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DOE OSTI2022

Promoting Domestic and International Consensus - Program Area 1: Carbon Capture & Storage & Clean Energy Systems

This is the Final Report for the U.S. Department of Energy Cooperative Agreement DE-FE-0024159, Promoting Domestic and International Consensus on Fossil Energy Technologies: Carbon Capture and Storage and Clean Energy Systems carried out by the United States Energy Association. It is a compendium of each quarterly report submitted over the 7-year period of the agreement accounting for all accomplishments, including major activities, significant results, major findings or conclusions, key outcomes or other achievements. Changes in approach or aims, and reasons for those changes, are included as well as any problems or delays and actions taken and planned to resolve them. It also summarizes budget statuses and any changes in key personnel throughout the life of the agreement. Originally planned for 5 years, the agreement was extended twice through back-to-back no-cost extensions, one to enable full completion of tasks critical to the program’s success and the other due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The goals of the program were to provide increased knowledge regarding Carbon, Capture, and Storage (CCS) and Clean Energy Systems (CES) to Industry and Government decision makers, technology developers, educators, policymakers, environmental and other stakeholders, and the public by sharing research, technologies, and best practices with domestic and international partners. Increasing such knowledge was key to the other goals of the program of building of a broad consensus among domestic and international decision makers, stakeholders, and the public to take action to support and implement CCS and CES technologies and systems to ensure clean, secure, and affordable energy while enhancing environmental protection. The program accomplished these goals through a series of activities including hosting of conferences and workshops, in-person briefings, virtual webinars, reports and white papers, and keeping stakeholders informed of industry happenings through email distribution lists. It is the belief of the authors of this report, that these activities can be considered to have been successful in their goals.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2021

Data Driven Analysis for Modernization Program Management

NNSA is responsible for managing national nuclear security missions: ensuring a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear deterrent; supplying nuclear fuel to the Navy; and supporting the nation’s nuclear nonproliferation efforts. However, over half of NNSA’s facilities are more than 40 years old, and roughly one-third date back to the Manhattan Project. To execute its critical nuclear security missions, NNSA is making large investments to modernize its nuclear production capabilities. This ramp up represents NNSA’s largest modernization effort since the Cold War. Given the scale of these efforts, NNSA’s Office of Secondary Stage Production Modernization has implemented data driven techniques to prioritize investments and inform strategic decision making. NNSA, with support from its site managing contractors, has developed and implemented an integrated schedule and risk management system to address the issues and limitations with the traditional approach. The multi-year integrated schedules are key to identifying program linkages and managing large portfolios comprised of many different projects and efforts. In conjunction with the integrated schedule, a new program risk management system has also been developed and implemented, which manages program risks and opportunities, along with specific mitigation strategies to reduce or eliminate the risks per timelines that are tracked in the integrated schedule. This paper is supplemented with a follow-on presentation on effective management of program material and throughput modeling.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2020

All Hands On Deck: Raising the Bar on Whole Building Performance-Based Code Compliance and Above-Code Programs

In 2019 a large-scale national effort was launched with support from U.S. Department of Energy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA). The project aimed to develop a long-term vision and a roadmap for achieving a practical application of whole building performance-based code and above code program compliance in commercial buildings. The work was aided by engaging over 70 stakeholders across the country representing jurisdictions, above-code programs such as LEED and ENERGY STAR Multifamily Program, members of the ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and other Standard committees, IBPSA and software developers. The performance path requires whole building energy modeling and is gaining momentum. Many see it as the future of the commercial energy codes and the main pathway for achieving zero energy buildings. The paper describes the findings from a stakeholder survey funded by NEEA on the current state of performance-based path, its market penetration, trends, implementation practices and adoption challenges. It discusses the patterns revealed by experience of the states with decades-long history of performance-based compliance such as Florida and California and opportunities for taking advantage of the synergies between code and above-code programs. In addition, the paper provides an overview of the tools and resources developed as part of the effort including the compliance form for ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Section 11 and Appendix G, modeling submittal review manual, and modeler and reviewer qualification requirements. The tools and resources would help remove market barriers, deliver immediate benefits to jurisdictions and rating authorities, and achieve energy efficiency through whole-building performance path.

TSPR, Performance Based Complinace, Washington Sta↗

DOE OSTI2022

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Provides Opportunities for Water Power Across Several Programs

President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law on November 15, 2021. The $1.2 trillion deal, commonly called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), is a long-term investment in the nation’s infrastructure, workers, families, and competitiveness. The investment is historic for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which will receive more than $62 billion from the BIL to stand up 60 new programs, including 16 demonstration and 32 deployment programs, and expand funding for 12 existing research, development, demonstration, and deployment programs. The BIL-funded programs outlined in this fact sheet are most relevant for hydropower and marine energy.

BIL↗

DOE OSTI2023

Idaho National Laboratory Energy Cybersecurity Programs Update

This brief presentation provides a status update on three Idaho National Laboratory energy cybersecurity programs of particular interest to NERC Reliability and Security Technical Committee annual in-person Security Groups summit. Public information on the following three programs is included: Cybersecurity for Operational Technology Environments (CyOTE™) program Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control Systems (CyTRICS) program, and associated high-level information on the Energy Software Bill of Materials POC, Executive Order 14017, and the Energy Cyber Sense Act

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2015

Current Status of Human Resource Training Program for Fostering RIBiomics Professionals

RI-Biomics is a state-of-the-art radiation fusion technology for evaluating in-vivo dynamics such as absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) of new drug candidates and biomaterials using radioisotope (RI), and quantitative evaluation of their efficacy via molecular imaging techniques and animal models. The RI-Biomics center is the sole comprehensive research and experiment complex in Korea that can simultaneously perform the radio-synthesis of drug candidate with radioisotope, analysis, and molecular imaging evaluation with animal model. Molecular imaging techniques, including nuclear imaging (SPECT and PET), near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) imaging, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are the cutting-edge technologies for evaluating drug candidates. Since they allow in vivo real-time imaging of the diseased site, monitoring the biodistribution of drug and determining the optimal therapeutic efficacy following treatments, we have integrated RI-ADME and molecular imaging to provide useful information for drug evaluation and to accelerate the development of new drugs and biomaterials. The RI-Biomics center was established with total investment of 18 million $ during four years from 2009 to 2012 in order to develop a comprehensive analyzing system using RI for new drug development as an axis for national growth in the next generation. The RI-Biomics center has labeling synthesis facility for the radiosynthesis of drug candidate with radioisotope such as Tc-99m, I-125, I-131, F-18, H-3 and C-14 using hot cell. It also includes RI-general analysis facilities, such as Radio-HPLC, LC/MS, GC/MS, gamma counter that can analyzing the radio-synthesized materials, and animal image analysis facilities that developed small animal imaging equipment such as SPECT/PET/CT, 7 T MRI, in-vivo optical imaging system and others. In order to achieve the system to verify safety and effectiveness of the new drugs using RI, it is necessary to establish a human resource training program for fostering RI-Biomics professionals in the following key fields; (1) Radio-pharmaceuticals synthesis and labeled compound development, (2) Development of RI-ADME in the living object and image assessment technology. Personnel training program that carries out theoretical education and practical training in the field related to RI-Biomics in parallel is being conducted. Internship training for university students has been administered twice already while educational program for the existing professionals in the RI-Biomics field will be carried out during the summer of 2014. The human resource training program for combination of RIADME and different molecular imaging techniques can offer synergistic advantages to facilitate understanding RIADME and fostering RI-ADME professionals. (authors)

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2016

Seismic and LOCA safety testing and analysis program for Westinghouse PWR fuel under end of life conditions

The NRC issued Information Notice - IN 2012-09 in June 2012 which challenges approved assumptions based on the beginning of life (BOL) conditions in seismic and LOCA analysis. Westinghouse manufactures a variety of PWR fuel designs, including 14*14, 15*15, 16*16 and 17*17 array, also different fuel lengths from 12 feet to 14 feet. The fuels are supplied to the cores designed by Westinghouse and Combustion Engineering, and other cores around world. To address IN 2012-09 efficiently and economically, Westinghouse and PWR Owner Groups launched a testing and analysis program funded by PWROG. The program planed testing and analysis matrices based on types of fuel designs. The testing plan includes grid crush tests, fuel assembly mechanical tests and flowing water damping tests. Applying modelling technique, the program will reduce the number of test and cost. The ultimate goal of the program is to generate fuel assembly EOL models for all fuel designs manufactured by Westinghouse and to be ready for any plant specific seismic and LOCA analysis to address NRC IN for EOL effect. The phase I of PWROG for EOL conditions has been completed and several conclusions are obtained. First, the gapped grids reduce grid dynamic stiffness, local impact stiffness and crush strength. Also, due to gapped grids, both the fuel assembly natural frequency and stiffness are reduced. Secondly, applying higher fuel assembly damping due to the flowing water effect can significantly reduce fuel assembly impact forces. However, during a seismic event the reactor coolant pumps may trip resulting in a coast-down. As such, reduced flow rates that occur during the pump coast-down must be considered. Thirdly, the analytical model representation of a reactor core adequately characterizes the core response under seismic and LOCA excitations. Static and dynamic structural test results of a fuel assembly compared with analytical predictions indicate that the fuel assembly lateral and axial structural behavior can be fully determined with finite element models. Fourthly, analyses for EOL fuel assemblies under seismic and LOCA loads demonstrate EOL effect and flowing water damping effect. With flowing water damping benefit, significant margin can be recovered for fuel assemblies with EOL conditions and under seismic loads.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Re-evaluation of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's Passive Institutional Controls Program - Status - 17116

The United States government set forth in 40CFR194.43 requirements for 'Passive Institutional Controls' for nuclear waste repositories. This regulation stated compliance applications for a repository 'shall include detailed descriptions of the measures that will be employed to preserve knowledge about the location, design and contents of the disposal system.' In the early 1990's the U.S. Department of Energy developed and proposed in the Compliance Certification Application of 1996 a robust and complex technical and engineering Passive Institutional Controls Program including such things as records management, large surface markers, salt berms, buried and above-ground information rooms and small subsurface markers/plaques. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Passive Institutional Control program meets the regulatory requirements and is certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Presently this program is being re-evaluated in light of the Nuclear Energy Agency's, Records Knowledge and Memory initiative, shrinking government budgets, and the ethical/moral considerations of risks versus expenditures. This paper will discuss progress made to date in re-evaluating the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Passive Institutional Controls program and expected plans for the future. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

The Off-Site Source Recovery Program Capabilities in Recovering Transuranic Sealed Sources - 17599

Over the past 16 years, the mission of the Off-Site Source Recovery Program (OSRP) has been recovering disused radioactive sealed sources in the interest of national security, public health and safety. This program, which is sponsored by the National Nuclear Security Administration's Office of Global Material Security's Office of Radiological Security, is managed at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory and has recovered sources worldwide. To date, OSRP has recovered more than 38,000 sources from over 1,300 locations worldwide. Since its inception, OSRP has grown from recovering only sealed sources containing one transuranic (TRU) isotope, Pu-239, in the early days of the program, to recovering sealed sources containing several other TRU and non-TRU isotopes. Primarily, OSRP's mission includes Pu-238, Pu-239, Am-241, Cf-252, Cm-244, Sr-90, Cs-137, Co-60, Ir-192 and Ra-226 sources that are US-origin, defense related and not commercially disposable. Over the lifetime of this program the types of recoveries performed have expanded from a single site to multi-site round-up recoveries. An additional approach, referred to as self-ship recoveries, is also used in cases where only a few sources may be present at a licensee's site. In these situations, the licensee ships their source(s) to an OSRP staging facility for ultimate consolidation and disposal. OSRP recovers sources from many types of licensees, with the majority of sources being removed from industry, universities and hospitals. These include sealed sources used in industrial radiological devices like moisture-density gauges and thickness gauges, medical devices such as blood irradiators and radiotherapy devices and sealed sources from nuclear power plants, among others. The recovery and management of sealed sources is a complex process covering multidisciplinary areas, including source construction, characteristics of the radioactive material, source packaging and transportation per DOT regulations, safe and secure storage, and final disposition per waste acceptance criteria of repository sites. (authors)

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

The cementitious barriers partnership experimental programs and software advancing DOE's waste disposal/tank closure efforts - 15436

The U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management (DOE-EM) Office of Tank Waste Management sponsored Cementitious Barriers Partnership (CBP) is chartered with providing the technical basis for implementing cement-based waste forms and radioactive waste containment structures for long-term disposal. DOE needs in this area include the following to support progress in final treatment and disposal of legacy waste and closure of High-Level Waste (HLW) tanks in the DOE complex: - Long-term performance predictions and - Flow sheet development and flow sheet enhancements - Conceptual designs for new disposal facilities The DOE-EM Cementitious Barriers Partnership is producing software and experimental programs resulting in new methods and data needed for end-users involved with environmental cleanup and waste disposal. Both the modeling tools and the experimental data have already benefited the DOE sites in the areas of performance assessments by increasing confidence backed up with modeling support, leaching methods, and transport properties developed for actual DOE materials. In 2014, the CBP Partnership released the CBP Software Toolbox - 'Version 2.0' which provides concrete degradation models for: 1) sulfate attack, 2) carbonation, 3) chloride initiated rebar corrosion, and includes constituent leaching. These models are applicable and can be used by both DOE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for service life and long-term performance evaluations and predictions of nuclear and radioactive waste containment structures across the DOE complex (Figure 1) including Future SRS salt-stone and HLW tank performance assessments and special analyses - Hanford site HLW tank closure projects and other projects in which cementitious barriers are required - The Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management (ASCEM) project which requires source terms from cementitious containment structures as input to their flow simulations - Regulatory reviews of DOE performance assessments - Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviews of commercial nuclear power plant (NPP) structures which are part of the overall US Energy Security program to extend the service life of NPPs In addition, the CBP experimental programs have had a significant impact on the DOE complex by providing specific data unique to DOE sodium salt wastes at Hanford and SRS which are not readily available in the literature. Two recent experimental programs on cementitious phase characterization and on technetium (Tc) mobility have provided significant conclusions as summarized below: Recent mineralogy characterization discussed in this paper illustrates that sodium salt waste form matrices are somewhat similar to but not the same as those found in blended cement matrices which to date have been used in long-term thermodynamic modeling and contaminant sequestration as a first approximation. Utilizing the CBP generated data in long-term performance predictions provides for a more defensible technical basis in performance evaluations. - In addition, recent experimental studies related to technetium mobility indicate that conventional leaching protocols may not be conservative for direct disposal of Tc- containing waste forms in vadose zone environments. These results have the potential to influence the current Hanford supplemental waste treatment flow sheet and disposal conceptual design. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2015

The SRNL technical assistance program: transferring lessons learned from two decades of remedial successes to the DOE complex - 15438

The Savannah River Site has an established history of developing implementable risk reduction strategies, developing and deploying innovative technological solutions, and collaboratively achieving realistic and protective environmental end states for complex environmental problems. Part of this success results from the strong historical collaboration between site environmental restoration groups and the Savannah River National Laboratory which results in the promulgation of innovative technical approaches and technologies from the laboratory to ongoing remediation campaigns. Much of the underlying research and development effort was funded by DOE's Office on Environmental Management through a series of applied technology demonstration projects (Integrated Demonstration Project, Integrated Programs and the Applied Field Research Site). Concomitant with the research efforts, SRNL has managed a dynamic and efficient national program that provides teams of technical experts with a broad experience base to recommend strategies that reduce risk and/or technical uncertainty for challenging environmental problems at other DOE facilities. At many of these sites, standard remedial approaches (e.g., excavation, pump and treat, soil vapor extraction) have either failed or proved to be too costly, inadequate, or ineffective. Alternatively, other sites struggle with implementation of innovative but less well understood approaches. The technical assistance teams use a structured process that based on several basic concepts, specifically, development of site specific technical frameworks, and careful matching of remedies to site-specific chemical, geological and physical conditions. Development of technical frameworks is a key strategy to apply basic science to an applied field problem. When directed toward understanding complex real-world environmental remediation challenges, frameworks are tools that support practical identification and incorporation of the key-controlling scientific processes and principles. Frameworks can also be used to minimize technical risks, encourage efficiency and effectiveness, and provide the basis for innovative and creative solutions. Efficient and effective environmental cleanup also requires matching the character of remediation and stabilization methods to the nature of the target zone of contamination as the nature of the target zone evolves through the life of the remedial project. A contaminant plume can be divided into the following zones: the source zone, the impact zone, and the transitional zone that then can be used to identify classes of technologies that are appropriate to that zone. For example, physical and chemical methods (e.g., trapping, immobilization, destruction, or isolation) that directly address the source contaminants are often appropriate for the disturbed zone during the remedial process. A variety of methods that include both active treatments (e.g., pump and treat or active bioremediation) and enhanced attenuation technologies (e.g., geochemical manipulation or reactive barriers) are often suitable for the primary contamination zone or impact zone. Various strategies based on natural attenuation processes may be applicable to the primary contamination zone and these methods are typically applied for the transition or baseline portions of the plume. Careful matching of remedies to site-specific conditions is critical to long-term success in environmental cleanup and restoration. The matching process facilitates selection of technologies with particular strengths that align with real-world needs and constraints, encourages strategic use of multiple or combined technologies to address major plume sub-domains, and supports transitioning technologies in space and time as remediation progresses. Since 2006, the SRNL Technical Assistance program has focused on providing support across the DOE complex. During this time, over 25 teams have visited eleven DOE sites and made recommendations that yielded an estimated cost savings of $100 M. Examples will be provided that illustrate key aspects and significant successes of the technical assistance program. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2015

Double-Shell tank Integrity program - 15533

Waste at Hanford is stored in 149 single-shell tanks and 28 double-shell tanks (DSTs). Concerns related to aging radioactive waste storage facilities throughout the US DOE complex led to Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) developing guidelines for structural integrity programs for tank systems (BNL-52527, Guidelines for Development of Structural Integrity Programs for DOE High-Level Waste Storage Tanks). The committee of experts who developed these guidelines is commonly known as the Tank Structural Integrity Panel (TSIP). The US DOE has subsequently adopted these guidelines, and requires site operators to have a program consistent with them (DOE M 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual). The Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) manages the tanks for the US DOE Office of River Protection (ORP) under the Tank Operations Contract (TOC). The US DOE-ORP contractual agreement with the TOC (11-NSD-010) includes a requirement to 'maintain the tank structural integrity program as described in RPP-7574, Double-Shell tank Integrity Project Plan'. The DST integrity is maintained with a variety of activities such as ultrasonic and visual inspections, chemistry controls, corrosion monitoring and structural analyses methods. The recent loss of tank 241-AY-102 has led to the formation of the High-Level Waste Integrity Assessment Panel to evaluate the DST integrity project (DSTIP) and to recommend improvements to the DSTIP. This panel continues the DOE practice of seeking expert advice to guide the formulation and continuous assessment of tank integrity activities. The panel has concluded its work and WRPS has developed a series of tasks to implement their recommendations. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2020

Life-Cycle Baseline Customization for the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program - 20304

One of the responsibilities of the federal government is to estimate sound and defensible life-cycle baseline costs for use in federal budget estimates and to meet federal financial reporting requirements. To accomplish this, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have partnered together to ensure that the liabilities documented in each Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) site's life-cycle baseline are specifically tailored. FUSRAP was created in the mid-1970's to clean up radiological contamination resulting from the early development of nuclear weapons. DOE was responsible for FUSRAP until October 1997, when Congress transferred the administration and execution of FUSRAP site cleanups to USACE. By 1997, DOE had completed the cleanup of 25 of the 46 sites that were active within the program and had begun cleanup at 13 additional sites. USACE was assigned responsibility for the cleanup of the 21 remaining FUSRAP sites, and at 8 additional sites that had since been referred for cleanup. The LM mission for the FUSRAP sites is to perform long-term surveillance and maintenance (LTS and M). Currently, LM provides long-term stewardship for 34 completed FUSRAP sites. Another 20 sites are under active remediation by USACE. Within the last 5 years, USACE has completed the cleanup at five FUSRAP sites and the LTS and M responsibility has been transferred to LM. By 2029, USACE will compete remediation at eight additional sites and LTS and M for those sites will transfer to LM. Because responsibilities for the FUSRAP sites transfer between USACE and LM upon completion of remedial actions, both agencies maintain life-cycle baselines for different stages of the project and both must have a strong understanding of the needs and requirements for each site. This understanding ensures that the life-cycle baselines form a complete and accurate picture of what is required for the site and for the FUSRAP program. LM focuses on several things when customizing the life-cycle baseline estimates for the FUSRAP sites, including (1) Understanding the unique requirements for each site. By reviewing site-specific documents prepared by USACE, such as Feasibility Studies and Records of Decision, and partnering with USACE to gain additional insight about site conditions and requirements for stewardship, as well as potential risks, LM can better develop the life-cycle baselines. (2) Developing site-specific labor breakdowns. This ensures the required labor mix is baselined for specific activities by comparing the labor mix required to perform activities at (a) other LM-managed FUSRAP sites and (b) non-FUSRAP LM sites and (c) by USACE at active FUSRAP sites. (3) Taking a tiered approach to life-cycle baseline planning. Estimates for sites transferring to LM in the near term (5 years) are more definitive than for sites transferring in the out-year period. Remedial actions at the near-term sites are at or near completion, providing LM a strong understanding of the LTS and M requirements and remaining liabilities. This in turn allows for site-specific customization of the baseline. (4) Using a robust risk management approach to ensure that liabilities specific to each site are identified, evaluated by probability and severity, and documented in relation to the impact to cost or schedule. To ensure the most accuracy within all the baselines, the FUSRAP life-cycle baselines are updated as needed to support program, project, and contract management needs. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2020

Augmented Monitoring and Condition Assessment Program for SNF Wet Storage Life Extension - 20489

Approximately 27 MTHM of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) owned and managed by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management is stored in the L Basin at the Savannah River Site (SRS). This 'DOE SNF' is comprised of approximately 12,000 aluminum-clad, aluminum-based fuel assemblies (∼7 MTHM), and approximately 2000 non-aluminum fuel assemblies (∼20 MTHM). A program is in progress to perform Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) of the fuel and their storage containers to characterize the materials' condition, and to evaluate the effects of service to enable continued safe wet storage of the SNF. The Augmented Monitoring and Condition Assessment Program (AMCAP), a two-part program to develop and implement remote underwater Non-Destructive Examination of the aluminum SNF, and of the containers of the non-aluminum SNF, respectively, is aimed at the characterization and evaluation of corrosion degradation of aluminum fuel and container materials. The predominant design of the aluminum SNF (ASNF) stored in L Basin is the Materials Test Reactor (MTR) equivalent design, a plate fuel design. These SNF are stored in 5'' diameter tubes or 5'' x 5'' squares (called bundles) that are nominally 12' or up to 14' long. The SNF is de-bundled and inspected using a custom-designed MTR Fuel Inspection Table. The inspection table provides for indexed fuel positioning for a video camera examination with controlled lighting. A total of 10 of the SNF originating from foreign research and test reactors were selected for examination based on burnup, enrichment, and prior damage caused by service/storage history. A special inspection campaign of these 10 assemblies is in progress. The observed corrosion damage included minor to moderate attack from general corrosion, pitting, crevice, end grain and galvanic corrosion. Example results from the completed inspections are shown and discussed. The focus is a comparison of the as-received condition versus the as-found current storage condition that will serve to validate Water Chemistry and Corrosion Monitoring Programs. The non-aluminum SNF (NASNF) stored in L Basin are of diverse design that includes various geometries with claddings of stainless steel, Zircaloy, and Hastelloy. The fuel core materials include uranium alloys, oxides/mixed oxides, and carbides. These SNF materials, originating from early experimental and test reactors, are in various physical forms including single fuel elements and cut pieces. The fuel is stored in L Basin in various configurations including in direct bundled storage in aluminum tubes and in isolation cans that are in the bundles or in a larger over-size storage container (OSC). Concern with inside-out corrosion and the potential loss of configuration control and ability to handle the storage containers prompted the development of remote NDE methods that include visual and UT technologies to assess the condition of the containers. Candidate stored materials were selected for a special inspection campaign; the development of the NDE methods for the inspection for galvanic, crevice and sediment-induced corrosion (inside-out) are discussed. A summary of the SNF storage in L Basin at the SRS, and an overview of the AMCAP to enable continued safe storage of DOE SNF are described. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2024

Building a Clean Energy Workforce: An Evaluation Framework for State Energy Office Workforce Programs

This fact sheet is a summary of the workforce evaluation framework that was first proposed in the white paper, An Evaluation Framework for State Energy Offices' Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Workforce Program. This evaluation framework was developed to guide State Energy Offices (SEOs) in assessing and enhancing the workforce development programs the manage, fund, or partner on. By following this step-by-step framework, SEOs can evaluate program components, identify areas for improvement, and optimize program outcomes for greater impact.

clean energy↗

DOE OSTI2024

Integrated Urban Services: Program Impact and Business Plan Summary

The Integrated Urban Services (IUS) program, launched in 2021 and funded by the U.S. State Department under the United States-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (US-ASEAN) Smart Cities Partnership, aimed to bolster resilience in ASEAN cities by addressing challenges across food, energy, and water systems. Led by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) with support from Regenerative Impact Ventures, the program focused on demonstrating the socio-economic benefits of integrated urban planning, educating stakeholders on circular economy principles, providing technical assistance to two ASEAN cities, and attracting private sector involvement. The program facilitated peer learning events, engaging public and private sector participants and leveraging knowledge from a group of global experts to inform approaches and best practices. Technical assistance was provided to two pilot cities, Iskandar Malaysia and Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, resulting in the development of market-driven business plans for resilient, circular, and regenerative energy-water-food system projects. The Iskandar Malaysia pilot focused on development of a state-of-the-art AgriTech Innovation Hub and Modern Farming Complex to enhance agricultural productivity and produce enough renewable energy to power the facilities. The Cagayan de Oro project aimed to enhance urban agricultural productivity and waste management through development of an Urban Precision Agricultural Complex featuring aeroponics, hydroponics, aquaponics, agrivoltaics, and a Black Solider Fly Facility for converting municipal solid waste into commodities. The success of the IUS program sets a precedent for replicating integrated urban service models globally, offering valuable insights for cities aiming to enhance their resilience and sustainability.

ASEAN↗

DOE OSTI2024

Requesting an Exemption from Standard Compliance: EPAct State and Alternative Fuel Provider Fleet Program Guidance Document

The U.S. Department of Energy established the Alternative Fuel Transportation Program (Program) and associated regulatory requirements pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 1992. The Program, otherwise known as the State and Alternative Fuel Provider Fleet Program, requires covered state government and alternative fuel provider fleets operating under Standard Compliance to acquire alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) as a specific percentage of their annual non-excluded light-duty vehicle acquisitions. The opportunity for covered fleets operating under Standard Compliance to request exemptions from their AFV-acquisition requirements serves as administrative relief in the unlikely event a fleet is unable to satisfy its requirements through the normally available compliance alternatives. These alternatives include the acquisition of light-duty AFVs, the acquisition of other, creditable vehicles (e.g., gasoline-fueled hybrid electric vehicles), making certain investments, the purchase of biodiesel for use in medium- or heavy-duty vehicles to the maximum extent allowed, and purchasing or trading for banked AFV credits. This document addresses requests for exemptions from the AFV-acquisition requirements to help covered fleets better understand: How to file a request for an exemption, information and documentation DOE needs to process an exemption request, and important policies relevant for filing exemption requests.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,ENERGY PLANNING, POLIC↗

DOE OSTI2023

Loss of Coolant High Burnup (LOC-HBu) Program

LOC-HBu is a joint experimental program (JEEP) operating within the Nuclear Energy Agency’s (NEA’s) framework for irradiation experiments II (FIDES-II). LOC-HBu is dedicated to the understanding of light water reactor (LWR) fuel performance at high burnup under loss of coolant accident (LOCA) conditions. LOC-HBu aims to support burnup extension needs by addressing identified R&D priorities to achieve an improved understanding of fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal (FFRD) of HBu fuel during LOCA events. The need for such experiments was identified in the United States by the Fuel Performance Testing Technical Expert Group (FPTTEG) under the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)’s Collaborative Research on Advanced Fuel Technologies (CRAFT) framework. A combined in-pile and furnace testing program plan was developed by researchers at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) which was reviewed and approved by the FPTTEG Combined TREAT-LOC and SATS LOCA Experiment Plan. The first 4 tests identified in this plan are being put forward by the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) and INL for inclusion in the FIDES-II second triannual work period. The data produced under this plan will be used to further validate and confirm existing models and inform future R&D and model development. The experimental program was specifically developed to address data gaps and opportunities identified via detailed review of the existing public knowledge base on LOCA FFRD, as well as reviewing specific experimental development activities regarding prototypic LOCA conditions for light-water reactor (LWR) systems. The program will systematically investigate the impacts of prototypic HBu fuel/cladding thermomechanical behaviors under postulated LWR LOCA conditions not yet fully investigated. These conditions correspond with prototypic decay-energy heatup (DEH) and stored-energy heatup (SEH) conditions.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗