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At least 775 records · Page 43
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Interim Report on the Optimization and Feasibility Studies for the Neutron Detection without Helium-3 Project

This report details the results of the work accomplished for the „Neutron Detection without Helium-3‟ project during the 2011 fiscal year. The primary focus of the project during this year was to develop models using alternatives to helium-3 to investigate the possibilities and optimizations for multiplicity counters in safeguards applications by computer simulations. The multiplicity counter with significant capability, the Epithermal Neutron Multiplicity Counter (ENMC), was used as the baseline requirement for alternative technologies, which, if a suitable alternative can be found, should also satisfy systems with less stringent requirements, including coincidence counters. The project is in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and the baseline model of the ENMC that had been developed at LANL with helium-3 as the detector material was used as a starting point. The model was modified to support optimization investigations, and verified with the helium-3 base material. The model was then modified to incorporate boron-trifluoride (BF3) gas, which can be used as a proportional gas similar to helium-3. The BF3 gas however, cannot be operated at very high pressure, and therefore optimization were performed with lower pressures and involved changing the tube size and number. The simulation of this model is very similar in approach to the model with helium-3 where the simulation ends when the neutron is captured in the boron. The reaction products are easily detected in the proportional gas, and the simulation results of counting the number of reactions matches well with experimental data. Next, the tubes were replaced with boron-lined proportional tubes, where the neutron capture material is a thin boron lining inside the tube wall, and which use standard proportional counting gas. For this alternative, the simulation needs to extend beyond the neutron capture, and track the reaction products, which must exit the boron-lining into the counting gas. The reaction products do not always end up in the counting gas, depending on the boron-lining thickness and neutron capture depth. Methods to track the reaction products have been recently implemented into MCNPX and were verified by using several different approaches. The tube number and size were also varied for the boron-lined case. Finally, work has started on a model of an alternative using lithium-6, another material with a high cross-section for thermal neutron capture. The most promising approach is with lithium fluoride in a zinc sulfide (silver activated) scintillator medium. The neutron is captured in the lithium, and the reaction products trigger scintillation light in the zinc sulfide, which is subsequently detected by photo-multipliers by the use of light guides or fibers. The simulations were performed with the focus on determining the efficiency, which is critical when detecting 2 or 3 neutrons in coincidence, as well as the die-away time, which is a measure of the time required to capture neutrons in the system. The die away time is related to the coincident time gate needed for the system which drives the accidental coincident rate, the primary background or noise in this type of measurement. The usual figure of merit for coincidence type systems, the efficiency squared divided by the die-away time, was calculated for each variation simulated.

helium-3 alternatives↗
DOE OSTI2013

Phase 1 Feasibility Study, Canby Cascaded Geothermal Project, April 2, 2013

A small community in Northern California is attempting to use a local geothermal resource to generate electrical power and cascade residual energy to an existing geothermal district heating system, greenhouse, and future fish farm and subsequent reinjection into the geothermal aquifer, creating a net-zero energy community, not including transportation.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Mini-Split Heat Pumps Multifamily Retrofit Feasibility Study

Mini-split heat pumps can provide space heating and cooling in many climates and are relatively affordable. These and other features make them potentially suitable for retrofitting into multifamily buildings in cold climates to replace electric resistance heating or other outmoded heating systems. This report investigates the suitability of mini-split heat pumps for multifamily retrofits. Various technical and regulatory barriers are discussed and modeling was performed to compare long-term costs of substituting mini-splits for a variety of other heating and cooling options. A number of utility programs have retrofit mini-splits in both single family and multifamily residences. Two such multifamily programs are discussed in detail.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2014

Pre-feasibility Study to Identify Opportunities for Increasing CO 2 Storage in Deep, Saline Aquifers by Active Aquifer Management and Treatment of Produced Water

In this report, we present initial estimates of CO 2 injectivity and plume radius for injection of 0.1 MT/yr and 1 MT/yr. Results for 1 and 10 years of injection are used to show how the plume from a single injector well could grow through time for a simplified, idealized system. Most results are for a 2 km deep injection well, while several results from a deeper plume are also presented to demonstrate the impact of changing depth and temperature.

Coal, Lignite, & Peat(01)↗
DOE OSTI2014

Feasibility Study of Implementing a Mobile Collaborative Information Platform for International Safeguards Inspections

In response to the growing pervasiveness of mobile technologies such as tablets and smartphones, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories have been exploring the potential use of these platforms for international safeguards activities. Specifically of interest are information systems (software, and accompanying servers and architecture) deployed on mobile devices to increase the situational awareness and productivity of an IAEA safeguards inspector in the field, while simultaneously reducing paperwork and pack weight of safeguards equipment. Exploratory development in this area has been met with skepticism regarding the ability to overcome technology deployment challenges for IAEA safeguards equipment. This report documents research conducted to identify potential challenges for the deployment of a mobile collaborative information system to the IAEA, and proposes strategies to mitigate those challenges.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Los Alamos National Laboratory Modular Pumped Hydro Feasibility Study for Santa Fe Community College

This presentation on Economic Energy Assessment given at Santa Fe Community College, New Mexico explains the rational for energy storage and the process used to assess the need for energy storage and how to develop a teaching tool to be used in the community. Further, Modular Pumped Hydro (MPH) energy is explained and rationale is presented supporting the need for renewable energy.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Steady-State Thermal-Hydraulics Feasibility Study for the Conversion of the BR2 Reactor to LEU

As part of the conversion from highly-enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel, it is necessary to verify that an LEU core can operate safely at the same maximum nominal heat flux. Therefore, the main goal of this chapter is to determine the impact of using LEU fuel on the thermal performance and thermal limits of the BR2 core. More specifically, this chapter will present analyses performed to evaluate the margins to onset of nucleate boiling (ONB), fully developed nucleate boiling (FDNB) and flow instability (FI) at steady-state using the PLTEMP/ANL v4.1 code (referred as PLTEMP from here on). Section 2 describes the basis for the current thermal limits. Section 3 provides a brief description of the BR2 core and fuel assemblies. Section 4 contains a description of the computational methodology used to perform the analysis. Section 5 presents the results while Section 6 summarizes the analysis and presents some conclusions.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2015

WindFloat Feasibility Study Support. Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-11-419

This shared resource CRADA defines research collaborations between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Principle Power, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“Principle Power”). Under the terms and conditions described in this CRADA agreement, NREL and Principle Power will collaborate on the DEMOWFLOAT project, a full-scale 2-MW demonstration project of a novel floating support structure for large offshore wind turbines, called WindFloat. The purpose of the project is to demonstrate the longterm field performance of the WindFloat design, thus enabling the future commercialized deployment of floating deepwater offshore wind power plants. NREL is the leading U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratory for the development and advancement of renewable energy and has a strong interest in offshore wind and the development of deepwater offshore wind systems. NREL will provide expertise and resources to the DEMOWFLOAT project in assessing the environmental impacts, independent technical performance validation, and engineering analysis. Principle Power is a Seattle, Washington-based renewable energy company that owns all the intellectual property associated with the WindFloat. In return for NREL’s support of the DEMOWFLOAT project, Principle Power will provide NREL with valuable test data from the project that will be used to validate the numerical tools developed by NREL for analyzing offshore wind turbines. In addition, NREL will gain experience and knowledge in offshore wind designs and testing methods through this collaboration. 2 This report is available at no cost from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications. NREL and Principle Power will work together to advance floating offshore wind technology, and demonstrate its viability for supplying the world with a new clean energy source.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

A Feasibility Study: Ductless Hydronic Distribution Systems with Fan Coil Delivery

The primary objectives of this study are to estimate potential energy savings relative to conventional ducted air distribution, and to identify equipment requirements, costs, and barriers with a focus on ductless hydronic delivery systems that utilize water-to-air terminal units in each zone. Results indicate that annual heating and cooling energy use can be reduced by up to 27% assuming replacement of the conventional 13 SEER heat pump and coil with a similarly rated air-to-water heat pump.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2014

Mini-Split Heat Pumps Multifamily Retrofit Feasibility Study

Mini-split heat pumps can provide space heating and cooling in many climates and are relatively affordable. These and other features make them potentially suitable for retrofitting into multifamily buildings in cold climates to replace electric resistance heating or other outmoded heating systems. This report investigates the suitability of mini-split heat pumps for multifamily retrofits. Various technical and regulatory barriers are discussed and modeling was performed to compare long-term costs of substituting mini-splits for a variety of other heating and cooling options. A number of utility programs have retrofit mini-splits in both single family and multifamily residences. Two such multifamily programs are discussed in detail.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2015

Feasibility studies to improve plant availability and reduce total installed cost in IGCC plants

The main purpose of this project is to look at technologies and philosophies that would help reduce the costs of an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant, increase its availability or do both. GE’s approach to this problem is to consider options in three different areas: 1) technology evaluations and development; 2) constructability approaches; and 3) design and operation methodologies. Five separate tasks were identified that fall under the three areas: Task 2 – Integrated Operations Philosophy; Task 3 – Slip Forming of IGCC Components; Task 4 – Modularization of IGCC Components; Task 5 – Fouling Removal; and Task 6 – Improved Slag Handling. Overall, this project produced results on many fronts. Some of the ideas could be utilized immediately by those seeking to build an IGCC plant in the near future. These include the considerations from the Integrated Operations Philosophy task and the different construction techniques of Slip Forming and Modularization (especially if the proposed site is in a remote location or has a lack of a skilled workforce). Other results include ideas for promising technologies that require further development and testing to realize their full potential and be available for commercial operation. In both areas GE considers this project to be a success in identifying areas outside the core IGCC plant systems that are ripe for cost reduction and ity improvement opportunities.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2018

Viscosity Control Experiment Feasibility Study

Turbulent mix has been invoked to explain many results in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density (HED) physics, such as reduced yield in capsule implosions. Many ICF capsule implosions exhibit interfacial instabilities seeded by the drive shock, but it is not clear that fully developed turbulence results from this. Many simulations use turbulent mix models to help match simulation results to data, but this is not appropriate if turbulence is not present. It would be useful to have an experiment where turbulent mixing could be turned on or off by design. The use of high-Z dopants to modify viscosity and the resulting influence on turbulence is considered here. A complicating factor is that the plasma in some implosions can become strongly coupled, which makes the Spitzer expression for viscosity invalid. We first consider equations that cover a broad parameter space in temperature and density to address regimes for various experimental applications. Next, a previous shock-tube and other ICF experiments that investigate viscosity or use doping to examine the effects on yield are reviewed. How viscosity and dopants play a role in capsule yield depends on the region and process under consideration. Experiments and simulations have been performed to study the effects of viscosity on both the hot spot and the fuel/ablator mix. Increases in yield have been seen for some designs, but not all. We then discuss the effect of adding krypton dopant to the gas region of a typical OMEGA and a 2-shock NIF implosion to determine approximately the effect of adding dopant on the computed Reynolds number. Recommendations for a path forward for possible experiments using high-Z dopants to affect viscosity and turbulence are made.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Feasibility Study of Large-Scale Energy Storage in the Earth

Energy storage systems on a large scale are needed when there is a mismatch between electricity generation and demand rates. The mismatch may be due to a variety of reasons: 1. Generation rates of solar are cyclic and are often out of phase with the demand cycles. 2. Generation rates of wind are unpredictable. Furthermore, high-efficiency, low-carbon power plants (e.g., nuclear) typically have high capital cost and low operating cost. Such plants are designed for continuous base-load operation and require a high capacity factor for economic viability (Forsberg, 2017). For these reasons, it is advantageous to be able to store energy when not needed and use it when needed. Our proposed process, called the Air Earth Battery, has been developed to accomplish the task of energy storage and dispatch, using a combination of compressors, expanders, heat exchangers, and subsurface porous, permeable rock formations. This technology utilizes two issued U.S. Patents (Buscheck, 2017a; 2017b), one filed U.S. Patent Application (Buscheck, 2017c), and one filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application (Buscheck and Upadhye, 2018).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Assessment of the Area of Review and Leakage Impact for Site 7 using the NRAP-IAM-CCS Tool, Northern Michigan Basin-CarbonSAFE Phase 1 Pre-Feasibility Study

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Class VI regulations require owners or operators of carbon storage projects to determine an Area of Review (AoR) representative of project risk to underground sources of drinking water (USDWs). The AoR is an estimate of the project footprint and is used to develop monitoring plans to ensure protection of USDWs. In this syudy, the NRAP-IAM-CS software tool was applied to estimate the AoR and the leakage potential of legacy wells located within the AoR to impact groundwater quality at a carbon storage screening site for the NMB-CS, Phase 1 project. The NRAP-IAM-CS is a science-based toolset developed by the U.S. Department of Energy for quantitative risk assessment of geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) (Pawar et al., 2016). The toolset adopts a stochastic approach in which predictions include site uncertainties using storage reservoir, leakage scenario, and shallow groundwater impact reduced order models (ROMs). Risk-based analysis done using the NRAP-IAM-CS yielded an AoR that was comparable to estimates defined by the critical pressure needed move fluid from the reservoir to the overlying USDW through an open wellbore. The risk-based AoR was slightly smaller than that based on the critical pressure (234 km 2 compared to 269 km 2 ), because small fluxes did not impact groundwater quality. Leakage from two legacy wells located within the AoR should not impact groundwater quality over the 30-year injection period. Legacy Well 1 penetrates the simulated CO 2 plume and would require a permeability of 5 x 10 -12 m 2 (~5 Darcy) to impact groundwater quality after about 20 years of injection. Legacy Well 2 falls outside of the CO 2 plume footprint, where reservoir pressures are too small to generate large enough leakage flux to change groundwater quality even with well permeabilities as high as 5 x 10 -11 m 2 (~50 Darcy). This work represents one of the first applications of the NRAP toolset for the screening of potential CO 2 storage sites. The toolset provides a risk-based method of evaluating the AoR and the impact of CO 2 or brine leakage through legacy wells. The following recommendations will strengthen the use of probabilistic assessments for site selection and permitting of Class VI CO 2 injection wells.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗