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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

2022 Site Environmental Report (SER)

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is managed on behalf of the Department of Energy (DOE) by Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA), a partnership between Stony Brook University and Battelle, and six core universities: Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, and Yale. For over 75 years, the Laboratory has played a lead role in the DOE Science and Technology mission and continues to contribute to the DOE’s missions in energy resources, environmental quality, and national security. BNL manages its world-class scientific research operations with sensitivity to environmental issues and community concerns. The Laboratory’s Environmental, Safety, Security, and Health (ESSH) Policy reflects the commitment of BNL’s management to fully integrate environmental stewardship into all facets of its mission and operations. BNL prepares an annual Site Environmental Report (SER) in accordance with DOE Order 231.1B, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting. The report is written to inform the public, regulators, employees, and other stakeholders of the Laboratory’s environmental performance during the calendar year in review. Volume I of the SER summarizes environmental data; environmental management performance; compliance with applicable DOE, federal, state, and local regulations; and performance in restoration and surveillance monitoring programs. BNL has prepared annual SERs since 1971 and has documented nearly all its environmental history since the Laboratory’s inception in 1947. Volume II of the SER, the Groundwater Status Report, is also prepared annually to report on the status of groundwater protection and restoration efforts. Volume II includes detailed technical summaries of groundwater data and treatment system operations and is intended for regulators and other technically oriented stakeholders. A summary of the information contained in Volume II is included in Chapter 7, Groundwater Protection, of this volume.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Towards Development of a Conceptual Model for Mercury in Bear Creek, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (FY23 Update)

Mercury concentrations in fish in Bear Creek are elevated and comparable to concentrations seen in fish in East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) on the Oak Ridge Reservation, even though aqueous inorganic mercury concentrations are orders of magnitude lower in Bear Creek than in EFPC. Acknowledging that the relationship between aqueous and fish tissue mercury concentrations is not linear, and that methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations are likely more related to fish tissue concentrations than aqueous total mercury (Hg T ) concentrations, MeHg production is not easily predicted or controlled. In Bear Creek, where aqueous Hg T concentrations are low, factors other than mercury loading drive the transformation of mercury to MeHg and subsequent trophic transfer to fish. Initial development of a waste disposal facility (Environmental Management Disposal Facility; EMDF) in Bear Creek Valley has begun, and operation of the EMDF has the potential to increase mercury inputs to Bear Creek. Consequently, understanding the factors contributing to elevated MeHg concentrations in water and fish in Bear Creek has increased relevance and importance. This report summarizes data from recent and historical compliance and investigatory studies with an eye toward building a conceptual model to understand the processes affecting mercury transport and transformation in the Bear Creek watershed, as well as to highlight key knowledge gaps in our understanding of these processes that warrant further investigation. The conceptual model will provide a strong technical basis for prioritizing and optimizing potential mitigation actions or best management practices to minimize potential negative effects of the EMDF related to mercury in Bear Creek.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluation of Minimum Detectable Activities for Stack Sample Analyses

The Rad-NESHAP program takes samples at major point sources to track how much of select nuclides are being emitted out of the stack. Samples are taken at the site where the radiological operations are being performed. The samples are then sent to analytical laboratories for analysis to determine what nuclides exist in the sample. However, due to the sensitivity of the instruments, false positives are often reported. To reduce the number of false positives, the results reported from the analytical labs are compared to set detection limits. Anything below the set detection limit is considered part of the background while anything above the limit is considered a positive hit. Therefore, the detection limit must be set low enough that any false negatives do not result in a significant dose missed at the end of the year but high enough that there are not enough false positives to skew the annual dose being reported. All detection limits listed in this section for the analyses below were designed to meet the stated equivalent emissions rate and subsequent off-site doses. These minimum detectable activities (MDAs) were developed in the 1990s and documented in the memo cited for each analysis below. These limits and memos are all currently referenced in the Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the Rad-NESHAP Compliance Task, which is being updated to a Project Implementation Plan (PIP) concurrently with this document. As part of this update process, the original MDAs defined in this section needed to be verified that they were still conservative and meet the off-site dose levels stated.

2019 MDA↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantifying the Impact of Excluding the Submersion Exposure Route for Existing Superfund Radionuclide Screening Level Calculator Soil and Tap Water Models

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides initial data screening guidelines for radionuclide-contaminated Superfund sites using preliminary remediation goals (PRGs) and dose compliance concentrations (DCCs). PRGs and DCCs are target concentration values based on acceptable excess lifetime cancer risk and annual dose limits, respectively. They are calculated for various environmental media that may be encountered by residential and worker land uses. PRGs and DCCs typically consist of multiple exposure routes. One of these routes is submersion, which is exposure to a gaseous or particulate radionuclide that is suspended in air. Currently, submersion is only included in air calculations. This study focused on determining whether factoring submersion into total PRG/DCC calculations for soil and tap water created a significant difference in the target concentrations. New equations for individual submersion PRGs/DCCs for each land use of interest for soil and tap water were developed. A wind-driven particulate emission factor and Andelman’s constant were used to model the amount of soil and vapor in the air from soil and household use of tap water, respectively. The submersion PRG/DCC was then included in the total PRG/DCC for each radionuclide, followed by a percent difference comparison of the old and new totals to quantify the impact of the change. For total soil PRGs/DCCs, with and without submersion, the difference was less than 1 percent; however, many of the tap water radionuclides analyzed – including multiple radon and polonium isotopes – showed as high as a 200 percent difference.This technical memorandum (TM) presents recommendations for updates to current EPA guidelines for initial data screens of radionuclide contaminated tap water.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Characterization Results for the March 2023 Tank Farm 2H Evaporator Overhead Sample

On an annual basis, Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) provides 2H and 3H evaporator overhead samples to Savannah River National Lab (SRNL) to be analyzed per Section 5.2 of the Effluent Treatment Project (ETP) Waste Compliance Plan (WCP) and the Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC). This report presents characterization results for the March 2023 2H evaporator overhead sample. The sample was clear and colorless with no visible solids. The results provide measurements for cesium-137 ( 137 Cs), strontium-90 ( 90 Sr), and iodine-129 ( 129 I) with the radionuclide concentration limits specified by the WAC.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Environmental Air Monitoring at LANL: 2023 External Program Assessment [Slides]

Radioactive Air Emissions Management evaluates radiological impacts of LANL operations on members of the public, identifies and quantifies releases, and assesses impacts. It is not directly affiliated with cleanup operations or programmatic work and has independent oversight. The focus areas in Environmental Compliance Programs are stack emissions measurements, ambient air measurements, minor source operations evaluations, data management and quality assurance, collaboration with Meteorology program, and collaboration with Dose Assessment program (EPC-ES).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

2022 Annual Site Environmental Report for Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Field Office administers the contract and oversees contractor operations at Sandia National Laboratories, California. Activities at this multiprogram engineering and science laboratory support the nuclear weapons stockpile program, energy and environmental research, homeland security, micro- and nanotechnologies, and basic science and engineering research. The U.S. Department of Energy and its management and operating contractor are committed to safeguarding the environment, assessing sustainability practices, and ensuring the validity and accuracy of the monitoring data presented in this annual site environmental report. This report provides a summary of environmental monitoring information and compliance activities that occurred at Sandia National Laboratories, California during calendar year 2022 unless noted otherwise. General site and environmental program information is also included. This report was prepared in accordance with DOE O 231.1B, Environment, Safety and Health Reporting.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

MARSAME Radiological Release Report for Metal Items from Technical Area 53, Set 26

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship Group (EPC-ES) has evaluated the survey results for metal items from the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) at Technical Area 53 (TA-53) and found that the metal items described in Table 1 of this report (identified by Radiation Protection [RP] Tracking Numbers) meet the criteria for unrestricted release under Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1 Chg 4, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment (DOE 2020) and can be recycled. This conclusion is based on the known history of the metal items and radiation survey data. None of the items in this report are located within radiological areas. Therefore, the items are considered unencumbered and are not subject to the moratorium suspension on metal recycling from DOE facilities. Additionally, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has determined that there is no practical opportunity for internal DOE reuse of this metal. Process knowledge indicates that these metal items were unlikely to ever be in direct contact with the beam and thus are unlikely to have become activated. Surface contamination measurements (both total and removable) showed either no detectable radioactivity or activity levels within the range of background. All measurements for volumetric contamination were indistinguishable from background based on calculated decision limits. Additionally, all gamma isotopic surveys conducted for defense-in depth showed no identifiable gamma radiation from beam activation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

PV Stormwater Management Research and Testing (PV-SMaRT) (Final Technical Report)

The objective of the Photovoltaic Stormwater Management Research and Testing (PV-SMaRT) project was to develop and disseminate research-based, solar-specific resources for estimating stormwater runoff at ground-mounted PV facilities and detail stormwater management and water quality best practices. The intended use of stormwater management and water quality best practices and stormwater runoff estimation resources is to reduce balance of system soft costs associated with stormwater infrastructure requirements and improve water quality through research-tested best practices. Currently, stormwater regulations and guidelines vary by jurisdiction and can lead to regulatory uncertainty and increased compliance costs for managing stormwater runoff at solar sites. To address these concerns, the NREL team and its partners (University of Minnesota, Great Plains Institute, and Fresh Energy) established and engaged an advisory Water Quality Task Force (WQTF); conducted field research on stormwater infiltration and runoff at five ground-mounted PV sites; validated a 3-D hydrologic model to predict water runoff and generate stormwater runoff coefficients for a range of site conditions and PV designs; developed a stormwater management and water quality best practices document; and engaged with local jurisdictions and other stakeholders to disseminate best practices, stormwater runoff coefficients, and other tools. Key outputs of this project were a PV-SMaRT Runoff Calculator developed by University of Minnesota, a webinar detailing project outcomes and how to use the PV-SMaRT runoff calculator, and a document on Best Practices for regulators and developers regarding stormwater runoff at PV sites.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Assessment of Baseline Monitoring Data for the Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste Disposal Facility at Idaho National Laboratory

The purpose of this document is to summarize environmental monitoring data collected at the Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste (RHLLW) Disposal Facility during the first four years of facility operations (FY 2019 through FY 2022). This summary provides a “baseline” condition for the facility, which can be used to distinguish contaminant releases from the RHLLW Disposal Facility from pre existing contamination as well as potential future releases from other sources (i.e., upgradient aquifer sources), as specified in the facility monitoring plan. Sufficient data has been collected over the first four years of operation of the RHLLW Disposal Facility to establish baseline conditions for future compliance monitoring of aquifer wells and performance monitoring of vadose zone lysimeters. Except for seven elevated tritium measurements from lysimeter HFEF-South believed to have been impacted by waste disposals, all data was deemed appropriate for establishing baseline concentrations. Monitoring of the aquifer detected indicator analytes gross alpha and gross beta and target analytes tritium and C-14. There were a few C-14 detections prior to an increase in the required detection level (RDL) after the first round of sampling. I-129 and Tc-99 were not detected above RDLs in aquifer samples. Lysimeter samples detected indicator analytes gross alpha and gross beta and target analyte tritium. Target analytes C-14, I-129, and Tc-99 were not detected above RDLs in lysimeter samples. Except for tritium, baseline concentrations of indicator and target analytes measured during the first four years of RHLLW facility operations are expected to represent conditions through the expected 20 year operating period of the facility. Elevated tritium in the aquifer, a result of past discharges of tritium at upgradient facilities, showed a decline over the first four years of operations, and levels are expected to continue to decline with time as a result of dilution and decay. Current tritium levels in lysimeter samples may be elevated due to tritium in the water applied during construction and infiltration testing of the facility. As a result, tritium concentrations in lysimeters may decline with time as a result of dilution and decay. Statistical measures (i.e., mean, standard deviation, and 99% upper confidence level [UCL]) were calculated for all detected analytes using the four years of concentration data. These measures will be used to evaluate future monitoring results and to demonstrate the facility is performing, or not performing, as established in the facility performance assessment (PA). Future monitoring results will also be combined with the baseline data in this report to further establish temporal trends and natural variability in the measurements. Based on the data collected during the baseline period, it is recommended the gross alpha action level for performance monitoring increase from 10 to 20 pCi/L due to several baseline measurements exceeding the preliminary action level of 10. An action level of 20 pCi/L is slightly greater than the 99% UCL, is protective of the aquifer, and would reduce unnecessary sampling. It is also recommended that tritium be added to the lysimeter analyte list for post-baseline period monitoring. Tritium, while not a dose concern, is a good tracer that can provide valuable information on water flow in and around the RHLLW Disposal Facility. Recommendations for a tritium action level are provided if considered necessary.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evaluation of Apex Alpha with LabWare-LIMS Data Reduction for Alpha Analyses

Savannah River Site's Environmental Bioassay Laboratory is migrating its laboratory information management system (LIMS) from SQL-LIMS to Oracle Labware-LIMS (LW-LIMS) systems to align with the Department of Energy's cyber security policies. Concurrently with the LIMS upgrade, the current VMS based Alpha Measurement System (AMS) software is being replaced with Apex Alpha software to reduce other cyber vulnerabilities, streamline procedural production aspects of data handling, and improve outdated reduction processes to align the program with requirements outlined in ANSI N13.30. The primary technical changes which are being implemented are: - Reagent contributions are added in data reduction, - Moving average background equivalent activity are used for gross signal corrections, - Measured uncertainty of both are included in the decision level and propagated uncertainty, - Tracer levels are increased for precision and accuracy improvements, and - Reports are modified for compliance.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

SoK: A Framework for and Analysis of Software Bill of Materials Tools

Modern software development has gradually become more complex, leveraging available open-source software and third party components. This practice has raised questions about the provenance, licensing, versioning and compliance of reused code and its dependencies. Furthermore, it is par ticularly important to review such code fragments and third party components for known-vulnerabilities before they are included in a software product. A Software Bill of Materials (SBoM) is a mechanism to achieve such an analysis, provid ing transparency and visibility into a software product to both the software developer and its respective consumer. An SBoM lists information and details about all the elements constituting a piece of software and can, therefore, be used to evaluate associated security risk. While the concept of SBoMs is growing in popularity, it is still fairly new to many organizations, causing them to potentially struggle with pro ducing and processing SBoMs and limiting their widespread adoption. In this work, we delve into the area of SBoMs and present the state-of-the-art SBoM tools, creating a framework for analysis and categorizing them based on a diverse set of features and functionalities. We are the first to provide a detailed analysis of 83 open-source SBoM tools along with a perspective on how a potential SBoM user can select a tool based on their specific requirements. Our work aims to help promote understanding of this domain, thereby encouraging and furthering its overall adoption. We additionally seek to pave a path for future work in this area by providing recommendations to tool developers and users, researchers, and standardizing organizations.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Experiences of Member States in Building a Nuclear Security Infrastructure for New Nuclear Power Programmes

A nuclear power programme has many benefits, but it is a major undertaking that requires careful planning and preparation as well as a substantial investment in time. It also necessitates the establishment of a sustainable national infrastructure with committed and sustained financial and human resources. While nuclear power is not unique in this respect, it is different from other sources of energy because of the risks associated with the use of nuclear material, as well as the need for compliance with international legal instruments, internationally accepted nuclear safety standards, nuclear security guidance, and safeguards requirements. The IAEA’s Milestones in the Development of a National Infrastructure for Nuclear Power, IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NG-G-3.1 (Rev. 1), defines a phased approach that identifies 19 infrastructure issues that should be addressed in each of the three phases of the development of a nuclear infrastructure for a nuclear power programme. The publication Evaluation of the Status of National Nuclear Infrastructure Development IAEA Nuclear Energy Series NG-T-3.2 (Rev. 2) provides a methodology to determine the status of the infrastructure conditions covering all 19 issues identified in the Milestones Approach. A companion IAEA Implementing Guide, Establishing the Nuclear Security Infrastructure for a Nuclear Power Programme, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 19, provides guidance on the recommended actions to be taken by a State to establish an effective national nuclear security infrastructure for a nuclear power programme using the Milestones Approach. This publication is intended to provide guidance based on the experiences and good practices of Member States with embarking nuclear power programmes as well as Member States that are expanding their nuclear power programmes. The guidance is in the form of case studies, which highlight challenges, issues, and solutions identified by Member States as lessons learned for new nuclear power programmes. This TECDOC is designed to present the experiences of Member States to assist other Member States in developing a nuclear security programme. It addresses the key actions necessary to establish an effective national nuclear security infrastructure for a nuclear power programme consistent with the three phases of the IAEA Milestones Approach. The Member States that provided case studies in this document are at different stages in the development of a nuclear power programme.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Confirmation of Radiological Non-Impact Status for TA-08-0032, TA-11-0024 and -0036

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship (EPC-ES) has evaluated radiological process knowledge and surveys and found that the structures and associated building materials in Technical Area 8 Building 32 and Technical Area 11 Buildings 24 and 36 (TA-08-0032, TA-11-00024, and TA-11-0036, respectively) are candidates for unrestricted use and public release. This finding is consistent with the requirements of DOE Order 458.1, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment and LANL Procedure FSD-004, Environmental Radiation Protection.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Confirmation of Radiological Non-Impact Status for TA-16-380

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship (EPC-ES) has evaluated radiological process knowledge and surveys and found that the structure and associated building materials in Technical Area 16 Building 380 (TA-16-380) are candidates for unrestricted use and public release. This finding is consistent with the requirements of DOE Order 458.1, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment and LANL Procedure FSD-004, Environmental Radiation Protection.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ultimate FY23 Vacuum Creep Testing Facility Operation Report

This facility operation report covers the refurbishment and initial testing of a vacuum creep frame used to conduct 1300°C tensile and creep tests on Mo- and Nb-based alloys. The report details the refurbishment of the frame and initial operation including 100 h creep experiments compared to similar tests in argon. Unlike the 25 mm dogbone specimens tested in argon, the vacuum load train requires 76 mm dog bone specimens. Testing in vacuum has eliminated concern of O embrittlement in argon and Nb alloy CB103 showed >120% tensile elongation at 1300°C and 1450°C. Also, a window in the vacuum chamber allows the use of digital image correlation (DIC) to measure strain rather than the load train displacement used in the argon frames. Comparison of the displacement and DIC results in the vacuum frame showed significant variation in primary creep deformation, likely due to the machine compliance, but similar secondary creep rates. Recently, ULTIMATE teams have submitted specimens for testing in vacuum. With the relatively low volume of creep testing, the facility performance metric of testing within 4 weeks of receiving specimens has been met.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

MARSAME Radiological Release Report for Replacement Water Lines from TA-48 to TA-55

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship (EPC-ES) has determined that only a portion of the soil associated with Replacement Water Lines from Technical Area (TA)-48 to TA55 (Figure 1) meets the criteria for unrestricted release to the public under Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, Radiation Protection for the Public and the Environment (DOE, 2020). The remaining soil did not meet the criteria for unrestricted release and must be managed appropriately. These conclusions are based on the known history of the area combined with soil sample data collected in 2022; the findings are consistent with DOE Order 458.1 and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Functional Series Document EPC-ES-FSD-004, Environmental Radiation Protection (LANL, 2021). Sampling and data analysis, as described in this report, were sufficient to meet measurement quality objectives (MQOs) under the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment (MARSAME) manual (NUREG, 2009) and LANL procedures (LANL, 2020). Final approvals for waste disposition will come from LANL’s Waste Management Program.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Bat Smart Curtailment: Efficacy and Operational Testing

Curtailment, or blanket curtailment, is a leading method to mitigate the impacts to bats from operating wind turbines. Although this strategy results in considerable decreases in bat fatalities, it also results in decreased energy production. In 2019, Natural Power was awarded funding by the Department of Energy to assess the readiness of the informed smart curtailment technology, EchoSense (formerly referred to as Detection and Active Response Curtailment, [DARC]). The research undertaken by this project expands the understanding of alternative methods, known as smart curtailment, to maintain a reduction in bat fatalities while simultaneously recovering lost energy associated with blanket curtailment. The overall project was composed of three major tasks; Task 1 was focused on cybersecurity compliance of the EchoSense system in accordance with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection (“NERC CIP”) standards, Task 2 assessed the mechanical loads exerted on turbines when operating under a smart curtailment regime, and Task 3 assessed the efficacy of the EchoSense system at an operational wind farm. Regarding Task 1, an external review by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory determined that the EchoSense system did not create any new cybersecurity weaknesses and was compliant with the NERC CIP standards. As a result of this process, Natural Power developed some best practices (10.1) for wind- wildlife technology developers. In conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the results (10.2) of the loads testing demonstrated that the periodic curtailment and release of turbines by the EchoSense system did not have any detrimental impact on the mechanical components of a wind turbine (Task 2). During the late summer to fall of 2020 and 2021, Natural Power demonstrated that the use of the EchoSense smart curtailment system resulted in no significant difference in bat fatalities compared to blanket curtailment with cut-in speeds at 6.9 m/s (2020) and 5.0 m/s (2021) while resulting in a significant difference in decreased lost energy (Task 3). This translates to an average of 41% (2020) and 56% (2021) reduction in per turbine energy loss compared to blanket curtailment. The reduction in energy loss that would have been achieved by EchoSense curtailment compared to blanket curtailment, if applied across all 69 turbines, is roughly equivalent to having an additional turbine on site. These results are notable for finding a balance between the environmental impact of wind energy and the economic feasibility in energy production associated with mitigating that impact. https://www.naturalpower.com/us/expertise/service/engineering-operations/echosense

17 WIND ENERGY↗