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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 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

NDSE Static Series V & VI Test Results

The purpose for the Neutron-Diagnosed Subcritical Experiment (NDSE) Static Test Series at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) Area 11 is to develop and validate the capability to make precise and accurate measurements of k eff for Special Nuclear Material (SNM) targets with k eff ~ 0.95.1 The series has now completed six sets of measurements using the deuterium-tritium (DT) Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) neutron source, with a Rocky-Flats-Shells Highly Enriched Uranium (RF HEU) target, to measure the gamma die-away to this purpose. The last of these series, Series V and VI, are the subject of this report. Both series were performed on a target comprised of the Object IV HEU + CH 2 configuration, which is identical to Object II but with smaller DPF collimators that limit the incident neutron flux to the HEU radius.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Inverting infrasound data for the seismoacoustic source time functions and surface spall at the Source Physics Experiments Phase II: Dry Alluvium Geology

This report presents the infrasound data recorded as part of the Source Physics Experiment - Phase 2, Dry Alluvium Geology. This experiment, also known colloquially as DAG, consisted of four underground chemical explosions at the Nevada National Security Site. We focus our analysis on only the fourth explosion (DAG-4) as we determined that this was the only event that produced clear source-generated infrasound energy as recorded by the DAG sensors. We analyze the data using two inversion methods. The first method is designed to estimate the point-source seismoacoustic source time functions, and the second inversion method is designed to estimate the first-order characteristics (e.g. horizontal dimensions and maximum amplitude) of the actual spall surface. For both analysis methods, we are able to fit the data reasonably well, with various assumptions of the source model. The estimated seismoacoustic source appears to be a combination of a buried, isotropic explosion with a maximum amplitude of ~2 x 10 9 Nm and a vertically oriented force, applied to the Earth's surface with a maximum amplitude of 4 x 10 7 N. We use the vertically oriented force to simulate surface spall. The estimated spall surface has an approximate radius of ~40 m with a maximum acceleration magnitude in the range of 0.8 to 1.5 m/s/s. These estimates are approximately similar to the measured surface acceleration at the site.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Developing Metrics to Evaluate the Skill and Credibility of Downscaling

In this project, our overarching goal was to evaluate the skill and credibility of statistical and dynamical downscaling techniques for reconstructing the historical climate record and projecting future climate change. This report summarizes our approach and accomplishments. In the first year of the project, the priority was to generate new data sets. For Year 2, the overall goal was to focus comparisons during the historical period and for a subset of variables, especially temperature and precipitation. In Year 3 and beyond, the focus was mainly on comparisons and metrics for future climate change simulations. To quantify the uncertainty associated with gridded dataset choice, the UCLA group compared eight gridded temperature datasets, examining climatologies, variability, and trends. The Scripps group completed statistical downscaling of NARR with the LOCA method, and UCLA and Scripps collaborated on a comparison of historical and end-of-century temperature and precipitation patterns over California from WRF, LOCA-WRF, and LOCA-Livneh. In addition to downscaling temperature and precipitation, the Scripps group has spent considerable time working on near-surface wind and humidity downscaling. The Santa Clara group assembled the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) for nine snow-dominated river basins draining the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range and assessed the role of snow albedo feedback in their VIC simulations. The results will help inform future downscaling studies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Developing Metrics to Evaluate the Skill and Credibility of Downscaling (Final Report)

In this project, our overarching goal was to evaluate the skill and credibility of statistical and dynamical downscaling techniques for reconstructing the historical climate record and projecting future climate change. This report summarizes our approach and accomplishments. In the first year of the project, the priority was to generate new data sets. For Year 2, the overall goal was to focus comparisons during the historical period and for a subset of variables, especially temperature and precipitation. In Year 3 and beyond, the focus was mainly on comparisons and metrics for future climate change simulations. To quantify the uncertainty associated with gridded dataset choice, the UCLA group compared eight gridded temperature datasets, examining climatologies, variability, and trends. The Scripps group completed statistical downscaling of NARR with the LOCA method, and UCLA and Scripps collaborated on a comparison of historical and end-of-century temperature and precipitation patterns over California from WRF, LOCA-WRF, and LOCA-Livneh. In addition to downscaling temperature and precipitation, the Scripps group has spent considerable time working on near-surface wind and humidity downscaling. The Santa Clara group assembled the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) for nine snow-dominated river basins draining the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range and assessed the role of snow albedo feedback in their VIC simulations. The results will help inform future downscaling studies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

FY20 Quarter Four Volume Disposal Report

The one-page summary report shows Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) waste disposal volume for the fourth quarter, FY20.

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

Sources of Propane Consumed in California

Project Scope: The objective of this study is to specify the sources of propane consumed in California. It answers the questions, where does the propane used in California come from and how was it produced? The results of this study provide comprehensive, transparent, and verifiable estimates, based on the 2018 market. The information provided in this report is suitable for use to assess the life cycle carbon intensity of propane used as a transportation fuel in California. As the 2009 Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) aims to reduce California’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other smog-forming and toxic air pollutants, the appropriate designation of carbon intensity for propane as a transportation fuel is important for evaluating propane’s potential to contribute to GHG goals and understandings in the context of various actions. This study focuses on estimating the shares of total propane consumed in the state of California produced from petroleum refineries, natural gas plants, and bituminous sands sources inside California and elsewhere. Results: An estimated 590 million gallons of propane were consumed in California in 2018, of which, 59.5% originated from refinery production and 40.5% originated from natural gas plants. The majority of this was sourced from refinery production in California, 334 million gallons. Most of the propane imported to California for consumption was sourced from natural gas plants, 113 million gallons, with over half of the imported volume sourced from Canada. The volume sourced from bituminous sand upgrader and fractionator operations was negligible. Details from this analysis are presented in the table below which provides an overview of the propane flows estimated in this study by region and production method. The shares and volumes presented here represent a snapshot for 2018. A significant increase in propane demand, such as could be caused by increased use of propane as a transportation fuel in the state, would affect California’s propane production, imports, and exports. The method and data sources used for the estimates provided in this report also provide the framework which could be used for future updates. Key Method Considerations: The values presented here are based on a two-step approach where the first step was to determine the flows of propane into and out of California from different regions and the second step was to estimate the propane production methods in each region. A volume balance approach is used as the primary method for tracking the volume of propane in and out of California as propane production and import volumes are available by Petroleum Administration of Defense District (PADD) from EIA and neither inter-PADD propane transfers nor state-specific non-prime supplier consumption are available from a public data source. The volume balance performed for this study covered PADD 5 (the West Coast), which includes Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. The volume balance used all available public datasets to determine propane production, imports, exports, and consumption. Volumes unaccounted for by these datasets were estimated using the resulting volume balance by assuming market equilibrium. Consumption within each state in PADD 5 was estimated based on known import, export, and production volumes and this amount was used to develop the volume balance. EIA only tracks consumption at the state level by prime supplier sales. The volume balance approach provides the basis to correct for additional propane consumed in-states where propane is transferred to California. To determine the California propane sources and trade in 2018. volume of propane consumed in California, the volume balance approach is again used where it was estimated all imported volumes not specifically flagged for re-export were consumed, and the remaining consumption was produced in-state. The California Energy Commission (CEC) provided the total volume of propane imported and exported from California in 2018; this volume data set along with commodity tracking from the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) which tracks port of entry and final destination was used to determine where propane originated from and where it was ultimately consumed. For example, the CER tracks propane leaving Canada and entering each state within the U.S. Imported propane from Canada to California – marked for California – is assumed to be consumed in California. When no further data were available, import volumes were assumed to be consumed in California without pass-through (i.e., no propane imported to California was directly sold and exported). In most cases, the production method for each propane source region was applied to the volume of propane transferred to California. In other words, the shares of propane sourced from natural gas and refineries for each production region was assigned to California imports based on their contribution to the total volume flows into California to determine the production method for propane consumed in-state. For volumes imported into California from PADD 4, Washington State, Canada, and the rest of the world (Argentina, Chile, Norway, Peru, South Korea, and Trinidad and Tobago), the volumes sourced from petroleum refineries and natural gas plants reflect the either production ratio for the region or, in cases where the sources specific to the amounts exported to California could be determined, the sources specific to the volumes transferred to California.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Drone Video Platform—Collision Avoidance, Situational Awareness, and Communications

Small unmanned aerial systems are ideal for delivering sensors into areas that are inaccessible or too dangerous for human entry or manned aircraft over-flights. The systems can fly low and slow for enhanced sensitivity and in tight spaces where ordinary aircraft could never fit. We have configured and flown sensor payloads for radiation, chemical, and optical detection on small fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. All the sensor packages provide telemetry, GPS coordinates, LIDAR distance ranging, and absolute time of day to microsecond accuracy. Payload weights range from less than 1 kg up to 5.5 kg. Currently, communications are over 2.4 GHz and 915 MHz radios, as well as over 4G LTE cellular data links. Real-time data feeds from the sensor payloads to web browser clients anywhere in the world are possible via a virtual EC2 server on the Amazon AWS cloud. In FY 2019, the Nevada National Security Site teamed with Virginia Tech, H3D Corp., and Unmanned Systems, Inc. to accomplish the four flight missions described in this report. A large part of this year’s mission goals were to demonstrate the ability to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

TEX-HEU: Integral Experiments with Highly Enriched Uranium and Polyethylene (IER-297 CED-3b Report)

This report documents the experimental critical configurations and measurements for IER-297, Thermal/Epithermal eXperiments (TEX) using highly enriched uranium (HEU) fuel, moderated and reflected by polyethylene. These experiments establish the baseline TEX-HEU configurations spanning thermal, intermediate, and fast fission energy regimes. The experiment campaign was completed in FY2020 at the National Critical Experiments Research Center at the Nevada National Security Site. The campaign produced six documented critical configurations (0”, ¹/₈” A, ¹/₈” B, ¹/₄”, ¹/₂”, and 1¹/₂”) and one reproducibility measurement (¹/₈” R). Table 1 summarizes these seven experiments along with their period and calculated reactivity, in order of execution. The Comet General Purpose Critical Assembly Machine was used to conduct the TEX-HEU experiments. The HEU fuel consists of U(93+) plates, collectively known as the “Jemima” plates. Each experiment consisted of an alternating stack of these HEU plates with or without polyethylene moderator plates. By varying the thicknesses of the polyethylene plates, the neutron spectrum of the experiment could be fine-tuned to a specific fission energy regime. The experiments were reflected by 1” of polyethylene consisting of a bottom and top plate and outer reflector rings to surround the HEU and polyethylene plates. The fine reactivity control of the system was provided by the thickness of the top reflector plate, which could be varied in increments of ¹/₃₂”.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Large Surface Explosion Coupling Experiment - SNL Remote Optical.

Two surface chemical explosive tests were observed for the Large Surface Explosion Coupling Experiment (LSECE) at the Nevada National Security Site in October 2020. The tests consisted of two one-ton explosions, one occurring before dawn and one occurring mid- afternoon. LSECE was performed in the same location as previous underground tests and aimed to explore the relationship between surface and underground explosions in support of global nonproliferation efforts. Several pieces of remote sensing equipment were deployed from a trailer 2.02 km from ground zero including high-speed cameras, radiometers and a spectrometer. The data collected from these tests will increase the knowledge of large surface chemical explosive signatures.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sulfur Pellets Responses to a Bare and Steel Reflected Pulse of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Health Physics Research Reactor

The experiments analyzed in this report were conducted at the Health Physics Research Reactor (HPRR), also known as the $\textit{Fast Burst Reactor}$. The reactor was designed and built at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in 1961. The HPRR was an unmoderated, unshielded fast reactor that used highly enriched uranium and molybdenum alloy as fuel. The reactor was initially sent to the Nevada Test Site in 1962, where it was used to evaluate radiation doses received as a result of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings during World War II. A few years later, the reactor was sent back to ORNL to be part of the Dosimetry Application Research (DOSAR) facility shown in Figure 1, which included a reactor building shown on the left (west) of the picture and a control and laboratory building in the upper right corner (northeast). The critical assembly was used for numerous technical studies, including systems calibration, dosimetry, radiobiology of plants and animals, testing of radiation alarms, as well as teaching and training in radiation dosimetry and nuclear engineering. Between 1963 and 1987, the HPRR was operated for thousands of hours, achieving criticality close to 10,000 times and motivating many publications. The HPRR was decommissioned in 1987. The goal of this effort was to use historical data from operation of the HPRR to create a criticality accident alarm system (CAAS) benchmark to be included in the $\textit{International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments}$ (ICSBEP Handbook). A thorough inspection was performed of all available documentation and information available. The most promising experiments that were selected for evaluation were those described in the 1987 ORNL report entitled $\textit{Health Physics Research Reactor Reference Dosimetry}$, ORNL-6240. The report includes reference dosimetry results of the shielded and unshielded configurations of the HPRR after burst operations. Because of changes to the reactor positioning and storage systems that were made in 1985, the previous dosimetry reports became obsolete, and the newly designed experiments were needed to create the HPRR’s adjusted dosimetry data. The various results reported in ORNL-6240 include reference doses and dose equivalents from different conventions at different distances and elevations as determined using the detected neutron fluence and conversion factors. The HPRR neutron fluence was obtained through different methods, including sulfur pellet analysis and threshold detector unit data. Information about the HPRR spectrum was also obtained through Bonner sphere measurements. This benchmark is focused on a part of the measured sulfur fluences reported in Appendix H of ORNL-6240. Standard commercial sulfur pellets were placed at different distances from the HPRR centerline during burst operation and were activated due to the 32 S(n,p) 32 P reaction. The resulting 32 P activity was then measured and the information about the corresponding sulfur fluence and/or neutron dose could be extracted. Many of those measurements have 7 been performed with the HPRR in its bare configuration or with different shields (combinations of Lucite, concrete, steel). All the necessary, precise information about material and/or dimensions of the different shields was not found, so it was decided to focus only on the unshielded and steel-shielded configurations to minimize the benchmark uncertainty. A total of 31 cases (24 unshielded and 7 shielded cases at different positions) of sulfur fluence were selected before evaluation to develop the benchmark.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

(U) Segmented Scintillator Pitch, Thickness, and Septa Material Effects on the Swank Factor, Quantum Efficiency, and DQE(0) for High-Energy X-Ray Radiography

Scintillator design is an important aspect in constructing a radiographic facility in order to collect the most robust data possible. For the proposed Enhanced Capabilities for Sub-critical Experiment (ECSE) facility in Nevada, we explored a permutation of 13 segmented scintillator designs in order to understand the best performance and trade offs for each design. We calculated the quantum efficiency, Swank factor, and detective quantum efficiency at zero-frequency (DQE(0)) for each scintillator design in order to compare performance.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

NCERC Capabilities

National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC), located at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site (NNSS) operated by Los Alamos National Laboratory, is our nation’s only general-purpose critical experiments facility and is one of only a few that remain operational throughout the world. NCERC Directly Contributes to Important National and International Missions and is Making Investments in Pipeline and the Facility for enduring capability and expanding missions. More detailed capabilities are described.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

BYU Capstone Next Generation Vacuum Compton Detector

This BYU Capstone Team Gamma final poster summarizes the work of the team towards a next generation vacuum Compton detector (VCD) for the Nevada National Security Site. The NNSS sponsored this team. Amber Guckes was the mentor.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Site-Directed Research & Development Annual Report Overview FY 2020

The SDRD program’s annual report for fiscal year 2020 consists of two parts: the program overview, which contains three major sections, Program Description, Program Accomplishments, and Program Value, and individual project report summaries published electronically on the Nevada National Security Site’s website, www.nnss.gov/pages/programs/sdrd.html. Complete technical reports for concluding projects are available from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) or the principal investigator.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Enhanced Distributed Solar Photovoltaic Deployment via Barrier Mitigation or Removal in the Western Interconnection (Final Technical Report)

In 2017, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) 2026 Common Case projected that distributed solar PV deployment in the Western U.S. would meet or exceed 16,106 MW of installed capacity by 2026. Of this total, 12,218 MW was projected to be deployed in California and another 3,888 MW was projected to be deployed across Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. However, WIEB recognized that barriers to distributed solar PV deployment could cause the region to fall short of these projections. WIEB identified three types of perceived barriers that might interfere with the deployment of distributed solar PV generation in the West, including: (1) interconnection barriers; (2) utility rate-design barriers; and (3) reliability barriers.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Review of Pantex Radiation Safety Department 2020 Backup Dosimetry Processing Methodology

In the first quarter (Q1) of Calendar Year 2020, the Pantex Radiation Safety Department (Pantex) experienced various issues and failures with their dosimeter processing equipment. Efforts to repair the equipment resulted in limited functionality without the ability to process dosimeters assigned to personnel for monitoring dose. As a result of the impairments to the dosimeter processing equipment, Pantex called upon Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) for support, as their designated backup processor. In January of 2021, LLNL Subject Matter Experts in External Dosimetry started an NNSA-requested review of Pantex’s personnel doses in Q1 2020. Its focus was the technical validity of the means and methods used by Pantex and its conclusions and provide a level of confidence to National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) that the resulting personnel doses were reasonable, conservative, and defensible.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evaluation and optimization for the decontamination/sterilization of personal protective equipment using a novel ozone chamber (CRADA Final Report)

Personal protective equipment slows the spread of the SARS-Cov-2 virus and protects first responders and the general population. However, there is a significant and well-publicized shortage of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers. Treatment with ozone may be a compelling, affordable, and scalable method to rapidly decontaminate personal protective equipment but more work is needed to verify these claims. Together with colleagues at the University of Nevada Reno and FATHHOME we helped design the experiments that evaluated the virucidal efficacy of FATHHOME’s device on N95 face masks and face shields. The results of our study were published in the journal Pathogens.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Multicontinuum Flow Models for Assessing Two-Phase Flow in Containment Science

We present a new pre-processor tool written in Python that creates multicontinuum meshes for PFLOTRAN to simulate two-phase flow and transport in both the fracture and matrix continua. We discuss the multicontinuum modeling approach to simulate potentially mobile water and gas in the fractured volcanic tuffs at Aqueduct Mesa, at the Nevada National Security Site.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗