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DOE OSTI2021

Nondestructive Assay Technical Infrastructure Program Mission and Vision

The Nondestructive Assay Program (NDAP) mission and vision is achieved by identifying and accomplishing a set of programmatic goals that correspond with eight broad technical program elements. The NDAP was created as a result of Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board Recommendation 2007-1, entitled “Safety-Related In Situ Nondestructive Assay of Radioactive Materials,” which emphasized the need to improve in situ measurements of radioactive material at US Department of Energy (DOE) defense nuclear facilities. An NDAP five-year plan will define tasks to accomplish specific goals identified in the NDAP mission and vision. This mission and vision is applicable for eight technical program elements: Hardware/Software Development, Algorithm Development and Nuclear Data, Uncertainty Quantification, Nuclear Materials, Staffing, Personnel, And Training, Data Management, Requirement and Standards, and Information Preservation and Dissemination. An additional program element is technical support, which provides daily execution management support for the NDAP, site scope, and deliverable tracking via site task managers, along with technical advisement and support from the technical support group. The NDAP mission and vision provides attributes with specific goals for each program element, and some goals benefit multiple program elements. The goals and attributes defined herein are implemented via an NDAP five-year execution plan that defines site work scope, budget, and deliverables, all of which are updated annually. The NDAP is designed to benefit nondestructive assay (NDA) needs to support DOE nuclear criticality safety programs, ensuring that NDA technology is sufficiently capable of guaranteeing the safety of those who handle, store, process, or transport fissionable materials in the complex. Especially important for the NDAP is to maximize capabilities to identify, characterize, and manage in situ fissile material deposits in process equipment to ensure nuclear criticality safety at processing facilities.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Traditional Forensic Examinations on Bulk Special Nuclear Material

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Laboratory at Quantico, Virginia is responsible for the forensic examination of radiological evidence and evidence contaminated with radioactive materials. Due to these unique hazards and the necessary specialized safety protocols, the FBI has developed a network of Partner Laboratories (PLs) across the United States of America to support conventional forensic examinations of radiological evidence and evidence contaminated with radioactive materials. In support of this, the FBI Laboratory has established the Hazardous Evidence Analysis Team (HEAT), a group of qualified forensic examiners, scientists, technicians, and photographers who can deploy to laboratories outside of the FBI Laboratory at Quantico, VA to perform conventional forensics on evidence containing/contaminated with hazardous materials. One of the FBI’s PLs, the United States Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), in Los Alamos, New Mexico, has unique facilities, personnel, and procedures to secure, safely handle, and process significant quantities of special nuclear material (SNM). While LANL’s procedures for working with SNM are well established, working with SNM under evidentiary controls is not. Close cooperation between LANL and FBI HEAT is required due to FBI policies on evidence handling, as well as the challenges associated with the exploitation and preservation of conventional forensics (fingerprints, trace evidence, and photography) on SNM evidence.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enhancing Risk Analysis of Accidental Release Using CFD Modeling and Machine Learning

This project report presents the results from the AU31 project that is entitled “Enhancing Risk Analysis of Accidental Release Using CFD Modeling and Machine Learning” performed between FY2021 and FY2022. The technical objective of this project is to enhance risk analysis of accidental release of radioactive materials and provide novel risk forecasting and capabilities for assessing unplanned hazardous chemical releases for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The approach includes a cross-platform finite element analysis of airborne chemical release, machine learning (ML) for simulation and forecasting, and a big data approach to data management, transformation and analysis capable of handling petabyte-scale unstructured and structured data. The outcome of these findings were assembled and accessible as a final output via an intuitive web hosted geospatial-based user interface for demonstration and general dissemination. These new results also provide a mechanism of combining this knowledge in a risk analysis framework tool. The geospatial analysis and output can utilize 5 years of qualified meteorological data to illustrate projected plume footprints that are generated from computational aspects of this study. Specifically, we show the development of a geospatial risk analysis capabilities to respond to and plan for accidental release of radioactive materials and to provide a risk forecasting tool for assessing hazardous chemical releases for the DOE. The focus of this effort is germane to common practices in risk analysis; and it is highly relevant to the timely and transparent release of information related to materials at risk including hazardous materials and chemical vapors and rapid assessment of the potential impacts on the workforce at active sites across the DOE complex.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Production of Precursor Materials for the Development of Iron-Based Superconductor (IBS) Wire

The objective of the activities under this Annex is to address the extrinsic Jc limitations uncovered in pioneering work. In order to engineer the defects pinning landscape charged particle irradiations experiments on bulk samples, different doping and chemical additions will be performed at different National facilities (Test Beam Facility at Fermilab; Linac Isotope Producer at Brookhaven National Laboratory; Integrated Biology Laboratory at University of Wisconsin-Madison; Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University). The samples will be produced at ENEA by different techniques. Magnetization and advanced microscopy measures will be performed at Fermilab. After irradiation, depending on the level of radioactivity, the samples will be tested at Fermilab or where it is possible to measure radioactive materials as University of Wisconsin-Madison.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Investigation of the Role of the Role of Nuclear Physics in Heavy Element Nucleosynthesis, through the Study of Key Reactions, and the Improvement of Theoretical Reaction Rates (Final Report)

Neutrino-driven winds in core-collapse supernovae have been identified as a possible site for the production of elements heavier than iron. Traditionally, these neutrino-driven winds have been proposed as the site of the main r-process. Recent simulations fail to reproduce the conditions required for the main r-process. while they remain a promising site for producing the lightest elements beyond iron, e.g., Sr, Y, and Zr through the νp process. The efficiency of the νp process depends on the hydrodynamical conditions, the electron fraction (which is related to the neutrino properties), and the nuclear reactions on many short-lived nuclei with limited (if at all) experimental information. The reaction rates on these nuclei are based on theoretical predictions using the Hauser-Feshbach model. Recent sensitivity studies have highlighted the importance of neutron-induced reactions on these nuclei along the νp process path. This work aimed to experimentally constrain reaction rates that are known to play a key role in the neutrino-p process nucleosynthesis. A secondary subsequently-added objective was to start the implementation of techniques that improve the description of nuclear properties in the Hauser-Feshbach model by extending the microscopic nuclear level density description offered via the shell model to high excitation energies without using experiment-based renormalizations. The main objective of this work was the experimental constraint of the 56 Ni(n,p) 56 Co reaction rate via a measurement of the inverse reaction 56 Co(p,n) 56 Ni at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) and later the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). This reaction is considered the key one for determining the yields possible by the neutrino-p process. A technique for this type of measurement in inverse kinematics at low energies did not exist before this work. The work also had two secondary objectives. First, to contribute to efforts to measure the same reaction in direct kinematics using a radioactive target at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and second, to advance work to implement shell-model-deduced microscopic level densities in Hauser-Feshbach calculations. The project has resulted in the development of the first technique to perform (p,n) cross-section measurements in relevant-for-astrophysics low energies in inverse kinematics using a magnetic spectrometer or separator, and neutron detectors for neutron tagging. It has also resulted in the precise measurement of the cross-section of the 40 Ar(p,n) 40 K reaction in a proof-of-principle experiment realized by using a beam-line quadrupole of the ReA3 accelerator of NSCL/FRIB. As part of this project the technique was successfully adapted to make use of the superior acceptance of the Separator for Capture Reactions (SECAR) at FRIB. In this project, the required experimental setup simulations and beam optics were developed and tested with the measurement of the 58 Fe(p,n) 58 Cu reaction cross-section. Additionally, this project contributed with simulation work to the development of a technique to measure (n,p) reactions with radioactive targets at LANL, and which resulted in the measurement of the key 56 Ni(n,p) 56 Co reaction cross-section at neutron energies above ≈1 MeV. Last, the project initiated work in the development of shell model based level densities using the moments method.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Summary of Forensic Examinations in Support of Breach Sealed Source Event at Harborview Medical Facility on 2 May 2019

On May 2, 2019, International Isotopes, Inc. (INIS), a subcontractor to Triad National Security, LLC (contractor for Los Alamos National Laboratory) breached a sealed radioactive source containing ~2800 Ci of the radioactive isotope cesium-137 ( 137 Cs) at the University of Washington Harborview Research and Training (HRT) Building in downtown Seattle while attempting to recover the source for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) Off-site Source Recovery Program (OSRP). The breach of the source resulted in the contamination of 13 personnel, all 7 floors of the building, and a release of material to the environment. A summary of root and contributing causes of the event was investigated and published by a joint investigation team (JIT) co-led by NNSA and Triad National Security, LLC. That investigation was supported by forensics examinations provided by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This report summarizes the results of those forensic examinations.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Draft Summary Report on Irradiated Fuel Handling and Management for LOTUS

The National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) has conceptualized the design of the Laboratory for Operation and Testing in the United States (LOTUS) test bed to provide the United States Department of Energy (DOE) with the infrastructure necessary to make advanced reactor designs available for commercial developers. LOTUS will provide a test bed to developers with the capabilities of supporting a wide range of experiment design possibilities. Upon completion of the developers’ operations and experiments within the test bed, the irradiated fuel, reactor components, and other experiment materials must be removed. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) possesses significant capabilities for radioactive material handling such as casks, carts, and forklifts. However, given the unique environment presented by the NRIC-LOTUS test bed, located inside the Zero Power Physics Reactor (ZPPR) Perimeter Intrusion Detection and Assessment System (PIDAS) area at the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) and the complexity of novel removal activities of recently operated reactor experiments through the new proposed access tunnel. The efficacy was not apparent for existing equipment to provide all the needed capability. To bridge the potential gaps in cask designs, storage, and transportation, NRIC requested the development of trade studies for the transfer, handling, and storage requirements of irradiated fuel salts and other radioactive materials. NRIC directed Boston Government Services, LLC (BGS) to perform the trade studies and develop a report analyzing alternatives. In addition to the BGS reports, the Idaho National Lab’s (INL), provided by the first potential user’s Advanced Reactor Development (ARD) team, prepared a feasibility study for the storage of specific irradiated fuel within the existing ZPPR vault.This summary report is intended to present the trade studies, options, and alternatives that were investigated. The maturity level of LOTUS, the reactor, fuel salt containers, gloveboxes, and reactor testing campaign and concept of operations were not at a level sufficient to base critical decisions on. This report is not intended to present a final recommendation. The final recommendations for fuel storage location, transport, handling equipment, and operations will be made in FY 2024 and will be based on known materials, test campaign requirements, funding, and final analysis of the fuel and equipment to be used.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Los Alamos National Laboratory 2022 Annual Site Environmental Report (Rev. 2)

Los Alamos National Laboratory (Laboratory) annual site environmental reports are prepared each year by the Laboratory’s environmental organizations as required by U.S. Department of Energy Order 231.1B, Administrative Change 1, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting, and Order 458.1, Administrative Change 4, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment. The chapters in this report discuss our compliance with environmental laws, regulations, and orders (Chapter 2, Compliance Summary); how we manage the Laboratory’s environmental performance and assure the quality of data from analysis of environmental samples (Chapter 3, Environmental Programs and Analytical Data Quality); how we monitor for air emissions of radioactive materials and for weather conditions (Chapter 4, Air Quality); how we monitor for effects of Laboratory operations on groundwater quality (Chapter 5, Groundwater Protection); how we monitor the levels of chemicals and radionuclides in storm water runoff and sediment (Chapter 6, Watershed Quality); how we monitor for the levels and effects of chemicals and radionuclides in plants, animals, soil, and vegetation (Chapter 7, Ecosystem Health); and finally, what radioactive dose or risk from chemical exposure that members of the public could experience as a result of Laboratory operations (Chapter 8, Public Dose and Risk Assessment).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

2022 Annual Site Environment Report, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

This report provides the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the public with information on the level of radioactive and non-radioactive pollutants (if any) that are added to the environment as a result of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory’s (PPPL) operations. This report fulfills the annual public reporting requirements of DOE Order 231.1B. The results of PPPL’s 2022 environmental surveillance and monitoring program are presented and discussed. The report also summarizes environmental initiatives, assessments, and community involvement programs that were undertaken in 2022. PPPL’s on-site operations started to be restored in 2022, following curtailments in 2020 and 2021 for the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. PPPL has engaged in fusion energy research since 1951 and at its current locations since 1958. The Laboratory’s mission is to develop the scientific knowledge and advanced engineering to enable fusion to power the U.S. and the world, and to develop the understanding of plasmas from the nano- to the astrophysical scale. PPPL’s primary experiment, the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) is a collaboration among national laboratories, universities, and national and international research institutions and is a major element in the US Fusion Energy Sciences Program. Its design tests the physics principles of spherical torus (ST) plasmas, playing an important role in the development of smaller, more economical fusion reactors. Due to previous operational issues, NSTX-U did not operate in 2022. PPPL is engaged in a project to replace key NSTX-U components and systems to enable the operation of this international magnetic fusion user facility. In 2022, PPPL’s radiological environmental monitoring program measured tritium in the air at onsite sampling stations. Using highly sensitive air monitors, PPPL is capable of detecting small changes in the ambient levels of tritium. The operation of monitors located on D-site is used to demonstrate compliance with the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) regulations. Also included in PPPL’s radiological environmental monitoring program, are water monitoring – ground, surface, and waste waters. PPPL’s radiological monitoring program characterized the background levels of tritium in the environment and those data are presented in this report. Ground water monitoring continued under New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) Site Remediation Program regulations. PPPL monitored for non-radiological contaminants, mainly volatile organic compounds (components of common degreasing solvents). In 2022, PPPL complied with permit limits for surface water and sanitary wastewater discharges. PPPL was honored with an award for EPEAT-certified electronics purchasing from the Global Electronics Council.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Flow Induced Vibration Studies in Pressurized Helium Gas Cooling Channels

Production of metastable Technetium-99 (Tc-99m), a radioactive tracer that emits gamma rays, is vital to the medical imaging community. Tc-99m is extracted from the decay of Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) which has a half-life of about 2-3 days. The work presented in this report is part of the NNSA’s mission to produce Mo-99 commercially, within the US, without the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in support of nonproliferation and global security. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is working with NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes (NMR) on their efforts to produce Mo-99 through the irradiation of Mo-100 targets using an electron beam. The NMR target comprises a stack of approximately 60-70 Mo-100 disks with diameter 24 mm and thickness 0.74 mm held in stainless steel laminations, each separated using 0.25 mm thick stainless steel spacers. The symmetric target stack is housed in an Inconel vessel with two Inconel windows on either side. Two electron accelerators are used to produce 40 MeV, 3.16 µA electron beams each that penetrate the Inconel windows and irradiate the Mo-100 disks. Approximately 90% of the total 250 kW beam power is deposited in the NMR target during the irradiation process. During irradiation, pressurized helium gas flows through 0.25 mm thin gaps between the disks cooling the beam window, target disks, disk laminations and spacers. Both NMR and LANL have found during cold testing of the target system (no heat deposition) that the Mo-100 disks undergo significant mass loss and disk breakage due to vibrations induced by the flowing helium gas. The mass loss is not only undesirable due to monetary loss from reduced final quantities of Mo-99, but also due to the hazards associated with radioactive material trapped in the cooling lines and particle filters. The effect of flow rate and target geometry on the flow induced vibrations need to be quantified, and recommendations provided to minimize this mass loss. This work describes LANL’s experimental characterization of the flow induced vibrations and disk mass loss in a reduced scale set-up containing 10 Mo-100 disks. We use high speed imaging, displacement measurements and microphone measurements combined with signal processing to estimate the vibration frequency of each disk. The effect of disk thickness, target fit and duration of testing on the mass loss is described. We find that in the current configuration of NMR targets, the vibrations and mass loss on the first disk are minimized, while those in the adjacent disks are highest. The microphone and high-speed image data show that increased flow rates and increased duration of testing increases vibration frequency and mass loss. The mass loss is due to both disk rotation and back and forth motion. There are visible wear marks on the disks with the highest mass loss. We also note that the current NMR window gap reduces flow induced vibrations compared to the previous smaller gaps. Longer duration testing will provide more data and verification for the findings presented in this report. The work will be continued in FY 24.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Management of Alkali and Alkaline Earth Fission Products in Used Pyroprocessing Salt

Pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) involves dissolving metallic fuel into a molten salt electrolyte (typically eutectic LiCl-KCl) and then preferentially depositing actinides onto inert cathodes. Subsequent operations include drawdown of residual actinides and lanthanides from the electrolyte prior to re-using the salt. The recovered actinides are recycled and the recovered lanthanides are disposed as waste. Alkali and alkaline earth metal fission products in the fuel, such as Cs, Sr and Ba, dissolve into the salt during electrorefining. The concentrations of these elements buildup over time in the molten salt electrolyte, which may change the freezing point. The radioactive decay of 137 Cs and 90 Sr (half life 30 and 29 years) generates significant heat and produces strong ionizing radiation fields (β and γ). The increasing heat load and radioactivity as these elements build up in the molten salt requires frequent replacement and disposal of the electrolyte salt. Alternatively, the salt can be treated to remove these and other elements and then recycled to the electrorefiner. An effective strategy to manage these alkali and alkaline earth metal fission products in the molten salt electrolyte would increase the efficiency of pyroprocessing and decrease the volume of salt waste requiring disposal. Alkali and alkaline earth metal fission products are extremely stable in molten salt as chlorides--even more stable than the LiCl-KCl eutectic base salt--making them challenging to remove. They are not removed during drawdown operations to recover residual actinides and lanthanides and a separate operation is required to sufficiently purify the salt for reuse. This work is focused on selecting a method for separating Cs, Sr and Ba from the salt recovered from the lanthanide drawdown operation prior to recycling the cleaned salt back to the electrorefiner. Not addressed in this work is the management of the waste stream produced by the separation. This report summarizes the issues to be addressed when developing removal strategies for cesium, strontium, and barium and reviews existing methods to identify suitable methods and any technological gaps in their application.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Production of Precursor Materials for the Development of Iron-Based Superconductor (IBS) Wire

The objective of the activities under this Annex is to address the extrinsic Jc limitations uncovered in pioneering work. In order to engineer the defects pinning landscape charged particle irradiations experiments on bulk samples with different doping and chemical additions will be performed at different National facilities (Test Beam Facility at Fermilab; Linac Isotope Producer at Brookhaven National Laboratory; Integrated Biology Laboratory at University of Wisconsin-Madison; Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University). The samples will be produced at TUAT by different synthesis techniques. Magnetization and advanced microscopy measures will be performed at Fermilab. After irradiation, depending on the level of radioactivity, the samples will be tested at Fermilab or where it is possible to measure radioactive materials as University of Wisconsin-Madison. In parallel, the precursor materials produced by TUAT will be used for IBS-wire fabrication at Fermi

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cubical moderators for the Neutron Target Demonstator (NTD)

Neutron capture cross sections of unstable isotopes are important for neutron induced nucleosynthesis as well as for technological applications. The traditional time-of-flight method reaches its limits once the necessary detection of the reaction products is hampered by the size (mass) of the sample. Several factors may limit the sample mass: The decay properties of radioactive isotopes interfere with the signals from the neutron capture or neutron-induced fission reactions; The limited range of charged reaction products requires a thin sample. In both cases, an increased neutron fluence at the sample position with ever improved neutron sources overcomes the lack of reaction rate. Reference proposed a combination of a radioactive beam facility, an ion storage ring and a spallation neutron source surrounded by neutron moderator. This idea is part of the LANSCE strategy to stay a worldwide leader for neutron induced research. Figure 1 shows a sketch of the proposed future setup.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Computational Tool for Cosmic Ray Flux and Cosmogenic Activation Production Rates

Silicon charge couple devices (CCDs) are used in direct detection dark matter searches. Silicon can be obtained with very high purity and negligible amounts of radioactive contaminants. However, silicon exposed to cosmic rays can be activated, leading to the buildup of radioactive isotopes such as tritium. The decay of tritium can produce signals that cannot be distinguished from the expected signals of dark matter interactions and tritium produced by cosmic rays is expected as one of the leading sources of background for next-generation experiments. The cosmic ray flux depends on variables such as geomagnetic latitude and longitude, atmospheric depth/altitude, solar activity, and surrounding environment for example. The goal of this work is to create a tool that will evaluate the total cosmic ray exposure and related tritium production rate for any given exposure history of a silicon detector. EXcel-based Program for calculation Atmospheric Cosmic-ray Spectrum (EXPACS) was used to obtain the cosmic ray fluxes. We have worked on creating a 3-dimensional gird that spans latitude, longitude, and altitude, and can be used to interpolate the cosmic ray flux at any given location. This computation tool additionally has use for work requiring knowledge of the cosmic ray flux at multiple locations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of Naturally Occurring Be-7 Activity on LANL Stack Filter Clumps

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is responsible for providing solutions to challenging issues through multidisciplinary science, engineering, and technology that impact national security. As part of the Radioactive Air Emissions Management (RAEM) Team, it is our responsibility to ensure LANL operates within the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations 40 CFR 61, Subpart H, National Emission Standards for Emissions of Radionuclides Other Than Radon From Department of Energy Facilities (Rad-NESHAP). The standard states, “Emissions of radionuclides to the ambient air from Department of Energy facilities shall not exceed those amounts that would cause any member of the public to receive in any year an effective dose equivalent of 10 mrem/yr” (EPA, 2002) During a routine assessment of LANL’s Rad-NESHAP compliance program, an opportunity for improvement was identified that addresses the evaluation of routine stack samples which potentially have naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) on the filter media. In the past and based on professional judgment, detections of NORM such as K-40 and Be-7 typically were rejected from the analytical results. The assessment finding suggested developing a technical criterion to ensure that such rejections were justified, comparing actual measured values with anticipated NORM concentrations for various stacks located at LANL. The significance of accepting or rejecting samples as “true” or “NORM” and its impact on the RAEM’s mission and compliance to the regulations is explained later in the document. Additionally, this document will describe the process and calculations for how such results are to be accepted as actual samples “true positive” or rejected as NORM.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2024

Assessment of Potential Dose and Environmental Impacts from Proposed Testing at the INL Radiological Response Training Range

This assessment uses screening level models to calculate potential environmental impacts from proposed tests at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Radiological Response Training Range (RRTR) site. Proposed tests could be conducted using 11 different radioactive material types that include K 2 O, LaBr 3 , KBr, Cu, Zr, F, Ga, Ga 2 O 3 , NaNO 2 , Ga-68, and Tc-99m. The tests could potentially release radioactive material to the atmosphere and radionuclides and other contaminants to the soil, which could leach into the unsaturated zone and migrate to the aquifer. Atmospheric transport of radionuclides to potential human receptors and time-integrated air concentrations were calculated with a Gaussian plume model and three years of hourly meteorological data. Potential surface-soil impacts were calculated with the computer program Mixing-Cell Model (MCM). Groundwater impacts were calculated with the computer programs MCM and GWSCREEN. Radiological doses from potential atmospheric releases were calculated for public receptors off the INL Site and for workers at nearby INL facilities. Results were compared to regulatory dose limits. Maximum potential groundwater concentrations were estimated in the aquifer below the NSTR site and compared to drinking water standards or risk-based screening levels for resident tap water. Soil concentrations were calculated and compared to risk-based screening levels for workers and potential future residents. All impacts were estimated based on the assumption that 12 tests are conducted annually using all 11 material types for a period of 15 years. This document provides the resources to enable a subject matter expert in the field of environmental assessments to replicate the modeling and calculations. The methodology and parameters are presented in the text. All electronic files, including computer code input, output, executable files, batch files, scripts, and spreadsheet files are contained in a zip file that can be accessed by selecting “Additional Information” (select Native File) in the INL Electronic Document Management System (EDMS).

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Assessment of Potential Dose and Environmental Impacts from Proposed Testing at the INL National Security Test Range

This assessment uses screening level models to calculate potential environmental impacts from proposed tests at two locations at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) National Security Test Range (NSTR) site. Proposed tests could be conducted using 11 different radioactive material types that include K 2 O, LaBr 3 , KBr, Cu, Zr, F, Ga, Ga 2 O 3 , NaNO 2 , Ga-68, and Tc-99m. The tests could potentially release radioactive material to the atmosphere and radionuclides and other contaminants to the soil, which could leach into the unsaturated zone and migrate to the aquifer. Atmospheric transport of radionuclides to potential human receptors and time-integrated air concentrations were calculated with a Gaussian plume model and three years of hourly meteorological data. Potential surface soil impacts were calculated with the computer program Mixing-Cell Model (MCM). Groundwater impacts were calculated with the computer programs MCM and GWSCREEN. Radiological doses from potential atmospheric releases were calculated for public receptors off the INL Site and for workers at nearby INL facilities. Results were compared to regulatory dose limits. Maximum potential groundwater concentrations were estimated in the aquifer below the NSTR site and compared to drinking water standards or risk-based screening levels for resident tap water. Soil concentrations were calculated and compared to risk-based screening levels for workers and potential future residents. All impacts were estimated based on the assumption that 12 tests are conducted annually using all 11 material types for 15 years. This document provides the resources to enable a subject matter expert in the field of environmental assessments to replicate the modeling and calculations. The methodology and parameters are presented in the text. All electronic files, including computer code input, output, executable files, batch files, scripts, and spreadsheet files, are contained in a zip file that can be accessed by selecting “Additional Information” (select Native File) in the INL Electronic Document Management System (EDMS).

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

A multi-Physics Experiment for Low-Yield Nuclear Explosion Monitoring

A series of multi-physics experiments, referred to as Physics Experiment 1 (PE1) is underway at the United States’ Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The PE1 series includes detonations of three underground chemical explosions in P-tunnel, with fully coupled (PE1 A), partially decoupled (PE1 D L ), and fully decoupled (PE1 B) emplacements. Canisters with gas tracers are imbedded in the explosives, and the tracers are released when the canister is destroyed by the detonation. A dedicated electromagnetic (EM) experiment (EMX) generates well-characterized EM signals at an underground location near the chemical explosive experiments. A series of atmospheric experiments (METEX, REACT, and METREX) release smoke and radioactive tracers around Aqueduct Mesa to test gas transport in complex topography. Each of the chemical explosive experiments includes a network of sensors to record seismic, acoustic, and electromagnetic waves, measurement of atmospheric conditions, and air sample collection for measurement of tracer concentration. EMX records EM signals underground and on the surface of Aqueduct Mesa. METEX, REACT, and METREX include measurement of atmospheric condition, as well as tracking smoke releases. REACT and METREX add low-level radioactive gas tracers to the atmospheric releases.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗