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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Nanoconfined Grain Boundaries Increase the Conductivity of Polycrystalline Molecular Crystals

Soft-solid molecular crystals consist of crystalline grains and fluid grain boundaries (GBs) that enhance the grain binding and transport of Li + ions between the grains. The total ionic conductivity consists of ion migration in both the grains and GBs. To unravel these contributions in adiponitrile (Adpn):LiPF 6 molecular crystals, the GB volume fraction was varied by changing the size of the crystals and the Adpn:LiPF 6 molar ratio. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicate that ion motion was subdiffusive in the grains and “well-diffusive” in the GBs, with GBs characterized as disordered nanoconfined regions of higher charge carrier concentration (∼1 M) than in saturated Adpn:LiPF 6 solutions (0.04 M), and Li + ions predominantly solvated by cyano groups with few contact ion pairs. The diffusivity in the GBs is at least an order of magnitude higher than that in the crystalline grains. The emergent picture is the grains as a reservoir of ions that migrate to faster-conducting GBs.

Crystals↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effects of divertor electrical drifts on particle distribution and detachment near the divertor target plate in DIII-D

Strong impacts of drifts on the divertor plasma in–out asymmetry and detachment are demonstrated in DIII-D with an open divertor configuration. For forward toroidal field, B T , i.e., with the ion B × ∇B drift toward the divertor, the particle flux to the inner divertor, as represented by the Langmuir probe measured ion saturation current (J sat ), exhibits a double peak structure, with electron temperature, lower at the inner target. Reversing the B T direction reverses both the radial and poloidal E × B flows, leading to a broad particle flux profile in the outboard scrape-off layer (SOL) with a similar double-peak structure to that observed at the inner target with forward B T . The correlation of a double peak structure with divertor temperature profiles confirms physical coupling between the drift flow and sheath boundary condition and their strong impact on divertor profiles. In addition, under reversed B T conditions, increasing the density flattens the target temperature profile. However, J sat remains high away from the strike point, rendering it difficult to achieve an “effective” detached plasma, i.e., with effective reduction in both peak heat flux and peak temperature (in the far SOL). In contrast, divertor detachment with a cold and flat temperature profile can be achieved at both target plates with the forward B T .

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Four-Stage Multi-Physics Simulations to Assist Temperature Sensor Design for Industrial-Scale Coal-Fired Boiler

The growth of renewable energy sources presents a pressing challenge to the operation and maintenance of existing fossil fuel power plants, given that fossil fuel remains the predominant fuel source, responsible for over 60% of electricity generation in the United States. One of the main concerns within these fossil fuel power plants is the unpredictable failure of boiler tubes, resulting in emergency maintenance with significant economic and societal consequences. A reliable high-temperature sensor is necessary for in situ monitoring of boiler tubes and the safety of fossil fuel power plants. In this study, a comprehensive four-stage multi-physics computational framework is developed to assist the design, optimization installation, and operation of the high-temperature stainless-steel and quartz coaxial cable sensor (SSQ-CCS) for coal-fired boiler applications. With the consideration of various operation conditions, we predict the distributions of flue gas temperatures within coal-fired boilers, the temperature correlation between the boiler tube and SSQ-CCS, and the safety of SSQ-CCS. With the simulation-guided sensor installation plan, the newly designed SSQ-CCSs have been employed for field testing for more than 430 days. The computational framework developed in this work can guide the future operation of coal-fired plants and other power plants for the safety prediction of boiler operations.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Simulation of Methane Oxycombustion in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

The Allam-Fetvedt Cycle (AFC) offers the potential for electricity generation with minimal or even negative carbon emissions by using oxycombustion in supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2). Because of the extreme high temperatures and pressures encountered in these systems, simulation of oxycombustion requires use of a complex equation of state such as the modified Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) equation, coupled with equally complex correlations for transport properties. The current work simulates a model combustor using both an ideal gas equation of state and the SRK equation of state. The model combustor features a jet of CH4 mixing with and reacting with O2 in the sCO2 ambient. Two jet configurations are considered: one of pure CH4, and one of CH4 mixed with sCO2. Comparison of results shows that key output properties such as combustor temperature and flow distribution are impacted by the choice of equations of state. Inspection of simulation results shows that mixing and reaction rates, as well as the uniformity of the flow, are impacted by the choice of equation of state. These results show that even though use of a complex equation of state greatly increases the computational costs of these simulations, it is critical to accurately capturing the physics of these systems.

computational fluid dynamics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nonlinear evolution, propagation, electron-trapping, and damping effects of ion-acoustic solitons using fully kinetic PIC simulations

We investigate ion acoustic solitary waves (solitons) of varying amplitudes in a one-dimensional plasma using fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations. The initial soliton conditions are based on the Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation, treating ions as a cold species and electrons with finite temperature. Our findings reveal that KdV solitons evolve nonlinearly to a saturated state at higher amplitude, deviating from KdV predictions for ion density and electric potential, and from the Boltzmann relation for electron density. At this saturated state, the KdV model cannot accurately describe the soliton behavior. For small amplitudes, Sagdeev's model describes the saturated state, but not the soliton width; for larger amplitudes, it models the width accurately, but not the amplitude. These discrepancies arise from assuming a Boltzmann relation for electron density, while electron trapping creates non-Boltzmann densities—a deviation that increases with soliton amplitude. Additionally, we observe that the soliton amplitude oscillates roughly at the electron bounce frequency. The soliton is better described by Schamel's electron density formulation and a modified KdV equation incorporating electron trapping. The soliton velocity matches best with predictions from Sagdeev's and Schamel's models. Moreover, the soliton speed–amplitude relationship differs from existing theoretical predictions. Finally, we find minimal ion and electron Landau damping effects.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Retrospective on Recent DOE-Funded Studies Concerning the Extraction of Rare Earth Elements & Lithium from Geothermal Brines (Final Report)

Rare earth elements (REE) and lithium are non-toxic metals that are considered critical materials due to their use in electronics, magnets, batteries, and a wide variety of industrial processes important for the economy and military preparedness. Demand for REE and lithium is increasing and these critical materials are imported, so identifying and exploiting domestic sources of REE and lithium is a national priority. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) has been in the forefront of sponsoring research investigating the potential recovery of REE, lithium, and other critical minerals from geothermal brines. It has been proposed that the future of geothermal energy should include “hybrid systems” that combine electricity generation with other revenue-generating activities, such as recovery of valuable and critical minerals, including REE and lithium. Two recent GTO funding opportunities have focused on the recovery of REE and other valuable minerals from geothermal brines. The research supported by the GTO’s mineral recovery program is focused on three areas: resource characterization, technology for the extraction of REE, and technology for the extraction of lithium (Tables 1 and 2). This report is a retrospective study examining the outcome of GTO’s two recent mineral recovery programs (DE-FOA-0001016 in FY 2014 and DE-FOA-0001376 in FY 2016). In this report, the knowledge, technology, and techniques that were developed by researchers funded by GTO are summarized and discussed. Four projects were funded to assess the concentrations and amounts of REE found in geothermal brines and oil field produced waters. The GTO-funded studies compiled publically available data on REE concentrations from brines and produced water from all over the USA. In addition, new samples were collected and characterized from major geothermal and hydrocarbon basins in the Western USA. The studies examined the relationship between lithology and REE concentrations and developed models examining the influence of geology on REE concentrations in produced brines. It was determined that REE are frequently found at higher concentrations in oil field produced water than geothermal brines, but that some geothermal areas had significant REE resources. Significant reservoirs of REE were identified in the Western USA. In some cases, concentrations of REE were more than 1000 times the concentrations found in seawater. Collectively, these studies represent a comprehensive picture of REE resources associated with geothermal and hydrocarbon systems in the USA. The studies did not examine lithium resources, but in some cases, lithium concentration data was collected. Data from these studies are housed in the Geothermal Data Repository (GDR) and represent a significant information resource and it is recommended that these data be further analyzed in a future study. Eight projects were funded to develop new technology for REE extraction from geothermal fluids. These projects investigated sorption as an approach for removal and recovery of REE from geothermal brines. The projects investigated cutting-edge technology for selective sorption of ions from complex solutions, including the application of metal-organic frameworks and biosorbent proteins. The REE sorption studies tested different combinations of metal-binding ligands and solid supports. The most promising metal-binding ligands for REE included phosphonic acid, thiol, and carboxylic acid functional groups. Ligands were attached or incorporated into a wide variety of solid supports. In most cases, attachment was via covalent bonding to organic resins, polymers, or silica-based supports. Most of the REE projects were conducted at a low technology readiness level (TRL) and showed promise, but direct comparison between technologies was not possible based on the available information. It is recommended that testing and reporting be standardized to the extent possible to facilitate comparisons between technologies. Two projects were directed at novel lithium extraction technology. Both projects investigated the use of inorganic sorbents, including manganese oxides. One study also examined the use of metal- ion imprinted polymers as selective ion-exchange resins for the separation of lithium and manganese from brines. Both approaches showed promise for the selective extraction of lithium from brines, including potentially geothermal brines. Results from these GTO studies indicated that selective REE and lithium extraction is possible, but interference from co-occurring solutes, such as calcium, magnesium, or heavy metals, will interfere with process efficiency and negatively impact process economics. Techno-economic analysis conducted as part of the resource and technology studies suggest extraction of REE from geothermal brines is unlikely to be economically viable, especially since non-geothermal produced waters frequently have higher REE concentrations. It is recommended that benchmarks for techno-economic analysis be established to the extent possible for future studies, to facilitate direct comparison of various technologies. Based on the collective results of this program, it appears that hybrid geothermal power would benefit more from recovery of lithium and other metals, rather than REE. It is recommended that future studies be conducted at a higher- TRL and that sorbents be tested against actual geothermal fluid samples. Prior higher-TRL efforts to extract metals from geothermal brines should be further evaluated for lessons learned.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Performance assessment of a real water source heat pump within a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing environment

Over the last decade, the global fight against climate change through electrification has led to an increase in research on building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that utilize intelligent control algorithms to provide demand-side grid service while also maintaining the thermal comfort of building occupants. As the pivotal point between building electricity consumption and indoor thermal comfort, high-efficiency electrical vapor-compression heat pumps are at the center of these emerging studies, and various grid-interactive and occupant-comfort control algorithms have been developed for them. The impact of these algorithms on heat pump operation and performance when subjected to different weather conditions, building loads, and grid requests calls for investigation and verification via experimental testing with actual heat pumps integrated with real-time building and grid responses. This study introduces a Water-Source Heat Pump (WSHP) Hardware-in-The-Loop (HIL) Test Facility that is the first of its kind. This testbed utilizes a 2-ton variable speed water-to-air heat pump that is capable of interacting with a virtual environment currently comprised of an EnergyPlus (E+) building simulation, an agent-based occupant behavioral model, and a single U-tube ground-loop heat exchanger (GLHE) model. Detailed descriptions of the testbed’s physical design and operation, virtual environment, as well as their mutual communication is provided. An uncertainty analysis is also performed under manufacturer specified heating and cooling design conditions. This analysis shows that the total load across the WSHP’s demand side heat exchanger, i.e., the sum of its latent and sensible components, can be measured with a relative uncertainty of ± 10.4% and ± 3.6% in cooling and heating mode respectively. The WSHP’s coefficient of performance (COP) can be measured with relative uncertainties of ± 10.4% in cooling mode, and ± 3.7% in heating mode. A preliminary 24-h experimental demonstration is then performed utilizing the DOE prototype small commercial office building model in E+. The simulation takes place in Atlanta, GA on the date of 08/26/15 from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM using TMY3 weather data. Here, the results from this demonstration show that over the course of this experiment the simulated outputs of zone dry-bulb temperature, zone humidity ratio, and WSHP inlet water temperature can be tracked by testbed emulators up to a root mean squared error (RMSE) of ± 0.27 °C, ± 0.376 g/kg, and ± 0.85 °C respectively. The WSHP’s dynamic behavioral characteristics and performance are also captured, and correspond well with the authors’ previous understanding of heat pump efficiency as a function of evaporator and condenser fluid inlet conditions respectively.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Effect of surface roughness on phase transition timing in megaampere pulsed-power–driven exploding conductors

An understanding of material phase transitions in megaampere pulsed-power–driven exploding conductors is important for predicting the growth of hydrodynamic instabilities in magneto-inertial fusion concepts. Here, this study analyzes phase transitions in electrical conductor explosions using 1D Lagrangian and 2D arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations to show that micrometer-scale surface roughness can lead to the electrothermal instability (ETI), a feedback effect that concentrates resistive heating and leads to early melting and ablation. Simulations of the Mykonos electrothermal instability II (METI-II) experiment show melting begins 19% sooner for machined rods with micrometer-scale surface roughness than for rods without these features. The surface magnetic field is 41 T around the initial region of melt, representing a lower magnitude than both the 86 T from 1D simulations and the 85 T threshold reported elsewhere. In 2D simulations with micrometer-scale surface roughness, temperature measurements indicate the critical point temperature of aluminum is reached 17% faster in comparison with 1D simulations. Values from 2D simulations with surface roughness align with predictions from ETI theory, and the observed temperature redistribution further supports the ETI as an underlying mechanism. Simulation results are validated against experimental photonic Doppler velocimetry data. This study shows 1D simulations are adequate to model conductors with sub-micrometer-scale surface roughness in this high-energy-density regime; however, 2D or 3D simulations are required to capture the full range of physics for accurately describing phase transitions in conductors with micrometer-scale or larger surface roughness.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Phase II Field Demonstration at Lansing Smith Generating Plant, Southport, Florida (Final Report)

The Final Technical Report: Field Test Design and Pressure Management Strategies for Phase II Field Demonstration of Optimal Pressure Control, Plume Management, and Produced Water Strategies presents the culmination of multi-year efforts under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brine Extraction and Storage Test (BEST) program, led by EPRI in partnership with Gulf Power at the Plant Smith site near Panama City, Florida. The project was designed to evaluate and demonstrate the technical feasibility of managing subsurface pressures and fluid movement associated with large-scale CO₂ injection, using low-salinity water as a proxy fluid. Through a combination of field injection testing, reservoir modeling, and optimization studies, the research team developed and refined active and passive brine extraction strategies aimed at controlling injection-induced pressure buildup, mitigating risks of fault activation, and managing plume migration. The field demonstration incorporated a new injection well (TIW-2), a new monitoring/extraction well (TEMW-A), and an existing well (TIW-1) repurposed for passive pressure relief. Complementary geophysical monitoring was designed to track plume development and evaluate the effectiveness of pressure management strategies. The report details the integrated workflow encompassing wellfield development, regulatory permitting, model calibration, and survey design. It includes a comprehensive electromagnetic (EM) modeling and inversion study used to develop a cost-effective, time-lapse geophysical monitoring plan capable of imaging the evolving low-salinity plume within the highly saline Lower Tuscaloosa formation. Reservoir simulation results guided the design of the 17-month injection program and the timing of active extraction to maintain formation pressures below a hypothetical fault reactivation threshold. Supporting analyses evaluated potential injectivity risks related to clay fines migration and geochemical incompatibility, identifying practical mitigation measures such as salinity and pH control. The final design recommends a series of crosswell EM surveys—conducted before, during, and after injection—as the most effective and economical approach for plume imaging, supplemented by continuous downhole pressure and flow monitoring. Collectively, the study provides a field-ready framework for cost-effective pressure management and monitoring in support of future CO₂ storage projects.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2020

Play Fairway Analysis: Structurally Controlled Geothermal Systems in the Eastern Great Basin Extensional Regime, Utah

A research team with membership from the University of Utah/Energy & Geoscience Institute, the University of Utah/Dept. of Geology & Geophysics, and the Utah Geological Survey, undertook a play fairway analysis (PFA) for geothermal resources in the Eastern Great Basin (EGB) extensional tectonic regime of western Utah. This is a high-priority region for geothermal exploration because active Basin and Range (B&R) extension with volcanism having a N-S strike is superimposed upon pre-existing E-W belts of plutonic rocks and large-scale structural lineaments. Cumulative heat flow along the N-S strike of the state totals approximately 5 GWt above background stable interior. Three electricity producing power plants currently exist with substantial potential for increase. Succinctly, our PFA approach aims to resolve potential sources of heat and permeability in the region, which are the two principal criteria for establishing a geothermal resource. An initial Phase 1 was carried out using only existing geoscientific data in the area. Criteria selected for focusing heat potential include direct heat flow measurements in boreholes, magnetotelluric (MT) low resistivity anomalies, fluid/gas geochemistry, and proximity to recent volcanic eruptions. Permeability is established through geological structures (fault density, critically stressed areas, seismicity, gravity), and MT low resistivity anomalies. In Phase II of this PFA project, additional geological, geophysical and geochemical data were acquired and analysis carried out primarily over promising composite common risk (CCR) areas initially identified in Phase I in order to focus prospectivity and prepare for drilling recommendations. These prospects are near the Twin Peaks rhyolite field, high heat flow areas north of the producing Cove Fort system, and geophysical structure beneath the Crater Knoll area off the northeast flank of the Mineral Mountains. Additional data included MT site fill-in, structural mapping and analysis using high-resolution imagery, gravity and on-ground mapping, Nodal 3C passive seismic collection, and passive 3He surveying. Heat source and permeability potential are again expressed in terms of their individual common risk segment (CRS) maps, with a color scheme using green for most favorable (low risk) and red for least favorable (high risk). Diverse data types are united through the technique of probability kriging, which establishes prospectivity thresholds for each data type and then computes probability of exceeding that threshold over the PFA area. Modified CRS and CCRS maps are compared to those of Phase I to highlight tighter prospectivity focus. In doing so, the prospectivity threshold for heat was increased significantly to narrow the targeting. In the final Phase III of this project where a recommended deep thermal gradient hole was sited, additional geophysical, geochemical and geological field collection and analysis was carried out to refine drill hole targeting. This includes prospect-scale MT, gravity, structure, passive seismic deployment (Cove Fort area), and detailed 3He isotope profiling. It was the recommendation of the DOE Technical Monitoring Team (TMT) that one or more holes be sited in the north-ern Cove Fort area where legacy TG gradient holes showed high cumulative heat flow. These were to be of moderate depth, 2000-3000 feet, to reach the geothermal fluid table expected to start in excess of 1000 feet depth. The drilling organization stipulated by the DOE/GTO was that of the USGS Research Drilling Program (RDP) centered in Las Vegas, NV. A detailed well plan, appended to this report, was developed principally by Dr. Ben Barker consulting to University of Utah, Dr. Steve Pye on the DOE TMT, Mr. Steven Crawford of the USGS-RDP, and the project PI Phil Wannamaker. However, temperature and possible H 2 S at the systems lead to cancellation of the drilling last-minute as this appeared outside the experience base of the USGS-RDP. We hope to have the opportunity to revisit the test drilling and expand the Play Fairway Analysis of this region at some point in the future.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enhanced Light Outcoupling from OLEDs Fabricated on Novel Low-Cost Patterned Plastic Substrates of Varying Periodicity

OLEDs continue to make strides in display applications, but their commercial utilization in solid-state lighting (SSL) is lagging. An ongoing challenge, in particular for manufacturing, is the need for enhanced efficiency and hence the necessity to increase in an inexpensive approach the extraction of the light generated inside the OLED into the forward (viewing) hemisphere. In conventional OLEDs fabricated on a transparent flat anode coated on glass, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) is only ~20%. About 50% of the light is lost to internal waveguiding in the high refractive index (RI) organic + ITO anode layers and to surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the organic/metal cathode interface. Another ~30% of the light is externally waveguided in the substrate to its edges. While extraction of the externally waveguided light is commonly addressed by adding a microlens array (MLA) or a scattering layer at the substrate’s air-side, light outcoupling increases by only ~1.6-1.7x (vs up to 2.5x in improving from ~20% to ~50%). The use of a hemispherical lens or an index matching fluid (IMF) at the substrate/photodetector (PD) interface increases the outcoupling by at least 2x; these approaches however, are not viable industrially, and even a MLA is sometimes undesirable due to its non-planar, scattering structure. In multi-stack tandem OLEDs, where the metal cathode is far from the emitting zone(s), the impact of photons loss to SPPs decreases. Our project addressed the ~50% loss to the internally waveguided light and SPPs. We evaluated OLEDs fabricated on patterned or planarized plastic substrates manufactured in a cost-effective approach compatible with a roll-to-roll (R2R) process. The OLEDs were either (i) patterned to various degrees depending on the pitch a and height or depth h of the pattern features or (ii) planar, with a pattern buried under a flat high RI planarization layer. We demonstrated that the outcoupling from green patterned OLEDs reaches ~50% by mitigating plasmon–related loss and internal waveguiding, even without the addition of a MLA, a hemispherical lens, or IMF. Simulations conducted in parallel with the experimental effort demonstrated how diffraction by conformally corrugated OLEDs increases the outcoupling to >60%. Structures with varying pitch values were also simulated indicating that combining domains of varying pitch could increase outcoupling to 55-60%. Experimentally, we additionally assessed the role a and h in determining not only the OLED efficiencies, but also their structural properties, i.e., the uniformity and conformality throughout the OLED stack. As planar OLEDs are preferred over corrugated devices, we studied different patterns in plastic substrates that were planarized by a high RI formulation. Planar green OLEDs on such structures showed enhanced efficiencies with EQEs larger than 60% with the addition of an IMF (to extract the substrate mode) at the substrate/Si PD interface. White OLEDs showed EQEs of 45.5%. Plastic substrates are currently less attractive than glass substrates due to drawbacks such as permeability to water vapor and oxygen, and in some cases thermal instability. Plastic substrates however, are flexible and easy to handle unlike thin flexible glass, and once transparent thin barrier films are available, they will become more attractive; they are already of interest in medical applications. Importantly, as it is easy to generate various patterns in different plastic materials, they provide excellent means for assessing and optimizing enhancing extracting structures. Such structures can also be transferred to glass substrates with some process modifications. The technical effectiveness and economic feasibility of the project lie in the patterning of the extracting plastic substrates in an approach that is scalable to R2R manufacturing. R2R processes are of drastically lower-cost than batch or single-unit fabrication. The patterned plastic can be a part of an integrated substrate either plastic or glass, which includes also a MLA or a planar layer with embedded scattering particles, as well as a conductive metal mesh/electrode design. SSL is environmentally-friendly and as OLED SSL becomes more efficient it will reduce electricity consumption, and hence lighting cost, as well as produce less expensive attractive lighting fixtures. Our university-industry collaboration is hence of major benefit to the public as it demonstrates the feasibility of manufacturing optimized extracting substrates for highly efficient OLEDs for SSL in a future R2R process, which would drastically reduce the manufacturing cost and increase production in the USA. Moreover, newly developed methods by our team allow low-cost roll manufactured substrates to be transferred to flexible or rigid glass substrates, which solves the plastic substrate barrier issues, and when combined with device encapsulation will increase the OLEDs’ environmental stability.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Molten Salt Reactor Signatures and Modeling Study

Molten salt reactor (MSR) technologies, either liquid fueled and cooled or only liquid cooled, pose specific, unique challenges for safeguards of the special nuclear material during the operation, fueling, and maintenance of the reactor. MSRs are one type of Generation IV technologies being invested in and considered for U.S. domestic fabrication primarily for electricity and process heat production. These designs have generated growing commercial interest for several reasons, including high (≈40%) thermal efficiency, ease of fueling, improved use of uranium fuel, potential utilization of thorium fuel, and proposed inherent safety features. U.S. companies have several planned designs that differ in fuel, cooling, and neutron energy spectrum. Driven by commercial interest and the intent of licensing MSRs, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has developed a vision and strategy to accommodate non-light water reactors (LWR), which include MSRs (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 2019). In addition, the Department of Energy (DOE) through the Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) Office of Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART), …sponsors research, development and deployment (RD&D) activities through its Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), Advanced Reactor Concepts (ARC), and Advanced Small Modular Reactor (aSMR) programs to promote safety, technical, economical, and environmental advancements of innovative Generation IV nuclear energy technologies. Reactor types considering the use of salts, liquid metals, or gases for coolant fall under both ARC and aSMR. Therefore, Research Design & Development is being pursued by DOE-NE through national laboratories, universities, and international and industrial collaborations. Additionally, the U.S. is a member of the Gen IV International Forum (GIF). The GIF is a cooperative, multinational organization to guide and carry out research and development needed for the GEN IV reactor systems (Forum 2018). GIF evaluated numerous reactor concepts and down-selected to the six most feasible advanced reactor technologies: gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR), lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR), MSR, supercritical watercooled reactor (SCWR), sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), and very high temperature reactor (VHTR). In support of the growing interest domestically and internationally, the Materials Protection, Accounting, and Control Technologies (MPACT) campaign, under the DOE-NE Fuel Cycle Technologies (FCT) program, engages in R&D activities by developing advanced instrumentation and analysis for safeguards and security of modern, advanced nuclear fuel cycle (non-LWR) facilities. Because of the historic experience in the operation of the Aircraft Reactor Experiment (ARE) and the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) (Robertson, MSRE Design and Operations Report Part I 1965), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is heavily engaged in the various R&D activities through the DOE complex related to MSRs including national technical leadership of the DOE-NE MSR campaign. This report discusses and presents the outcomes of the FY19 MPACT MSR Safeguards task. The challenges presented by MSRs for nuclear material accountancy and control (NMAC) and associated safeguards will be investigated. The objective of this research is to explore and compile the safeguards requirements and identify measurement signatures through an initial high-level MSR design and develop complementary advanced simulation and modeling capabilities. A high-level ORNL-developed MSR design called the Molten Salt Demonstration Reactor (MSDR) (Bettis, Alexander and Watts 1972) was used as the target reactor design for this research. The MSDR model incorporates technology from the MSRE and the Molten Salt Breeder Reactor (Robertson, Conceptual Design of a Single-Fluid Molten-Salt Breeder Reactor 1971). But the MSDR is a 750 MWth graphite moderated liquid fueled (low-enriched uranium) MSR compared to the MSRE’s of 7.5 MWth. The focus of this report is to discuss the evaluation of novel signatures, correlations, and indicators to understand the applicability of current safeguards instrumentation to MSRs using the modeling results from the MSDR.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗