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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Progress Updates for the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant Project - 16281

The Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Project is vital to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) mission to clean up radioactive waste at the Hanford Site, located in southeastern Washington State. The overall WTP Project objective is to design, build, and commission the facilities and systems that will treat and immobilize approximately 56 million gallons of radioactive waste stored in Hanford's 177 underground storage tanks. The combination of technologies in the WTP makes it a first-of-a-kind facility at a scale larger than ever built for radioactive waste processing. The WTP includes several facilities that will contribute to waste processing: (1) the Pretreatment (PT) Facility, which is designed to receive waste retrieved from the Hanford tank farms and separate it into low-activity and high-level waste streams; (2) the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility, which will vitrify the low-activity waste stream; (3) the High-Level Waste (HLW) Facility, which will vitrify the high-level waste stream; (4) the Analytical Laboratory (Lab), which will support both vitrification facilities' operations; and (5) the Balance of Facilities (BOF), which will provide industrial support capabilities and infrastructure, like electricity and steam, needed for WTP operations. In 2012, DOE suspended production work on the WTP's Pretreatment (PT) Facility and to a lesser degree the High-Level Waste (HLW) Facility because of unresolved technical issues associated with those facilities. DOE has established an approach that would facilitate immobilization of tank waste to begin as early as practicable without waiting for completion of work to resolve the technical issues associated with the PT and HLW Facilities. This approach enables LAW treatment to begin before the PT and HLW facilities are completed by transferring low activity waste directly from the Hanford tank farms to the LAW Facility - referred to as Direct Feed LAW (DFLAW). ORP has placed the highest priority on completing the Low Activity Waste Facility, Balance of Facilities, and Analytical Laboratory (collectively known as LBL) in support of the planned phased start to the Hanford Tank waste treatment mission. DOE has requested, and the WTP contractor has delivered contract modifications proposals for: (1) design of a permanent capability to accommodate DFLAW in WTP; (2) procurement and construction of modifications to enable DFLAW operations in WTP, and (3) completion of LBL work scope in the current contract through hot commissioning in a manner to accommodate a phased start toward completing the WTP mission. DOE is reviewing and approving contract modifications in a sequence and schedule that allows for an orderly completion of the LBL Facilities and to begin treating low-activity tank waste as soon as practicable. In August 2014, ORP authorized the WTP contractor to resume all engineering work necessary to finalize the design of the HLW Facility. Authorization for HLW equipment procurements and construction is forthcoming, based on conditions that must be satisfied for a full release of these activities, including completion of an update to the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis. DOE has also established a comprehensive plan for resuming production activities for the PT Facility that is similar to the process established and implemented for the HLW Facility. Resolution of the technical issues and establishment of a revised safety basis are key prerequisites to resuming engineering, procurements, and construction. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Progress Update on the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant Pulse- Jet Mixed Vessel Testing Program - 16286

The Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is designed to use cylindrical-shaped pulse-jet mixers in the black cell vessels to mix the radioactive waste during process operations. Pulse-jet mixers operate like large turkey basters, using air pressure to suck radioactive waste up into the mixer and eject it back into the vessel at high velocity. Using pulse-jet mixers for keeping waste in process vessels adequately mixed is one of the design features that ensures that there are no mechanical parts inside the black cells that would require maintenance. The WTP Project is conducting a testing program to ensure the pulse-jet mixed vessels can address three design and nuclear safety concerns: 1) pulse jet mixer controls, 2) hydrogen gas generation, and 3) the potential for inadvertent criticality in the vessels. The currently planned pulse-jet mixed vessel testing program is divided into three major test campaigns. The first campaign consists of testing to demonstrate pulse-jet mixed vessel control system design and operating concepts. The second test campaign consisted of informational testing of select prototypic PJM vessel features in a reduced scale facility. This testing informed decision making on selection of different mixing system configurations. This test campaign was completed in March 2015. The third test campaign is planned to test the complete functionality of a pulse-jet mixed vessel at full-scale using a prototype standardized high-solids vessel design. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Humboldt Bay Power Plant Decommissioning Progress Update - 16358

Decommissioning of the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG and E) Company Humboldt Bay Power Plant (HBPP) Unit 3 nuclear facility achieved several significant milestones in the summer and fall of 2015 when the RPV Segmentation Project completed, the Caisson Removal project began and the Unit 3 Refueling building (RFB) and Main Plant Ventilation system were released for Open Air Demolition (OAD). At the end of 2014 the Civil Works prime contractor Chicago Bridge and Iron (CB and I) was also awarded the contract to complete the RPV Segmentation. This work scope continued to use the First of a Kind (FOAK) segmentation equipment that was designed and fabricated for the HBPP Reactor Project. The preparation for RFB OAD was part of the original Civil Works contract scope. It was important that this work and the segmentation of the reactor shell be finished to allow a portion of the Refueling building to be demolished to continue the installation of the perimeter water cutoff wall and the caisson Support of Excavation (SOE) shoring system. The CB and I Civil Works contract endorsed the October 2012 HBPP Caisson Removal Feasibility Study approach to install a perimeter cutoff wall intended to stop movement of groundwater by installation of cement-bentonite (CB) backfill in a slurry wall trench excavated to a depth of 53 meters and tied into the Unit F clay layer. The CB and I on-site project manager and principal engineer from their home office re-evaluated the design approach outlined in their proposal and awarded contract. As CB and I further developed design plans, an option to complete the perimeter wall with Cutter Soil Mixing (CSM) technology was developed. CB and I described the CSM process as a modified trench cutter technique, to be used for both perimeter groundwater cutoff, and for caisson demolition SOE. CSM technology blends slurry while mixing soil on the down stroke, and injects cement into the blended soil cuttings on the upstroke to create a cemented 'cutoff wall'. CB and I proposed several variations for three key support elements: the perimeter cutoff wall; the dewatering well system; and the caisson SOE shoring system. The proposed alternatives brought many enhancements in the design and integration of the work to be executed. CB and I personnel were persistent in seeing their vision through that resulted in a significant benefit in worker safety and schedule enhancement (early finish by 5 months). (authors)

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

Development of Multiresolution Capabilities for the Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network (HERON) tool A progress update

INL researchers work on technoeconomic analyses for integrated energy systems (IES) using the Framework for Optimization of ResourCes and Economics (FORCE). Within FORCE, researchers use the Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network (HERON) tool to conduct optimization of grid portfolios under uncertain market conditions. These optimizations determine optimal capacities for all IES components and strategies for resource dispatch which maximize some economic metric (e.g., net present value). Resource dispatch occurs on finer timescales (typically hours) and thus are asked to respond to a given time series (e.g. hourly load demand profiles for a grid, or pre-determined electricity prices). Volatile and complex bidding dynamics as well as poorly forecasted weather events within deregulated markets add uncertainty to the time series; FORCE can address this uncertainty by training a reduced order model on historical time series and generate unique synthetic time series which represent individual scenarios or realizations of the market. The IES configuration can be simulated under these different sampled realizations and a stochastic optimization is conducted which optimizes the expected value of the desired economic metric. The training of a synthetic time series generator is limited by the chosen time resolution; dynamics can occur on different time scales. Seasonal demand trends can dominate faster dynamical events (such as power outages from certain sectors or severe weather events) which might not get captured correctly by the trained model. In this report, we investigate different ways of addressing the training and generation of time series on multiple time scales using three main algorithms: wavelet decomposition, dynamic mode decomposition, and generative adversarial networks for time series. We demonstrate a time series analysis that yields information on not just the frequency space but also temporal space: where a fast Fourier transform can provide what frequencies dominate, the new algorithms can provide when the frequencies dominate as well. These analyses can help improve IES optimization by allowing researchers to couple simulations at different timescales when it is most needed - seasonal, day-ahead, and real time optimization - with greater computational efficiency. Future work will include implementation of a subset of the proposed algorithms into the FORCE toolset and application of these analyses into multiple timescale optimization.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS1995

Lightweight, light-trapped, thin GaAs solar cell for spacecraft applications: Progress and results update

Progress is reported with respect to the development of ultra-lightweight, high performance, thin, light trapped GaAs solar cells for advanced space power systems. Conversion efficiencies of over 17.7% have been demonstrated for a 3 micron thick, 1 sq cm silicone bonded solar cell. This results in a specific power of over 1020 W/kg. Device parameters were 1.011 V open circuit voltage, 80% fill factor, and a short-circuit current density of 29.5 mA/sq cm . In addition to silicone bonding, the use of electrostatic bonding to attach the coverglass support to the front surface enables an ultra-thin, all back contact design that survives processing temperatures greater than 750 C. This also results in a 10% reduction of the cell weight for a potential specific power of 1270 W/kg. All back contact, ultra-thin, electrostatically bonded GaAs solar cell prototypes have been completed demonstrating an open circuit voltage of 1 volt for a cell base thickness of 1 micron with a 0.5 micron emitter. This technology will result in a revolutionary improvement in survivability, performance, and manufacturability of lightweight GaAs solar cell products for future Earth-orbiting science and space exploration missions. The thin, electrostatically bonded, all back contact GaAs device technology has multiple uses for specialty high performance solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.

Hannon, M. H.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Project Update

Monthly progress update presentation to be given to my graduate advisor at Texas Tech University.

Aponte, Ivan A.↗
DOE OSTI2023

OECD-NEA HTTF Benchmark Progress and Updates

General slides discussing High Temperature Test Facility benchmark progress, Prismatic HTGR deployment, modeling and simulation tools for validating systems, and verification and validation issues. Also discuss collaboration and conclusions of RELAP5-3D validation activities based on HTTF with trends in data and international impact to accelerate deployment of prismatic HTGR microreactors by providing an opportunity for designers to assess their codes against experimental data and solutions from other codes.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1992

Pressure vessel burst test program - Progress paper No. 3

An updated progress report is provided on a program developed to study through test and analysis, the characteristics of blast waves and fragmentation generated by ruptured gas filled pressure vessels. Prior papers on this USAF/NASA/General Physics program were presented to the AIAA in July 1990 and June 1991. Ten pressure vessels have been burst using pneumatic pressure. Tests were designed to explore burst characteristics and used an instrumented arena. Data trends for current experiments are presented. This paper is the third progress report on the program and addresses: (1) a brief review of current methods for assessing vessel safety and burst parameters, (2) a review of pneumatic burst testing operations and testing results, including a comparison to current methods for burst assessment, and (3) a review of the basis for the current test program including planned testing.

Cain, Maurice R.↗
DOE OSTI2015

UT-NE Radiation Instrumentation Research Group Meeting: An Update on Progress

The purpose of this project is to design a system to image large and/or thick objects with high dynamic ranges using an intensified, charge coupled device (CCD) camera and a fast-pulsed, high energy neutron source; Improve image resolution by reducing scatter; and Design ultra-fast scintillator using nanotechnology to allow for better timing (and thus better scatter rejection).

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
NASA NTRS1987

The Gravity-Probe-B relativity gyroscope experiment - An update on progress

The Gravity-Probe-B (GP-B) relativity gyroscope experiment will test two effects of general relativity: (1) the geodetic precession of a gyroscope due to its Fermi-Walker transport around a massive central body; and (2) the motional or gravitomagnetic precession of the gyroscope due to rotation of the central body itself. The experiment will also provide a determination of the deflection of starlight by the sun and an improved determination of the distance to Rigel. In the Shuttle testing phase of the program, prototype hardware is being developed for a full-scale ground model of the GP-B instrument.

Parkinson, Bradford W.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Progress on Updating the 1961-1990 National Solar Radiation Database

The 1961-1990 National Solar Radiation Data Base (NSRDB) provides a 30-year climate summary and solar characterization of 239 locations throughout the United States. Over the past several years, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has received numerous inquiries from a range of constituents as to whether an update of the database to include the 1990s will be developed. However, there are formidable challenges to creating an update of the serially complete station-specific database for the 1971-2000 period. During the 1990s, the National Weather Service changed its observational procedures from a human-based to an automated system, resulting in the loss of important input variables to the model used to complete the 1961-1990 NSRDB. As a result, alternative techniques are required for an update that covers the 1990s. This paper examines several alternative approaches for creating this update and describes preliminary NREL plans for implementing the update.

Data bases↗
NASA NTRS2014

Update on Progress of Space Station Integrated Kinetic Launcher for Orbital Payload Systems (SSIKLOPS) - Cyclops

The Space Station Integrated Kinetic Launcher for Orbital Payload Systems (SSIKLOPS), known as "Cyclops" to the International Space Station (ISS) community, was introduced last August (2013) during Technical Session V: From Earth to Orbit of the 27th Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites. Cyclops is a collaboration between the NASA ISS Program, NASA Johnson Space Center Engineering, and Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program (STP) communities to develop a dedicated 50‐100 kg class ISS small satellite deployment system. This paper will address the progress of Cyclops through its fabrication, assembly, flight certification, and on‐orbit demonstration phases. It will also go into more detail regarding its anatomy, its satellite deployment concept of operations, and its satellite interfaces and requirements. Cyclops is manifested to fly on Space‐X 4 which is currently scheduled in July 2014 with its initial satellite deployment demonstration of DoD STP's SpinSat and UT/TAMU's Lonestar satellites being late summer or fall of 2014.

Newswander, Daniel↗
NASA NTRS2016

Access to Archived Astronaut Data for Human Research Program Researchers: Update on Progress and Process Improvements

Since the 2010 NASA directive to make the Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) and Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health (LSAH) data archives more accessible by the research and operational communities, demand for astronaut medical data has increased greatly. LSAH and LSDA personnel are working with Human Research Program on many fronts to improve data access and decrease lead time for release of data. Some examples include the following: Feasibility reviews for NASA Research Announcement (NRA) data mining proposals; Improved communication, support for researchers, and process improvements for retrospective Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols; Supplemental data sharing for flight investigators versus purely retrospective studies; Work with the Multilateral Human Research Panel for Exploration (MHRPE) to develop acceptable data sharing and crew consent processes and to organize inter-agency data coordinators to facilitate requests for international crewmember data. Current metrics on data requests crew consenting will be presented, along with limitations on contacting crew to obtain consent. Categories of medical monitoring data available for request will be presented as well as flow diagrams detailing data request processing and approval steps.

Lee, L. R.↗