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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

HTGR Validation: NEUP Survey and Database - Data Reporting Standard for HTGR Thermal-Fluid Experiments

Since 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy's Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) has been at the forefront of nuclear research, specifically concentrating on advancing high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) technologies. By Fiscal Year 2024, NEUP has authorized 36 projects dedicated to HTGR research, each contributing significantly to the enhancement of our understanding of this technology. The outcomes of these diverse projects have been disseminated through final NEUP reports, peer-reviewed journal articles, and presentations at academic conferences, forming a comprehensive tapestry of knowledge. Despite the substantial value of these findings, their dissemination has been fragmented, posing challenges for accessibility to researchers and policymakers and leading to underutilization of DOE investments. Recognizing this critical gap and its potential consequences for the future of nuclear research, the Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Gas-Cooled Reactor (GCR) program conducted an extensive survey of completed and ongoing HTGR NEUP projects. This survey enabled the compilation of crucial data, resulting in the development of a specialized public-access database tailored for computational fluid dynamics and system code validation, specifically designed for HTGR applications. However, the data collection process revealed a significant challenge in central data organization due to individual researchers from different institutes employing varying logics and preferences for recording and documenting experimental data. Consequently, an urgent need has been identified to establish a standardized reporting format for HTGR experimental projects. Addressing this issue is essential for enhancing collaboration, maximizing the impact of DOE investments, and ensuring the seamless advancement of HTGR technologies in nuclear research.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Minimizing Energy Use of Mixed-Fleet Public Transit for Fixed-Route Service

Affordable public transit services are crucial for communities since they enable residents to access employment, education, and other services. Unfortunately, transit services that provide wide coverage tend to suffer from relatively low utilization, which results in high fuel usage per passenger per mile, leading to high operating costs and environmental impact. Electric vehicles (EVs) can reduce energy costs and environmental impact, but most public transit agencies have to employ them in combination with conventional, internal-combustion engine vehicles due to the high upfront costs of EVs. To make the best use of such a mixed fleet of vehicles, transit agencies need to optimize route assignments and charging schedules, which presents a challenging problem for large transit networks. We introduce a novel problem formulation to minimize fuel and electricity use by assigning vehicles to transit trips and scheduling them for charging, while serving an existing fixed-route transit schedule. We present an integer program for optimal assignment and scheduling, and we propose polynomial-time heuristic and meta-heuristic algorithms for larger networks. We evaluate our algorithms on the public transit service of Chattanooga, TN using operational data collected from transit vehicles. Our results show that the proposed algorithms are scalable and can reduce energy use and, hence, environmental impact and operational costs. For Chattanooga, the proposed algorithms can save $145,635 in energy costs and 576.7 metric tons of CO 2 emission annually.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

CIE Curriculum Guide (V.2.0)

The Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) Curriculum Guide offers a comprehensive framework, guidance, and resources for integrating CIE into university-level engineering programs and related educational activities. The primary goal is to help educators adopt CIE principles into their teaching to produce future engineers and technicians who understand digital risks in modern engineered systems, thereby addressing the nation’s infrastructure resilience needs. This guide outlines practical integration examples, links to resources to accelerate CIE adoption, and shares insights from partner academic institutions on various implementation strategies. CIE is a framework for embedding engineered controls that mitigate the impact of cyber-attacks in any cyber-physical system used in critical energy infrastructure and other sectors. Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), the National Cyber-Informed Engineering Strategy emphasizes embedding CIE into formal education, training, and credentialing. This guide supports this strategic objective by providing examples of integrating CIE concepts into engineering curricula, from class activities to new courses and certificate programs. The importance of educating cyber-informed engineers is underscored by the evolving cybersecurity threats facing engineered systems. As industrial control systems (ICS) increasingly incorporate digital technologies, the responsibility for security extends to both cyber professionals and engineers. CIE addresses critical gaps in designing and protecting physical systems with digital components against cyber risks, ensuring engineers consider digital risk throughout the engineering design lifecycle. Currently, engineering education does not routinely include cyber-informed principles, highlighting a gap in addressing modern engineering system risks. This guide advocates for updating engineering curricula to include digital risk management as a fundamental element. By doing so, future engineers will be equipped to design resilient systems that mitigate digital risks from the outset. Through this guide, engineering faculty can integrate CIE into their curricula, bridging the gap between digital risk and engineering. This approach prepares a cyber-informed workforce capable of safeguarding the cyber-physical systems crucial to national security and public welfare. By embedding CIE into education and training, institutions can produce engineers and technicians who can effectively mitigate cyber impacts throughout the engineering design lifecycle, resulting in more secure critical infrastructures.

42 - ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluating the Effects of Detector Modeling Uncertainties on Sterile Neutrino Oscillation Analysis with the ICARUS Detector

he ICARUS T600 LArTPC detector was refurbished after an initial run at the underground LNGS labs and is currently taking data within its experimental hall at Fermilab after full commissioning. Regular data taking began in May 2021 with neutrinos from the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) and the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) off-axis beam. As the far detector of the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) Program, the ICARUS detector's capability in searching for both muon neutrino disappearance and electron neutrino appearance will allow for unprecedented sensitivity to light sterile neutrinos with eV-scale mass. The ultimate sensitivity of the detector to sterile neutrino oscillations depends on the understanding of the detector response and the uncertainties remaining after calibrating the detector model. This poster will review how detector-model-related uncertainties are quantified, evaluated and their impact on expected sterile neutrino oscillation sensitivities using the existing ICARUS data. The work pursued here is broadly applicable to other ICARUS analysis pathways such as neutrino-argon cross-sections and Beyond the Standard Model physics searches. It will finally discuss improvement pathways to reduce the systematic uncertainties to the level needed for the joint sterile neutrino oscillation analysis with the Short Baseline Near Detector (SBND) within the SBN Program.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Adaptive Cyber-Physical Resilience for Building Control Systems

The main goal of the project is to develop an AI-based process layer cybersecurity suite for detection, isolation and mitigation of cyber-attack effects on operation of building energy management systems (BEMS). The following constituent key technologies were developed under the program towards fulfilling the program objectives: (1) developed a high fidelity BEMS testbed for generation of training data and validation of developed technologies; (2) developed a physics informed ML based attack detection and localization module (ADL) capable of detecting high impact stealthy attacks (HISA - attacks causing 30% energy utilization but no immediate visible impact otherwise) with 98% accuracy; (3) developed a methodology to determine ’representative days’ to limit the data required for training; (4) developed a virtual sensing system that can reconstruct affected sensors with 10% error for the same HISA set; (5) developed a resilient model predictive control system that can continue operation of the BEMS without jeopardizing stability for the HISA set; and (6) integrated and deployed all the constituent modules and demonstrated the efficacy of the technology in real-time in a hardware in loop simulation.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mapping of flumioxazin tolerance in a snap bean diversity panel leads to the discovery of a master genomic region controlling multiple stress resistance genes

Effective weed management tools are crucial for maintaining the profitable production of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Preemergence herbicides help the crop to gain a size advantage over the weeds, but the few preemergence herbicides registered in snap bean have poor waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) control, a major pest in snap bean production. Waterhemp and other difficult-to-control weeds can be managed by flumioxazin, an herbicide that inhibits protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO). However, there is limited knowledge about crop tolerance to this herbicide. We aimed to quantify the degree of snap bean tolerance to flumioxazin and explore the underlying mechanisms. We investigated the genetic basis of herbicide tolerance using genome-wide association mapping approach utilizing field-collected data from a snap bean diversity panel, combined with gene expression data of cultivars with contrasting response. The response to a preemergence application of flumioxazin was measured by assessing plant population density and shoot biomass variables. Snap bean tolerance to flumioxazin is associated with a single genomic location in chromosome 02. Tolerance is influenced by several factors, including those that are indirectly affected by seed size/weight and those that directly impact the herbicide's metabolism and protect the cell from reactive oxygen species-induced damage. Transcriptional profiling and co-expression network analysis identified biological pathways likely involved in flumioxazin tolerance, including oxidoreductase processes and programmed cell death. Transcriptional regulation of genes involved in those processes is possibly orchestrated by a transcription factor located in the region identified in the GWAS analysis. Several entries belonging to the Romano class, including Bush Romano 350, Roma II, and Romano Purpiat presented high levels of tolerance in this study. The alleles identified in the diversity panel that condition snap bean tolerance to flumioxazin shed light on a novel mechanism of herbicide tolerance and can be used in crop improvement.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Low-Temperature Geothermal Geospatial Datasets: An Example from Alaska: Preprint

This project is part of a broader effort focused on geothermal heating and cooling with the purpose of demonstrating the multi-faceted value of integrating GHC/GHX into national decarbonization plans and community energy plans. Currently, there is a need to better define and evaluate low-temperature geothermal resource potential to provide the basis for supporting private sector investment. For shallow GHC/GHX fields, there is no formal compilation of subsurface characteristics shared among industry practitioners that can improve system design and operations. Alaska is specifically noted in this work, because heretofore, it has not received a similar focus in geothermal potential evaluations as the contiguous United States. The methodology consists of leveraging relevant data generate a baseline low-temperature resources (< 150 degrees C) geospatial dataset to compare and analyze information accessible to anyone trying to understand the potential of GHC/GHX and small-scale low-temperature geothermal power in Alaska (e.g., energy modelers, communities, planners, and policymakers). Importantly, this project is identifying data related to (1) the evaluation of GHC/GHX in the shallow subsurface, and (2) the evaluation of low-temperature geothermal resource availability. Additionally, data is being compiled to assess repurposing of oil and gas wells to contribute co-produced fluids toward the geothermal direct use and heating and cooling resource potential. The goal of this project is facilitating future deployment of GHC/GHX analysis and community-led programs and update the low-temperature geothermal resources assessment of Alaska. A better understanding of shallow potential for geothermal heat exchange (GHX) will improve design and operations of highly efficient GHC systems. The deployment and impact that can be achieved for low temperature geothermal resources will contribute to decarbonization goals and facilitate widespread electrification by shaving and shifting grid loads.

bottom-hole temperature↗
DOE OSTI2020

Overview of Salt Repository Research and Development for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-level Nuclear Waste in the United States - 20307

This paper summarizes the current US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy's (DOE-NE) work towards developing and executing a research and development program that addresses both scientific and technical issues related to long-term disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level waste (HLW) in a hypothetical bedded salt based geological repository. A primary goal of the program is to create a generic Geologic Disposal Safety Assessment (GDSA) Framework that can be used to help guide decisions on siting a possible future bedded salt repository. The generic GDSA work includes analysis of the impacts of heat generation caused by decay of short-lived radionuclides. We report progress in four primary areas. First, we discuss the development and recent modifications of a research and development road-map. Second, we briefly describe an experimental approach to better understand thermal processes in salt. Third, we highlight collaborations with the international research community that leverage salt-based repository science around the world. Finally, we discuss how our findings are being used to aid in the development of a generic safety assessment for a bedded salt repository containing SNF and HLW. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Why the US Needs an Enduring Plutonium Critical Assembly

Jezebel (operated from 1954-1977) has been the primary experiment for fast 239 Pu nuclear data validation for the last 70 years. Validation has included not only k eff , but also spectral indicies, Rossi-α, reactivity coefficients, and neutron leakage spectra. While this has been incredibly valuable to the community, there are three major issues. The first issue is that documentation on many of these experiments were lacking, leading to large uncertainties or (even worse) incorrect assumptions. The second issue is that while there have been many advances in research, there is no way to test those new advances today. The last issue is that since the assembly only operated for 23 years (and at time when 30 other critical assemblies were operating at the same facility and nuclear weapons testing was occurring), there were limited opportunities to observe how any system parameters changed as a function of time. Note that this work is not suggesting that a "Jezebel re placement" used for a limited experiment campaign would have great value. A new enduring (100 year target) plutonium (Pu) assembly with simple geometry and low uncertainties, however, would be extremely valuable. Such a capability would have a transformative impact on many research areas including nuclear data validation, analytical methods validation, dosimetry, reactor kinetics, and materials. The need for a new plutonium assembly is not new: it has been in the DOE Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) Mission and Vision for over 10 years and was also the top priority established at the 2022 National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) Futures meeting. This work will discuss how such a new capability would help ensure that the US retains international leadership in plutonium research. Last, a brief overview of Lilith, a project aimed to design a new enduring plutonium assembly for operation at the NCERC will be given.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Report on the Assessment of Ion Irradiations on High Entropy Alloys

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) initiated a joint international effort with the Czech Republic to explore the feasibility of manufacturing High Entropy Alloys for high-temperature nuclear applications using Additive Manufacturing. This effort was funded at INL by the United States Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy under the Advanced Reactor Technologies and Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) Program. The High Entropy Alloys were specifically designed for the corrosive and irradiation environments as experienced in gas fast reactors, molten salt reactors, and fusion power. These alloys were manufactured by multiple processes to determine the impact of manufacturing processes on the performance of the alloys in corrosive and irradiation environments. Preliminary results show that MoNbTiV and MoNbTi alloys exhibit no degradation after multiple corrosion tests. These MoNbTiV and MoNbTi alloys were also evaluated after irradiation experiments were conducted at the Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory at the University of Michigan, which is the focus of this milestone report. For these irradiation experiments, the MoNbTiV and MoNbTi alloys manufactured by arc melting and Electric Field Assisted Sintering (EFAS) were tested at 500 C at a dose of 30 dpa to evaluate the microstructural stability and decomposition.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Final report on assessment of molten salt corrosion testing of unirradiated and ion irradiated advanced manufactured high entropy alloys

Generation IV reactors and future fusion reactor designs have led to more demanding materials performance requirements due to their increased operating temperatures, corrosive coolants, and increased radiation doses compared to the current light-water reactor fleet. Among the innovative nuclear technologies under development, molten salt reactors stand out for their potential to offer superior fuel utilization, intrinsic safety characteristics, and economic viability. Of the proposed Generation IV designs, the gas fast reactor operates at 450 to 850°C and the molten salt reactor operates at 565 to 850°C, with the molten salt reactor design needing molten salt corrosion resistant materials [1, 2]. These increased temperatures and more extreme corrosion environments necessitate higher material performance, such as creep strength, radiation-tolerant microstructures, corrosion resistance, and high-temperature tensile properties. Hastelloy-N, a nickel-based alloy with additions of molybdenum and chromium, has been successfully employed to contain molten fluoride salt at temperatures up to 705°C. However, Hastelloy-N becomes embrittled upon neutron irradiation, primarily due to the accumulation of helium produced by (n,a) transmutation reactions. Furthermore, the corrosive nature of molten fluoride and chloride salts presents a formidable challenge, as these salts can react with and dissolve alloying elements such as Cr, Mo, and Fe, leading to selective leaching, loss of protective oxide layers, and accelerated degradation. High entropy alloys (HEAs) and refractory high entropy alloys (RHEAs) have emerged as a prominent area of interest, due to their ability to achieve tailored chemical compositions for specific applications. Unlike conventional alloys, HEAs are characterized by having multiple principal elements in equimolar or near equimolar ratios, leading to an unconventional alloying strategy [3]. This alloying strategy is believed to promote unique properties, such as single-phase stabilization of chemically compatible elements, lattice distortion effects due to atomic radius differences, and proposed sluggish diffusion effects. For extreme-environment applications, RHEAs have garnered much research interest because of the possibility of creating relatively ductile materials that can operate in extremely high-temperature environments, beyond the operating temperatures where other Ni-based superalloys begin to lose strength [4-6]. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) initiated a joint international effort with the Czech Republic to explore the feasibility of manufacturing HEAs for high-temperature nuclear applications using advanced manufacturing. This effort was funded at INL by the United States Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy under the Advanced Reactor Technologies and Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) Program. The HEAs were specifically designed for the corrosive and irradiation environments experienced in gas-cooled fast reactors, molten salt reactors, and fusion power. These alloys have been manufactured by multiple processes to determine the impact of manufacturing processes on the performance of the alloys in corrosive and irradiation environments. Preliminary molten salt corrosion testing showed that equimolar MoNbTiV and MoNbTi alloys exhibit exceptional performance, with arc-melted variants demonstrating only minimal degradation after 1000 hours of exposure to molten chloride salt at 700°C. Conversely, Nb2TiVZr2 showed significant molten salt corrosion susceptibility and microstructural instability during high-temperature molten salt exposures, and was, therefore deemed unfit for molten salt reactor applications. The MoNbTiV, MoNbTi, and Nb2TiVZr2 alloys were further evaluated through ion irradiation experiments conducted at the Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory at the University of Michigan. The microstructural stability and the evolution of irradiation-induced defects were characterized to assess the irradiation resistance of each of these alloys.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multiphysics Demonstration of Temperature-Driven Assembly Bowing in SFRs using MOOSE-Based Codes

Core bowing is an important passive safety mechanism in liquid metal cooled fast reactors. When the core restraint system is properly designed, temperature and flux gradients influence assemblies in the core to bow into less reactive configurations during accident scenarios, resulting in negative reactivity feedback. Prediction of core bowing involves complex interplay of radiation transport, impacts of fluid flow and heat transfer on duct temperature, and mechanical responses to the induced temperature and flux gradients. Under the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy’s Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Program [1], an integrated multiphysics approach is being developed to model the core bowing phenomena in liquid metal-cooled fast reactors with the Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) [2]. In this methodology, the MOOSE-based reactor physics code Griffin [3] will solve the neutron transport equation and determine the power distribution. With the detailed power distribution from Griffin, the subchannel analysis codes MOOSE-Subchannel [4] and Pronghorn [5] are utilized to calculate the assembly temperature distribution. MOOSE’s Solid Mechanics [6] and Contact [7] Modules are leveraged to calculate the thermal expansion and duct bowing displacement with the duct wall temperature from thermal hydraulics calculation. In this work, an initial one-way coupling demonstration of the integrated multiphysics approach has been performed on a seven-assembly problem based on the sodium-cooled fast reactor ABR-1000 design [8]. The neutronics calculation with Griffin is not yet involved in the current simulation. MOOSE-Subchannel and Pronghorn evaluate fluid and solid temperature based on a fixed power distribution. In addition, one-way coupling is utilized in this coupled calculation, via Pronghorn passing the duct temperature data to the MOOSE Solid Mechanics calculation. An assessment of the Solid Mechanics module was performed in parallel to verify duct bowing behavior with duct-to-duct contact phenomenon [9]. The displacement from MOOSE Solid Mechanics is not yet transferred back and utilized in the Pronghorn and MOOSE-Subchannel calculation. This model will be available on the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) Virtual Test Bed (VTB) repository [10]. Future stages of this work will involve solving problems of increasing complexity as well as adding more physics (e.g. reactor physics) to the integrated workflow to reach the end goal of modeling the core bowing phenomenon with an integrated multiphysics workflow.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Interior Athabascan Energy Capacity Building Network (Final Report)

Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) is the traditional tribal consortium for the 37 federally recognized Tribes and villages of Interior Alaska. TCC is based on a belief in tribal self-determination and the need for regional Native unity. TCC is a nonprofit organization that works toward meeting the needs and challenges for more than 10,000 Alaska Natives (mostly Alaskan Athabaskans) in Interior Alaska. With support from DOE-OIE’s Inter-Tribal Technical Assistance grant, TCC’s goal was to expand and build on the solid foundation of work that the existing TCC Energy Program established through the creation of the Interior Athabascan Energy Network (IAEN). More specifically, the IAEN was designed to create a network of village-based energy champions across the interior and hold quarterly teleconferences and annual inperson meetings. Among the greatest impacts of the IAEN were the creation and support of realistic, communitybased energy projects that produced tangible results such as fuel savings and skills and capacity development among local staff as well as establishment of an energy team that included TCC staff, Tribal participants, technical consultants, and support agencies. The DOE-TA funding allowed us to provide technical assistance to our Tribal communities to develop energy projects, and to foster a network consisting of Tribal community members and energy experts that has strengthened the ability in the region to troubleshoot energy issues, develop meaningful projects, envision a clean energy future, and to share project successes and challenges. The funding from DOE was a catalyst for growth, has created opportunities for learning and knowledge sharing, and has led to the development of cost saving energy projects. Most importantly, the DOE project allowed energy champions around the region to share their knowledge, experiences, and expertise to create place-based solutions and has forged inter-Tribal relationships that will continue to be an asset for years to come. Through information exchange that occurred at out IAEN annual meetings and other events, this technical assistance grant award has spurred a spinoff project that is focused on establishing a collaborative of independent utilities that work together to solve energy problems and share services to operate and maintain their electric utilities. We have indentified at least 10 and possibly 12 communities that are interested in collaborating in managing their utilities to reduce costs and increase reliability. As well, by identifying and supporting Community Energy Champions in the Interior villages and adding capacity to the TCC Energy Program, we were able to create actionable community energy plans, develop specific projects, and increase local capacity, skills, and literacy around clean energy initiatives.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Clean Indoor Air and Lower Environmental Impacts: Heat Recovery Ventilation in Cold Climates

Over half of Alaska homes are at risk of poor indoor air quality, which increases the risk of respiratory and other illnesses for people and animals. Heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) provide warm, fresh air to a building interior while minimizing energy use. They can be programmed to provide varying amounts of fresh air to ensure adequate ventilation for occupants and can be configured to filter air during wildfires or other events. In addition to improving the safety of indoor air and extending the life of a building, HRVs can improve surrounding outdoor air because they reduce the amount of fossil fuels needed to heat a building. Recent research by CCHRC has focused on lowering barriers to using HRVs in cold climates through laboratory evaluations and homeowner education. This poster will cover data on indoor air quality in Alaska, results of CCHRC research, and future research questions.

buildings↗
DOE OSTI2020

Incorporating FLEX Strategies in Multi-Unit Probabilistic Risk Assessment

The catastrophic Fukushima nuclear accident reminded nuclear community about the possibilities of extreme accident scenarios, including those involving multiple reactor units on the same site. As the responses to the Fukushima accident, the nuclear power industry developed and implemented a series of strategies, including the Diverse and Flexible Coping Strategies (FLEX), to enhance the coping capacities of nuclear power plants (NPPs) under extreme accidents. This study intends to examine the impact of FLEX strategies on the risk from all the reactor units on the same NPP site, including risks from accidents involving a single unit and from accidents involving multiple units. The fundamental, methodological element of this study is Multi-Unit Probabilistic Risk Assessment (MUPRA), which requires a shift in Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) from a “one-reactor-at-a-time” mindset to a “considering all reactors sharing a site as a unity” one. An integrated modeling approach for multi-unit event sequence development will be leveraged to develop MUPRA model and address the intra-unit and inter-unit dependencies. Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-on Integrated Reliability Evaluations (SAPHIRE), a PRA software developed and maintained by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), will serve as the platform for MUPRA modeling. This study selects Loss Of Offsite Power (LOOP) as a representative initiating event, which may occur on a generic two-unit NPP site and impacts both reactor units on the site. First, an MUPRA model, including multi-unit event trees, will be developed to obtain single-unit and multi-unit accident scenarios. Next, different FLEX strategies will be assumed, including FLEX equipment for a unit cannot be used for another unit, FLEX equipment for multiple units can be used in a cross-connected manner, etc. Lastly, the effectiveness of each postulated FLEX strategy will be evaluated by incorporating the corresponding FLEX equipment and deployment logic in the MUPRA model.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Precursor Analysis Report: Conti Ransomware Attack on the Health Service Executive of Ireland 2021

The Conti Ransomware Attack on the Health Service Executive (HSE) of Ireland 2021 Precursor Analysis Report leverages publicly available information about the attack and catalogs anomalous observables for each technique employed by the adversary. This analysis is based upon the methodology of the Cybersecurity for the Operational Technology Environment (CyOTE) program. The HSE provides public healthcare corporate services and operational services throughout Ireland, with critical functions including the acute national ambulance service, acute hospital service, and community healthcare service. On 14 May 2021, Conti ransomware encrypted 80 percent of the HSE’s Information Technology (IT) infrastructure across corporate, hospital, community, and electronic health record services. Conti is a ransomware-as-a-service operation that encrypts local files, uses double extortion against victims, and is facilitated by many intrusion tools. The attack forced the HSE to shut down its entire IT infrastructure to contain the ransomware, forcing employees to revert to pen and paper recordkeeping and leading to the cancellation of many appointments and procedures. The adversary also exfiltrated 700 GB of data, compromising the confidentiality of patients’ protected health information. Had the adversary targeted the COVID-19 cloud systems or operational technology assets, such as Internet of Medical Things medical devices or smart building management systems, the impact of the attack would almost certainly have been far more severe. Researchers and analysts identified 21 unique techniques (used in a sequence of 23 steps) likely utilized during the attack with a total of 1,185 observables using MITRE ATT&CK® for Industrial Control Systems. The CyOTE program assesses observables accompanying techniques used prior to the triggering event to identify opportunities to detect malicious activity. If observables accompanying the attack techniques are perceived and investigated prior to the triggering event, earlier comprehension of malicious activity can take place. Twenty-one of the identified techniques used during the attack on the HSE were precursors to the triggering event. Analysis identified 1,086 observables associated with these precursor techniques, 850 of which were assessed to have an increased likelihood of being perceived in the 57 days preceding the triggering event. The response and comprehension time could have been reduced if the observables had been identified earlier. The information gathered in this report contributes to a library of observables tied to a repository of artifacts, data sources, and technique detection references for practitioners and developers to support the comprehension of indicators of attack. Asset owners and operators can use these products if they experience similar observables or to prepare for comparable scenarios.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2022

Use of Mini-CT Specimens for Fracture Toughness Characterization of Irradiated Highly Embrittled Weld

In the 1990’s, the Heavy Section Steel Irradiation Program at the ORNL performed investigation of the shape of the fracture toughness master curve for reactor pressure vessel steel highly embrittled because of irradiation exposure. A radiation-sensitive reactor pressure vessel (RPV) weld with intentionally enhanced copper content, designated KS-01, has been characterized in terms of static initiation (KJc) and Charpy impact toughness in the unirradiated and irradiated conditions. The objective of this original project was to investigate the ability of highly embrittled material to maintain the shape of the unirradiated transition fracture toughness curve, as well as to examine the ability of the Charpy 41-J shift to predict the fracture toughness shift at such high level of embrittlement. Irradiation of this weld was performed at the University of Michigan Ford Reactor in the new HSSI irradiation-anneal-reirradiation (IAR) facility. Broken specimens from that project have been saved in ORNL storage. To verify applicability of Mini-CT specimens for fracture toughness characterization of RPV materials as part of the DOE Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program, Mini-CT specimens were machined from broken Charpy specimens and tested according to ASTM E1921 standard. As result of this study, the fracture toughness of this weld derived by testing Mini-CT specimens in the unirradiated and irradiated conditions is compared to previously reported fracture toughness derived by large number of conventional specimens.

Sokolov, Mikhail A.↗