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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 847 records · Page 47
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Building 871 and 874 Retaining Wall Project Soil Sampling and Analysis Plan

This Soil Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) was prepared by the Environmental Functional Area (EFA)/Technical Services Department (TSD) of the Environment, Safety & Health (ES&H) Directorate for the Project Management Office (PMO) for the proposed retaining wall near Buildings 871 and 874 (project) (Figure 1). The purpose of the SAP is to describe the procedures for collection and analysis of environmental samples and evaluation of analytical data (chemical and radiological) to determine management options of excavated soil during project construction. This SAP follows criteria established in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Soils Screening and Management Plan (SSMP) (LLNL 2022), which was formalized in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance for developing Data Quality Objectives for environmental data (EPA 2006) and the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) guidance (U.S. NRC, U.S. EPA, U.S. DOE, and U.S. DOD 2000). The scope of this SAP is based on preliminary design information provided by PMO.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Radioisotope Analysis of Wastewater from Livermore Site Retention Tanks by Gel Laboratory Gross Alpha, Gross Beta and Tritium Sampling Method

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory discharged approximately 4.4% of the City of Livermore’s total wastewater in 2022 (LLNL’s Annual Site Environmental Report, Chapter 5, 2022). This volume includes wastewater from Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and some process wastewater from Site 300. Due to the high volume and constituents of the discharge, LLNL works alongside the City of Livermore under permit #1250, requiring wastewater generated to be monitored and sampled in accordance with permit limits. Process wastewater, from buildings with the highest risk to sewer, is collected by wastewater retention tanks throughout the Livermore Site and sampled prior to discharge. Domestic wastewater directly discharges to sanitary sewer. To maintain permit requirements and ensure proper wastewater discharge practices, an internal wastewater audit was conducted during the summer of 2023. Current wastewater practices, regulatory knowledge and risk management across various Livermore Site buildings were evaluated. Workspaces connected to a wastewater retention tank and sanitary sewer drains were major focus areas. Data collected from walk-throughs prompted further evaluation as many practices were reported to be done based on historical usage. A table of concerns was created to showcase reasons for auditing and proceeding action. An analysis of current and historical retention tank usage throughout LLNL Livermore Site buildings with radioisotope results over a 5-year period from 2019 to 2024, was done to assess building trends and any significant changes throughout the 5-year period. Analytes evaluated were Gross Alpha, Gross Beta and Tritium (GABT) of eleven buildings at the Livermore Site, posing the highest risk to sanitary sewer for radioisotopes.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Description of the Gas Sampling and Circulation System for the LYNM PE1-A Experiment

A series of multiphysics experiments, referred to as Physics Experiment 1 (PE1) is underway at the U.S. Nevada National Security Site. The PE1 series includes detonations of three underground chemical explosions. As the name implies, there are a number of experiments investigating the signals generated by the explosion. The experiment series objectives are outlined in a report from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.1 One of the experiments is a gas migration experiment. Gas tracers were imbedded in the explosives and gas sampling boreholes were installed in the formation in the test bed. Connected to the monitoring points is a circulation system that moves gas to a central measurement location. This report does not describe the gas analysis or collection systems, but rather the circulation system that provides the gas for measurement. Here, we have combined four project documents into a single report that describes the design, build, installation, testing, and operation of the gas sampling network.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Analytical Results of the Tank 51H Sludge Batch 11 As-Received Qualification Sample

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has been requested by Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) to qualify the next sludge batch, Sludge Batch 11 (SB11), for processing at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). This report documents the first steps of the qualification process, characterization of the Tank 51H as-received qualification material. SRMC sent SRNL two 200 mL samples received from Tank 51H on the 12th of August 2024. The combined sample, HTF-51-24-85/86, was analyzed for the following: supernate and slurry density, weight percent solids, settling, chemical composition, and radionuclides.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

MethodOpt: a Shiny-based graphical user interface for multivariate optimization of sampling and analytical instrumentation

Method optimization is an important step in producing useful data in various experimental settings involving the use of sampling and analytical instrumentation, such as gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry or other analytical techniques. However, traditional optimization techniques often lack the sophistication of more modern optimization techniques developed in areas of applied mathematics. A graphical user interface has been developed that implements a multivariate, multi-objective optimization technique for spectra-generating sampling and analytical instrumentation, which saves substantial time and resources compared to the more traditional approaches to method development.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigation of U content in J-swipe/PIC samples

This final report documents the results of an evaluation of the U content in J-swipes for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). J-swipes are manufactured with inked numbers (1–30) and U backgrounds that are considered consistent across different lots and manufacturing times. These characteristics make them ideal for use by IAEA inspectors for pre-inspection check samples to ensure inspectors are not cross-contaminating sites. However, recent work has found elevated U concentrations in the inked numbers compared with the J-swipe material. To determine whether the inked numbers correlate with the U backgrounds, triplicate U content measurements were made on Swipes 1, 2, 11, 22, and 28. Triplicates of each swipe were processed through the standard chemistry used by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Network of Analytical Laboratories team and analyzed for U content by isotope dilution via multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Finally, samples were made by mass consisting of only ink areas and only cotton swipe material to determine the trace element differences between the cotton and the ink.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2025

Path Sampling for Rare Events Boosted by Machine Learning

The study by Jung et al. introduced Artificial Intelligence for Molecular Mechanism Discovery (AIMMD), a novel sampling algorithm that integrates machine learning to enhance the efficiency of transition path sampling (TPS). By enabling on-the-fly estimation of the committor probability and simultaneously deriving a human-interpretable reaction coordinate, AIMMD offers a robust framework for elucidating the mechanistic pathways of complex molecular processes. Here, this commentary provides a discussion and critical analysis of the core AIMMD framework, explores its recent extensions, and offers an assessment of the method’s potential impact and limitations.

Minh, Porhouy [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN↗
DOE OSTI2021

Development of Multi-Scale X-ray Fluorescence Tomography for Examination of Nanocomposite-Treated Biological Samples

Research in cancer nanotechnology is entering its third decade, and the need to study interactions between nanomaterials and cells remains urgent. Heterogeneity of nanoparticle uptake by different cells and subcellular compartments represent the greatest obstacles to a full understanding of the entire spectrum of nanomaterials’ effects. In this work, we used flow cytometry to evaluate changes in cell cycle associated with non-targeted nanocomposite uptake by individual cells and cell populations. Analogous single cell and cell population changes in nanocomposite uptake were explored by X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM). Very few nanoparticles are visible by optical imaging without labeling, but labeling increases nanoparticle complexity and the risk of modified cellular uptake. XFM can be used to evaluate heterogeneity of nanocomposite uptake by directly imaging the metal atoms present in the metal-oxide nanocomposites under investigation. While XFM mapping has been performed iteratively in 2D with the same sample at different resolutions, this study is the first example of serial tomographic imaging at two different resolutions. A cluster of cells exposed to non-targeted nanocomposites was imaged with a micron-sized beam in 3D. Next, the sample was sectioned for immunohistochemistry as well as a high resolution “zoomed in” X-ray fluorescence (XRF) tomography with 80 nm beam spot size. Multiscale XRF tomography will revolutionize our ability to explore cell-to-cell differences in nanomaterial uptake.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sparse and Random Sampling Techniques for High-Resolution, Full-Field, BSS-Based Structural Dynamics Identification from Video

Video-based techniques for identification of structural dynamics have the advantage that they are very inexpensive to deploy compared to conventional accelerometer or strain gauge techniques. When structural dynamics from video is accomplished using full-field, high-resolution analysis techniques utilizing algorithms on the pixel time series such as principal components analysis and solutions to blind source separation the added benefit of high-resolution, full-field modal identification is achieved. An important property of video of vibrating structures is that it is particularly sparse. Typically video of vibrating structures has a dimensionality consisting of many thousands or even millions of pixels and hundreds to thousands of frames. However the motion of the vibrating structure can be described using only a few mode shapes and their associated time series. As a result, emerging techniques for sparse and random sampling such as compressive sensing should be applicable to performing modal identification on video. This work presents how full-field, high-resolution, structural dynamics identification frameworks can be coupled with compressive sampling. The techniques described in this work are demonstrated to be able to recover mode shapes from experimental video of vibrating structures when 70% to 90% of the frames from a video captured in the conventional manner are removed.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Demonstration of VOC Fenceline Sensors and Canister Grab Sampling near Chemical Facilities in Louisville, Kentucky

Experimental fenceline sensor pods (SPods) fitted with 30 s duration canister grab sampling (CGS) systems were deployed at a site near chemical facilities in Louisville, KY, from 4 June 2018 to 5 January 2020. The objective of the study was to better understand lower cost 10.6 eV photoionization detector (PID)-based volatile organic compound (VOC) sensors and investigate their utility for near-source emissions detection applications. Prototype SPods containing PID sensor elements from two different manufacturers yielded between 78% and 86% valid data over the study, producing a dataset of over 120,000 collocated pair fenceline measurements averaged into 5-min datapoints. Ten-second time-resolved SPod data from an elevated fenceline sensor signal day are presented, illustrating source emission detections from the direction of a facility 500 m west of the monitoring site. An SPod-triggered CGS acquired in the emission plume on this day contained elevated concentrations of 1,3-butadiene and cyclohexane (36 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) and 637 ppbv, respectively), compounds known to be emitted by this facility. Elevated concentrations of these compounds were observed in a subset of the 61 manual and triggered CGS grab samples acquired during the study, with winds from the west. Using novel wind-resolved visualization and normalization approaches described herein, the collocated pair SPod datasets exhibited similarity in emission source signature. With winds from the west, approximately 50% of SPod readings were above our defined theoretical detection limit indicating persistent measurable VOC signal at this site. Overall, this 19-month study demonstrated reasonable prototype SPod operational performance indicating that improved commercial forms of lower cost PID sensors could be useful for select VOC fenceline monitoring applications.

1,3-butadiene↗
DOE OSTI2022

Adaptive Fault Detection Based on Neural Networks and Multiple Sampling Points for Distribution Networks and Microgrids

Smart networks such as microgrid (MG) and active distribution networks (ADN) have been recently playing an important role in power system operation. The design and implementation of appropriate protection systems for such networks must be addressed, which imposes new technical challenges. This paper presents the implementation and validation aspects of an adaptive fault detection strategy based on neural networks (NNs) and multiple sampling points for ADN and MG. The solution is implemented on an edge device. Artificial NNs are used to derive a data-driven model that uses only local measurements to detect fault states of the network without the need for communication infrastructure. Multiple sampling points are used to derive a data-driven model, which allows the generalization considering the implementation in physical systems. The adaptive fault detector model is implemented on a Jetson Nano system, which is a single-board computer (SBC) with a small Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) intended to run machine learning loads at the edge. The proposed method is tested in a physical, real-life, low-voltage network located at Universidad del Norte, Colombia. This testing network is based on the IEEE-13 Node Test Feeder scaled down to 220 V. The validation in a simulation environment shows the accuracy and dependability above 99.6%, while the real-time tests show the accuracy and dependability of 95.5% and 100%, respectively. Without hard-to-derive parameters, the easy-to-implement embedded model highlights the potential for real-life applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Nature of Jets in Double-peaked Emission-line AGN in the KISSR Sample

Double-peaked emission-line AGN (DPAGN) have been regarded as binary black hole candidates. We present here results from parsec-scale radio observations with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) of five DPAGN belonging to the KISSR sample of emission-line galaxies. This work concludes our pilot study of nine type 2 Seyfert and LINER DPAGN from the KISSR sample. In the nine sources, dual compact cores are only detected in the “offset AGN,” KISSR 102. However, the overall incidence of jets in the eight sources that were detected with the VLBA is ≥ 60%. We find a difference in the “missing flux density” going from the Very Large Array to VLBA scales between Seyferts and LINERs, with LINERs showing less missing flux density on parsec-scales. Using the emission-line modeling code, MAPPINGS III, we find that the emission lines are likely to be influenced by jets in 5/9 sources. Furthermore, jet-medium interaction is the likely cause of the emission-line splitting observed in the SDSS spectra of these sources. Jets in radio-quiet AGN are therefore energetically capable of influencing their parsec- and kpcscale environments, which makes them agents of “radio AGN feedback” (similar to radio-loud AGN).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Compact Structures of Massive z ~ 0.7 Post-starburst Galaxies in the ${\bf{SQuIGG}}\vec{{\boldsymbol{L}}}{\bf{E}}$ Sample

We present structural measurements of 145 spectroscopically selected intermediate-redshift (z ~ 0.7), massive (M $\star$ ~ 10 11 M ⊙ ) post-starburst galaxies from the ${\bf{SQuIGG}}\vec{{\boldsymbol{L}}}{\bf{E}}$ sample measured using wide-depth Hyper Suprime-Cam i-band imaging. This deep imaging allows us to probe the sizes and structures of these galaxies, which we compare to a control sample of star-forming and quiescent galaxies drawn from the LEGA-C Survey. We find that post-starburst galaxies systematically lie ~0.1 dex below the quiescent mass–size (half-light radius) relation, with a scatter of ~0.2 dex. This finding is bolstered by nonparametric measures, such as the Gini coefficient and the concentration, which also reveal these galaxies to have more compact light profiles than both quiescent and star-forming populations at similar mass and redshift. The sizes of post-starburst galaxies show either negative or no correlation with the time since quenching, such that more recently quenched galaxies are larger or similarly sized. This empirical finding disfavors the formation of post-starburst galaxies via a purely central burst of star formation that simultaneously shrinks the galaxy and shuts off star formation. We show that the central densities of post-starburst and quiescent galaxies at this epoch are very similar, in contrast with their effective radii. The structural properties of z ~ 0.7 post-starburst galaxies match those of quiescent galaxies that formed in the early universe, suggesting that rapid quenching in the present epoch is driven by a similar mechanism to the one at high redshift.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Exploration of Local VolumE Satellites (ELVES) Survey: A Nearly Volume-limited Sample of Nearby Dwarf Satellite Systems

We present the final sample of the Exploration of Local VolumE Satellites (ELVES) survey, a survey of the dwarf satellites of a nearly volume-limited sample of Milky Way (MW)-like hosts in the Local Volume. Hosts are selected simply via a cut in luminosity (${M}_{{K}_{s}}\lt -22.1$ mag) and distance (D < 12 Mpc). We cataloged the satellites of 25 of the 31 such hosts, with another five taken from the literature. All hosts are surveyed out to at least 150 projected kpc ( ~ R vir /2), with the majority surveyed to 300 kpc ( ~ R vir ). Satellites are detected using a consistent semiautomated algorithm specialized for low surface brightness dwarfs. As shown through extensive tests with injected galaxies, the catalogs are complete to M V ~ -9 mag and μ 0,V ~ 26.5 mag arcsec -2 . Candidates are confirmed to be real satellites through distance measurements including redshift, tip of the red giant branch, and surface brightness fluctuations. Across all 30 surveyed hosts, there are 338 confirmed satellites with M V < -9 mag, with a further 106 candidates awaiting distance measurement. For the vast majority of these, we provide consistent multiband Sérsic photometry. We show that satellite abundance correlates with host mass, with the MW being quite typical among comparable systems, and that satellite quenched fraction rises steeply with decreasing satellite mass, mirroring the quenched fraction for the MW and M31. The ELVES survey represents a massive increase in the statistics of surveyed systems with known completeness, and the provided catalogs are a unique data set to explore various aspects of small-scale structure and dwarf galaxy evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Strategies for Determining the Cascade Rate in MHD Turbulence: Isotropy, Anisotropy, and Spacecraft Sampling

Exact laws for evaluating cascade rates, tracing back to the Kolmogorov "4/5" law, have been extended to many systems of interest including magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), and compressible flows of the magnetofluid and ordinary fluid types. It is understood that implementations may be limited by the quantity of available data and by the lack of turbulence symmetry. Assessment of the accuracy and feasibility of such third-order (or Yaglom) relations is most effectively accomplished by examining the von Kármán–Howarth equation in increment form, a framework from which the third-order laws are derived as asymptotic approximations. Using this approach, we examine the context of third-order laws for incompressible MHD in some detail. The simplest versions rely on the assumption of isotropy and the presence of a well-defined inertial range, while related procedures generalize the same idea to arbitrary rotational symmetries. Conditions for obtaining correct and accurate values of the dissipation rate from these laws based on several sampling and fitting strategies are investigated using results from simulations. The questions we address are of particular relevance to sampling of solar wind turbulence by one or more spacecraft.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Constraints on Cosmological Parameters with a Sample of Type Ia Supernovae from JWST

We investigate the potential of using a sample of very high-redshift (2 ≲ z ≲ 6) (VHZ) Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) attainable by JWST on constraining cosmological parameters. At such high redshifts, the age of the universe is young enough that the VHZ SN Ia sample comprises the very first SNe Ia of the universe, with progenitors among the very first generation of low-mass stars that the universe has made. We show that the VHZ SNe Ia can be used to disentangle systematic effects due to the luminosity distance evolution with redshifts intrinsic to SN Ia standardization. Assuming that the systematic evolution can be described by a linear or logarithmic formula, we found that the coefficients of this dependence can be determined accurately and decoupled from cosmological models. Systematic evolution as large as 0.15 mag and 0.45 mag out to z = 5 can be robustly separated from popular cosmological models for linear and logarithmic evolution, respectively. The VHZ SNe Ia will lay the foundation for quantifying the systematic redshift evolution of SN Ia luminosity distance scales. When combined with SN Ia surveys at comparatively lower redshifts, the VHZ SNe Ia allow for the precise measurement of the history of the expansion of the universe from z ~ 0 to the epoch approaching reionization.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

COOL-LAMPS. IV. A Sample of Bright Strongly Lensed Galaxies at 3 < z < 4

We report the discovery of five bright, strong gravitationally lensed galaxies at 3 < z < 4: COOL J0101+2055 (z = 3.459), COOL J0104–0757 (z = 3.480), COOL J0145+1018 (z = 3.310), COOL J0516–2208 (z = 3.549), and COOL J1356+0339 (z = 3.753). These galaxies have magnitudes of r AB , z AB < 21.81 mag and are lensed by galaxy clusters at 0.26 < z < 1. This sample nearly doubles the number of known bright lensed galaxies with extended arcs at 3 < z < 4. We characterize the lensed galaxies using ground-based grz/giy imaging and optical spectroscopy. We report model-based magnitudes and derive stellar masses, dust content, and star formation rates via stellar population synthesis modeling. Building lens models based on ground-based imaging, we estimate source magnifications ranging from ~29 to ~180. Combining these analyses, we derive demagnified stellar masses in the range log 10 (M * /M ⊙ ) ~ 9.69 – 10.75 and star formation rates in the youngest age bin in the range log 10 (SFR/(M ⊙ yr -1 )) ~ 0.39 – 1.46, placing the sample galaxies on the massive end of the star-forming main sequence in this redshift interval. In addition, three of the five galaxies have strong Lyα emissions, offering unique opportunities to study Lyα emitters at high redshift in future work.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Target Selection and Sample Characterization for the DESI LOW-Z Secondary Target Program

Abstract We introduce the DESI LOW- Z Secondary Target Survey, which combines the wide-area capabilities of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) with an efficient, low-redshift target selection method. Our selection consists of a set of color and surface brightness cuts, combined with modern machine-learning methods, to target low-redshift dwarf galaxies ( z < 0.03) between 19 < r < 21 with high completeness. We employ a convolutional neural network (CNN) to select high-priority targets. The LOW- Z survey has already obtained over 22,000 redshifts of dwarf galaxies ( M * < 10 9 M ⊙ ), comparable to the number of dwarf galaxies discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR8 and GAMA. As a spare fiber survey, LOW- Z currently receives fiber allocation for just ∼50% of its targets. However, we estimate that our selection is highly complete: for galaxies at z < 0.03 within our magnitude limits, we achieve better than 95% completeness with ∼1% efficiency using catalog-level photometric cuts. We also demonstrate that our CNN selections z < 0.03 galaxies from the photometric cuts subsample at least 10 times more efficiently while maintaining high completeness. The full 5 yr DESI program will expand the LOW- Z sample, densely mapping the low-redshift Universe, providing an unprecedented sample of dwarf galaxies, and providing critical information about how to pursue effective and efficient low-redshift surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗