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At least 595 records · Page 33

Mathematical Programming Models for Shale Oil & Gas Development: A Review and Perspective

Here, in this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of mathematical programming models for shale oil & gas development, and we offer a perspective on outstanding research opportunities. We distinguish contributions in five major topic areas, namely: (1) development planning, (2) water management, (3) production optimization, (4) supplies, gathering & processing, and (5) life cycle analysis & sustainability. We highlight how various types of mathematical programming models (i.e., linear programs, nonlinear programs, mixed-integer linear programs, mixed-integer nonlinear programs) have been proposed primarily by the Process Systems Engineering community to address the respective decision-making problems, and we highlight instances of successful deployment in industry. Finally, based on a critical assessment of the existing body of work, we identify opportunities for future research across the major topic areas.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Leveraging T&TA Plans to Support State Workforce Development Needs

This presentation talks about how to maximize training and technical assistance (T&TA) budgets within the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Grantees share creative ways they've used T&TA funds to support workforce recruitment and retention, staff training, work quality, monitoring, and more.

ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION,↗

Wide Bandgap Generation (WBGen): Developing the Future Wide Bandgap Power Electronics Engineering Workforce

This Final Technical Report (FTR) summarizes the work conducted at the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) under the Wide-Bandgap Generation (WBGen) fellowship and traineeship program established by the Advanced Manufacturing and Technologies Office (AMMTO) of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at Virginia Tech, which had as main objective to train the next generation of U.S. citizen power engineers with wide-bandgap (WBG) power semiconductor expertise, with the intent to aid in fulfilling the future workforce needs in this field. The latter was deemed of strategic importance given the fast-paced growth observed—and predicted—in the demand of this technical expertise, whose practitioners have become the enablers and executioners of the electrification transformation process that not just the U.S., but the whole world, is currently undergoing as it seeks for more effective and efficient ways to use energy. As such, the WBGen program set forth to achieve its educational goals, which in addition sought to broaden the range of WBG-based power electronics by conducting research and development on high-efficiency grid apparatus and high-efficiency electrical power systems, and to also enhance the power engineering curriculum by formalizing WBG-oriented design procedures replacing existent yet now obsolete design procedures developed for Silicon (Si) based power electronics. This effort led CPES to spearhead the development of a new major within The Bradley Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at Virginia Tech, namely Electronic Power and Energy Systems (EPES), which coalesced power electronics and power systems courses to provide undergraduate students with a strong formation in the power engineering field, while creating a pipeline of graduate students that could pursue the WBG-based curriculum and conduct research at CPES. In all, in what is considered a true success, eight of the twenty WBGen fellows that graduated program were recruited from the ECE department undergraduate cohort. The traineeship emphasized as well, from its beginning, the partnership with industry and national laboratories, which took advantage of the successful industry consortium at CPES that has historically been formed by 80–90 power and energy companies working in close collaboration with the center. This gave WBGen fellows the accessibility and possibility to conduct internships at partner facilities during the summer months, focused solely on the evaluation, testing, and adoption of WBG devices, which were many times tightly related to their respective research work and plans. In addition, WBGen fellows conducted their main research work within the confines of research programs at CPES conducted with these industry partners, providing them with a unique opportunity to develop not just their technical expertise—while advancing their knowledge, but to also learn and practice a slew of skills needed for their professional growth. As such, the fellows tackled a variety of WBG-related research topics, from device reliability and capability aspects as well as packaging and integration, encompassing the use of advanced materials and new structures, current sharing challenges, and insulation systems, to advanced gate-drivers with integrated sensors and protection mechanisms and active current- and voltage-based control, to optimized layouts seeking to maximize the switching and power processing performance of these devices, to power processing solutions adopting Gallium-Nitride (GaN) and Silicon-Carbide (SiC) power semiconductors for a variety of applications; including radiation-hardened converters for space dc distribution systems, direct three-phase ac-to-ac power converters for aerospace systems, dc-ac inverters for automotive traction drives, high-frequency isolated dc-dc battery chargers also for heavy transportation systems, and medium-voltage dc-dc and dc-ac converters for distribution systems and future power grids. The WBGen program ultimately graduated a total of 20 power engineers, all experts on WBG-based power electronics, awarding 18 M.S. and 2 PhD degrees in the process. These fellows, all U.S. citizens, allowed CPES to increase the number of citizens students to 33 % at the peak of the program, as the traineeship made possible the recruitment of talent with more attractive graduate research assistantship (GRA) contracts. Unfortunately, the present U.S. citizen enrollment at CPES has declined back to historic levels—approximately 10 %, as the regular GRA rates are not competitive enough when compared with entry-level industry jobs. In all, WBGen fellows published a total of 7 peer-reviewed journal articles, 44 papers at international technical conferences, made 42 presentations at international technical conferences, and filed 4 invention disclosures and patent applications, which have since then been granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Their contribution to CPES, Virginia Tech, the United States, and the world, has been significant, and continues to yield results thanks to the exemplary career that the fellows have initiated at many of the partners of the program, which include Wolfspeed, Raytheon Technologies, Infineon, Lockheed Martin, Dominion Energy, Northrop Grumman, Rivian, Aerospace Corporation, Sandia National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, John Hopkins University, and Virginia Tech.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

SUSTAINING NUCLEAR SECURITY REGIMES THROUGH CONTINUOUS LEARNING EXPERIENCES

As Member States plan, implement, and ultimately sustain their nuclear security regimes, human resource development supporting these regimes are paramount. Human resource development broadly includes programs addressing education, training, and knowledge management. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Implementing Guide, Sustaining a Nuclear Security Regime, highlights the importance of national-level support for assigning resources that help ensure States are able to develop and retain sufficient human resources in the short, medium, and long term. Determining the resources needed to support education, training, and knowledge management is not an easy task, and knowledge management is a practice often overlooked when States plan for and allocate human resources for a nuclear security regime. The paper highlights the importance of implementing knowledge management practices as part of sustaining a nuclear security regime. Given the availability of secure web-based knowledge management tools, a nuclear security human resource development program should not depend solely on direct human interactions. To that end, the paper will offer an approach for planning and implementing a knowledge management system by using the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration’s Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence Knowledge Management Website as a case study. This example offers useful lessons learned for States considering or actively developing their own nuclear security knowledge management efforts and human resource development.

Tremonte, Matthew M.↗

Implementation of the HEP instrumentation R&D roadmap in the USA

In recent years, the High Energy Physics (HEP) community in the USA has evaluated the technological needs in detector instrumentation for future HEP experiments. Specific needs have been identified and an R&D program to reach them has been defined. This article will briefly summarize the planning process and will highlight the main findings and the road map to carry out the plan as defined by the community.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Comparing event generator predictions and ab initio calculations of ν- 12 C neutral-current quasielastic scattering at 1 GeV

The measurement of neutrino oscillations and exotic physics searches are important parts of the physics program in the near future, with new state-of-the-art experiments planned within the next decade. Future and modern experiments in these fields will make use of nuclear targets. Event generators (EGs) are software used in the analysis of neutrino oscillation experiments. EGs are used to predict kinematic observables for a range of neutrino energies. These simulations make use of simple models of nucleon dynamics. As such, they may fail to capture features of more rigorous theoretical calculations. This work compares EG performance to nuclear theory calculations by comparing observables generated in the two frameworks. We provide a common set of definitions between theory and experiment and assess the adequacy of the implementation of two nuclear physics models in EG simulations. Neutral-current quasielastic (NCQE) scattering events for neutrinos and antineutrinos on a 12 C target are simulated with a specific EG, NEUT, used by the T2K experiment for its analysis. The simulated cross sections are compared to analytic calculations from nuclear theory within the factorization scheme. We compare the NEUT implementation of two different models on nuclear spectral functions: the relativistic Fermi gas (RFG) and the correlated basis spectral function (CBF) to analytic calculations of the same models in the factorization scheme. For both nuclear physics models, we compare the appearance of features in the distributions relevant to experimental analyses. The peak of the cross section dσ/(dΩ dω) is consistent in energy transfer, ω, for RFG and CBF simulations. Qualitatively, the shape of the simulated distribution is similar to the one obtained through theory calculations; however, there are some discrepancies between the theory calculations and the NEUT simulation. While the EG simulations and analytic calculations with the same model of nuclear dynamics show similar overall features, there are still differences between the two. These results demonstrate the importance of benchmarking EGs so their nuclear physics implementations can be improved for the analysis of future experiments.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Resilience-Oriented DG Siting and Sizing Considering Stochastic Scenario Reduction

In this paper, a fuel-based distributed generator (DG) allocation strategy is proposed to enhance the distribution system resilience against extreme weather. The long-term planning problem is formulated as a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming (SMIP). The first stage is to make decisions of DG siting and sizing under the given budget constraint. In the second stage, a post-extreme-event-restoration (PEER) is employed to minimize the operating cost in an uncertain fault scenario. In particular, this study proposes a method to select the most representative scenarios for the SMIP. First, a Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) is introduced to generate sufficient scenarios considering random fault locations and load profiles. Then, the number of scenarios is reduced by the K-means clustering algorithm. The advantage of scenario reduction is to make a trade-off between accuracy and computational efficiency. Finally, the SMIP is solved by the progressive hedging algorithm. Here, the case studies of the IEEE 33-bus and 123-bus test systems demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in reducing the expected energy not served (EENS), which is a critical criterion of resilience.

42 ENGINEERING↗

w22_laser_radiography - Laser-Based MeV Radiography

This project seeks to develop novel x-ray sources based on high-power short-pulse lasers with unique advantages, including small spot size, flexible configuration, and tailorable spectra. Kinetic plasma simulations using the VPIC particle in cell code will be performed to support the R&D goals of this project. If successful, this effort will allow LANL to deploy flexible, compact x-ray sources for static tomographic radiography and dynamic multi-axis radiography at our firing sites and facilities such as pRad and U1a. The higher resolution, shorter pulse duration, and tunability of our proposed sources will enable new applications in the weapons program and broader scientific community. This effort advances the LANL FY22 Strategic Investment Plan priority of “[r]adiographic tools for dynamic and static imaging with improved spatial and temporal resolution, sensitivity, and dose.”

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Comparing event generator predictions and ab-initio calculations of $\nu$-$^{12}$C neutral current quasi-elastic scattering at 1 GeV

The measurement of neutrino oscillations and exotic physics searches are important parts of the physics program in the near future, with new state-of-the-art experiments planned within the next decade. Future and modern experiments in these fields will make use of nuclear targets. Event Generators (EGs) are software used in the analysis of neutrino oscillation experiments. EGs use to predict kinematic observables for a range of neutrino energies. These simulations may lack physics captured by more rigorous theoretical calculations. This work compares EG performance to nuclear theory calculations by comparing observables generated in the two frameworks. We provide a common set of definitions between theory and experiment and assess the physics contained in EG simulations. Neutral current quasi-elastic (NCQE) scattering events for neutrinos and anti-neutrinos on a $^{12}$C target are simulated with a specific EG, NEUT, used by the T2K experiment for its analysis. The simulated cross sections are compared to analytic calculations from nuclear theory within the factorization scheme. We compare the NEUT implementation of two different models on nuclear spectral functions: the Relativistic Fermi Gas (RFG) and the correlated basis spectral function (CBF) to analytic calculations of the same models in the factorization scheme. For both nuclear physics models, we compare the appearance of features in the distributions relevant to experimental analyses. Qualitatively, the shape of the simulated distribution is similar to the one obtained through theory calculations; however, there are some discrepancies between the theory calculations and the NEUT simulation. While the EG simulations and analytic calculations with the same model of nuclear dynamics show similar overall features, there are still differences between the two.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Increasing Diversity in the Field of Radiological Security

This paper will report on a diversity initiative undertaken by the NNSA Office of Radiological Security (ORS), Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management. This paper will report on the planning associated with inclusion of radiological and nuclear security in the annual meeting program, the process of identifying and selecting individuals who will receive grants to attend the meeting, the expected impact of the INMM/ORS diversity initiative on the nuclear security community, and lessons learned.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

Cleantech University Program Regional Competition. Final Report

The Berkeley Cleantech University Program (CUP) provided aspiring student entrepreneurs with the mentorship, business development skills and training, and investor feedback they need to turn their clean energy ideas into businesses offering real-world solutions. Annually for three years, the Berkeley CUP recruited teams of students across the country to develop their clean energy technology and refine their business plan, and provided them with mentorship and training during the crucial incubation phase. Each year, the regional program culminates in a final pitch competition, where two finalists and one grand prize winner are determined. Teams are judged on a variety of factors, including but not limited to technical feasibility, scalability, and impact. A total of 18 teams representing 10 universities have participated in the Berkeley CUP. The contest attracted and sustained a growing body of innovative cleantech ideas, young entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate partners in the western region of the United States.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Vendor-Independent Design Requirements for a Boiling Water Reactor Safety System Upgrade

This Vendor-Independent License Amendment Request (LAR) Framework Document is a research product developed for the Idaho National Laboratory Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program. It was developed by MPR Associates, Inc. with technical input from LWRS and Exelon Generation personnel. To accomplish the purpose of this research, an operating plant (Limerick Generating Station [LGS]) was used as a reference to provide a concrete example and to present a "top-down" view of design concepts consistent with functional requirements baseline documents (references X and Y) also developed for this research. While this document is written in a framework to support a complete LAR submittal, its purpose is to communicate research concepts and provide an example of how to present digital information necessary to address expectations with regard to leveraging the Alternate Review Process as provided in Digital Instrumentation and Controls Interim Staff Guidance #06, Revision 2, Licensing Process. To leverage that process, this research document presupposes that a utility would select a vendor platform which has been prequalified for safety-related by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. While this document is written using the Exelon Generation Limerick Generating Station (LGS) Units 1 and 2 as a baseline, this document is a research product. This document contains no commitments and makes no binding design decisions for Exelon Generation. Exelon Generation is leveraging this research to support their in-progress LGS Plant Protection System (PPS) upgrade efforts and plans to leverage it for their Redundant Reactor Control System (RRCS) replacement. The LWRS Program appreciates the research support provided by Exelon Generation in the generation of this document.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Driving Affordable Energy Through Utility Program Design

The presentation is aimed to teach participants about achieving affordable energy through utility program design. Learning objectives include: identify key utility program characteristics that support affordability and consumer choice; apply best practices in outreach, eligibility, and evaluation to improve program design; and evaluate strategies for aligning program design with customer needs and regulatory goals.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

High-Burnup Spent Fuel Data Project: Sister Rod Final Phase II Test Plan

The Sibling Pin test campaign is a Department of Energy (DOE) research activity within the Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) program that is tasked with characterization of high burnup (HBU) fuel in support of the High Burnup Spent Fuel Data Project. Of the 25 fuel rods in the Sibling Pin inventory, approximately 9 rod lengths have been consumed during the first phase (Phase I) of the test campaign leaving approximately 16 rod lengths for the second phase (Phase II) of testing. This plan outlines the Phase II testing and the motivations for performing these tests. Priorities for Phase II testing are based on previously identified knowledge gaps, lessons-learned from Phase I work, the original objectives of the High Burnup Spent Fuel Data Project and the Sibling Pin test campaign, and input from external stakeholders. The priorities for Phase II testing are to obtain data to characterize the effects of annealing on cladding mechanical properties and fuel rod performance, to quantify the creep behavior of cladding materials and fuel rods and the effects of creep deformations on the performance of cladding and fuel rods, and to gather data to support the final closure of the hydride reorientation and radial hydride induced embrittlement gap for HBU fuel rods.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

ICARUS: new voyage to sterile neutrino search in the Short Baseline Program

The ICARUS collaboration operated the 760-ton T600 detector in a successful three-year physics run at the underground LNGS laboratories studying neutrino oscillations with the CNGS neutrino beam from CERN, and searching for atmospheric neutrino interactions. ICARUS performed a sensitive search for LSND-like anomalous νe appearance in the CNGS beam, which contributed to the constraints on the allowed parameters to a narrow region around $Δm^2=1 e\text{V}^2$, where all the experimental results can be coherently accommodated at 90% C.L. After a significant overhaul at CERN, the T600 detector has been installed at Fermilab. In 2020 cryogenic commissioning began with detector cool down, liquid Argon filling and recirculation. ICARUS has started operations and is presently in its commissioning phase with the aim of collecting its first neutrino events from the Booster Neutrino Beam and the NuMI off-axis beam. The main goal of the first year of ICARUS data taking will then be the definitive verification of the recent claim by NEUTRINO-4 short baseline reactor experiment both in the $ν_μ$ channel with the BNB and in the $ν_e$ with NuMI. After the first year of operations, ICARUS will commence its search for evidence of a sterile neutrino jointly with the SBND near detector, within the Short Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program. The ICARUS exposure to the NuMI beam will also give the possibility for other physics studies such as light dark matter searches and neutrino-Argon cross section measurements. The proposed contribution addresses ICARUS achievements, its status and plans for the new run at Fermilab and the ongoing developments of the analysis tools needed to fulfill its physics program.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

HALEU Experiments [Slides]

The DNCSH, through the HALEU Availability Program, needs publicly available benchmarks supporting Advanced Reactor Fuel Cycle and Transportation. LANL is uniquely positioned to support this goal, with its past experiments at TA-18, planned experiments at NCERC, experiment design capability, and ties to industry. The Deimos experiment will be executed soon and serve as a premier benchmark for the program. LANL expects to submit proposals to the call when issued (soon). Additional experiments supporting DNCSH have already been designed

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Policies and Programs Available in the United States in Support of Carbon Capture and Utilization

The article seeks to compile policies and programs that provide revenue and financing support for carbon capture and utilizations projects, which are available in the United States. Often technically minded entrepreneurs and investors new to this space are unaware of available support, which could help successful development of carbon capture and utilization projects.Covered in this article are the 45Q tax credit, green bonds, loan guarantee programs, the regional greenhouse gas initiative, and low carbon fuel standards.1This article covers the eligibility and effect of each policy and program. The article also briefly reviews the current state of technology and summarizes how each technology pathway pairs with the policies covered in the article.The goal of the article is to serve as a primer for lawyers, corporate development professionals, and practitioners, who seek to learn about policies and programs available to support carbon capture and utilization (CCU) projects.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Will Consumers Really Pay for Green Electricity? Comparing Stated and Revealed Preferences for Residential Programs in the United States

Public support is growing for policy initiatives to spur a transition from a fossil to renewable energy portfolio in the electricity sector. Some utilities in the United States offer programs that allow consumers to voluntarily pay premiums (0.1-7.0 cents/kWh) for electricity from renewable sources. However, it is unclear whether public support translates to paying for green electricity if given the option. Our analysis employs data from two national, longitudinal surveys on energy attitudes and willingness to pay for renewables to investigate whether environmental concerns and stated preferences for renewable energy translate to consumer behavior as measured through ratepayer participation in voluntary utility renewable energy programs known as utility green pricing. We find higher green pricing program participation rates in areas where consumers have stronger feelings about the environmental impacts of energy. Consumers in high-participation areas also have a higher stated willingness to pay for renewable energy, on average, than consumers in low-participation areas. We also find income, homeownership, and home value explain some of the difference between high- and low-participation programs. Further, program participation is lower in areas where utilities charge higher green pricing program premiums. These findings suggest that green power programs - such as utility green pricing - offer a market-based mechanism for consumers to realize their desire to purchase renewable energy. Policymakers may use these results to support further expansion of green power programs in areas where customers currently lack accessible and affordable options to act on their environmental beliefs and concerns.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗