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44 records · Page 3

Digital Silicon Photomultiplier Chip Testing

Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are highly sensitive photodetectors. Traditional analog SiPMs require complex external readout electronics. Digital SiPMs (dSiPMs) include digital readout circuitry directly on-chip, offering superior timing resolution, reduced power consumption and compact size, pixel-level masking for active noise reduction. The primary objectives of this study are to, verify digital logic integrity of the shift registers used for controlling the pixel masking circuit, and determine the dark count rate of individual pixels as a function of bias voltage and clock frequency. I observe and explain behavior of the shift register and counting circuit.

Graham, Bennett [U. Chicago (main)]↗

Imaging systems and related methods including radar imaging with moving arrays or moving targets

Imaging systems, including radio frequency, microwave and millimeter-wave arrangements, and related methods are described. According to one aspect, an imaging system includes an antenna array, a position capture system configured to generate position information indicative of locations of one of the antenna array and the target at the first and second moments in time, and wherein the one of the antenna array and the target move between the first and second moments in time, a transceiver configured to control the antenna array to emit electromagnetic energy towards the target and to generate an output that is indicative of the received electromagnetic energy, a data acquisition system configured to generate radar data, processing circuitry configured to process the position information and the radar data to generate image data regarding the target, and an interface configured to use the image data to generate visual images regarding the target.

Sheen, David M.↗

Waveform emission location determination systems and associated methods

Waveform emission location determination systems and associated methods are described. According to one aspect, a waveform emission location determination system includes a plurality of detectors configured to receive a waveform emitted by a source and to generate electrical signals corresponding to the waveform, processing circuitry configured to access data corresponding to the electrical signals generated by the detectors, use the data to determine a plurality of spheres, and wherein a surface of each of the spheres contains a location of the source when the waveform was emitted by the source, determine an intersection of the spheres, and use the intersection of the spheres to determine the location of the source when the waveform was emitted by the source.

Hughes, Michael S.↗

Sensor assemblies and methods for emulating interaction of entities within water systems

Methods for emulating interaction of entities within water systems are provided. The methods can include introducing a sensor assembly into a water system. The sensor assembly can include: a circuit board supporting processing circuitry components on either or both of opposing component support surfaces of the circuit board; a housing about the circuit board and the components, the housing being circular about the circuit board in at least one cross section; and wherein the support surfaces of the circuit board are substantially parallel with the plane of the housing in the one cross section.

Deng, Z. Daniel↗

Radiation monitoring devices and associated methods

Radiation monitoring devices and associated methods are described. According to one aspect, a radiation monitoring device includes a housing configured to pass radiation emitted from a radiological source located in proximity to the radiation monitoring device, a radiation detector configured to receive the radiation emitted from the radiological source and to generate information regarding the radiation, and communications circuitry configured to communicate the information regarding the radiation in a plurality of communications at a plurality of different moments in time externally of the radiation monitoring device.

Burghard, Brion J.↗

Truncated nonlinear interferometer-based sensor system

A truncated non-linear interferometer-based sensor system includes an input port that receives an optical beam and a non-linear amplifier that amplifies the optical beam with a pump beam and renders a probe beam and a conjugate beam. The system's local oscillators have a relationship with the respective beams. The system includes a sensor that transduces an input with the probe beam and the conjugate beam or their respective local oscillators. It includes one or more phase-sensitive detectors that detect a phase modulation between the respective local oscillators and the probe beam and the conjugate beam. Output from the phase-sensitive-detectors is based on the detected phase modulation. The phase-sensor-detectors include measurement circuitry that measure the phase signals. The measurement is the sum or difference of the phase signals in which the measured combination exhibit a quantum noise reduction in an intensity difference or a phase sum or an amplitude difference quadrature.

Pooser, Raphael C.↗

Initial Development of Fusion Magnet Simulation Capabilities for Performance and Safety Evaluation Using the MOOSE Framework

Fusion energy holds the promise of being a transformative technology as a carbon-neutral, sustainable source of energy. Whole device modeling and the development of fusion digital twins will be increasingly important for emerging fusion device concepts at both national laboratories and within the commercial fusion industry. However, meeting the challenge of whole device modeling of fusion energy devices requires robust, multiphysics, multiscale modeling and simulation technologies capable of running on large-scale supercomputers. Detailed analysis of individual systems at-scale is also required to ensure safe and efficient operation as well as provide the safety basis for future device designs and licensing activities. In a tokamak, toroidal and poloidal magnets confine and shape the fusion plasma to promote the fusion reaction. High plasma temperatures and high magnetic field requirements in modern design concepts (leading to high amounts of energy stored within each magnet) impose electrical, thermal, and mechanical loads on the magnet components, which in turn impacts the safety considerations of the magnet and their supporting systems. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has a history of working in this space, including development and benchmarking of the Magnetic System Circuitry Analysis Program (MSCAP) and Magnet Arcing (MAGARC) codes to study magnet quench events; notably, MAGARC was used to study quenching during the ITER Engineering Design Activity. However, these legacy codes and capabilities are not parallel and scalable, and new tools are required for future advances in this area, which leads to the INL-developed Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework. Developed originally for fission reactor systems under United States Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy modeling and simulation programs, the MOOSE framework has been well-suited to multiscale, multiphysics modeling and simulation needs for nuclear systems. The framework is open-source, well-tested, under continuous development and deployment, and developed to a Nuclear Quality Assurance, Level 1 software quality standard. MOOSE has also been used in the fusion space previously in several projects: INL’s Tritium Migration Analysis Program, Version 8 (TMAP8) for tritium migration, UK Atomic Energy Authority’s A Unified Resource for OpenMC (fusion) Reactor Applications (AURORA) code for fusion thermo-mechanical and neutronics analysis, and Argonne National Laboratory’s Cardinal for high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics and neutronics. However, to model superconducting magnets, several MOOSE enhancements are required: additions to the current MOOSE electromagnetic capabilities, new material libraries for superconductors of interest (such as YBCO), as well as fusion-specific models for thermo-mechanics. This talk will discuss initial development activities to build these capabilities in MOOSE, focusing on initial validation and benchmarking activities. Proposed coupling workflows and future work to support the simulation of fusion magnets and magnet structural assemblies for performance and safety evaluation in MOOSE will also be discussed.

70 - PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Recycling: Barriers and Opportunities for State, Local, and Tribal Governments

Electronic waste, or e-waste, encompasses end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment, including computers, monitors, televisions, printers, cell phones, household appliances with electronic components, and small consumer devices containing batteries or circuitry. E-waste is one of the fastest-growing components of the U.S. waste stream, with nearly 8 million tons generated in 2022. E-waste presents two related public-interest considerations. First, e-waste contains economically and strategically important materials: base metals (copper, aluminum, iron, steel), precious metals (gold, silver, platinum group metals), and critical materials such as rare earth elements, gallium, and indium that appear on the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) 2025 List of Critical Minerals. Second, many electronic devices contain hazardous constituents - including lead, mercury, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants - as well as rechargeable batteries that can pose fire risks during handling. Effective management of these constituents helps protect workers, communities, and the environment. In the United States, it is estimated that less than 20% of e-waste is formally collected and recycled, leaving over 6 million tons landfilled or otherwise unrecovered. This fact sheet provides state and local decision-makers an overview of (1) e-waste composition and recoverable materials, (2) technology pathways used to recover those materials, and (3) examples of operational and partnership structures used to provide e-waste recycling capacity in the United States. It is intended to complement existing collection-program guidance available through U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other sources.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗