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At least 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Multicriterion Benefit Evaluation of Deploying New Battery Technology with Increased Capacity at a Generic Nuclear Power Plant

This presentation is prepared for the DOE LWRS RISA Pathway Stakeholder Engagement Meeting on October 13-14, 2021. Nuclear power plant (NPP) safety improvements are routinely made by plant licensees and regulators. Examples of plant improvements include accident-tolerant fuel, diverse and flexible coping strategies, passive cooling systems, and increased battery capacity. A combined use of these plant improvements could lead to plant designs with enhanced resilience, allowing NPPs to better cope with both internal and external hazards and keep the plant operating safely, efficiently, and economically. This presentation focuses on increased battery capacity and evaluates the potential costs and benefits of deploying batteries with increased capacities at a generic boiling water reactor (BWR) NPP. A multicriterion benefit evaluation methodology is used for the cost-benefit analysis. Ten alternatives for extending battery capacity are developed, including eight alternatives to provide additional direct-current power and one alternative to provide additional alternating-current power. Potential benefits of reducing plant risk are quantified through incorporating the alternatives into loss-of-offsite-power scenarios of the generic BWR probabilistic risk assessment model. Potential costs of implementing the alternatives are qualitatively discussed and ranked. The alternatives are then compared based on their impacts on plant risk and economics.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

MSD CoP Webinar: Applied Science for Decision-Making at the Water-Energy Nexus

Context: This webinar was hosted by the MultiSector Dynamics Community of Practice (MSD CoP; https://multisectordynamics.org). Abstract: The energy transition is a game-changer across multiple sectors, requiring researchers and practitioners to re-evaluate the evolving connections between climate, water, and power systems, as well as the associated co-management of resources and decision-making. In anticipation of new technologies, policies, business models, and other solutions, applied science for decision-making at the climate-water-energy nexus is needed to support transitions with the expected climate resilience, maintained and enhanced energy security, thriving economies, and equity considerations. Through panelists' applied research and operational experience, the webinar will provide lesson-learnt in how to increase the readiness of water-energy research and become actionable in the context of energy transitions. A number of themes will be discussed, including the connection between growing computational resources and complexity of models, and the implications on the intended users, the actual actionable products, the availability of data for validation of the models, uncertainty characterization and decision-making under uncertainty, and the communication of the novelty to decision-makers and the public. Presenters : David McCollum (Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Co-Chair), and Gokul Iyer (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Co-Chair), Curt Jawdy (Tennessee Valley Authority), Nathalie Voisin (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), and Andrew D. Jones (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Moderator: Pat M. Reed (MSD CoP Facilitation Team) This webinar was held on: April 30, 2024 from 1-2 PM ET

Energy↗
NASA NTRS1992

Biofilm formation and control in a simulated spacecraft water system - Three year results

Two simulated spacecraft water systems are being used to evaluate the effectiveness of iodine for controlling microbial contamination within such systems. An iodine concentration of about 2.0 mg/L is maintained in one system by passing ultrapure water through an iodinated ion exchange resin. Stainless steel coupons with electropolished and mechanically-polished sides are being used to monitor biofilm formation. Results after three years of operation show a single episode of significant bacterial growth in the iodinated system when the iodine level dropped to 1.9 mg/L. This growth was apparently controlled by replacing the iodinated ion exchange resin, thereby increasing the iodine level. The second batch of resin has remained effective in controlling microbial growth down to an iodine level of 1.0 mg/L. SEM indicates that the iodine has impeded but may have not completely eliminated the formation of biofilm. Metals analyses reveal some corrosion in the iodinated system after 3 years of continuous exposure. Significant microbial contamination has been present continuously in a parallel noniodinated system since the third week of operation.

Schultz, John R.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Energy Efficient Waste Heat Coupled Forward Osmosis for Effluent Water Management at Coal-Fired Power Plants

This project sought to evaluate the technical and economic viability of the Aquapod©, a transformational low energy (<200 kJ/kg water) waste heat coupled forward osmosis (FO) technology, to manage effluents, meet cooling water demands, and achieve water conservation in a coal-fired power plant environment. The Aquapod© process is innovative because it is heat-driven, avoids the evaporation of water, and uses no toxic chemicals such as ammonia or amines. The Aquapod© process accomplishes this using an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) coupled FO process. The evaluation revealed that the Aquapod© process offers a pathway to exploit waste heat resources within a power plant to achieve flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater volume reduction and water recovery with minimal pretreatment. Water recovery of 80% from FGD wastewater was achieved with minimal pretreatment, exceeding the project target of 50%. The estimated electrical energy of 2.16 kWh/m 3 of water produced for the Aquapod© process met the project target of < 3.6 kWh/m 3 . The heat required for the process operation was approximately 186 kJ/kg of produced water, which was slightly lower than the project target of 200 kJ/kg. The estimated treatment cost for installing and operating the Aquapod© process in conjunction with a spray dryer evaporator to achieve zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) of the 100 gpm FGD wastewater was $13.24/m 3 over a 30-year lifetime. As a point of reference, this study’s host power plant currently incurs a cost of $3.70/m 3 – $8.87/m3 on a discharged volume basis to discharge its wastewater into the publicly owned treatment works (POTW) after physical-chemical treatment. Therefore, the Illinois power plant would incur an incremental cost increase of $4.37/m 3 – 9.54/m 3 to achieve ZLD using the Aquapod© and spray dryer combination. Ample opportunities exist to further lower the ZLD capital and operating costs in the next design iteration to attain pipe parity at the higher end of the site treatment costs.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
NASA NTRS2001

On the Vertical Distribution of Local and Remote Sources of Water for Precipitation

The vertical distribution of local and remote sources of water for precipitation and total column water over the United States are evaluated in a general circulation model simulation. The Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) general circulation model (GCM) includes passive constituent tracers to determine the geographical sources of the water in the column. Results show that the local percentage of precipitable water and local percentage of precipitation can be very different. The transport of water vapor from remote oceanic sources at mid and upper levels is important to the total water in the column over the central United States, while the access of locally evaporated water in convective precipitation processes is important to the local precipitation ratio. This result resembles the conceptual formulation of the convective parameterization. However, the formulations of simple models of precipitation recycling include the assumption that the ratio of the local water in the column is equal to the ratio of the local precipitation. The present results demonstrate the uncertainty in that assumption, as locally evaporated water is more concentrated near the surface.

Bosilovich, Michael G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Remote sensing of water vapor features

Water vapor plays a critical role in the atmosphere. It is an important medium of energy exchange between air, land, and water; it is a major greenhouse gas, providing a crucial radiative role in the global climate system; and it is intimately involved in many regional scale atmospheric processes. Our research has been aimed at improving satellite remote sensing of water vapor and better understanding its role in meteorological processes. Our early studies evaluated the current GOES VAS system for measuring water vapor and have used VAS-derived water vapor data to examine pre-thunderstorm environments. Much of that research was described at the 1991 Research Review. A second research component has considered three proposed sensors--the High resolution Interferometer Sounder (HIS), the Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor (MAMS), and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU). We have focused on MAMS and AMSU research during the past year and the accomplishments made in this effort are presented.

Fuelberg, Henry E.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Opportunities for iron and steel industrial wastewater treatment and reuse in the United States

Concerns around water security in the United States have heightened the interest in industrial water treatment and reuse to improve water efficiency and operational reliability. Alongside nationwide efforts to expand industrial capacity, primary manufacturing sectors are adopting more resource-efficient technologies. This transition is expected to shift industrial water consumption patterns, driving the need for improved treatment and reuse practices. This study investigates opportunities for water use, treatment, and reuse in the iron and steel sector through a review of academic and industry literature and interviews with industry representatives. It identifies key challenges in water and wastewater management and outlines the conditions under which innovative treatment technologies could be deployed. Based on these insights, the study presents a practical water management action plan. Furthermore, it assesses water quality targets across different process operations, evaluates existing treatment technologies, and highlights challenges and opportunities for improvement relative to future performance expectations. Although water is often perceived as a low-cost commodity, industry feedback suggests that improvements in water use and treatment efficiency are typically prioritized only when they also reduce energy use, carbon emissions, or costs. This study advocates for a direct two-way partnership between industry and research audiences to bring their attention toward sustainable industrial water use, treatment, and reuse.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effects of Residual Water on Storage Canister Internal Components

This report describes an evaluation of the spent nuclear fuel cladding and canister internal materials’ corrosion/oxidation due to (inadvertent) residual free water inside a dry storage canister post-dryout. Drying of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and the impact of (inadvertent) residual water in a SNF canister is being addressed under the DOE-NE Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) program to ensure the safe extended dry storage and transportation of commercial SNF. A long-standing understanding has been that the amount of residual water in a storage canister after vacuum drying is not expected to be much more than trace amounts of 0.43 gram mole. However, recent findings from the High Burnup Demonstration project, and an Integrated Research Project show that residual free water well above the amount of approximately 0.43 gm-moles that had been assumed for a 3 torr rebound pressure, may remain within an SNF canister following prototypic drying. In fact, an NRC-NMSS sponsored study considered residual water amount as high as 55 moles. Considering the recent findings and the NRC-sponsored work, this present work was conducted to study the effects of unspecified amount of residual water on oxidation and corrosion of canister internals, i.e., it was assumed that the residual water amount is not limiting. It was assumed that the spent nuclear fuel content in the canister is not exposed to the internal environment, i.e., the packaged canister does not contain any damaged (breached) fuel.

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

Climate change and its influence on water systems increases the cost of electricity system decarbonization

The electric sector simultaneously faces two challenges: decarbonization to mitigate, and adaptation to manage, the impacts of climate change. In many regions, these challenges are compounded by an interdependence of electricity and water systems, with water needed for hydropower generation and electricity for water provision. Here, we couple detailed water and electricity system models to evaluate how the Western Interconnection grid can both adapt to climate change and develop carbon-free generation by 2050, while accounting for interactions and climate vulnerabilities of the water sector. We find that by 2050, due to climate change, annual regional electricity use could grow by up to 2% from cooling and water-related electricity demand, while total annual hydropower generation could decrease by up to 23%. To adapt, we show that the region may need to build up to 139 GW of additional generating capacity between 2030 and 2050, equivalent to nearly thrice California's peak demand, and could incur up to $\$$150 billion (+7%) in extra costs.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Diurnal cycle of precipitation over the tropics and central United States: intercomparison of general circulation models

Diurnal precipitation is a fundamental mode of variability that climate models have difficulty in accurately simulating. Here, in this work, the diurnal cycle of precipitation (DCP) in participating climate models from the Global Energy and Water Exchanges' DCP project is evaluated over the tropics and central United States. Common model biases such as excessive precipitation over the tropics, too frequent light-to-moderate rain, and the failure to capture propagating convection in the central United States still exist. Over the central United States, the issues of too weak rainfall intensity in climate runs is well improved in their hindcast runs with initial conditions from numerical weather prediction analyses. But the improvement is minimal over the central Amazon. Incorporating the role of the large-scale environment in convective triggering processes helps resolve the phase-locking issue in many models where precipitation often incorrectly peaks near noon due to maximum insolation over land. Allowing air parcels to be lifted above the boundary layer improves the simulation of nocturnal precipitation which is often associated with the propagation of mesoscale systems. Including convective memory in cumulus parameterizations acts to suppress light-to-moderate rain and promote intense rainfall; however, it also weakens the diurnal variability. Simply increasing model resolution (with cumulus parameterizations still used) cannot fully resolve the biases of low-resolution climate models in DCP. The hierarchy modeling framework from this study is useful for identifying the missing physics in models and testing new development of model convective processes over different convective regimes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electrolysis on a Chip with Tunable Thin Film Nanostructured PGM Electrocatalysts Generated from Self-Assembled Block Copolymer Templates

Self-assembled block copolymers are promising templates for fabricating thin film materials with tuned periodic feature sizes and geometry at the nanoscale. Here, a series of nanostructured platinum and iridium oxide electrocatalysts templated from poly(styrene)-block-poly(vinyl pyridine) (PSbPVP) block copolymers via an incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) pathway is reported. Both nanowire and nanocylinder electrocatalysts of varying feature sizes are assessed and higher catalyst loadings are achieved by the alkylation of the pyridine moieties in the PVP block prior to IWI. Electrocatalyst evaluations featuring hydrogen pump and water electrolysis demonstrations are carried out on interdigitated electrode (IDE) chips flexible with liquid supporting electrolytes and thin film polymer electrolytes. Notably, the mass activities of the nanostructured electrocatalysts from alkylated block copolymer templates are 35%–94% higher than electrocatalysts from non-alkylated block copolymer templates. Standing cylinder nanostructures lead to higher mass activities than lamellar variants despite their not having the largest surface area per unit catalyst loading demonstrating that mesostructure architectures have a profound impact on reactivity. Overall, IDE chips with model thin film electrocatalysts prepared from self-assembled block copolymers offer a high-throughput experimental method for correlating electrocatalyst nanostructure and composition to electrochemical reactivity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Comparative Metagenomic Analysis of Specified Microorganisms in Groundwater for Non-Sterilized Pharmaceutical Products

In pharmaceutical manufacturing, ensuring product safety involves the detection and identification of microorganisms with human pathogenic potential, including Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC), Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium sporogenes, Candida albicans, and Mycoplasma spp., some of which may be missed or not identified by traditional culture-dependent methods. In this study, we employed a metagenomic approach to detect these taxa, avoiding the limitations of conventional cultivation methods. We assessed the groundwater microbiome’s taxonomic and functional features from samples collected at two locations in the spring and summer. All datasets comprised 436–557 genera with Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Cyanobacteria accounting for > 95% of microbial DNA sequences. The aforementioned species constituted less than 18.3% of relative abundance. Escherichia and Salmonella were mainly detected in Hot Springs, relative to Jefferson, while Clostridium and Pseudomonas were mainly found in Jefferson relative to Hot Springs. Multidrug resistance efflux pumps and BlaR1 family regulatory sensor-transducer disambiguation dominated in Hot Springs and in Jefferson. These initial results provide insight into the detection of specified microorganisms and could constitute a framework for the establishment of comprehensive metagenomic analysis for the microbiological evaluation of pharmaceutical-grade water and other non-sterile pharmaceutical products, ensuring public safety.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Climate Change Impacts on the South American Monsoon System and Its Surface–Atmosphere Processes Through RegCM4 CORDEX-CORE Projections

Here, we evaluate projected changes in surface water and energy balances and surface–atmosphere coupling in the South American Monsoon System (SAMS) for the end of the century (2080–2099). The analyses are based on two ensemble datasets, which follow Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 in the future period, and cover four subdomains (Northern and Southern—NAMZ and SAMZ—Amazon, La Plata Basin—LPB, and Southern Southeast Brazil—SSB). One ensemble consists of three Global Climate Models (HadGEM2-ES, MPI-ESM-MR and NorESM1-M), while the other consists of their dynamically downscaled version at 25 km horizontal grid spacing using Regional Climate Model version 4 (RegCM4). As both ensembles are able in reproducing the annual cycle of the components of the surface water and energy balances in the present climate, they can be used in the study of future climate. During the wet season (November–March), both ensembles project a decrease in precipitation over NAMZ and SAMZ (an exception is RegCM4 that projects a slight increase in SAMZ), and an increase across the LPB and SSB. These changes do not cause retreat or expansion of the monsoon area over the continent, which is similar to the present climate (1995–2014). For the wet season, the ensembles are in line with the presence of a strong surface–atmosphere coupling in LPB and SSB, weak coupling in SAMZ and very weak coupling in NAMZ. For future climate, the coupling is even weaker in NAMZ, which may be a driver for the negative changes in precipitation. For the other subdomains, while the ensembles project similar signals of precipitation changes, they disagree with the surface-atmosphere coupling highlighting the uncertainties in future climate.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Analysis of anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer performance and its evolution over time

Understanding water, evolved gas, and ionic transport in membrane-electrode-assemblies (MEAs) is essential for the development of high performance and durable anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs). This study evaluates the MEA conditioning process, operating conditions, and short-term stability in a 1 M potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte, focusing on the underlying transport phenomena. We observe a significant initial voltage loss in continuous cell operation, which could be associated with gas bubble accumulation, transport layer or flow field passivation, and changes in the catalyst oxidation state. Further, we investigate the effects of materials and operational configurations, including the membrane type and thickness, and the electrolyte flow rate, including KOH being fed to both electrodes as well as to the anode only. Furthermore, the effect of membrane drying temperature on ex situ as well as in situ electrochemical performance is evaluated. Finally, we discuss 700 h of AEMWE operation at 1 A/cm 2 , highlighting the underlying degradation phenomena.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

A combined management scheme to simultaneously mitigate As and Cd concentrations in rice cultivated in contaminated paddy soil

Paddy soils in southern China are heavily co-polluted by arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd). The accumulation of these contaminants in rice grains may pose a high health risk. We evaluated the impact of adjusted water management practice (i.e., conventional irrigation and aerobic treatment after heading stage) and the application of two immobilization agents (i.e., CaO and Fe2O3) on the accumulation of As and Cd in rice grains of three rice varieties (i.e., Jinyou-463, Jinyou-268, and Mabayouzhan). The different schemes were tested via conducting a field experiment in paddy soil in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province, China. The results showed that the combined scheme (selecting Jinyou-268, aerobic water management after the heading stage, and 0.09% CaO and 0.5% Fe2O3 amendments) exhibited the best performance in the reduction of As and Cd accumulation in rice grains. This combined scheme decreased the grain As concentration by 26.19% and maintained the Cd at a low level (0.056 mg/kg) as compared to the use of local conventional irrigation patterns. Moreover, health risk assessment demonstrated that by applying the optimal scheme, neither As nor Cd content in rice had carcinogenic risk. However, the grain As remains at a high non-carcinogenic risk. We suggest that future field study design should fully incorporate the uncertainty of the natural environment to make the research conclusions more feasible for popularization and utilization. This study demonstrated an approach of utilizing the synergy effects of various measures for safe rice production in fields subjected to As and Cd contaminations.

Yang, Xiao↗
DOE OSTI2023

Unraveling the 2021 Central Tennessee flood event using a hierarchical multi-model inundation modeling framework

Flood prediction systems need hierarchical atmospheric, hydrologic, and hydraulic models to predict rainfall, runoff, streamflow, and floodplain inundation. The accuracy of such systems depends on the error propagation through the modeling chain, sensitivity to input data, and choice of models. In this study, we used multiple precipitation forcings (hindcast and forecast) to drive hydrologic and hydrodynamic models to analyze the impacts of various drivers on the estimates of flood inundation depth and extent. We implement this framework to unravel the August 2021 extreme flooding event that occurred in Central Tennessee, USA. We used two radar-based quantitative precipitation estimates (STAGE4 and MRMS) as well as quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF) from the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center (WPC) to drive a series of models in the hierarchical framework, including the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) land surface model, the Routing Application for Parallel Computation of Discharge (RAPID) river routing model, and the AutoRoute and TRITON inundation models. An evaluation with observed high-water marks demonstrates that the framework can reasonably simulate flood inundation. Despite the complex error propagation mechanism of the modeling chain, we show that inundation estimates are most sensitive to rainfall estimates. Most notably, QPF significantly underestimates flood magnitudes and inundations leading to unanticipated severe flooding for all stakeholders involved in the event. Finally, we discuss the implications of the hydrodynamic modeling framework for real-time flood forecasting.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hydrothermal corrosion of laser printed SiC fibers under extreme environment

We report SiC/SiC fiber composites are proposed cladding materials to improve the accident tolerance of commercial light water nuclear reactor fuel. To evaluate their viability, understanding the kinetics of corrosion under irradiation and high-temperature, high-pressure aqueous environment is critical. In the present work, the microstructure and mechanical properties of novel SiC fibers manufactured by Laser Chemical Vapor Deposition (LCVD) are introduced. The LCVD technology has control over microstructure and stoichiometry while allowing for high purity manufacturing, all key qualities needed in search of an optimum SiC fiber for nuclear energy applications. The isolated hydrothermal corrosion of commercially available carbon-rich Hi-Nicalon Type-S fibers is compared to the LCVD stoichiometric and LCVD silicon-rich fibers. Autoclave testing was carried out at 310°C and 14 MPa in the absence of irradiation. In a separate study, the effect of gamma irradiation on the fibers in the room-temperature environment was analyzed. It was observed from the experiments that the dissolution of the fibers was highly dependent on the stoichiometric ratio, fiber surface morphology and thermal pre-treatment of fibers. Contrary to previous findings, fiber dissolution was also visible under low-temperature gamma irradiation in aqueous environment with LCVD fibers showing lower dissolution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Controlling and Optimizing Photoinduced Charge Transfer across Ultrathin Silica Separation Membrane with Embedded Molecular Wires for Artificial Photosynthesis

Ultrathin amorphous silica membranes with embedded organic molecular wires (oligo( p -phenylenevinylene), three aryl units) provide chemical separation of incompatible catalytic environments of CO 2 reduction and H 2 O oxidation while maintaining electronic and protonic coupling between them. For an efficient nanoscale artificial photosystem, important performance criteria are high rate and directionality of charge flow. Here, the visible-light-induced charge flow from an anchored Ru bipyridyl light absorber across the silica nanomembrane to Co 3 O 4 water oxidation catalyst is quantitatively evaluated by photocurrent measurements. Charge transfer rates increase linearly with wire density, with 5 nm -2 identified as an optimal target. Accurate measurement of wire and light absorber densities is accomplished by the polarized FT-IRRAS method. Guided by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, four wire derivatives featuring electron-donating (methoxy) and -withdrawing groups (sulfonate, perfluorophenyl) with highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) potentials ranging from 1.48 to 0.64 V vs NHE were synthesized and photocurrents evaluated. Charge transfer rates increase sharply with increasing driving force for hole transfer from the excited light absorber to the embedded wire, followed by a decrease as the HOMO potential of the wire moves beyond the Co 3 O 4 valence band level toward more negative values, pointing to an optimal wire HOMO potential around 1.3 V vs NHE. Comparison with photocurrents of samples without nanomembrane indicates that silica layers with optimized wires are able to approach undiminished electron flux at typical solar intensities. Combined with the established high proton conductivity and small-molecule blocking property, the charge transfer measurements demonstrate that oxidation and reduction catalysis can be efficiently integrated on the nanoscale under separation by an ultrathin silica membrane.

photocurrent measurements↗