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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 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Numerical Modeling of the Thermal State of a Metal–Concrete Container with Spent Nuclear Fuel During Its Transportation

In the work, the authors have presented the procedure and have given results of numerical modeling of the thermal state of a metal–concrete container with spent nuclear fuel during its transportation in a special car. Maximum temperatures of fuel-element sheaths have been determined for several versions of loading of the container with fuel including spent nuclear fuel, with short storage periods.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Thermal energy grid storage: Liquid containment and pumping above 2000 °C

As the cost of renewable energy falls below fossil fuels, the key barrier to widespread sustainable electricity has become availability on demand. Energy storage can enable dispatchable renewables, but only with drastic cost reductions compared to current battery technologies. One electricity storage concept that could enable these cost reductions stores electricity as sensible heat in an extremely hot liquid (>2000°C) and uses multi-junction photovoltaics (MPV) as a heat engine to convert it back to electricity on demand hours, or days, later. Furthermore, this paper reports the first containment of silicon in a multipart graphite tank above 2000°C, using material grades that are affordable for energy storage at GWh scales. Low cost molded graphite with particle sizes as large as 10 μm successfully contained metallurgical grade silicon, even with as much as twothirds iron by mass for up to 10 hours and temperatures as high as 2300°C, in tanks as large as two gallons.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Point containment algorithms for constructive solid geometry with unbounded primitives

Here, we present several algorithms for evaluating point containment in constructive solid geometry (CSG) trees with unbounded primitives. Three algorithms are presented based on postfix, prefix, and infix notations of the CSG binary expression tree. We show that prefix and infix notations enable short-circuiting logic, which reduces the number of primitives that must be checked during point containment. To evaluate the performance of the algorithms, each algorithm was implemented in the OpenMC Monte Carlo particle transport code, which relies on CSG to represent solid bodies through which subatomic particles travel. Two sets of tests were carried out. First, the execution time to generate a rasterized image of a 2D slice of three CSG models of varying complexity was measured. Use of both prefix and infix notations offered significant speedup over the postfix notation that has traditionally been used in particle transport codes, with infix resulting in a 6 x reduction in execution time relative to postfix for a model of a tokamak fusion device. We then measured the execution time of neutron transport simulations of the same three models using each of the algorithms. The results and performance improvements reveal the same trends as for the rasterization test, with a 5.52 x overall speedup using the infix notation relative to the original postfix notation in OpenMC for the tokamak model.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Containment strategy for subsurface H 2 storage based on time-dependent soft solids

Here, we propose an innovative containment strategy based on time-dependent soft solids, namely 2 wt% Laponite suspensions, to reinforce natural subsurface seals and engineer flow barriers, with an eye toward making H 2 subsurface storage scalable and geographically agnostic. This suspension can be injected at its initial low viscosity and elasticity into a porous medium, allowing for easy pumping and targeted delivery. Once inside the target zone, it matures into a soft solid with much higher viscosity and elasticity, acting as a potential flow barrier. We discuss the rheological properties of the suspensions and demonstrate that hydrogen does not adversely affect their microstructure, but rather increases the suspensions’ viscosity and elasticity. Moreover, the suspensions enhance the rock samples’ compressive strength, while hydrogen exposure increases their stiffness and ductility. The ability of rock samples saturated with the suspensions to contain higher injected gas pressures is enhanced by aging at higher temperatures.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Glass formulation and lab-scale testing of glasses designed for in-can Melter and in-container Vitrification of high-assay low-enriched uranium aqueous polishing Raffinate waste

Glasses were designed for processing a nuclear waste from aqueous polishing of high-assay low-enriched uranium using either In-Can Melter (ICM) or GeoMelt® In-Container Vitrification™ (ICV) technologies, which operate at temperatures of T p ≤ 1100 °C and T p ≤ 1450 °C, respectively. Due to the different operating conditions, the melt and glass properties were optimized differently for each technology. Each glass was designed to optimize for maximum waste loading while simultaneously satisfying processing (e.g., crystallization, viscosity, and conductivity) and product quality (e.g., durability, hazard characteristic, and crystal content) constraints. Here, the raffinate waste contains high nitric acid (4 M) and low total solids (9 g·L -1 ) concentrations. Feed preparation processes were tested to facilitate concentration and nitrate destruction/removal while controlling redox of the melter feed. A successful feed process including sugar addition and spray-drying was performed to generate an adequate melter feed for ICV processing.

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

Custom fabrication of biomass containment devices using 3-D printing enables bacterial growth analyses with complex insoluble substrates

Physiological studies of recalcitrant polysaccharide degradation are challenging for several reasons, one of which is the difficulty in obtaining a reproducibly accurate real-time measurement of bacterial growth using insoluble substrates. Current methods suffer from several problems including (i) high background noise due to the insoluble material interspersed with cells, (ii) high consumable and reagent cost and (iii) significant time delay between sampling and data acquisition. A customizable substrate and cell separation device would provide an option to study bacterial growth using optical density measurements. To test this hypothesis we used 3-D printing to create biomass containment devices that allow interaction between insoluble substrates and microbial cells but do not interfere with spectrophotometer measurements. Evaluation of materials available for 3-D printing indicated that UV-cured acrylic plastic was the best material, being superior to nylon or stainless steel when examined for heat tolerance, reactivity, and ability to be sterilized. Cost analysis of the 3-D printed devices indicated they are a competitive way to quantitate bacterial growth compared to viable cell counting or protein measurements, and experimental conditions were scalable over a 100-fold range. The presence of the devices did not alter growth phenotypes when using either soluble substrates or insoluble substrates. Furthermore, we applied biomass containment to characterize growth of Cellvibrio japonicus on authentic lignocellulose (non-pretreated corn stover), and found physiological evidence that xylan is a significant nutritional source despite an abundance of cellulose present.

3-D printing↗
DOE OSTI2025

Framework development for a SAVY-4000 nuclear material storage container structural integrity surveillance tool

Here, this work presents the preliminary design of an automated surveillance tool to assess the health of SAVY-4000 nuclear material storage containers. This tool is designed by training several machine learning (ML) regression models to predict maximum residual stress in plain dents on the container sidewall. The model is trained on an experimentally validated Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model built in Abaqus FEA. The accuracy of each ML model is compared. The potential for application as well as model shortcomings are assessed. Necessary FEA model improvements are outlined and the various ML models are proposed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Highly Proton Conducting Polyelectrolyte Membranes with Unusual Water Swelling Behavior Based on Triptycene-containing Poly(arylene ether sulfone) Multiblock Copolymers

Multiblock poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymers are attractive for polyelectrolyte membrane fuel cell applications due to their reportedly improved proton conductivity under partially hydrated conditions and better mechanical/thermal stability compared to Nafion. However, the long hydrophilic sequences required to achieve high conductivity usually lead to excessive water uptake and swelling, which degrade membrane dimensional stability. Herein, we report a fundamentally new approach to address this grand challenge by introducing shape-persistent triptycene units into the hydrophobic sequences of multiblock copolymers, which induce strong supramolecular chain-threading and interlocking interactions that effectively suppress water swelling. Consequently, unlike previously reported multiblock copolymer systems, the water swelling of the triptycene-containing multiblock copolymers did not increase proportionally with water uptake. This combination of high water uptake and low swelling behavior of these copolymers resulted in excellent proton conductivity and membrane dimensional stability under fully hydrated conditions. In particular, the triptycene-containing multiblock copolymer film with the longest hydrophilic block length (i.e., BPSH100-TRP0-15k-15k) had a water uptake of 105%, an excellent proton conductivity of 0.150 S/cm, and a volume swelling ratio of just 29% (more than 42% reduction compared to Nafion 212).

supramolecular interaction↗
DOE OSTI2018

Two halide-containing cesium manganese vanadates: synthesis, characterization, and magnetic properties

In this study, two new halide-containing cesium manganese vanadates have been synthesized by a high-temperature (580 °C) hydrothermal synthetic method from aqueous brine solutions. One compound, Cs 3 Mn(VO 3 ) 4 Cl, (1) was prepared using a mixed cesium hydroxide/chloride mineralizer, and crystallizes in the polar noncentrosymmetric space group Cmm2, with a = 16.7820(8) Å, b = 8.4765(4) Å, c = 5.7867(3) Å. This structure is built from sinusoidal zig-zag (VO 3 ) n chains that run along the b-axis and are coordinated to Mn 2+ containing (MnO 4 Cl) square-pyramidal units that are linked together to form layers. The cesium cations reside between the layers, but also coordinate to the chloride ion, forming a cesium chloride chain that also propagates along the b-axis. The other compound, Cs 2 Mn(VO 3 ) 3 F, (2) crystallizes in space group Pbca with a = 7.4286(2) Å, b = 15.0175(5) Å, c = 19.6957(7) Å, and was prepared using a cesium fluoride mineralizer. The structure is comprised of corner sharing octahedral Mn 2+ chains, with trans fluoride ligands acting as bridging units, whose ends are capped by (VO 3 ) n vanadate chains to form slabs. The cesium atoms reside between the manganese vanadate layers, and also play an integral part in the structure, forming a cesium fluoride chain that runs along the b-axis. Both compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, and single-crystal Raman spectroscopy. Additionally, the magnetic properties of 2 were investigated. Lastly, above 50 K, it displays behavior typical of a low dimensional system with antiferromagnetic interactions, as to be expected for linear chains of manganese(II) within the crystal structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Advanced Nuclear Technology: Integrated Pressurized Water Reactor (iPWR) Containment Aerosol Deposition Behavior

Under assumed severe accident conditions, a nuclear reactor’s containment vessel provides a defense-in-depth function by preventing radionuclide particle release. This is achieved by creating a physical barrier and by decontamination (removal of aerosolized particles produced during the accident). Decontamination occurs through active mechanical systems (where applicable) and passive natural occurring phenomena. Due to their comparatively higher containment surface area to volume ratios when compared to large light water reactors (LWRs), the integrated pressurized water reactor (iPWR) subcategory of small modular reactors (SMRs) has design features that increase the significance of the passive decontamination factors, due to the following natural occurring phenomena: gravitational settling, thermophoresis, diffusiophoresis, and impaction due to convective flows. The purpose of this study is to provide estimates for the decontamination associated with these phenomena. Specifically, these results provide decontamination factors associated with the thermal-hydraulic and geometric parameters that characterize iPWRs, based on the experimental work documented in this report.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Additively Manufactured Tamper Evident Container (TEC)

The protection of sensitive data, proprietary information, and physical assets from adversarial disclosure is a high priority in today’s environment of government and industrial espionage. Furthermore, knowledge of the security history and monitoring for potential acquisition or disclosure of the protected assets from oppositional sources is equally important. In 2016, as part of an LANL Institute for Materials Science (IMS) rapid response research initiative, the investigators of this technology demonstration project developed the concept of an additively manufactured tamper resistant container that possessed tamper evident features. Tamper evident seals and detection technologies have a long history in protecting consumers from product tampering, recording the installation and activation of mechanical safety panels and fasteners on dangerous electro-mechanical systems, and serving as a warranty void indicator on expensive electronic equipment. Examples of such tamper evident seals range from “no-tech” versions, e.g., the paper seals under medicine caps, to “high-tech” seals that are radio frequency-active and include encryption capabilities used by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor stored nuclear materials in support of safeguards missions. The tamper evident container (TEC) technology would have many uses.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Integrating PCTRAN with AI-Driven Host-Intrusion Detection and Secured Container Systems for Advanced Malware Analysis (Summer Internship Report)

This study presents a solution for enhancing the security of the Personal Computer Transient Analyzer (PCTRAN) PC-based Nuclear Power Plant Simulator by integrating the software with an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven host-intrusion detection system (HIDS), in addition to a secured container system, for malware analysis. PCTRAN is a Windows XP-based software package that has the ability to simulate a variety of accident and transient conditions for nuclear power plants (NPPs). It offers a high-resolution replica of the Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS) and displays the status of important parameters allowing for operator interaction. By including AI-driven HIDS for the NSSS, the framework can identify security threats in real-time, ensuring the integrity of the nuclear simulation environment. Additionally, the secured container system offers the ability to isolate and analyze malware, preventing potential threats from affecting core systems. The integration process involves extensive testing and validation in order to ensure accuracy, reliability, and compliance with security policies. This framework sets a new precedent for secure simulation and training in NPP operations, and offers insight for future advancements in cybersecurity.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Technology-Neutral, Accident Containment-Based Path to Reduce Nuclear Power Costs

Cost remains a substantial impediment to nuclear power plant (NPP) deployment. The origin of the multifold cost difference between NPPs and other industrial facilities is in their unique potential for societally disruptive accidents. Consequently, one means to substantially reduce NPP costs would be to provide a transparent means of demonstrating that a plant’s potential for land-contamination accidents is so remote to amount to a practical certainty that no significant quantity of radionuclides would ever reach the public. The necessary confidence can be developed through employing a containment capable of withstanding both a complete internal energy release accident along with credible external events with ample margin. This paper provides an overview of a path forward to develop a technology-neutral, containment-based safety-adequacy demonstration method.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Impact of Boron-Containing Lubricant Additive on Three-Way Catalyst Reactivity and Physicochemical Properties

Boron-containing compounds are one of the lubricant additive options due to their suitable properties for additives and have been used as commercial lubricant additives. In the present study, the impact of a boron-containing lubricant oil additive, AR9100 (BR), on Pd/Rh-based three-way catalyst (TWC) performance is investigated, and the results are compared with the baseline no-additive (NA) case and the industry standard zinc dialkyl-dithiophosphate (ZDDP) results. Accelerated engine aging is performed using a genset to expose the catalysts to lubricant additives at high temperatures. All aged TWC samples are investigated for reactivity in a bench-flow reactor and characterized using a variety of analytical techniques. Compared with the no-additive case, the temperatures of 90% conversion (T 90 ) of NO, CO, C 3 H 6 , and C 3 H 8 for the ZDDP-aged TWC sample increased by 34, 30, 37, and 48 °C. However, the T 90 of all gas species for the BR-aged TWC sample are similar to the NA-aged TWC sample. Additionally, a significant decrease in water–gas shift reactivity and oxygen storage capacity is observed in the ZDDP-aged sample, but not in the BR-aged sample. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) analysis and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) maps of accelerated engine aging samples show the presence of phosphorus and boron in ZDDP- and BR-aged TWC samples, respectively. However, no boron-related peaks are observed in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the BR-aged TWC sample, which may exist in the form of an amorphous phase.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mars Sample Return – An Overview of the Capture, Containment and Return System

The Mars Sample Return campaign aims at bringing back soil, rock and atmospheric samples from Mars to Earth to answer key questions about Mars’ biological evolution by means of four missions. The first one, Mars 2020, landed on the red planet on February 18, 2021 and has to date collected a number of samples through the Perseverance rover. The three subsequent missions will recover the sample tubes, launch them into Mars orbit and transport them back to Earth. These missions are currently in the planning and design stages of development and represent an international effort comprising NASA, ESA and many industry partners. The work presented here provides an overview of the current design and concept of operations of the NASA-provided Capture, Containment, and Return System (CCRS), which is the payload of the ESA-provided Earth Return Orbiter (ERO). ERO will rendezvous with the orbiting samples and CCRS will capture them, contain them and robotically insert them into a capsule that will return the samples to Earth, the Earth Entry System (EES). Three days before arrival on Earth, CCRS will release the EES, which will fly through space, enter Earth’s atmosphere, descend on a well-defined trajectory and safely land at the Utah Test and Training Range. The decision to implement Mars Sample Return will not be finalized until NASA’s completion of the National Environmental Policy Act process. This document is being made available for information purposes only.

Mars Sample Return↗
DOE OSTI2015

Feasibility studies for the design of disposal vaults for multi-purpose containers (MPCs): construction, operation, ventilation and management of heat - 15175

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) subsidiary, Radioactive Waste Management Ltd (RWM) is responsible for the safe implementation of a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) for radioactive waste in the UK. As part of their generic programme to underpin the planned designs for a GDF, work is ongoing to explore a range of possible geological disposal concepts. This work developed GDF concept designs for Multi-Purpose Containers (MPC) disposal in the generic host rock types considered: higher strength (crystalline), lower strength sedimentary (sedimentary / clay formations) and evaporite rocks. This paper is specific to concepts for the disposal of MPC for Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel (SF). The key outcomes of the feasibility studies to improve the understanding of the MPC disposal concept and the specific challenges to construct, operate, ventilate, manage heat and backfill associated with this concept are summarised in this paper. The management of the high loading of radiogenic heat (from 12 PWR SF assemblies in MPCs compared to 4 in 'standard' disposal containers) during an extended open phase (delayed backfilling of the disposal area) of up to 300 years was investigated. The concept designs developed demonstrate it is feasible to construct, operate and ventilate disposal vaults to accommodate open 'storage' periods required for transitional thermal decay of high heat generating waste in higher strength and lower strength sedimentary host rock types considered by RWM. This work focused on developing two contrasting disposal concepts which are applicable to both higher strength and lower strength rock environments; both of which illustrate how vault temperature, stability and groundwater inflows can be controlled to delay backfilling and allow MPC package thermal output to decrease. MPC disposal in evaporite rock does not require a cooling period due to its high thermal conductivity and favourable performance at higher temperatures; therefore the concept developed for this rock includes immediate backfilling of disposal tunnels. A clear understanding of the interactions and limitations associated with heat management during the open period was developed by investigation of a 'Heating Ventilation and Air-Conditioning System' (HVAC). It was concluded that removal of heat from the disposal tunnels / vaults is feasible, but introduces significant operational complexity. (authors)

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

Free-standing Liquids in a Resin Disposal Container - How Unidentified Legacy Issues and Decisions Can Affect Current Radwaste Processing Activities - 16605

On Monday, October 27, 2014 a radwaste and transportation specialist was informed that a condensate filter demineralizer (CFD) radwaste disposal container exceeded the radioactive waste disposal facility free-standing liquid requirement for acceptance for disposal (limit is 0.5% of waste volume or 5.6 gallons); 8.5 gallons was measured). As a result, on October 28, the plant was informed that our disposal site use permit was suspended, pending a point-of-origin inspection by the agreement state regulatory authority. This paper details the investigation conducted to identify causes, especially legacy issues one may not necessarily identify, and documents corrective actions taken to assure similar issues are not repeated. Actions taken to prevent recurrence have been successful. The five containers shipped, including 14-033, were verified dewatered and dried to comply with the disposal facility waste acceptance criteria. Although discoloration is viewed in the dewatering sight glass, milky color has not been viewed and the dewatering process has continued. Isolation of the lowest set of dewatering filter laterals for use at the end of the dewatering process has worked well and use of the dewatering verification filters has provided evidence that each CRF resin liner was successfully dewatered and dried. To date, 37 CFD liners have been successfully dewatered, dried, verified, transported to the disposal facility, and buried without incident. If similar issues are encountered, you should keep an open mind regarding causes including, but not limited to discussions with your vendor and conduct a search of past procedure revisions to gain additional insight regarding program/procedure changes and how they could have an effect on issues, which occur today.

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

Investigation of Inorganic Hydrophobic Filter Material for Nuclear Material Transportation and Storage Containers - 16640

Los Alamos National Laboratory has begun development of hydrophobic or super-hydrophobic inorganic filter materials that resist water ingress after exposure to radiation and/or elevated temperature. Filters that are currently available depend on carbon composites and/or organic polymers for their water resistant/hydrophobic properties to minimize water ingress. However, facility and transportation accident scenarios often include fire, impact and subsequent water spray or flooding conditions. A purely inorganic hydrophobic filter material could have enhanced resistance to fire and radiation damage, and continue to minimize water ingress after such an accident. Such filters could broaden the use of filtered containers in the transportation and storage of nuclear materials, and could have broader implications in other industrial applications. The goal is to create a porous inorganic material with hydrophobic properties that maintains or exceeds the current performance criteria for particulate filtration efficiency, pressure differential, air flow and hydrogen diffusion. The materials developed in this project will be evaluated for use as potential enhancements to the SAVY 4000 nuclear storage container that is becoming widely used around the DOE complex. This paper will describe the methods and results of this investigation. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗