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DOE OSTI2010

Summary of NGNP Engineering Analysis Progress in Fiscal Year 2010

The Engineering Analysis work package accomplished a number of activities in FY2010 that will help to inform Licensing, R&D, and detailed design activities that will be performed during the preliminary design phase in Phase 2 of the NGNP Project. These activities were in the following areas: • Fission Product Transport • DDN Update and Consolidation • Gas Reactor Lessons Learned Review • Reactor Coolant Chemistry Control • Resilient Control Systems for High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors • Water-ingress Analysis In total, the efforts associated with the Engineering Analysis work package accomplished four (4) Level 2 milestones and two (2) internal (Level 4) milestones. Details of the activities and milestones are included in the attached report.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2022

Update on NNL TSL Validation Efforts [Slides]

A new sub-thermal neutron transmission capability at RPI LINAC has been used to validate Be (metal). NNL transmission measurements validated NCSU Be and Be+Sd TSLs for ENDF/B-VIII.1 and showed improvements WRT ENDF/B-VII.1 and ENDF/B-VIII.0. Amplitude differences highlighted the importance of sample characterization. Additional measurement is in progress for CY2022. PNDA is being developed as an alternative to critical experiment validation.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1992

ACTS propagation terminal update

The activities at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in preparation for the February 1993 launch of ACTS are summarized. ACTS propagation terminals (APT) are being constructed to receive the 20 and 27.5 GHz ACTS beacon signals. Total power radiometers operating at the same frequencies are integrated into the terminal for use in level setting. Recent progress and plans for APT's are reported.

Stutzman, Warren L.↗

NASA NTRS2008

A Computational Approach for Model Update of an LS-DYNA Energy Absorbing Cell

NASA and its contractors are working on structural concepts for absorbing impact energy of aerospace vehicles. Recently, concepts in the form of multi-cell honeycomb-like structures designed to crush under load have been investigated for both space and aeronautics applications. Efforts to understand these concepts are progressing from tests of individual cells to tests of systems with hundreds of cells. Because of fabrication irregularities, geometry irregularities, and material properties uncertainties, the problem of reconciling analytical models, in particular LS-DYNA models, with experimental data is a challenge. A first look at the correlation results between single cell load/deflection data with LS-DYNA predictions showed problems which prompted additional work in this area. This paper describes a computational approach that uses analysis of variance, deterministic sampling techniques, response surface modeling, and genetic optimization to reconcile test with analysis results. Analysis of variance provides a screening technique for selection of critical parameters used when reconciling test with analysis. In this study, complete ignorance of the parameter distribution is assumed and, therefore, the value of any parameter within the range that is computed using the optimization procedure is considered to be equally likely. Mean values from tests are matched against LS-DYNA solutions by minimizing the square error using a genetic optimization. The paper presents the computational methodology along with results obtained using this approach.

Horta, Lucas G.↗

DOE OSTI2016

Assessment of NDE for Key Indicators of Aging Cables in Nuclear Power Plants – Interim Status

Degradation of the cable jacket, electrical insulation, and other cable components of installed cables within nuclear power plants (NPPs) is known to occur as a function of age, temperature, radiation, and other environmental factors. System tests verify cable function under normal loads; however, the concern is over cable performance under exceptional loads associated with design-basis events (DBEs). The cable’s ability to perform safely over the initial 40 year planned and licensed life has generally been demonstrated and there have been very few age-related cable failures. With greater than 1000 km of power, control, instrumentation, and other cables typically found in an NPP, replacing all the cables would be a severe cost burden. Justification for life extension to 60 and 80 years requires a cable aging management program to justify cable performance under normal operation as well as accident conditions. Currently the gold standard for determining cable insulation degradation is the elongation-at-break (EAB). This, however, is an ex-situ measurement and requires removal of a sample for laboratory investigation. A reliable nondestructive examination (NDE) in-situ approach is desirable to objectively determine the suitability of the cable for service. A variety of tests are available to assess various aspects of electrical and mechanical cable performance, but none of these tests are suitable for all cable configurations nor does any single test confirm all features of interest. Nevertheless, the complete collection of test possibilities offers a powerful range of tools to assure the integrity of critical cables. Licensees and regulators have settled on a practical program to justify continued operation based on condition monitoring of a lead sample set of cables where test data is tracked in a database and the required test data are continually adjusted based on plant and fleet-wide experience. As part of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability program sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy, and industry (represented by the Electric Power Research Institute), an assessment of cable NDE methods was commissioned. Technologies include both bulk electrical measurements (Tan d, time domain reflectometry, frequency domain reflectometry (FDR), partial discharge, and other techniques) and local insulation measurement (indenter, dynamic mechanical analysis interdigital capacitance, infrared spectral measurement, etc.). This aging cable NDE program update reviews the full range of techniques but focuses on the most interesting test approaches that have a chance to be deployed in-situ, particularly including Tan d, FDR, and ultrasound methods that have been reviewed most completely in this progress period.

cable aging inspection↗

DOE OSTI2012

FY2012 Report on Fast Reactor Toolset Work (PROTEUS-Fast)

As part of the NEAMS activity in DOE, a fast reactor simulation program was launched in April 2007, termed SHARP. The initial goal of SHARP was to develop a suite of modern simulation tools specifically for the analysis and design of sodium cooled fast reactors, and this goal has since been extended to consider all reactor types of interest. As part of that work, a high‐fidelity deterministic neutron transport code named UNIC was started, providing a common framework for fast reactor neutronics tools. Focusing on UNIC, spatial de‐homogenization increased the typical neutronics problem with a few hundred million degrees of freedom (DOF) into ones with hundreds of trillions of DOF. Such problems are beyond the capabilities of existing supercomputers. With the advent of future computer hardware, these high‐fidelity problems can be solved but only after a multiyear development program to adapt codes such as UNIC to that technology. UNIC can presently be used on smaller problems (single assembly, multiple assemblies) with today’s hardware, but it is also necessary to provide tools to solve the larger problems of interest, albeit without the aforementioned level of spatial de‐homogenization. To address the desire to demonstrate the coupling capability of NEAMS, part of the FY12 funding was focused on preparing the legacy codes, termed PROTEUS‐Fast, which are fully capable of solving full‐scale fast reactor problems. A bulk of the work this year was focused on preparing and distributing the PROTEUS‐Fast codes for use by all NEAMS users. The demonstration of a full coupling capability will require more follow on work, but significant progress was made this year preparing the interface coupling routines and preparing PROTEUS‐Fast for use. The primary targets of interest in PROTEUS‐Fast are DIF3D, DIF3D‐K (kinetics), and VARI3D (reactivity coefficients), with REBUS (fuel cycle) being an auxiliary component updated for convenience. All codes in PROTEUS‐Fast were verified and added to the BuildBot regression test. Unfortunately, all of the older codes suffered significant problems from the deprecated coding practices used within them and resulting conflicts with modern compilers. After some work, all of these issues were resolved and we feel confident in releasing them for use by others NEAMS members. With regard to specific upgrades, DIF3D‐VARIANT was upgraded with a few months of effort to allow the large scale problems of interest to be executed. After significant study, we choose not to modify VARI3D to include a transport option, but to develop a new code, PERSENT (partially funded by an external project) which uses the DIF3D‐VARIANT transport solution option. The outstanding features missing from MC 2 ‐3 were added, and MC 2 ‐3 has been released to RSICC. All of the remaining PROTEUS‐Fast codes are either finished with the copyright and licensing procedure or are actively going through it. While that process will delay the targeted August 2012 release to RSICC for a few more months, the codes are ready for immediate use and can be connected to the framework either by us or by others as the interface readers and documentation will be released with the PROTEUS‐Fast codes.

Wolters, E. R.↗

DOE OSTI2019

Wood-to-Fuel for California's Transportation Sector using Autothermal Pyrolysis August 2019 (Progress Report for FRD-17-002)

What we planned to accomplish this period: In the month of August we planned to get any comments or edits on the Site License Agreement from SPI for review, make further progress on the market assessment for the Wood-to-Bio-oil Market Report, and continue moving towards getting the subcontracts in place with Iowa State University and Frontline BioEnergy, LLC. What we actually accomplished this period: We finally received the updated Site License Agreement from SPI on August 21st. The only comments and edits on it are minor and should not take more than a couple of weeks of review internally (the only reason this is weeks instead of days is due to the Laboratory’s fiscal year end approaching on September 30, making for heavily increased workloads on our folks that review these documents, and making a few weeks, instead of days, more realistic) before we can pass it along to Iowa State University and Frontline BioEnergy, LLC.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Software-defined Networking for Energy Delivery Systems (SDN4EDS): An Architectural Blueprint (Final Report)

This is the initial version of a reference for suppliers and energy companies of all sizes to deploy networks based on software-defined networking technology (SDN) to improve reliability, reduce cyber security attack surface, and facilitate mitigation of adversarial behavior. It is a living document and will progress over the life cycle of the Software-Defined Networking for Energy Delivery Systems (SDN4EDS) project. Version 2 of this report provides information on the Red Team tabletop assessment performed against the initial reference architecture. Version 3 of this report updates the reference architecture with lessons learned from the Red Team tabletop assessment, as well as provides additional details for the use cases. It also provides information on the decision process that could be used by an organization when considering deploying SDN in their environment. The final version of this report consolidates all the interim reports generated by the project into a final report. It also draws from PNNL’s experience in deploying SDN to make recommendations on how SDN could be deployed in a utility environment, and provides rationale for those decisions allowing individual utilities to make risk-based and knowledge-based decisions on how to best deploy SDN in their own environment

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2021

Software-defined Networking for Energy Delivery Systems (SDN4EDS): An Architectural Blueprint (Final Summary Report)

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS1994

Active Members to Establish On-Orbit Modal Data for Modal Correlation

The paper presents an approach to experimentally determine the modal sensitivity derivitives with respect to physical parameters of a structure in space or on the ground. The information experimentally validates the Jacobian used to update the analytical model to correlate with the experimental modal data. The approach is applicable to Adaptive Structures and utilizes active members. For verification of the approach, numerical simulations of a 4.5 meter diameter truss structure and experimental verification plan and progress are presented.

space structures modal analysis dynamic models ada↗

NASA NTRS2008

Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of Planetary Geologic Mappers, Flagstaff, AZ, 2008

Topics discussed include: Merging of the USGS Atlas of Mercury 1:5,000,000 Geologic Series; Geologic Mapping of the V-36 Thetis Regio Quadrangle: 2008 Progress Report; Structural Maps of the V-17 Beta Regio Quadrangle, Venus; Geologic Mapping of Isabella Quadrangle (V-50) and Helen Planitia, Venus; Renewed Mapping of the Nepthys Mons Quadrangle (V-54), Venus; Mapping the Sedna-Lavinia Region of Venus; Geologic Mapping of the Guinevere Planitia Quadrangle of Venus; Geological Mapping of Fortuna Tessera (V-2): Venus and Earth's Archean Process Comparisons; Geological Mapping of the North Polar Region of Venus (V-1 Snegurochka Planitia): Significant Problems and Comparisons to the Earth's Archean; Venus Quadrangle Geological Mapping: Use of Geoscience Data Visualization Systems in Mapping and Training; Geologic Map of the V-1 Snegurochka Planitia Quadrangle: Progress Report; The Fredegonde (V-57) Quadrangle, Venus: Characterization of the Venus Midlands; Formation and Evolution of Lakshmi Planum (V-7), Venus: Assessment of Models using Observations from Geological Mapping; Geologic Map of the Meskhent Tessera Quadrangle (V-3), Venus: Evidence for Early Formation and Preservation of Regional Topography; Geological Mapping of the Lada Terra (V-56) Quadrangle, Venus: A Progress Report; Geology of the Lachesis Tessera Quadrangle (V-18), Venus; Geologic Mapping of the Juno Chasma Quadrangle, Venus: Establishing the Relation Between Rifting and Volcanism; Geologic Mapping of V-19, V-28, and V-53; Lunar Geologic Mapping Program: 2008 Update; Geologic Mapping of the Marius Quadrangle, the Moon; Geologic Mapping along the Arabia Terra Dichotomy Boundary: Mawrth Vallis and Nili Fossae, Mars: Introductory Report; New Geologic Map of the Argyre Region of Mars; Geologic Evolution of the Martian Highlands: MTMs -20002, -20007, -25002, and -25007; Mapping Hesperia Planum, Mars; Geologic Mapping of the Meridiani Region, Mars; Geology of Holden Crater and the Holden and Ladon Multi-Ring Impact Basins, Margaritifer Terra, Mars; Geologic Mapping of Athabasca Valles; Geologic Mapping of MTM -30247, -35247 and -40247 Quadrangles, Reull Vallis Region of Mars; Geologic Mapping of the Martian Impact Crater Tooting; Geology of the Southern Utopia Planitia Highland-Lowland Boundary Plain: First Year Results and Second Year Plan; Mars Global Geologic Mapping: Amazonian Results; Recent Geologic Mapping Results for the Polar Regions of Mars; Geologic Mapping of the Medusae Fossae Formation on Mars (MC-8 SE and MC-23 NW) and the Northern Lowlands of Venus (V-16 and V-15); Geologic Mapping of the Zal, Hi'iaka, and Shamshu Regions of Io; Global Geologic Map of Europa; Material Units, Structures/Landforms, and Stratigraphy for the Global Geologic Map of Ganymede (1:15M); and Global Geologic Mapping of Io: Preliminary Results.

Bleamaster, Leslie F., III↗

NASA NTRS2024

Cost and Benefit Analysis of Mitigating, Tracking, and Remediating Orbital Debris

Orbital debris may collide with crewed and robotic spacecraft, placing them at risk. The wide range of debris, from 9,000-kilogram rocket bodies to millions of millimeter-size debris, has led to a similarly wide range of proposed actions for addressing the risks posed by debris. However, the costs and benefits of these actions have historically been unknown. This is a challenge for decision makers who are choosing which actions to support through technology development or policy changes. NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy is addressing these technical and economic uncertainties by building a capability to (1) complete rigorous calculations of the net present value of each action, (2) identify an optimal portfolio of actions to reduce risk, and (3) quantitatively analyze policies related to space sustainability. This report describes our progress toward that capability and to solicit feedback from the space and economic communities. Our previous work, referred to here as Phase 1, assessed the costs and benefits of performing debris remediation on operationally relevant timescales. The current analysis contains major updates to the risk model used in Phase 1 and expands the breadth of actions considered to include mitigating the creation of debris, improving the ability to track debris, and more methods for cleaning up existing debris. We demonstrate that our approach of measuring risks in dollars allows for the effectiveness of seemingly incommensurate actions to be compared and generates insights that other approaches to measuring risk have missed.

Jericho Locke↗

NASA NTRS2024

Cost and Benefit Analysis of Mitigating, Tracking, and Remediating Orbital Debris

Presentation accompanying the technical report with the same name. The abstract for the report and the full study is repeated below. Orbital debris may collide with crewed and robotic spacecraft, placing them at risk. The wide range of debris, from 9,000-kilogram rocket bodies to millions of millimeter-size debris, has led to a similarly wide range of proposed actions for addressing the risks posed by debris. However, the costs and benefits of these actions have historically been unknown. This is a challenge for decision makers who are choosing which actions to support through technology development or policy changes. NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy is addressing these technical and economic uncertainties by building a capability to (1) complete rigorous calculations of the net present value of each action, (2) identify an optimal portfolio of actions to reduce risk, and (3) quantitatively analyze policies related to space sustainability. This report describes our progress toward that capability and to solicit feedback from the space and economic communities. Our previous work, referred to here as Phase 1, assessed the costs and benefits of performing debris remediation on operationally relevant timescales. The current analysis contains major updates to the risk model used in Phase 1 and expands the breadth of actions considered to include mitigating the creation of debris, improving the ability to track debris, and more methods for cleaning up existing debris. We demonstrate that our approach of measuring risks in dollars allows for the effectiveness of seemingly incommensurate actions to be compared and generates insights that other approaches to measuring risk have missed.

Jericho Locke↗

DOE OSTI2017

The Future of EPA's Waste Estimation Support Tool - 17227

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Waste Estimation Support Tool (WEST) is a GIS-based decision support tool for estimating the characteristics, amount, and residual radioactivity of waste generated from remediation and cleanup activities after a radiological incident, including those involving radiological dispersal devices, improvised nuclear devices, and nuclear power plants. WEST has been released to the public and has been used in numerous national level exercises and planning scenarios; however, it continues to be improved and refined to add additional functionality and performance. Since its inception, WEST has undergone a myriad of updates, routinely ensuring compatibility with ESRI's ArcGIS and FEMA's Hazus, a tool for estimating potential losses from earthquakes, wind, and flood events. Furthermore, recent enhancements have added reporting and mapping features and multi-state support. Over time, this progress has strained WEST's Microsoft{sup C} Excel based platform. The inherent limitations of Excel have limited the capacity of WEST and narrowed the scope of potential enhancements. Recent collaborative efforts between the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Science and Technology Directorate (S and T) and EPA will see the introduction of a new software platform for easing memory limitations and new and innovative features for improving the accuracy of waste estimates. The planned enhancements include: 1) Systems approach: measure or predict the outcome of decisions associated with disaster response (e.g., decontamination efficacy vs. waste) and to a greater extent, the overall resource demand (e.g., cost, time, etc.); 2) Custom infrastructure data and international support: accommodate non-US building information where available and also add new data and information on recently used decontamination technologies as applied in a real-world incident; 3) Additional waste factors: addition of waste factors that are unique to wide area scenarios such as vehicles and trees as they will likely contribute in a significant manner to the overall waste stream;4) Site analysis and logistics: apply spatial information and analysis technologies to locate and prioritize potential waste staging or storage sites; and use GIS-based logistics planning to better organize, route, and estimate the cost, time, and logistical requirements (i.e., resource demand) associated with transporting large volumes of waste from a disaster-stricken area to waste staging or storage sites; 5) Decontamination technologies: introduce new decontamination technologies, better understand the feasibility and efficacy of new and preexisting decontamination technologies when applied to a wide area incident, and use historical incidents to ground truth waste results; and 6) Resource demand: ability to estimate resource demand information associated with decontamination technologies, waste staging and storage, and logistical information for transporting waste. This paper will describe the next version of WEST (WEST 4.0), and how the aforementioned enhancements will contribute to improving the planning and response capabilities of the tool. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2012

NEAMS Update: Quarterly report for January - March 2012

Quarterly highlights are: (1) The integration of Denovo and AMP was demonstrated in an AMP simulation of the thermo-mechanics of a complete fuel assembly; (2) Bison was enhanced with a mechanistic fuel cracking model; (3) Mechanistic algorithms were incorporated into various lower-length-scale models to represent fission gases and dislocations in UO2 fuels; (4) Marmot was improved to allow faster testing of mesoscale models using larger problem domains; (5) Component models of reactor piping were developed for use in Relap-7; (6) The mesh generator of Proteus was updated to accept a mesh specification from Moose and equations were formulated for the intermediate-fidelity Proteus-2D1D module; (7) A new pressure solver was implemented in Nek5000 and demonstrated to work 2.5 times faster than the previous solver; (8) Work continued on volume-holdup models for two fuel reprocessing operations: voloxidation and dissolution; (9) Progress was made on a pyroprocessing model and the characterization of pyroprocessing emission signatures; (10) A new 1D groundwater waste transport code was delivered to the used fuel disposition (UFD) campaign; (11) Efforts on waste form modeling included empirical simulation of sodium-borosilicate glass compositions; (12) The Waste team developed three prototypes for modeling hydride reorientation in fuel cladding during very long-term fuel storage; (13) A benchmark demonstration problem (fission gas bubble growth) was modeled to evaluate the capabilities of different meso-scale numerical methods; (14) Work continued on a hierarchical up-scaling framework to model structural materials by directly coupling dislocation dynamics and crystal plasticity; (15) New 'importance sampling' methods were developed and demonstrated to reduce the computational cost of rare-event inference; (16) The survey and evaluation of existing data and knowledge bases was updated for NE-KAMS; (17) The NEAMS Early User Program was launched; (18) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Regulatory Research was introduced to the NEAMS program; (19) The NEAMS overall software quality assurance plan (SQAP) was revised to version 1.5; and (20) Work continued on NiCE and its plug-ins and other utilities, such as Cubit and VisIt.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2015

NEET Enhanced Micro Pocket Fission Detector for High Temperature Reactors - FY15 Status Report

A new project, that is a collaboration between the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the Kansas State University (KSU), and the French Atomic Energy Agency, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, (CEA), has been initiated by the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (ASI) program for developing and testing High Temperature Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors (HT MPFD), which are compact fission chambers capable of simultaneously measuring thermal neutron flux, fast neutron flux and temperature within a single package for temperatures up to 800 °C. The MPFD technology utilizes a small, multi-purpose, robust, in-core parallel plate fission chamber and thermocouple. As discussed within this report, the small size, variable sensitivity, and increased accuracy of the MPFD technology represent a revolutionary improvement over current methods used to support irradiations in US Material Test Reactors (MTRs). Previous research conducted through NEET ASI1-3 has shown that the MPFD technology could be made robust and was successfully tested in a reactor core. This new project will further the MPFD technology for higher temperature regimes and other reactor applications by developing a HT MPFD suitable for temperatures up to 800 °C. This report summarizes the research progress for year one of this three year project. Highlights from research accomplishments include: A joint collaboration was initiated between INL, KSU, and CEA. Note that CEA is participating at their own expense because of interest in this unique new sensor. An updated HT MPFD design was developed. New high temperature-compatible materials for HT MPFD construction were procured. Construction methods to support the new design were evaluated at INL. Laboratory evaluations of HT MPFD were initiated. Electrical contact and fissile material plating has been performed at KSU. Updated detector electronics are undergoing evaluations at KSU. A project meeting was held at KSU to discuss the roles and responsibilities between INL and KSU for development of the HT MPFDs. Provide input to various irradiation programs for installation of the MPFD technology in irradiation tests. As documented in this report, FY15 funding has allowed the project to meet year one planned accomplishments to develop a HT MPFD that offers US MTR users enhanced capabilities for real-time measurement of flux and temperature with a single detector. In addition, the accomplishments of this project have attracted funding from other Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs for additional applications. The work in those programs will build on current activities completed in this NEETASI HT MPFD project, but the MPFD will be specifically tailored to meet their program needs.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2016

NEET Enhanced Micro-Pocket Fission Detector for High Temperature Reactors - FY16 Status Report

A collaboration between the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the Kansas State University (KSU), and the French Atomic Energy Agency, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, (CEA), has been initiated by the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (ASI) program for developing and testing High Temperature Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors (HT MPFD), which are compact fission chambers capable of simultaneously measuring thermal neutron flux, fast neutron flux and temperature within a single package for temperatures up to 800 °C. The MPFD technology utilizes a small, multi-purpose, robust, in-core fission chambers and thermocouple. As discussed within this report, the small size, variable sensitivity, and increased accuracy of the MPFD technology represent a revolutionary improvement over current methods used to support irradiations in US Material Test Reactors (MTRs). Previous research conducted through NEET ASI1-3 has shown that the MPFD technology could be made robust and was successfully tested in a reactor core. This new project will further the MPFD technology for higher temperature regimes and other reactor applications by developing a HT MPFD suitable for temperatures up to 800 °C. This report summarizes the research progress for year two of this three year project. Highlights from research accomplishments include: • Continuation of a joint collaboration between INL, KSU, and CEA. Note that CEA is participating at their own expense because of interest in this unique new sensor. • An updated parallel wire HT MPFD design was developed. • Program support for HT MPFD deployments was given to Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) and Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) irradiation test programs. • Quality approved materials for HT MPFD construction were procured by irradiation test programs for upcoming deployments. • KSU improved and performed electrical contact and fissile material plating. • KSU delivered fissile HT MPFD parts to INL for final construction of HT MPFD prototype. • A prototype HT MPFD was constructed and analyzed at INL. • The HT MPFD has been modeled in MCNP to optimize the amount of fissile material deposition. • The HT MPFD has been modeled in MCNP to optimize the sensor location in the irradiation test. • The fissile material deposition is undergoing independent verifications. • Detector amplifier electronics have been revised and tested by KSU. • Several project meetings were held at INL and KSU to discuss the roles and responsibilities between INL, KSU, and CEA for development and deployment of the HT MPFDs. As documented in this report, FY16 funding has allowed the project to meet year two planned accomplishments to develop a HT MPFD. In addition, the accomplishments of this project have attracted independent funding from other Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs for MTR irradiations of the MPFD technology. These are significant opportunities for this NEET Enhanced Micro-Pocket Fission Detector for High Temperature Reactors project because the irradiation expense of these experiments could not be included in the original project scope.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2022

Status Update on the Development of Transducers and Bonding Techniques for Enabling Acoustic Measurements of Damage in Microreactor Components

This report provides an overview of potential sensors and sensor-bonding techniques to enable the online acoustic interrogation of microreactor components and enhance structural health monitoring capabilities. The report focuses primarily on optical fiber–based acoustic sensors and describes initial experimental progress toward the deployment of these sensors for microreactor applications. The general approach is to monitor the resonant frequencies of microreactor components and search for evidence of structural defects that could indicate imminent failure. If properly identified, then the components could be repaired during the next reactor outage to prevent costly unplanned shutdowns. The ability to monitor the structural health of components could also reduce the need for time-consuming visual inspections and reduce staffing to improve microreactor economic viability. Increased sensor density is also one of the first steps to moving toward eventual semiautonomous operation. The expected microreactor conditions in which acoustic sensors must survive are characterized, including temperatures, neutron fluences, thermomechanical strains, and vibrational frequencies. Optical fiber–based acoustic sensors are identified as an attractive candidate for acoustic monitoring because of their high accuracy, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and resiliency in high-temperature, high-radiation environments. Optical fiber–based intrinsic sensors, such as type-II fiber-Bragg gratings and Fabry-Pérot Cavities (FPCs), are particularly attractive for a microreactor environment because of their high temperature stability, and FPCs also enable higher frequency interrogation with a lower sensitivity to radiation-induced drift. This report describes multiple interrogation systems, but the best interrogation system for a given situation will depend on the specific microreactor application, including the desired acoustic vibrational amplitudes, modes, and resonant frequencies. Initial experiments included fabricating three FPCs, tack-welding these FPCs to stainless-steel pipes or rods and performing room-temperature acoustic sensing tests to capture the vibrational frequency content. Peaks were identified in the measured frequency spectra and compared with the theoretical fundamental frequencies obtained from Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. Two of the three FPCs measured vibrational frequencies that generally matched those obtained from theory. Future work will include similar testing on pipes or other microreactor components with intentional flaws to evaluate the ability to determine changes in resonant frequencies. Finally, these tests will be repeated at high temperatures, potentially with an applied thermomechanical stress, to include environmental conditions similar to those for a microreactor application.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗