.

Knudsen, P.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Energy Performance Testing of Asetek's RackCDU System at NREL's High Performance Computing Data Center

In this study, we report on the first tests of Asetek's RackCDU direct-to-chip liquid cooling system for servers at NREL's ESIF data center. The system was simple to install on the existing servers and integrated directly into the data center's existing hydronics system. The focus of this study was to explore the total cooling energy savings and potential for waste-heat recovery of this warm-water liquid cooling system. RackCDU captured up to 64% of server heat into the liquid stream at an outlet temperature of 89 degrees F, and 48% at outlet temperatures approaching 100 degrees F. This system was designed to capture heat from the CPUs only, indicating a potential for increased heat capture if memory cooling was included. Reduced temperatures inside the servers caused all fans to reduce power to the lowest possible BIOS setting, indicating further energy savings potential if additional fan control is included. Preliminary studies manually reducing fan speed (and even removing fans) validated this potential savings but could not be optimized for these working servers. The Asetek direct-to-chip liquid cooling system has been in operation with users for 16 months with no necessary maintenance and no leaks.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance Testing of a Moving-Bed Gasifier Using Coal, Biomass, and Waste Plastic Blends to Generate White Hydrogen

The objective of this DOE-funded project by the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI), Hamilton Maurer International (HMI) and Sotacarbo S.p.A. (Sotacarbo), is to qualify coal, biomass, and plastic waste blends based on performance testing of selected pellet recipes in a pilot-scale updraft moving-bed gasifier. The testing provides relevant data to advance the commercial-scale design of the moving-bed gasifier to be able to successfully use these feedstocks to produce hydrogen. In particular, the effects of the waste plastics on feedstock development (i.e., blending and pelletizing) and the resulting products (i.e., syngas compositions, organic condensate production, and ash characteristics) are a focus. The gasifier is Hamilton Mauer International, Inc. (HMI)’s moving-bed gasifier, which has been proven capable of gasifying nearly all coal ranks. It has also shown the ability in prior testing work to gasify wood chips. However, mixtures of these fuels with plastic wastes had not yet been prepared and gasified together. The feedstocks were prepared by California Pellet Mill (CPM) under contract to HMI.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗