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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2023

Swamp Works Technology Development 10th Anniversary: 2013-2023 - Innovative Research & Technology Development Summary

Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) Swamp Works, provides government and commercial space ventures with the technologies required for working and living on the surfaces of the Moon or other planets and bodies in our solar system. The Swamp Works team establishes rapid, innovative and cost-effective exploration mission solutions through leveraging of partnerships across NASA, industry and academia. Concepts start small and build up efficiently, with lean development processes and a hands-on approach. Testing is performed in early stages to drive design improvements and progressively increase Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). Swamp Works provides concepts, architecture studies and trades, designs, data, technology development, technology demonstration hardware, flight hardware, testing, flight support and knowledge in support of the development of surface systems. It consists of several teams with associated laboratories and test capabilities. The Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) Laboratory and the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory (ESPL) are co-located in the Engineering Development Lab (EDL) facility high bay. The Applied Chemistry Lab (ACL) is in an adjacent facility and other KSC labs are being influenced by the innovation methods pioneered at the Swamp Works. The Swamp Works was founded in January 2013 by a group of scientists and engineers at KSC with the over-arching vision of expanding humanity and civilization into the solar system by the use of space resources via advanced technology. Ultimately, this will create a solar system economy that will improve the human condition due to the abundance of energy and resources. This presentation will summarize the projects and technology development that have been performed by the Swamp Works to celebrate its 10th Anniversary of innovation success.

Swamp Works↗
DOE OSTI2020

Technology Assessment for Radioiodine at the Hanford Site - 20240

An evaluation was conducted to assess the practicability of technologies of sufficient promise and maturity to warrant treatability tests for remediating radioiodine (I-129) in groundwater at the 200-UP-1 operable unit at the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site. Technologies were evaluated based on recent updated knowledge of subsurface iodine transport behavior at Hanford, and the effectiveness, implementability, and cost of potential treatment technologies for I-129. Because more than two-thirds of the iodine at Hanford is estimated to be present in its oxidized form as iodate, treatment technologies were evaluated with respect to addressing iodate. In situ treatments were identified as having limited implementability because the plume core is located directly beneath the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility disposal cells, a landfill used for the disposal of low-level radioactive, hazardous, and mixed wastes generated from Hanford cleanup activities. Further limitations in treatment technologies for radioiodine were due to the isotopic distribution of subsurface iodine. Data indicate that stable iodine (I- 127) concentrations are up to three orders of magnitude greater than I-129, limiting the effectiveness of potential technologies because they are not isotope-specific. Ex situ approaches also lacked the effectiveness and maturity required to treat I-129. Hence, the technology evaluation did not identify any technologies that needed treatability testing, driven by site and contaminant properties that hinder effectiveness and/or implementability of the technologies. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2026

Development of a Digital Twin for Hydrogen Dispersion and Safety Assessment in an Electrolyzer-Based Hydrogen Production Facility: Preprint

Digital twin models are virtual representations of physical systems that use real-time data to simulate and optimize performance. This study presents the development and initial implementation of a digital twin (DT) for the electrolyzer-based hydrogen production facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)'s Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES), focused on enhancing safety and optimizing sensor placement through physics-based simulations and metadata integration. The DT incorporates detailed facility-specific information, including component layout, leak locations, and controlled release parameters, to model hydrogen dispersion under varying environmental conditions. Using steady-state computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations informed by real meteorological data, such as wind speed, direction, and vertical wind profiles, the DT enables visualization of hydrogen plume behavior and spatial concentration distributions. Comparative analysis between high and low wind speed scenarios illustrates the significant influence of wind dynamics on plume shape and extent, with horizontal momentum dominating dispersion at higher speeds, while buoyancy effects become more prominent under low wind conditions. These simulations generate a rich dataset embedded within the DT, allowing users to assess potential leak outcomes and identify optimal sensor locations based on concentration thresholds. The model supports scenario-based analysis to guide safety strategies and equipment deployment for open-area hydrogen infrastructure. The digital twin thus serves as a dynamic platform for virtual prototyping, providing predictive insight into hydrogen behavior and enhancing risk-informed decision-making. This initial phase establishes a validated foundation for future integration of transient, uncontrolled leak scenarios and real-time sensor feedback, positioning the DT as a critical tool for safety design, operational planning, and adaptive monitoring in hydrogen systems. Overall, the approach demonstrates the value of combining environmental data with digital simulations to inform safer and more efficient deployment of hydrogen technologies.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

SPC-70525 Rev 2 Beryllium Metal Procurement Specification

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is developing a microreactor to produce electrical power utilizing a small nuclear core under the Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) program. Key to this design are neutron reflector components constructed of Beryllium Metal (S-65) which is a structural grade of hot-pressed beryllium block. MARVEL will be located at the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facility. Any conflict between this specification and referenced Codes and Standards, or any supplementary specifications in the procurement documents requires written clarification from the Contractor prior to proceeding with any work. Any deviation from the procurement documents requires approval by the Contractor with the change request process.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗
DOE OSTI2023

NCSU Black Carbon (SP2) Data

NCSU SP2 Data Data Level b1: QC checks applied to measurements Data Format: CSV Description: See "instrument description Site: Houston, TX; Tracking Aerosol Convection interactions ExpeRiment (HOU) Location: Houston, TX; AMF1 (main site for TRACER) Facility Code: M1 Category: Aerosol Properties Data Type: PI Data Source Instrument/Data: Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) Start Date: 2022-06-01 End Date: 2022-09-27 Contact PI: Markus Petters (mdpetter@ncsu.edu) Funding Source: DOE ASR award US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environment Research (grant no. DE-SC 0021074) Instrument description The SP2 was located in the temperature-controlled trailer adjacent to the NCSU Flux Tower to observe refractory black carbon (rBC) number concentration and mixing states of black carbon. The sample line brought aerosol inside the trailer at 4.5 L min-1, where it was distributed between 3 CPCs (TSI 3776c, Dc ~ 2.5 nm, TSI 3771, Dc ~10nm, and TSI 3772, Dc ~40 nm) with different size cuts, a printed particle optical spectrometer (POPS), and SP2. Please contact mdpetter@ncsu.edu for further information.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1988

Lunar placement of Mars quarantine facility

Advanced mission scenarios are currently being contemplated that would call for the retrieval of surface samples from Mars, from a comet, and from other places in the solar system. An important consideration for all of these sample return missions is quarantine. Quarantine facilities on the Moon offer unique advantages over other locations. The Moon offers gravity, distance, and vacuum. It is sufficiently near the Earth to allow rapid resupply and easy communication. It is sufficiently distant to lessen the psychological impact of a quarantine facility on Earth's human inhabitants. Finally, the Moon is airless, and seems to be devoid of life. It is, therefore, more suited to contamination control efforts.

Davidson, James E.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Carbon Management Projects (CONNECT) Database and Explorer

Overview The Carbon Management Projects (CONNECT) Toolkit is an online exploratory visualization tool developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) with support from other federal agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). It provides a single point of access to authoritative information on federal agency investment in a portfolio of research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that have been publicly announced to advance technologies for point source carbon capture, carbon dioxide removal, transport, storage, and conversion, collectively referred to as carbon management. The RD&D programs covered in this tool are authorized by annual congressional appropriations ("Base Program") and the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The tool also incorporates public information on other federal initiatives, such as the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs, and public information released by other government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) and Primacy States’ Underground Injection Control Class VI permits and EPA’s facility level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Developed in a geographic information system, the tool organizes carbon management projects into five groups based on the primary technology that a project aims to advance, each visually represented as a digital layer ("carbon management project layer"). Only federally funded projects are included, which can be awarded projects that are completed or ongoing, or projects that have been selected but are currently under negotiation. Project information can be viewed in the map or in the attribute table below it when turned on. In the map view, each project is displayed at either its host site (for field work), where available, or its performer site (project lead's location, further explained in the table below). Host sites and performer sites are represented in distinct icons. Several reference layers offer additional public information on infrastructural and natural resource environment for carbon management. These reference layers, combined with multiple geographical basemaps, enable users to visualize the carbon management project layers in context. Carbon management project information will be updated monthly based on feedback and information availability. Carbon management project layers Point Source Carbon Capture (PSC) This layer contains DOE-funded projects focused on capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from power plants or industrial facilities. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) This layer contains DOE-funded projects focused on capturing CO2 from the atmosphere, including direct air capture (DAC) and DAC hubs, direct ocean capture, enhanced mineralization, and biomass carbon removal and storage. For projects with multiple host sites, each of the sites are displayed individually with the project cost and cost sharing information representing the total for the entire project. Carbon Transport This layer contains DOE- and DOT-funded projects focused on CO2 transport. The Transport Research and Development sublayer contains projects that do not involve physical infrastructure; the Proposed Transport Corridor sublayer contains projects for which either a route for the transport infrastructure has been proposed or a general area for the transport infrastructure has been identified. Carbon Storage This layer contains DOE-funded key projects focused on CO2 storage. For projects with multiple field-work sites, each of the sites are displayed individually on the map with the project cost and cost sharing information representing the overall total for the entire project. Carbon Conversion This layer contains DOE-funded projects focused on converting CO2 into economically valuable products. Reference layers The following layers provide additional information in the geographic proximity of carbon management projects. Users should reference the original sources for more details (weblinks provided below and in pop-up windows on the map). Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub and Facility These layers illustrate the approximate areas of the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs announced by DOE's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and the approximate locations of individual facilities that constitute the hubs (see "Where are the H2Hubs located?" on the webpage linked above). EPA Facility Level GHG Emissions (direct emitter) This layer shows direct CO2 emissions from stationary sources in 2022, using data extracted from EPA's Facility Level Information on GreenHouse gases Tool (FLIGHT). Captured and injected CO2 are not deducted from direct emitters’ total emissions. Contact EPA for additional details. Underground Injection Control Class VI permit/permit application This layer shows the locations of CO2 injection wells that are granted or in the process of applying for an Underground Injection Control Class VI permit by EPA or a Primacy State (currently Louisiana, North Dakota, and Wyoming). The URLs for the permits or permit applications are provided in the pop-up windows associated with the well locations. Contact EPA for additional details. Carbon Storage Resource This layer contains information on prospective CO2 storage resources in saline formations and oil and gas reservoirs provided by the National Carbon Sequestration Database and Geographic Information System (NATCARB) spatial database. Contact NETL for additional details. Existing CO2 pipeline This layer shows active CO2 pipelines based on information digitized from the map issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Contact PHMSA for additional details.

Carbon Conversion↗
NASA NTRS2014

Development of a Microphone Phased Array Capability for the Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel

A new aeroacoustic measurement capability has been developed for use in open-jet testing in the NASA Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel (14x22 tunnel). A suite of instruments has been developed to characterize noise source strengths, locations, and directivity for both semi-span and full-span test articles in the facility. The primary instrument of the suite is a fully traversable microphone phased array for identification of noise source locations and strengths on models. The array can be mounted in the ceiling or on either side of the facility test section to accommodate various test article configurations. Complementing the phased array is an ensemble of streamwise traversing microphones that can be placed around the test section at defined locations to conduct noise source directivity studies along both flyover and sideline axes. A customized data acquisition system has been developed for the instrumentation suite that allows for command and control of all aspects of the array and microphone hardware, and is coupled with a comprehensive data reduction system to generate information in near real time. This information includes such items as time histories and spectral data for individual microphones and groups of microphones, contour presentations of noise source locations and strengths, and hemispherical directivity data. The data acquisition system integrates with the 14x22 tunnel data system to allow real time capture of facility parameters during acquisition of microphone data. The design of the phased array system has been vetted via a theoretical performance analysis based on conventional monopole beamforming and DAMAS deconvolution. The performance analysis provides the ability to compute figures of merit for the array as well as characterize factors such as beamwidths, sidelobe levels, and source discrimination for the types of noise sources anticipated in the 14x22 tunnel. The full paper will summarize in detail the design of the instrumentation suite, the construction of the hardware system, and the results of the performance analysis. Although the instrumentation suite is designed to characterize noise for a variety of test articles in the 14x22 tunnel, this paper will concentrate on description of the instruments for two specific test campaigns in the facility, namely a full-span NASA Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) model entry and a semi-span Gulfstream aircraft model entry, tested in the facility in the winter of 2012 and spring of 2013, respectively.

Humphreys, William M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Model Preparation Areas for Propulsion Airframe Integration Testing at NASA Langley Research Center

Currently there are three major NASA Langley facilities that perform PAI testing. These include the National Transonic Facility, the 14’x22’ Low Speed Wind tunnel, and the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel. While each of these facilities have their own model preparation areas, the model preparation area located at the NTF complex that focuses on blowing systems with high mass flow requirements support all of the LaRC facilities. The application of a Propulsion Airframe Integration requires special attention to the air delivery system interaction with the model. These interactions typically focus on the tares across the balance associated with inlet and nozzle performance which are related to the mass flow through the system and the efficiency of the inlet and nozzle geometries. While this paper does not characterize any specific propulsion system, it does focus on the mass flow and pressures requirement needed for pretesting such systems prior to wind tunnel installation. Weight flow boundaries for the air delivery system were identified to range from 0.1 to 20 lbm/sec.

Model Preparation Area↗
DOE OSTI2023

Real-Time, Simultaneous Soil Water Content and Meteorological Data Measurement to Support TRACER over Harris County, Texas (Field Campaign Report: Part I)

The main purpose of this project was to provide ground-truth and satellite-based soil water content data in the Houston, Texas, area to support the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s 2022 field campaign, the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER). This involved installing four soil monitoring stations at different locations in the Houston area, two of which were part of the ARM facility and two were ancillary. The two stations associated directly with ARM were installed alongside other facilities managed and maintained by the TRACER research team during the intensive operational period (IOP), one located at the La Porte, Texas airport and the other near Guy, Texas. Data from these stations were assimilated with similar data collected by the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to improve the spatial coverage of the real-time monitoring network. The ground-truth data were compared to the satellite-based (National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA]’s Soil Moisture Active Passive [SMAP] mission) data in the TRACER area of interest, and analyzed further to nowcast gridded data over the Houston area. The nowcasted, gridded data product was made available to TRACER researchers for use in climate and land-atmosphere interaction modeling that can help understand formation and persistence of convective storms in dense urban areas, and predict possible environmental events such as floods.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Real-Time, Simultaneous Soil Water Content and Meteorological Data Measurement to Support TRACER over Harris County, Texas Field Campaign Report: Part II

The main purpose of this project was to provide ground-truth and satellite-based soil water content data in the Houston, Texas, area to support the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s 2022 field campaign, the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER). This involved installing four soil monitoring stations at different locations in the Houston area, two of which were part of the ARM facility and two were ancillary. The two stations associated directly with ARM were installed alongside other facilities managed and maintained by the TRACER research team during the intensive operational period (IOP), one located at the La Porte, Texas airport and the other located near Guy, Texas. Data from these stations were assimilated with similar data collected by the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to improve the spatial coverage of the real-time monitoring network. The ground-truth data were compared to the satellite-based (National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA]’s Soil Moisture Active Passive [SMAP] mission) data in the TRACER area of interest, and analyzed further to nowcast gridded data over the Houston area. The nowcasted, gridded data product was made available to TRACER researchers for use in climate and land-atmosphere interaction modeling that can help understand formation and persistence of convective storms in dense urban areas, and predict possible environmental events such as floods.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

NCSU Flux Tower Data

NCSU Flux Tower Data Level b1: QC checks applied to measurements Data Format: CSV Description: See "instrument descripotion Site: Houston, TX; Tracking Aerosol Convection interactions ExpeRiment (HOU) Location: Houston, TX; AMF1 (main site for TRACER) Facility Code: M1 Category: Aerosol Properties Data Type: PI Data Source Instrument/Data: Sonic Anemometer, 3 Condensation Particle Counters, 1 SP2, 1 POPS Start Date: 2022-06-01 End Date: 2022-9-26 Contact PI: Markus Petters (mdpetter@ncsu.edu) Funding Source: DOE ASR award US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environment Research (grant no. DE-SC 0021074) Instrument description The NCSU flux tower was located next to the AMF sampling pad. The flux tower consisted of a 10 m telescoping tower. Mounted at the top of the tower was a sonic anemometer (RM Young 8000) and a Krypton Hygrometer. A sample line (¼” conductive tubing) and communication line was laid to a trailer located underneath and slightly adjacent to the tower. The sample line brought aerosol inside the trailer at 4.5 L min-1, where it was distributed between 3 CPCs (TSI 3776c, Dc ~ 2.5 nm, TSI 3771, Dc ~10nm, and TSI 3772, Dc ~40 nm) with different size cuts. Also sampling was a printed particle optical spectrometer (POPS) and a single particle soot photometer (SP2). Please contact mdpetter@ncsu.edu for further information.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1974

Comparison of transition and freestream disturbance measurements obtained in two wind tunnel facilities

Boundary-layer transition measurements have been made on two 5-deg half-angle cones at Mach 7 in the Ames 3.5-foot and the Langley variable density wind tunnels. Although there were differences between the measured freestream disturbance scales and pressure fluctuation levels, the choice of consistent locations within the transition region, using either thin-film fluctuation or surface heat-transfer data results in excellent agreement between the transition Reynolds numbers in both facilities. However, there is an apparent connection between changes in freestream pressure fluctuation levels and movement of boundary-layer transition location in the two facilities.

Owen, F. K.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan for Corrective Action Unit 114: Area 25 EMAD Facility Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

This Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan addresses the actions needed to achieve closure for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 114, Area 25 EMAD Facility, identified in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO). CAU 114 comprises the following corrective action sites (CASs) located in Area 25 of the Nevada National Security Site: • 25-41-03, EMAD Facility (Building 3900) • 25-99-23, Manned Control Car (MCC) and Engine Installation Vehicle (EIV) • 25-33-05, Building 3901, Engine Transport System Maintenance Building (Train Shed) This plan provides the methodology for field activities needed to gather the necessary information for closing CAU 114. There is sufficient information and process knowledge from historical documentation and investigations of similar sites regarding the expected nature and extent of potential contaminants to recommend closure of CAU 114 using the SAFER process. Additional information will be obtained by conducting a field investigation before selecting the appropriate corrective actions for CAU 114. It is anticipated that the results of the field investigation and implementation of corrective actions will support a defensible recommendation that no further corrective action is necessary. The purpose of the corrective action investigation will be to document and verify the adequacy of existing information; to affirm the decision for either clean closure, closure in place, or no further action; and to provide sufficient data to implement the corrective action. The actual corrective action selected will be based on characterization activities implemented under this SAFER Plan. If specific conditions or findings fall outside the bounds of the conceptual site model, such as an unanticipated release, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) will be consulted to determine the path forward before proceeding. Upon completion of SAFER activities, a closure report (CR) will be prepared and submitted to NDEP for review and approval. The schedule for completion of the CR will be established in consultation with NDEP.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1991

Microgravity science requirements and the need for data compression

The Microgravity Science and Applications Div. (MSAD) of the NASA Office of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) is responsible for encouraging and directing the research of a wide range of physical phenomena in reduced gravity. Under MSAD's direction, NASA-Lewis is presently developing the concept of a multiuser facility which will perform combustion science experiments in space. This facility, the Combustion Experiment Module (CEM), will be located in either the Shuttle Spacelab or the Space Station Freedom lab and will be operational by mid-1997. In addition to standard instrumentation to measure temperature, pressure, and acceleration, CEM shall use a variety of imaging and optical diagnostic techniques. Images shall be the primary source of experimental data. These images create an enormous amount of data which must be archived on orbit for later analysis. Also, ground based investigators will require enough data from the orbiting facility to determine if the experimental parameters need to be changed before proceeding with the next run. The storage and transmission of this data present a major challenge to the CEM design. Data compression will play a major role in the design of the CEM diagnostics system.

Hartz, William G.↗
DOE OSTI2023

ATF-2 Ramp Conceptual Design Report

The following report documents the conceptual design for the ATF-2 Ramp experiment. The experiment aims to fill the in-pile irradiation testing gap to conduct integral ramp testing, which was created by the closure of R2, Osiris, and Halden test reactors. The concept involves the simultaneous ramping of three fuel pins using a power axial locator mechanism in the Loop-2A testing facility in the center flux trap of the advanced test reactor (ATR). The three fuel pins are ramped in individual coolant channels containing a prototypic PWR environment. Rod failure will be detected using a fuel rod elongation sensor attached to the fuel pin upper end cap. An axial stack of concentric hafnium and zirconium shrouds will be used to shape the flux around the test pins to create different power levels in each pin and to ensure the peak power location of each pin remains in the center of the test rod. Monte Carlo simulations are used to demonstrate the viability of this design concept.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Assessment of the 3420 Building Filtered Exhaust Stack Sampling Probe Location: Stack Verification Following Fan and Air Blender Additions

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) 3420 Building, which is part of the Physical Sciences Facility (PSF), houses radiological capabilities that results in the requirement that emissions monitoring must be conducted for potential radionuclides in the exhaust air discharge of this building. The air monitoring system is required to conform to Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations part 61 (40 CFR 61) Subpart H, which in turns requires a sampling probe in the exhaust stream to conform to the criteria of American National Standards Institute / Health Physics Society (ANSI/HPS) N13.1-2011, Sampling and Monitoring Releases of Airborne Radioactive Substances from the Stack and Ducts of Nuclear Facilities. To support the air emissions permit for the 3420 Building on the PNNL campus, stack testing that used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling as a surrogate stack and verification tests of velocity uniformity and flow angle on the retrofitted facility stack was performed. The ANSI/HPS N13.1-2011 criteria for the air monitoring probe location are that velocity uniformity, gaseous tracer uniformity, and particulate tracer uniformity must be less than or equal to 20%COV. Furthermore, no point in the sampling location may have a gaseous tracer concentration that varies from the mean concentration by more than 30%. Additionally, the flow angle at the sampling location must not be more than 20°. The CFD modeling of the stack, as reported by Recknagle et al. (2018) demonstrated that the stack meets the criteria at the probe location. The velocity uniformity and flow angle results from the 3420 stack verification tests, performed in October 2020, demonstrated that the CFD model results may be used to support the qualification of the stack sampling location. The measured velocity uniformity verification test result was 1.4%COV. This value is well within the uniformity criterion, which is that the velocity uniformity be =20%COV. Additionally, this value is well within the criterion that the actual stack measurement must be within 5% of the surrogate stack result of 2.1%COV when all four fans were operating. Additionally, the measured average flow angle at the 3420 stack monitor location was 15.5 degrees. Although this is higher than expected based on the CFD model, the result is =20 degrees, so the criterion is met. Based on these stack verification test results, the reconfigured 3420 Building filtered exhaust stack meets the qualification criteria given in the ANSI/HPS N13.1-2011 standard. Further changes to the system configuration or operating conditions that are outside the bounds described in this and the CFD report (Recknagle et al., 2018) may require additional tests and additional analysis to determine compliance with the standard.

3420 Building↗
DOE OSTI2020

Human Factors Considerations for Automating Microreactors

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has interacted with vendors pursuing the commercialization of microreactors ( <10 MW th ). It is envisioned that microreactors could be assembled and fueled in a factory and shipped to a site. Many of the sites are expected to be remote locations requiring off-grid power or in some cases military bases. However, before this new class of nuclear reactor can be fully developed and implemented by designers, an effort must be made to explore the technical issues and provide reasonable assurance to the public regarding health and safety impacts centered on various technical issues. Prior works have examined many of these issues. One issue not yet fully explored is the possible change in role of the operations and support personnel. Due to the passive safety features of microreactors and their low level of nuclear material, the microreactor facilities may automate more functions and rely on inherent safety features more than its predecessor nuclear power plants. In some instances, human operators may not be located onsite and may instead be operating or monitoring the facility from a remote location. Some designs also call for operators to supervise and control multiple microreactors from the control room. This report explores the issues around reduced staffing of microreactors, highlights the historical safety functions associated with human operators, assesses current licensing requirements for appropriateness to varying levels of personnel support, and describes a recommended regulatory approach for reviewing the impact of reduced staff to the operation of microreactors. The report evaluates these issues through an extensive literature survey and Subject Matter Expert interviews. The literature covers research topics related to Human Factors Engineering as well as regulatory guidance given by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗