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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 613 records · Page 34
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation: Disposal of the West Valley Demonstration Project Drum Cell Cement Solidified Waste at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

This Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation (UDQE) assesses whether the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) Drum Cell Cement-Solidified Waste (WVDP000000018, Revision 4 [WVDP 2017]) is suitable for shallow land burial (SLB) at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). Disposal of the WVDP Drum Cell Cement-Solidified Waste meets all performance objectives in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Manual DOE M 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual , Chapter IV, Section P (DOE 1999). The WVDP Drum Cell Cement-Solidified Waste is recommended for acceptance without conditions.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

Understanding valley spin coupling and two-dimensional exciton gases in layered materials at extreme magnetic fields (Final Technical Report)

We explored the fundamental optical properties of two-dimensional layered materials using ultrafast time-resolved optical spectroscopy using extremely high magnetic fields. In these studies, optical frequencies were used that span all the way to the terahertz range. Important insights into the interactions leading to the loss of optical coherence in these materials were obtained. Surprisingly, such two-dimensional atomic layers can optically couple via Dicke superradiance. Furthermore, in two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides under high magnetic fields peculiar Landau levels and four-particle quasi-particles are formed. These Landau levels are shown to me fully spin and valley polarized. Finally, at high magnetic fields the coherent optical response of two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides is entirely dominated by four-particle quasi-particles called biexcitons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

UNREVIEWED DISPOSAL QUESTION EVALUATION: Disposal of the West Valley Demonstration Project Asbestos Contaminated Low-Level Waste Debris at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

This Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation (UDQE) assesses whether the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) Asbestos Contaminated Low-Level Waste Debris (WVDP000000023, Revision 3 [WVDP 2018a]) is suitable for shallow land burial (SLB) at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). Disposal of the WVDP Asbestos Contaminated Low-Level Waste Debris meets all performance objectives of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Manual DOE M 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual, Chapter IV, Section P (DOE 1999). The WVDP Asbestos Contaminated Low-Level Waste Debris is recommended for acceptance with the condition that the total radium-226 (226Ra) waste stream activity shall not exceed 1.4E8 Bq.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation: Disposal of the West Valley Demonstration Project Fuel Receiving and Storage Debris and Filters at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

This Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation assesses whether the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) Fuel Receiving and Storage (FRS) Debris and Filters waste stream is suitable for shallow land burial at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site on the Nevada National Security Site. Disposal of the WVDP FRS Debris and Filters low-level waste meets all DOE M 435.1-1 performance objectives. The WVDP FRS Debris and Filters waste stream is recommended for acceptance with the condition that the total 226Ra activity not exceed 2E9 Bq.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

Investigating the role of innate immunity in viral encephalitis caused by Rift Valley fever virus

Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) is a category A biodefense pathogen due to its potential for intentional spread by aerosols and the lack of a licensed vaccine or antiviral therapeutic. Although the brain is a major target of viral replication and tissue damage following aerosol infection, little is known about innate immune responses to RVFV in the brain. We are investigating the responses of resident innate immune cells of the brain (microglia and astrocytes) during RVFV infection, in order to identify how these cells are capable of controlling RVFV replication. Microglia mount a robust response to RVFV that is dependent upon mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS) and independent of toll-like receptors 3 and 7. Mice genetically modified to have nonfunctional MAVS (MAVS "knock out" or KO mice) have significantly higher viral loads in the brain following intranasal infection, but surprisingly, many markers of immune activity were similarly upregulated in the brains of MAVS KO and wild type (WT, or “normal”) mice. This is in contrast to the in vitro response, where microglia and astrocytes derived from MAVS KO mice were unresponsive to RVFV infection. RNA-sequencing analysis of infected brain tissue revealed that key antiviral genes are not activated in the MAVS KO animals. These results are an important step towards understanding the molecular pathways responsible for controlling RVFV infection in the brain and lay the groundwork for the development of targeted therapies for the prevention of RVFV encephalitis.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Multiyear Analysis of the Fate and Transport of Contaminated Soils at Plutonium Valley and the Smoky Site, Nevada National Security Site

Desert Research Institute (DRI) has collected approximately 10 years of atmospheric and hydrologic data at Plutonium Valley and the Smoky Site on the Nevada National Security Site to identify the potential for radionuclide-contaminated soils to be transported via wind and water. Plutonium preferentially binds to finer soil particles (Shinn et al., 1993; Miller et al., 2015), which can be transported through erosion processes. Data collected by DRI are used to determine the mechanisms and thresholds that result in the transport of radionuclide-contaminated soils, and climate model projections are used to understand how these mechanisms may change in the future. This work will help identify the parameters and threshold conditions that should be incorporated into post-closure monitoring plans for these and other Soils Corrective Action Unit (CAU) sites.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation: Disposal of the West Valley Demonstration Project Asbestos Contaminated Low-Level Waste Debris at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

This Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation assesses whether the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) Asbestos Contaminated Low-Level Waste (LLW) Debris is suitable for shallow land burial at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site on the Nevada National Security Site. Disposal of the WVDP Asbestos Contaminated LLW Debris meets all performance objectives in DOE M 435.1-1, “Radioactive Waste Management Manual,” Chapter IV, Section P. The WVDP Asbestos Contaminated LLW Debris is recommended for acceptance with the condition that the total radium-226 (226Ra) waste stream activity shall not exceed 2E+9 Bq.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

West Valley Demonstration Project Annual Site Environmental Report (CY2019)

The report, prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy West Valley Demonstration Project office (DOE-WVDP), summarizes the environmental protection program at the WVDP for calendar year (CY) 2019. Monitoring and surveillance of the facilities used by the DOE are conducted to verify protection of public health and safety and the environment. The report is a key component of DOE’s effort to keep the public informed of environmental conditions at the WVDP. The quality assurance protocols applied to the environmental monitoring program ensure the validity and accuracy of the monitoring data. In addition to demonstrating compliance with environmental laws, regulations, and directives, evaluation of data collected in 2019 continued to indicate that WVDP activities pose no threat to public health or safety, or to the environment.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Fleet-wide Electrification Impacts Assessment for the Valley Transportation Authority

This report explores the long-term electrification opportunities for the Valley Transit Authority’s (VTA) transit bus fleet. The potential for transit bus electrification at VTA as well as the economic impacts of partial and complete electrification are explored. We use the Revenue Operation and Device Optimization model to determine the optimal charging, operation and lowest capital and operating cost solution to achieve different levels of electrification to meet their existing routes. This study finds that, relying on only depot charging, around 70% of the daily trips by VTA’s transit bus fleet can be replaced with battery electric buses (BEBs) today. The benefits and drawbacks of five methods for improving the electrification potential beyond that achievable with only depot charging are discussed including (1) increase charger power, (2) purchase of larger vehicle batteries, (3) en-route charging, (4) purchasing additional buses and swapping them to enable the existing routes/blocks1 to be met, and (5) route/block redesign. A strategy is developed to enable full fleet electrification by increasing charger power or allowing intraday charging as a proxy for the options mentioned above. This method allows us to develop an understanding of the impacts and trade-offs of full fleet electrification. Two charging strategies are examined. Immediate charging, when the bus is charged as soon as it arrives at a depot or en-route charging station, and smart charging, which uses a controller to determine the best times to charge to achieve the lowest charging cost, while maintaining the same trip schedules. Smart charging is effective at reducing the peak power consumption, which can be reduced by between 31% and 65% compared to immediate charging. This translates directly to lower electricity demand charges and lower costs for possible distribution system upgrades. The total lifetime net present value (NPV) costs for different scenarios are presented in Figure ES-1. Scenarios are separated into three sections. The first stacked bar on the left is the base case (business-as-usual) where all buses are diesel hybrids, the next four bars include partial and full fleet electrification utilizing only immediate charging, and the last four bars include partial and full fleet electrification utilizing smart charging. The results show that smart charging scenarios are within ±4% of the lifetime NPV cost of the diesel-hybrid only (business-as-usual) scenario. The scenarios with full fleet electrification (i.e., including intraday charging) are 4% lower cost and those with partial fleet electrification (i.e., without intraday charging) are 2%–3% higher. However, it is important to note that the intraday charging scenarios do not include any additional costs for the equipment necessary to achieve intraday charging (e.g., additional chargers, larger batteries, new route design). Additionally, it is worth noting that the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credit received for implementing electric buses is essential to achieving these results.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Evaluation of Timber Mountain Recharge and Groundwater Flow in Relation to Pahute Mesa-Oasis Valley Flow System

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Timber Mountain recharge on groundwater flow in the surrounding Pahute Mesa-Oasis Valley groundwater basin using several different methodologies. These methodologies included examining climatic and soil moisture data, estimating groundwater recharge by chloride mass balance, interpreting water chemical and isotopic data, and modeling groundwater flow along faults.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle Surveys at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - Site 300

This report describes the results of a visual survey conducted in 2020 to determine the potential presence of the federally listed Threatened Valley elderberry longhorn beetle (VELB; Desmocerus californicus dimorphus) and the quantity and quality of its host plant, blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea) on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Experimental Test Site, known as Site 300. In addition, an area located immediately southeast of Site 300, which is owned and managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), but secured by LLNL, was also included in this survey. This report will refer to the survey areas as the LLNL-Site 300 and the CDFW site. The 2020 survey included mapping the locations of elderberry plants that were observed using a global positioning system (GPS) to obtain positional coordinates for every elderberry plant at Site 300 and the CDFW site. In addition, observations of VELB emergence holes on elderberry plants were also mapped using GPS.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle Surveys at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - Site 300

This report describes the results of a visual survey conducted in fall 2020 and spring 2021 to determine the potential presence of the federally listed Threatened Valley elderberry longhorn beetle (VELB; Desmocerus californicus dimorphus) and the quantity and quality of its host plant, blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea) on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Experimental Test Site, known as Site 300. In addition, an area located immediately southeast of Site 300, which is owned and managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), but secured by LLNL, was also included in this survey. This report will refer to the survey areas as the LLNL-Site 300 and the CDFW site. The fall 2020 survey included mapping the locations of elderberry plants that were observed using a global positioning system (GPS) to obtain positional coordinates for every elderberry plant at Site 300 and the CDFW site. In addition, observations of VELB emergence holes on elderberry plants were also mapped using GPS. The spring 2021 survey revisited most of the elderberry locations mapped in the fall of 2020 and surveyed for any new emergence holes or presence of VELB. Those locations not revisited were either considered poor VELB habitat (non-riparian) or were located within active Tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor), nesting sites.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Rock Valley Accelerated Weight Drop Preliminary P-wave Tomographic Model

An active source experiment using an accelerated weight drop was conducted in Rock Valley, Nevada National Security Site, during the spring of 2021 in order to characterize the shallow seismic structure of the region. P-wave first arrival travel times picked from this experiment were used to construct a preliminary 3-D compressional wave speed model over an area that is roughly 4 km wide east-west and 8 km north-south to a depth of about 500-600 m below the surface, but with primary data concentration along the transects of the experimental lines. The preliminary model shows good correlation with basic geology and surface features, but geological interpretation is not the focus of this report. We describe the methods used in the tomographic inversion of the data and show results from this preliminary P-wave model.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Rock Valley Accelerated Weight Drop Seismic Data Processing and Picking of P-wave and S-wave Arrival Times

Rock Valley, in the southern end of the Nevada National Security Site, hosts a fault system that was responsible for a shallow (< 3 km below surface ) magnitude 3.7 earthquake in May 1993. In order to better understand this system, seismic properties of the shallow subsurface need to be better constrained. In April and May of 2021, accelerated weight drop (AWD) active-source seismic data were recorded in order to measure P- and S-wave travel-times for the area. This report describes the processing and phase picking of the recorded seismic waveforms. In total, we picked 7,982 P-wave arrivals at offsets up to ~2500 m, and 4,369 S-wave arrivals at offsets up to ~2200 m. These travel-time picks can be inverted for shallow P-wave and S-wave velocity structure in future studies.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Soil Stratigraphic Characterization of Soils at Selected Sites at Fort Hunter Liggett and Panamint Valley, California

Soil data were collected from five unique soil profiles at the U.S. Army Fort Hunter Liggett (CA) between April 21-26, 2019. Study sites were selected to allow characterization of river terraces and alluvial fan surfaces at Fort Hunter Liggett (FHL) that reflect past periods of high river discharge or runoff (Figure 1). The selected sites represent five landform units that were deposited during periods of enhanced flow and alluvial sedimentation. These surfaces have been correlated locally along the San Antonio River and are distinguished on the basis of relative landscape position (i.e., height above the valley bottom). The dataset includes field observations of morphological properties and laboratory analyses of both physical and chemical attributes of each soil type that are used to document soil characteristics and inform dating techniques.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Rock Valley Direct Comparison Relocation Working Group Location Results and Recommendations

Work accomplished: Collected and compared historic data for the 1993 Rock Valley earthquake sequence; Compared preliminary and prior location work from different location algorithms, phase pick sets, station constellations, and velocity models; Selected a common set of stations that could be used across all location methods for consistency; Reviewed 8 different sets of phase picks and converged on a single, reviewed set of picks for all common stations; Evaluated four pre-existing regional velocity models and incorporated new and preliminary results for five new velocity models that provide information on the very shallow (< 2km) structure near station RTPP; Compared location results from different methods while using the common sets of picks, stations, and velocity models

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Predicting Short-Term Deformation in the Central Valley Using Machine Learning

Land subsidence caused by excessive groundwater pumping in Central Valley, California, is a major issue that has several negative impacts such as reduced aquifer storage and damaged infrastructures which, in turn, produce an economic loss due to the high reliance on crop production. This is why it is of utmost importance to routinely monitor and assess the surface deformation occurring. Two main goals that this paper attempts to accomplish are deformation characterization and deformation prediction. The first goal is realized through the use of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) applied to a series of Interferomtric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) images that produces eigenimages displaying the key characteristics of the subsidence. Water storage changes are also directly analyzed by the use of data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) twin satellites and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS). The second goal is accomplished by building a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model to predict short-term deformation after developing an InSAR time series using LiCSBAS, an open-source InSAR time series package. The model is applied to the city of Madera and produces better results than a baseline averaging model and a one dimensional convolutional neural network (CNN) based on a mean squared error metric showing the effectiveness of machine learning in deformation prediction as well as the potential for incorporation in hazard mitigation models. The model results can directly aid policy makers in determining the appropriate rate of groundwater withdrawal while maintaining the safety and well-being of the population as well as the aquifers’ integrity.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Magnetotelluric data from Gabbs Valley, Nevada, 2017

This dataset consists of 24 magnetotelluric (MT) stations collected in 2017 in Gabbs Valley, Nevada. The U.S. Geological Survey acquired these data as part of Phase 2 of the Nevada Play Fairway Analysis Project led by the University of Nevada at Reno and funded by the Department of Energy (grant number DE-EE0006731) with support from the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Program.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗