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At least 541 records · Page 30
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DOE OSTI2026

Cation Data for the East River Watershed, Colorado (2014-2025)

This data package contains mean values for cation concentration for water samples taken from the East River Watershed in Colorado. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been used to measure the concentrations of elements of interest simultaneously for the East River Watershed, Colorado groundwater and surface water samples to inform insights on the biogeochemistry processes within the watershed. The East River is part of the Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (WFSFA) located in the Upper Colorado River Basin, United States. For samples collected prior to 06-16-2021, the instrumentation, Elan DRC II, PerkinElmer SCIEX, automatically switches among the three models necessary to analyze all 37 elements. These 37 elements include: (1) Lithium (Li), Beryllium (Be), Boron (B), Sodium (Na), Magnesium (Mg), Aluminium (Al), Silicon (Si), Phosphorus (P), Titanium (Ti), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Germanium (Ge), Arsenic (As), Rubidium (Rb), Strontium (Sr), Zirconium (Zr), Molybdenum (Mo), Silver (Ag), Cadmium (Cd), Tin (Sn), Antimony (Sb), Caesium (Cs), Barium (Ba), Europium (Eu), Lead (Pb), Thorium (Th), Uranium (U) using standard model, argon Ar as reaction gas, (2) Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Vanadium (V), Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe) using dynamic reaction cell (DRC) model, ammonia NH3 as reaction gas, and (3) Phosphorus (P) and Selenium (Se) using DRC model, oxygen O2 as reaction gas. Note for the samples with higher concentrations of chloride (Cl-), asenic (As) concentrations were analysed with DRC model (oxygen O2 as reaction gas) to avoid the interference of chloride. For samples collected on and after 06-16-2021, an advanced Agilent 8900 triple quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry system (Agilent 8900 QQQ ICP-MS, Agilent Technologies) has been used to measure the concentrations of interested 36 elements simultaneously for environmental samples, including (1) Lithium (Li), Beryllium (Be) and Boron (B) using standard no gas mode, (2) Sodium (Na), Magnesium (Mg), Aluminium (Al) Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Germanium (Ge), Arsenic (As), Rubidium (Rb), Strontium (Sr), Zirconium (Zr), Molybdenum (Mo), Silver (Ag), Cadmium (Cd), Tin (Sn), Antimony (Sb), Cesium (Cs), Barium (Ba), Europium (Eu), Lead (Pb), Thorium (Th) and Uranium (U) using standard helium (He) collision mode, (3) Titanium (Ti) and Vanadium (V) using high Energy (HEHe) helium (He) collision mode, and (4) Silicon (Si), Calcium (Ca) and Selenium (Se) using standard H2 reaction mode. All samples were prepared/diluted with 2% (v/v) ultrapure nitric acid in Milli-Q water (18.2 mega ohm-cm), and analyzed under a rigorous quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) process. This data package contains (1) a zip file (cation_data_2014_2025.zip) containing a total of 5,849 files: 5.848 data files of cation data from across the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA) which is reported in .csv files per location and a locations.csv (1 file) with latitude and longitude for each location; (2) a file-level metadata (v6_20260901_flmd.csv) file that lists each file contained in the dataset with associated metadata; (3) a data dictionary (v6_20260901_dd.csv) file that contains terms/column_headers used throughout the files along with a definition, units, and data type; (4) PDF and docx files for the detemination of Method Detection Limits (MDLs) for ICP-MS PerkinElmer DRC II instrumentation (Detemination_of_Method_Detection_Limits__MDLs__for_ICP_MS__PerkinElmer_Elan_DRC_II__LBL_Bldg74_Lab214D) for samples before November 2021; (5) PDF and docx files for the determination of MDLs for ICP-MS Agilent 8900 QQQ instrumentation (ICP_MS_Analysis_detection_limits_and_QA_QC_WenmingDong_updated_2026-08-06) for samples November 2021 and onward. Missing values within the anion data files are noted as either "-9999" or "0.0" for not detectable (N.D.) data. There are a total of 113 locations containing cation data. Update on 2021-04-11: Added Detemination of Method Detection Limits (MDLs) for ICP-MS document, which can be accessed as a PDF or with Microsoft Word. Update on 2022-06-10: versioned updates to this dataset was made along with these changes: (1) updated cation data for all locations up to 2021-12-31, (2) removal of units from column headers in datafiles, (3) added row underneath headers to contain units of variables, (4) removed suffix and prefix on two variables (“aqberylliumion_asberyllium” and “aqlithiumion_aslithium”), (5) added -9999 for empty numerical cells, and (6) the addition of the file-level metadata (flmd.csv) and data dictionary (dd.csv) were added to comply with the File-Level Metadata Reporting Format. Update on 2022-09-09: Updates were made to reporting format specific files (file-level metadata and data dictionary) to correct swapped file names, add additional details on metadata descriptions on both files, add a header_row column to enable parsing, and add version number and date to file names (v2_20220909_flmd.csv and v2_20220909_dd.csv). Update on 2023-08-08: Updates were made to both the data files and reporting format specific files. New available anion data was added, up until 2023-01-05. The file level metadata and data dictionary files were updated to reflect the additional data added. Update on 2024-03-11: Updates were made to both the data files and reporting format specific files. New available anion data was added, up until 2023-10-16. Further, revisions to the data files were made to remove incorrect data points (from 1970 and 2001). The reporting format specific files were updated to reflect the additional data added. Updated versions of the PDF and docx files for determination of MDLs for ICP-MS data were added to this dataset for samples starting in November 2021. Update on 2025-05-15: Updates were made to both the data files and reporting format specific files. New available cation data was added, up until the end of WY2024 (September 30, 2024). International Generic Sample Numbers (IGSNs), when registered, were added to the data files. The reporting format specific files were updated to reflect the additional data added. Update on 2026-09-01: Updates were made to both the data files and reporting format specific files. New available cation data was added, up until the end of WY2025 (September 30, 2025). Updated versions, as of 2026-08-06, of the PDF and docx files for determination of MDLs for ICP-MS data were added to this dataset for samples starting in November 2021.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Soil architecture and subsurface stratigraphic heterogeneities across land-lake interfaces along Lake Erie.

Uploaded raw datasets from electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), ground penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic induction (EMI) and insitu sensors were acquired across land-lake interfaces along Lake Erie. These datasets were useful to delineate the soil architecture and subsurface stratigraphic heterogeneities. We combined multiple geophysical methods with lithostratigraphic logs from borehole cores and data from soil and borehole sensors to investigate spatial heterogeneities across land-lake interfaces. The apparent electrical conductivity (Eca) maps matched closely with the soil maps from public database and also detected additional soil units that were missing in the traditional soil maps. This implies that electromagnetic induction (EMI) could be relied upon for non invasive characterization of soils in sampling restricted sites where only non-invasive measurements are feasible. Results from electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and Ground penetrating radar (GPR) are consistent with the surficial geology of the study area, and revealed that the vertical variabilities at the sites are mainly driven by stratigraphy.The ERT data (.stg) were acquired from three different sites portage river (PTR), crane creek (CRC) and old woman creek (OWC). The ".stg" files can be opened with ERT inversion software such as EarthImager, ResIpy or Res2DInv. The GPR data (.GPZ) were also acquired from the three sites, and the ".GPZ" data files can be opened with EKKO_project 5 software from Sensors & Software Inc., or with any other standard GPR software. The EM data (.csv) were acquired from the three sites while the soil sensor data (.csv) here were acquired only from crane creek site. The ".csv) files can be opened with MS Excel or any other spread sheet software.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Total metal, carbon, anion, iron speciation, and sulfide concentrations; Slate River, East River, and Trail Creek surface water and floodplains, Crested Butte, CO; May 2023–August 2023

This data package comprises analytical results and metadata from stream and groundwater samples collected from the Slate River, East River, Trail Creek, and their respective floodplains. This dataset contains five files: (1) a samples file (2023_SFA_Field_samples.csv) that contains site information; (2) a chemical analysis data file (2023_FieldWaterSampleData_IC__ICPOES__ICPMS__TOC__Fe__S_chem_data.csv) that contains sample analysis values; (3) a file-level metadata file (flmd.csv) that lists each file contained in the dataset with associated metadata; (4) a data dictionary file (dd.csv) that contains column/row headers used throughout the files along with definitions, units, and data types; and (5) a methods file (methods.csv) that contains ID, type, description, instrument, and lab information for each method.The samples’ anion concentrations were measured using ion chromatography (IC), total metal concentrations using inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), non-purgeable organic carbon using total organic carbon (TOC) analysis, dissolved sulfide concentration using methylene blue spectrophotometry, and iron speciation using the ferrozine assay. To support bulk chemical analyses and colloid characterization, samples were collected from multiple depths ranging from the surface to 3.5 meters below ground.Update on 2024-10-18: Updates were made to the 2023_FieldWaterSampleData_IC__ICPOES__ICPMS__TOC__Fe__S_chem_data.csv and dd.csv files to correct units (ppb instead of ppm).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Surface Water Quality Data from Beaver-Impacted Streams; Trail Creek and East River, Colorado 2025

This data package contains surface water chemistry measurements collected in 2025 to evaluate how beaver damming and low-tech process-based stream restoration influence water quality and metal mobility in mountainous headwater systems of the Upper Colorado River Basin. Sampling was conducted at Trail Creek (Taylor Park watershed, Colorado), a tributary undergoing restoration through installation of low-tech process-based structures (i.e., beaver dam analogs), and at off-channel beaver ponds within the East River floodplain (East River watershed, Colorado). Samples were collected along longitudinal transects spanning upstream control reaches, beaver-influenced ponded reaches, and downstream segments. Additional samples were collected from near-surface pore waters within a beaver dam seepage face. The dataset includes concentrations of major and trace elements measured by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), major anions measured by ion chromatography (IC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC; reported as non-purgeable organic carbon, NPOC). Samples were size-fractionated at 0.45 micrometers (µm), 0.22 µm, and 0.02 µm to distinguish particulate (>0.45 µm), colloidal (0.22–0.02 µm), and dissolved (<0.02 µm) fractions. The data package consists of comma-separated value (.csv) files containing tabulated chemical concentration data, sample metadata (site identifiers, geographic coordinates, sampling dates, fraction type), and quality control flags. All files are provided in open, non-proprietary formats that can be accessed using standard data analysis software such as Microsoft Excel, R, Python, MATLAB, or other programs capable of reading .csv files. Units, detection limits, and analytical methods are documented in accompanying metadata files. The dataset is designed to support analyses of (1) how beaver impoundment and restoration structures alter elemental partitioning and transport, (2) the role of iron and organic carbon in mediating trace metal mobility, and (3) reach-scale changes in water quality across restoration gradients. This work was supported by the Watershed Function Science Focus Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. Part of this work was performed at SLAC Accelerator Laboratory funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515.

Anions↗
DOE OSTI2021

Characteristics of Ultralow Aspect Ratio Toroidal Plasmas and Non-Solenoidal Startup and Edge Stability Studies at Near-Unity Aspect Ratio (Final Report)

This grant supported a long-term research and development program to explore the physics and technology of spherical tokamak (ST) plasma behavior at near-unity aspect ratio ( A ). The PEGASUS Toroidal Experiment is a university-scale ( R ) ~ 0.40 m, α ~ .35 m, I p ≤ 0.3 MA, B T ≤ 0.15 T) experiment that accesses A → 1, to provide large values of the normalized plasma current, I N = I p /α B T , or equivalently the toroidal field utilization factor I p / I TF . The research activities focused on: 1) developing the technique of Local Helicity Injection (LHI) as a viable means of initiating and growing an ST plasma without the use of a central solenoid; 2) exploring the equilibrium and stability properties of spherical tokamak plasmas at extremely low aspect ratio; and 3) obtaining new insights in the properties of the enhanced confinement H-mode regime at A ~ 1. The initial (Phase I) facility employed a unique high-stress central solenoid Ohmic for current drive and heating with simple magnet current waveforms. A subsequent major upgrade (Phase II) offered more flexible control of the plasma evolution along with a powerful LHI system for plasma initiation, heating and sustainment. The LHI technique consists of injection of high-density current streams into vacuum toroidal and vertical magnetic fields. These streams become unstable and support magnetic reconnection to allow the system to relax into a tokamak-like magnetic configuration. This program focused on: 1) development of electron current sources that provide sufficiently high injection currents in the challenging edge plasma region; 2) validation of theoretical limits to achievable I p arising from magnetic helicity and energy conservation plus absolute limits arising from relaxation to a minimal energy states; 3) tests of a power balance model to describe the evolution of the plasma current I p (t); and 4) study of magnetic fluctuations and their role in the I p evolution. This culminated in the production of toroidal currents of I p ≥ 0.2 MA with only ~8 kA of injected current. Operation with Ohmic induction alone in Phase I created plasmas with soft limits on the achievable I p and field utilization ( I p / I TF ~ 1) due to the onset of large low-order (2/1 or 3/2) internal resonant tearing modes. With the expanded capabilities in Phase II operation, methods employed to mitigate those modes and achieve I p / I TF > 1 were: 1) I TF ramp-downs; 2) non-solenoidal startup via LHI; and 3) extremely low I TF Ohmic operations assisted by LHI current injector pre-ionization. Extensive use of LHI-driven startup and drive for non-solenoidal operation produced favorable current profiles to stably operate tokamak plasmas with unprecedentedly high I N = I p / aB T ~ 15 and I p / I TF > 2. With strong reconnection-driven anomalous ion heating, this in turn provided access to tokamak plasmas with B t up to 100%, a world record 2 times higher than that previously achieved in advanced or spherical tokamaks. This high B t regime had a large fraction (~50%) of the plasma volume in a region of an absolute minimum- B configuration. The MHD stability limit in this regime was the ideal external kink mode without a stabilizing wall. These results provided the first demonstration of access to tokamak plasmas with very high B t , high i N , high elongation κ, and low internal inductance ℓ i , and as such served as a proof-ofprinciple for access to this long-sought ST regime. The naturally low B T needed for stability at A ≤ 1.2 reduces the L-H mode power threshold, P LH , so that H-mode plasmas were achieved with Ohmic heating alone. The power threshold for the transition to the H-mode regime was found to be 10× the accepted values from the ITER international scaling, confirming initial trends indicated by experiments on MAST and NSTX, and suggesting that the physics behind this transition is not yet fully understood. The density dependence of the transition and the observed insensitivity to whether the plasma is bounded by a limiter or magnetic divertor are consistent with the recent FM 3 model. Multiple unstable toroidal magnetic modes were measured during ELM (Edge Localized Mode) crashes, with generally lower toroidal mode numbers than seen at higher A , which was attributed to the larger peeling mode instability drive at low A . First-ever edge current profile measurements through an ELM crash showed current-carrying filaments were generated, as seen in ELM simulations and in electromagnetic blob transport theory.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Transient voltage-reversal in transformers with multiple secondary coils

By using a transformer with multiple secondary coils, a single unipolar power source can drive multiple loads that have different steady-state operating-voltage requirements. We show that, during initial turn-on, a transient voltage that is opposite in sign to the operating voltage can be induced in one or more of the secondary coils. This is because the surging currents in the coils during turn-on produce a strong inductive interaction between all the coils. In a particular secondary coil, the voltage induced by a neighboring secondary can be larger, and opposite in sign to, the voltage directly induced by the primary coil. The effect is transient because, when the secondary circuits reach their steady-state operating currents, they no longer couple inductively to each other. We also show that, during the turn-on period, the voltage induced in a secondary coil can be significantly larger than its steady-state voltage. These transient effects are controlled by the values of the "coil-coupling" parameters, which are functions of the transformer geometry and of the magnetic permeability and electrical resistivity of the materials used. The results are derived from the circuit equations, and verified using PSpice simulations.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Notes on Eulerian Magnetohydrodynamics

A brief description of the MHD equations used in the eulerian AMR code BABBO is presented. The description of the MHD equations has been presented many times in the literature so only a very brief description is given in this report. Of particular importance is the description of the calculation of the plasma load impedance and inductance, which is much less frequently described in the literature and is presented in section 6. In addition, along with an accurate calculation of the plasma load impedance and induction, the circuit calculation used to introduce the external current drive is of particular importance and is presented in section 7. In section 8 a procedure is presented to calculate the current drive of a Marx bank by reverse engineering a machine voltage source, which can then be used to drive varying plasma loads.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Thermomechanical Processing of Uranium Alloys with 10 and 50 Weight Percent Zirconium

This work focuses on casting and thermomechanical processing for moderate sized (500-1000g) 10% by weight and 50% by weight uranium-zirconium alloys. Three castings of uranium – 10wt% zirconium and a fourth casting of uranium – 50wt% zirconium were completed using different castings processes. The first casting process relied on only induction mixing within the VIM system thereby eliminating the need for an arc-melting feedstock preparation step. The second casting process used the arc-melting process prior for feedstock to the same VIM system. In this study, the induction mixing process alone with a graphite crucible appears insufficient for the fabrication of UZr alloys. Graphite is suitable with the use of master alloy UZr feedstock produced by arc-melting. There was a moderate increase of approximately 100 ppm of carbon within the U10Zr alloys. However, there was a near 1000 ppm increase of carbon in the U50Zr alloy. This carbon content is considered too high for forming processes, and therefore, warrants the use of a ceramic crucible for UZr castings near 50wt% zirconium. Zirconia does not appear suitable for UZr castings near 50wt% zirconium. The use of Beryllia or Thoria may be a more suitable option. However, due to the significantly lower liquidus and lower zirconium content, Zirconia crucibles do appear viable for carbon reduction in the U10Zr system. Two thermomechanical processes are also studied in this work - hot extrusion of the U50Zr system and heat treatment in an argon atmosphere. This work demonstrated that extrusion of the U50Zr alloy near 680°C is a viable choice even with +1000 ppm carbon. Extrusion of the U50Zr system near 630°C was unsuccessful and does not appear viable unless significant force and tooling strength is available. There appears to be a moderate increase in extrudate hardness when compared to as-cast. Heat-treatment reduced the hardness of as-cast alloys in the U10Zr castings as well as resolve some variance in the microstructures. However, for the U50Zr billet that did not successfully extrude at 630°C, heat treatment at 900°C for 96 hours did not have a significant impact on hardness or microstructure.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Performance Evaluation of Three RTU Energy Efficiency Technologies

This project was part of an effort by CLEAResult and ComEd to evaluate the energy saving potential of emerging technologies in the Chicago area. This project focused on evaluating emerging technologies related to rooftop units (RTUs). An RTU with a single-stage compressor and a constant-speed fan with an induction motor was selected as the baseline for technology comparison. Three retrofit strategies were investigated. The first two involved replacing the single-stage compressor of an RTU by either a two-stage or variable-speed compressor and adding a variable frequency drive (VFD) to the constant speed fan. The use of a multi-/variable-stage compressor improves the part-load efficiency of the compressor which will ultimately result in annual energy savings as well as peak demand shaving in some cases where the design capacity of the RTU is larger than the maximum cooling load of the building space that it is serving. The third technology was the use of a high rotor pole switched reluctance motor (SRM) as a replacement for the constant-speed supply fan. The SRM was applied in single-speed, two-stage and variable-speed compressor RTUs. SRM motors run via reluctance torque. Their stator poles are driven by direct current (DC) power and require an inverter as well as active control when using alternating current (AC) power. This inherent property results in high efficiency over a range of operating conditions. It also exhibits higher efficiency compared to variable frequency drives (VFDs) since its switching frequency is much slower (SCE, 2018).The three technologies investigated are summarized below: 1) Replacing the single-speed compressor with a two-stage compressor and adding a VFD to the supply fan. 2)Replacing the single-speed compressor with a variable-speed compressor and adding a VFD to the supply fan. 3) Replacing the constant-speed induction motor of the supply fan with a high rotor pole SRM. DOE’s building simulation platform EnergyPlus and its graphical user interface OpenStudio were used to evaluate the energy-saving potential of upgrading RTUs, by leveraging experimental data from previous research.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

High Speed Hybrid Reluctance Motor Utilizing Anisotropic Materials

With high cost and volatility driving continued efforts to decrease reliance on the critical heavy rare earth materials used in traction drive applications, General Motors developed three variants of heavy rare earth-free (HRE-free) electric motors. The variants focused on taking advantage of advanced magnet technologies and new rotor topologies to improve mechanical strength and achieve power targets. The three variants were a HRE-free permanent magnet reluctance motor, a synchronous reluctance motor utilizing small HRE-free permanent magnets, and an induction motor with inserted copper bars and cast aluminum end-rings. Motors were designed with the intent of primary or secondary traction applications, depending on the topology. Variant 1 achieved performance comparable to HRE-containing permanent magnet motors through optimized topology and validation of HRE-free magnets, focusing on achieving energy products and demagnetization resistance comparable to those of HRE-containing magnets. Demagnetization testing demonstrated the motor robustness to currents and temperatures exceeding expected vehicle conditions, a key challenge to the use of HRE-free magnets. The Variant 1 motor also showed the best capability of meeting the US Drive technology 2020 targets, due to the high power-density of the permanent magnet motor and the potential cost reductions enabled by the removal of heavy rare earth materials. Variant 2 exhibited high efficiency in high speed regions due to the low high-speed losses, an important consideration for secondary traction applications, and significantly thrifted on magnet mass to reduce cost. Variant 3 contained copper bars within the induction rotor to reduce losses compared to cast aluminum, while using cast aluminum end-rings to reduce the cost and mass of the rotor. Optimization of the Cu-Al interface were focused on, as the interface is prone to forming brittle intermetallic compounds during the casting process. Prototypes of each motor variant were built and tested for performance, mechanical strength, and demagnetization resistance (Variants 1 and 2 only), with torque and power resulting close to the predicted values.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2021

US-DOE and Republic of South Africa Uranium Benchmarking: Results From Los Alamos National Laboratory (Study Report)

This report details work performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in support of an interlaboratory uranium (U) benchmarking collaboration between LANL, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa). The goal of this interlaboratory benchmarking exercise is to compare analytical methods and data obtained on uranium reference materials CUP-2 and New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL) certified reference material (CRM) 124-2. The LANL commitments for this project include performing microwave digestion of fresh CUP-2 and CRM 124-2 powders, measuring the U isotope composition of CUP-2 and CRM 124-2 by both single-collector and multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SC-ICP-MS and MC-ICP-MS, respectively), and determining trace-element abundances in CUP-2 and CRM 124-2 by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This report details the methods employed by LANL in support of these objectives and presents the data obtained during this collaborative exercise.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2021

Eddy Current Model of a Coil Over An Infinite Perfectly Electrical Conductor (PEC) Half-Plane

Eddy current sensors measure the lift-off or distance between the sensor and a conducting surface. They operate on the principle of an alternating current in a conduction coil inducing a magnetic field within the surface. An eddy current is set up in the surface to counter the incident magnetic field which, in turn, sets up a magnetic field which counters that of the coil. This changes the coil impedance which is a function of the lift-off. As the lift-off increases, the effect of the eddy current magnetic field on the coil magnetic field weakens, resulting in a higher inductance and lower resistance. Thus, the lift-off may be derived from an impedance measurement. Dodd and Deeds developed an analytic model for an eddy current sensor coil impedance with an air core which has been implemented in MATLAB. LLNL assembled an eddy current sensor with a mu-metal core for which there is no analytic model. Rather than derive an analytic model which includes the mu-metal core, analytic empirically based functions are derived to map the Dodd and Deeds model to measured inductance and resistance.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Analytical Results for Prepared UIUC F 7 LiNaK

Source materials including 275 g of 7 LiF-NaF-KF (46.5-11.5-42.0 mol %) and 10 g each of several reagent salts were prepared at Argonne for shipment to the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. The F 7 LiNaK was packaged in a single jar and reagent salts were placed in small vials. The mass of each shipped salt is listed in Table 1. This report contains details of the preparation procedure and results of elemental composition measurements using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and phase analyses using X-ray diffraction.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Discrete modeling of a transformer with ALEGRA

We report progress on a task to model transformers in ALEGRA using the “Transient Magnetics” option. We specifically evaluate limits of the approach resolving individual coil wires. There are practical limits to the number of turns in a coil that can be numerically modeled, but calculated inductance can be scaled to the correct number of turns in a simple way. Our testing essentially confirmed this “turns scaling” hypothesis. We developed a conceptual transformer design, representative of practical designs of interest, and that focused our analysis. That design includes three coils wrapped around a rectangular ferromagnetic core. The secondary and tertiary coils have multiple layers. The tertiary has three layers of 13 turns each; the secondary has five layers of 44 turns; the primary has one layer of 20 turns. We validated the turns scaling of inductance for simple (one-layer) coils in air (no core) by comparison to available independent calculations for simple rectangular coils. These comparisons quantified the errors versus reduced number of turns modeled. For more than 3 turns, the errors are <5%. The magnetic field solver failed to converge (within 5000 iterations) for >10 turns. Including the core introduced some complications. It was necessary to capture the core surfaces in thin grid sheaths to minimize errors in computed magnetic energy. We do not yet have quantitative benchmarks with which to compare, but calculated results are qualitatively reasonable.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Length and Seed Current Scaling of a Mark X HG driven, 8 inch PBX9501 RancheroS FCG system: II

This report is intended to examine the ultimate operating limits of the combined Pt. 88 capacitor bank (CB) + MarkX Helical Generator (HG) driving a RancheroS Flux Compression Generator (FCG) with various physics experiment load inductances. As such, many degradation mechanisms are neglected in this study. In actual use, degradation of the HG output current delivered to the FCG will probably occur. Internal changes in the HG can occur due to both Ohmic heating in the generator leading to a time varying series resistance [R(t)] such as that seen in the first trial (Shot 0) of the MarkX, as well as any misbehavior, such HG internal turn to turn shorts such as seem to have occurred in subsequent MarkX tests. Both reduce the output current from the HG that is used to seed the FCG. The results discussed here are intended to probe the limits of the RancheroS driving various loads, in an ideal situation in which none of the HG or system degradation mechanisms prior to the FCG armature first motion (FM) reduce the seed current. The HG is modeled simply as a time varying inductance [L(t), as measured in Shot 0], with a constant internal resistance [R(t) = 0.2mOhm]. The RancheroS itself is fully modeled, including all FCG and load degradation mechanisms, thus probing the ultimate capabilities of the full system, independent of problems upstream of the FCG.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Novel frequency tunable systems for superconducting cavities (Abbreviated Report)

Ultra-low loss microwave resonant cavities are the backbone of quantum information science (QIS) and axion/dark matter detection (ADMX), but one of the challenges in developing 3D cavity systems has been finding a tuning mechanism that does not drastically reduce the cavity quality factor (Q) but still provides a large operating bandwidth. To alleviate this limitation, we proposed to fabricate a high-Q, 3D microwave cavity with an integrated hybrid mechanical/electrical tuning scheme to achieve both coarse and rapid fine tuning. We implemented two tuning schemes: one using a shift in kinetic inductance and one utilizing mechanical motion. We found that the kinetic inductance method did not yield any tunability in the cavity mode, but the mechanical adjustment successfully moved the cavity resonance. The quality factors obtained were lower than originally proposed, but there is potential to improve the design on further iterations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Performance Characterization and Energy Savings Assessment of a Radial Flux Surface Permanent Magnet Motor Technology

This project is part of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) "Commercialization Assistance Program" to provide technical expertise to help emerging companies overcome technical barriers to commercialization. In this study, NREL has evaluated the efficiency and energy saving potential of a novel motor technology designed by ZEUS Motor Inc. located in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. The motor expands on permanent magnet AC motor (PMAC) design to create a new "radial flux, surface PMAC", or RF-sPMAC motor that is expected to outperform other novel motor technologies on the market. Here, the motor showed considerable energy benefits over typical induction motors. The motor benefits from a tightly-packed magnetic steel and copper stator that allows the motor size to be reduced to a thin disc with an internal cavity 1/30th the size of a traditional induction motor. The housing is also aluminum which is magnetically benign. This eliminates the need for external cooling (up to 25 HP), in addition to reducing power consumption.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Shot 3 Post-Shot Report: Fault Analysis of MK-X Data [Slides]

This presentation constitutes a post-shot report for the MK-X performance on Shot 3 (13 July 2022). It focuses primarily on the analysis of electrical faults which have been a persistent issue in MK-X performance and were a significant focus of the test. The MK-X is a helical flux compression generator (HFCG) that has been manufactured in a novel and very cost-effective way. Shot 3 was the fourth test in a series which began with a low initial-current-level HFCG test coupled to a dummy load (Shot 0) and then a high stress test (Shot 1) coupled to a primitive pulse forming network (PFN). Shot 0 performed close to expectation but Shot 1 had early time losses that could not be explained. As a result, Shots 2 and 3 had dual goals. Each shot looked at MK-X performance relative to the early time losses, and since the amount of current generated on the first two tests was a useful amount, we coupled to a fast R43S Ranchero flux compression generator for Shot 2 to ascertain Ranchero’s performance with higher-than-ever initial current and another PFN load. Then Shot 3 implemented a specific change to the MK-X and coupled to only a low inductance PFN load. The report shows that Shots 1-3 all have qualitatively similar losses and the change made for Shot 3 to explore losses led to even further losses. However, the PFN on shot 3 was low inductance and in spite of the losses, 32 MA was generated. This report discusses the losses seen specifically on Shot 3 and compares the electrical and camera data along with a careful comparison to 3 D MHD modeling.

42 ENGINEERING↗