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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2017

The Pulsed Fission-Fusion (PUFF) Concept for Deep Space Exploration and Terrestrial Power Generation

This team is exploring a modified Z-pinch geometry as a propulsion system, imploding a liner of liquid lithium onto a pellet containing both fission and fusion fuel. The plasma resulting from the fission and fusion burn expands against a magnetic nozzle, for propulsion, or a magnetic confinement system, for terrestrial power generation. There is considerable synergy in the concept; the lithium acts as a temporary virtual cathode, and adds reaction mass for propulsion. Further, the lithium acts as a radiation shield against generated neutrons and gamma rays. Finally, the density profile of the column can be tailored using the lithium sheath. Recent theoretical and experimental developments (e.g. tailored density profile in the fuel injection, shear stabilization, and magnetic shear stabilization) have had great success in mitigating instabilities that have plagued previous fusion efforts. This paper will review the work in evaluating the pellet sizes and z-pinch conditions for optimal PuFF propulsion. Trades of pellet size and composition with z-pinch power levels and conditions for the tamper and lithium implosion are evaluated. Current models, both theoretical and computational, show that a z-pinch can ignite a small (~1 cm radius) fission-fusion target with significant yield. Comparison is made between pure fission and boosted fission targets. Performance is shown for crewed spacecraft for high speed Mars round trip missions and near interstellar robotic missions. The PuFF concept also offers a solution for terrestrial power production. PuFF can, with recycling of the effluent, achieve near 100% burnup of fission fuel, providing a very attractive power source with minimal waste. The small size of PuFF relative to today's plants enables a more distributed power network and less exposure to natural or man-made disruptions.

Adams, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1983

Economy of precipitating agent application in municipal wastewater treatment facilities

Purification by precipitation in this study is not considered primarily as a means of phosphate removal but as a method for reduction of suspended solids BOD and COD. A dynamic calculation procedure is used to allow for exact determination of time dependent variation of costs. The results show that costs of wastewater treatment by precipitation may equal those of conventional primary clarification and secondary biological treatment, especially with low-cost iron-II-salts in simultaneous precipitation and in larger plants ( 20,000 PF). Cost advantages may be accrued in smaller plants by using the more expensive trivalent salts in pre-precipitation as compared to conventional low-load biological treatment. This is due mainly to better effluent quality and, consequently, lower wastewater fees (Wastewater Discharge Act). If the precipitant is dosed temporarily only during periods of highest pollution the savings can be about 5 to 10%.

Neis, U.↗
DOE OSTI1975

Nuclear Safety [Vol. 16, No. 1, January-February 1975]

Nuclear Safety covers significant developments in the field of nuclear safety. The scope is limited to topics relevant to the analysis and control of hazards associated with nuclear energy, operations involving fissionable materials, and the products of nuclear fission and their effects on the environment. Primary emphasis is on safety in reactor design, construction, and operation; however, safety considerations in regard to the entire fuel cycle, including fuel fabrication, spent-fuel processing, nuclear waste disposal, handling of radioisotopes, and environmental effects of these operations, are also treated. Table of Contents for this issue follows. Table of Contents for this issue follows. GENERAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS: 1 AEC Working Paper on Population Density Around Nuclear Power-Plant Sites Adapted by J. Ft. Buchanan, 8 Water-Reactor Safety-Research Information Meeting by Wm. B. Cottrell, D. O. Hobson, and G. D. Whitman; ACCIDENT ANALYSIS: 29 Burnout in Boiling Heat Transfer. Part I: Pool-Boiling Systems by A. E. Bergles; PLANT SAFETY FEATURES: 43 Radionuclide Behavior During Normal Operation of Liquid-Metal-Cooled Fast Breeder Reactors. Part 1: Production by C. A. Erdman and A. B. Reynolds; CONSEQUENCES OF EFFLUENT RELEASE: 60 The Control, Monitoring, and Reporting of Radioactivity in Effluents. Part 1: AEC-Owned Facilities by M. B. Biles and F. E. Coffman, 71 The Control, Monitoring, and Reporting of Radioactivity in Effluents. Part 2: AEC-Licensed Facilities by L. B. Higginbotham and J. T. Collins; OPERATING EXPERIENCES: 76 Incident at the Lucens Reactor by J. M. Miller, 79 IAEA Symposium on Experience from Operating and Fueling of Nuclear Power Reactors by William A. Pryor, 87 Recent Occurrences at Nuclear Reactors and Their Causes Compiled by William R. Casto, 98 Summary of Operating U. S. Power Reactors as of Nov. 1. 1974, 101 Selected Safety-Related Occurrences Reported in September and October 1974 Compiled by William R. Casto; CURRENT EVENTS: 104 General Administrative Activities Compiled by Wm. B. Cottrell, 110 Action on Power-Reactor Projects Undergoing Regulatory Review or Consideration Compiled by Wm. B. Cottrell, 119 Action on Nonreactor Projects Undergoing Regulatory Review or Consideration Compiled by Wm. B. Cottrell, 121 Proposed Rule Changes as of Oct. 31, 1974; MISCELLANY: 97 ASTM—Euratom Symposium on Radiation Dosimetry: Developments and Standardization (Announcement), 118 Workshops on In-Pile Filter Testing (Announcement), 119 IAEA Symposium on Radiological Impacts from Releases from Nuclear Facilities into Aquatic Environments (Announcement).

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1976

Laser Doppler systems in pollution monitoring

The paper reports on a program undertaken to determine the feasibility of using a laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) to measure smoke-stack gas exit velocity, particulate concentration, and mass flow. Measurements made with a CO2 laser Doppler radar system at a coal-burning power plant are compared with in-stack measurements made by a pitot tube. The operational principles of a LDV are briefly described along with the system employed in the present study. Data discussed include typical Doppler spectra from smoke-stack effluents at various laser elevation angles, the measured velocity profile across the stack exit, and the LDV-measured exit velocity as a function of the exit velocity measured by the in-stack instrument. The in-stack velocity is found to be about 14% higher than the LDV velocity, but this discrepancy is regarded as a systematic error. In general, linear relationships are observed between the laser data, the exit velocity, and the particulate concentration. It is concluded that an LDV has the capability of determining both the mass concentration and the mass flow from a power-plant smoke stack.

Miller, C. R.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development and Validation of a Process Model and Open-Source Process Simulator for Microalgae-Based Tertiary Phosphorus Recovery

Microalgae-based tertiary wastewater treatment has the potential to meet stringent effluent phosphorus limits, with the added benefit of producing a marketable feedstock. However, the lack of validated mechanistic models and their implementation in process simulators have limited the adoption of this technology. In this study, an updated lumped pathway metabolic model (Phototrophic-Mixotrophic Process Model, PM 2 ), including both photoautotrophic and heterotrophic metabolisms of microalgae, was developed to predict effluent phosphorus concentration and biomass yield in response to dynamic influent and varying environmental conditions. The model was implemented in QSDsan – an open-source, Python-based design and simulation platform – for robust simulation under uncertainty. A global sensitivity analysis was performed to prioritize model parameters for calibration. The model was then calibrated and validated using batch experimental data and 45 days of continuous online monitoring data from a full-scale (568 m 3 ·d -1 ) microalgae-based tertiary wastewater treatment plant (EcoRecover process). In particular, along with dynamic influent composition, temperature and light intensity data with diel variation were provided as model inputs to reflect the microalgal behavior under day-night cycling. Overall, the QSDsan-based microalgae process simulator was able to predict effluent phosphorus within 0.02–0.04 mg-P·L -1 , while also capturing the general trends of state variables according to nutrient availability.

Lumped pathway metabolic model↗
NASA NTRS1979

Electrets used in measuring rocket exhaust effluents from the space shuttle's solid rocket booster during static test firing, DM-3

The purpose of this experimental research was to compare Marshall Space Flight Center's electrets with Thiokol's fixed flow air samplers during the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster Demonstration Model-3 static test firing on October 19, 1978. The measurement of rocket exhaust effluents by Thiokol's samplers and MSFC's electrets indicated that the firing of the Solid Rocket Booster had no significant effect on the quality of the air sampled. The highest measurement by Thiokol's samplers was obtained at Plant 3 (site 11) approximately 8 km at a 113 degree heading from the static test stand. At sites 11, 12, and 5, Thiokol's fixed flow air samplers measured 0.0048, 0.00016, and 0.00012 mg/m3 of CI. Alongside the fixed flow measurements, the electret counts from X-ray spectroscopy were 685, 894, and 719 counts. After background corrections, the counts were 334, 543, and 368, or an average of 415 counts. An additional electred, E20, which was the only measurement device at a site approximately 20 km northeast from the test site where no power was available, obtained 901 counts. After background correction, the count was 550. Again this data indicate there was no measurement of significant rocket exhaust effluents at the test site.

Susko, M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Investigating pyrolysis/incineration as a method of resource recovery from solid waste

Pyrolysis/incineration (P/I) is a physicochemical method for the generation of recoverable resources from solid waste materials such as inedible plant biomass (IPB), paper, plastics, cardboard, etc. P/I permits the collection of numerous gases with a minimal amount of solid residue. Pyrolysis, also known as starved air incineration, is usually conducted at relatively high temperatures (greater than 500 deg C) in the absence of oxygen. Incineration is conducted at lower temperatures in the presence of oxygen. The primary purpose of this study was to design, construct, and test a model P/I. The system design includes safety requirements for temperature and pressure. The objectives of this study were: (1) to design and construct a P/I system for incorporation with the Hybrid Regenerative Water Recovery System; (2) to initiate testing of the P/I system; (3) to collect and analyze P/I system data; (4) to consider test variables; and (5) to determine the feasibility of P/I as an effective method of resource recovery. A P/I system for the recovery of reuseable resources from solid waste materials was designed, constructed, and tested. Since a large amount of inedible plant biomass (IPB) will be generated in a space-based habitat on the lunar surface and Mars, IPB was the primary waste material tested in the system. Analysis of the effluent gases was performed to determine which gases could be used in a life support system.

Robertson, Bobby J.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Analysis of proteins involved in biodegradation of crop biomass

The biodegradation of crop biomass for re-use in crop production is part of the bioregenerative life support concept proposed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for long duration, manned space exploration. The current research was conducted in the laboratory to evaluate the use of electrophoretic analysis as a means of rapidly assaying for constitutive and induced proteins associated with the bacterial degradation of crop residue. The proteins involved in crop biomass biodegradation are either constitutive or induced. As a result, effluent and cultures were examined to investigate the potential of using electrophoretic techniques as a means of monitoring the biodegradation process. Protein concentration for optimum banding patterns was determined using the Bio-Rad Protein Assay kit. Four bacterial soil isolates were obtained from the G.W. Carver research Farm at Tuskegee University and used in the decomposition of components of plant biomass. The culture, WDSt3A was inoculated into 500 mL of either Tryptic Soy Broth or Nutrient Broth. Incubation, with shaking of each flask was for 96 hours at 30 C. The cultures consistently gave unique banding patterns under denaturing protein electrophoresis conditions, The associated extracellular enzymes also yielded characteristic banding patterns over a 14-day period, when native electrophoresis techniques were used to examine effluent from batch culture bioreactors. The current study evaluated sample preparation and staining protocols to determine the ease of use, reproducibility and reliability, as well as the potential for automation.

Crawford, Kamau↗
DOE OSTI2024

Cesium Removal from AP-106 Tank Waste Using Crystalline Silicotitanate

The Tank Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) system, currently operated by Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC, prepares Hanford waste tank supernate feeds for the Low-Activity Waste Facility at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). In addition to entrained solids removal from the supernate, the primary goal of TSCR is to remove cesium-137 ( 137 Cs) by ion exchange (IX), allowing contact handling of the liquid effluent product at the WTP as governed by a waste acceptance criterion (WAC). Specific to 137 Cs, this requirement is <3.18E-5 Ci 137 Cs/mole of Na. Crystalline silicotitanate (CST), manufactured by Honeywell UOP, LLC (product IONSIV R9140-B), was selected as the ion exchange media for TSCR.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1997

Characterization of Proteins in Filtrate from Biodegradation of Crop Residue

Biodegradation of plant biomass is a feasible path for transformation of crop residue and recycling of nutrients for crop growth. The need to model the effects of factors associated with recycling of plant biomass resulting from hydroponic sweet potato production has led to investigation of natural soil isolates with the capacity for starch hydrolysis. This study sought to use nondenaturing gel electrophoresis to characterize the proteins present in filtered effluent from bioreactors seeded with starch hydrolyzing bacterial culture used in the biodegradation of senesced sweet potato biomass. The study determined the relative molecular weight of proteins in sampled effluent and the protein banding pattern was characterized. The protein profiles of effluent were similar for samples taken from independent runs under similar conditions of starch hydrolysis. The method can be used as a quality control tool for confirmation of starch hydrolysis of crop biomass. In addition, this method will allow monitoring for presence of contaminants within the system-protein profiles indicative of new enzymes in the bioreactors.

Horton, Wileatha↗
NASA NTRS1983

Cost of phosphate removal in municipal wastewater treatment plants

Construction and operating costs of advanced wastewater treatment for phosphate removal at municipal wastewater treatment plants have been investigated on orders from the Federal Environmental Bureau in Berlin. Particular attention has been paid to applicable kinds of precipitants for pre-, simultaneous and post-precipitation as well as to different phosphate influent and effluent concentrations. The article offers detailed comments on determination of technical data, investments, capital costs, operating costs and annual costs as well as potential cost reductions resulting from precipitation. Selected results of the cost investigation are shown in graphical form as specific investments, operating and annual costs depending on wastewater flow.

Schuessler, H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Manufactured soils for plant growth at a lunar base

Advantages and disadvantages of synthetic soils are discussed. It is pointed out that synthetic soils may provide the proper physical and chemical properties necessary to maximize plant growth, such as a toxic-free composition and cation exchange capacities. The importance of nutrient retention, aeration, moisture retention, and mechanical support as qualities for synthetic soils are stressed. Zeoponics, or the cultivation of plants in zeolite substrates that both contain essential plant-growth cations on their exchange sites and have minor amounts of mineral phases and/or anion-exchange resins that supply essential plant growth ions, is discussed. It is suggested that synthetic zeolites at lunar bases could provide adsorption media for separation of various gases, act as catalysts and as molecular sieves, and serve as cation exchangers in sewage-effluent treatment, radioactive-waste disposal, and pollution control. A flow chart of a potential zeoponics system illustrates this process.

Ming, Douglas W.↗
DOE OSTI2025

DeSelenator: A Se-Removal Process for Environmental Decontamination of Wastewaters from Coal-Burning Power Plants

Selenium may become a toxic contaminant of freshwater systems when released into the environment through industrial wastewaters from mining, coal-burning power plants, or oil refining. Efficient and cost-effective Se-removal technologies are therefore necessary to reduce Se concentrations in these wastewaters to below the regulatory discharge limits. In this study, we have demonstrated an effective process that removes Se, mostly as selenate anions, from wastewaters generated by coal-burning power plants. This process, dubbed DeSelenator, leverages the high concentration of sulfate relative to selenate in the wastewater and the propensity of these oxyanions to cocrystallize with benzene-bis-iminoguanidinium (BBIG) cations into extremely insoluble salts (on par with BaSO 4 ). The SO 4 2− /SeO 4 2− cocrystallization with BBIG removes over 90% of S and Se from the wastewater. Following removal of the precipitate by filtration, the filtrate is passed over an anion-exchange resin that further reduces selenium concentration to 5 ppb, the EPA’s regulatory limit for freshwater systems. Finally, the effluent is passed over an activated carbon column, which removes 99.8% of the residual BBIG ligand remaining after crystallization, allowing for the safe discharge of the treated water into the environment. The Se-removal process was first optimized in the lab at the bench scale and then tested in the field at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bull Run coal-burning power plant. A technoeconomic assessment found the cost of water treatment with DeSelenator is on par with that of the active biological method, which is currently considered a state-of-the-art Se-removal technology.

anions↗
DOE OSTI2024

Boron nitride: Novel ceramic reductant for low‐activity waste vitrification

Abstract During vitrification of radioactive wastes, excessive foaming reduces processing rates within melters by hindering heat transfer from the molten glass pool to the reacting melter feed. Formulations of low‐activity waste (LAW) melter feeds, for vitrification at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant at the Hanford Site, conventionally include the addition of sucrose to mitigate excessive foaming by hastening the denitration process. However, incomplete combustion of sucrose produces organics such as acetonitrile (C 2 H 3 N) that may exceed bounding limits of downstream effluent treatment facilities. Using boron nitride (BN) as an alternate reductant to sucrose, in a representative LAW melter feed reduced C 2 H 3 N production by 90% by preventing the low‐temperature sucrose–nitrate reactions. Furthermore, foaming was suppressed due to the higher decomposition temperature of BN than H 3 BO 3 meaning a delayed reaction of a large fraction of boron with the transient glass‐forming melt until above the foam onset temperature, thus reducing the quantity and viscosity of the connected melt and trapping less gas in the foam layer.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

Sulfate Conversion of Reillex HPQ Anion Exchange Resin for Disposal (Interim Report)

This report describes preliminary data to validate the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility’s (SRPPF) flowsheet for conversion of used Reillex HPQ anion exchange resin from the nitrate form to the sulfate form. The nitrate form is an oxidizer and therefore does not meet acceptance criteria for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The purpose of this study is to develop data to support acceptance for this disposition pathway. Due to the challenges characterizing the nitrate concentration on solid resin, the data developed to date are based upon indirect analysis of the ion exchange column effluent by ion chromatography. These challenges are discussed and two methods for quantification of nitrate directly on the resin are recommended for further development: TGA-MS and permanganate digestion followed by IC. The resin used for this work was provided in the chloride form; this is the form in which resin is supplied by the manufacturer. However, it had to be converted to the nitrate form, which is the form that will be used in SRPPF’s ion exchange process, prior to use in the sulfate conversion experiments. The chloride-form resin was characterized. A lab-scale procedure for the conversion of Reillex HPQ resin from the chloride to nitrate form was validated. The nitrate-form resin was assessed for particle size and chloride concentration to ensure it met SRPPF’s facility specifications. The baseline sulfate conversion flowsheet was tested. However, nitrate was still detectable in the effluent after approximately 10 bed volumes of 1 M sodium sulfate had been passed through the resin bed. Additional experiments were performed to assess the effect of increasing the feed volume, reducing the flowrate, the use of 2 M sulfuric acid instead of sodium sulfate, and the use of irradiated resin. The sulfuric acid test was the only one which provided a nondetectable nitrate concentration (<0.002 M) in the effluent. Detectable nitrate in the column effluent suggests that nitrate is still present on the resin itself.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1981

Treatment of CELSS and PCELSS waste to produce nutrients for plant growth

The research program entitled 'Development of a Prototype Experiment for Treating CELSS (Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems) and PCELSS (Partially Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems) Wastes to Produce Nutrients for Plant Growth' consists of two phases: (1) the development of the neccessary facilities, chemical methodologies and models for meaningful experimentation, and (2) the application of what methods and devices are developed to the interfacing of waste oxidation with plant growth. Homogeneous samples of freeze-dried human feces and urine have been prepared to ensure comparability of test results between CELSS waste treatment research groups. A model of PCELSS food processing wastes has been developed, and an automated gas chromatographic system to analyze oxidizer effluents was designed and brought to operational status. Attention is given the component configuration of the wet oxidation system used by the studies.

Modell, M.↗
DOE OSTI2025

DNA viruses from different stages of a wastewater treatment plant in southwest Ohio

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) house diverse populations of microbial communities that are dynamic across treatment stages. Although viruses, especially non-pathogenic ones are relatively less studied compared to their bacterial counterparts, they are equally important players in WWTP microbiomes. In this study, we sampled influent, activated sludge, and effluent stages of a WWTP in southwest Ohio to sequence their viral population using multiple displacement amplification (MDA) and metagenomic approaches. We recovered 1003 viral genomes, the majority of which were ssDNA (single-stranded DNA) viruses that formed distinct clusters representing novel species and phylogenetic groups not closely related to known human gut or terrestrial viruses. Additionally, tracking viruses across treatment stages showed several persisted across multiple treatment stages. These results suggest that further studies are needed to understand the persistence of viral populations, particularly non-pathogenic ones, across different stages of WWTPs.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1974

Application of the integrated utilities concept to community-size developments

It is shown that the modular integrated utility systems (MIUS) concept (combining the utility services of electrical power, heating and cooling, water supply and waste water treatment, and solid waste management into a single local plant) can be applied to community-size developments with major benefits of energy (fossil fuels) savings, reduction in solid waste haul-off quantity, and reduction in fresh water demand. Compared to a conventional utilities system, MIUS energy and water savings are found to reach 38 and 17%, respectively. Effluent and solid waste load reduction attain 17 and 80%, respectively. These benefits are obtainable through use of commercially available hardware and at costs competitive with conventional utilities.

Redding, T. E.↗