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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Energy Justice Framework for Marine Energy: Considerations from PacWave

To accelerate the energy transition while addressing land use conflicts and community opposition, federal policies and incentives require that new energy infrastructure provide direct benefits to communities, and ensure that these benefits remain in the community. The objective of this study is to develop a framework for collecting demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental data and supporting communities in understanding how such data can support more just and equitable outcomes. Specifically, this study addresses two research questions: (1) How can energy justice be incorporated into ME project life cycle, and (2) what social and economic data are needed to assess how marine energy development supports energy justice? Based on our literature review and the data collection template, a case study of PacWave, a wave energy testing facility located on the central Oregon Coast, is employed to draw more specific implications for how energy justice can be integrated into marine energy. PacWave represents a flagship investment by Oregon State University, the State of Oregon, and the Department of Energy. The facility is situated in Lincoln County, which is home to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and family-scale fishing enterprises. PacWave has strong community support as a testing site and holds potential to provide valuable lessons for other communities.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2023

FY23 Status Report of the Activated Materials Laboratory at the Advanced Photon Source

The Activated Materials Laboratory (AML) is a new radiological facility located at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) in Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), adjacent to the high-energy x-ray microscopy (HEXM) beamline in the long beamline building (LBB) constructed under the APS-upgrade (APS-U) project. The AML is a centralized facility to facilitate the safe conduct of experiments on activated materials at the APS. This report provides an overview of the status of the AML as a Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) partner user facility in preparation for the general user access in 2024 upon the commissioning of the APS-U beamlines. Specifically, details are provided regarding the laboratory's scope, functionality, components, operational blueprint, and data management approach. The plans on augmenting the instrumentation, refining operational procedures and developing a robust data management strategy for FY24 and beyond are also discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Y-12 Groundwater Protection Program Monitoring Well Inspection and Maintenance Plan

This plan describes the systematic approach for: inspecting the physical condition of monitoring wells at Y-12, determining maintenance needs that extend the life of a well, and identifying those wells that no longer meet acceptable monitoring well design or well construction standards and require plugging and abandonment. The inspection and maintenance of groundwater monitoring wells is one of the primary management strategies of the Y-12 Groundwater Protection Program (GWPP) Management Plan, that is, the “proactive stewardship of the extensive monitoring well network at Y-12" (Consolidated Nuclear Security, L.L.C. [CNS], 2018). Effective stewardship, and a program of routine inspections of the physical condition of each monitoring well, ensures that representative water-quality samples and hydrologic data are obtained from the well network and protects the subsurface environment. In accordance with the Y-12 GWPP Monitoring Optimization Plan (MOP) for Groundwater Monitoring Wells at the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (CNS, 2017), the status designation (active or inactive) for each well determines the scope and extent of well inspections and maintenance activities. This plan, in conjunction with the above document, formalizes the GWPP approach to focus available resources on monitoring wells which provide the most useful data, and for that reason the GWPP inspects and performs maintenance on the wells sampled by the GWPP. This plan applies to groundwater monitoring wells installed at Y-12 and the related waste management facilities located within the three hydrogeologic regimes: (1) the Bear Creek Hydrogeologic Regime (Bear Creek Regime), (2) the Upper East Fork Poplar Creek Hydrogeologic Regime (East Fork Regime), and (3) the Chestnut Ridge Hydrogeologic Regime (Chestnut Ridge Regime). The Bear Creek Regime encompasses the section of Bear Creek Valley (BCV) immediately west of Y-12. The East Fork Regime encompasses most of the Y-12 process, operations, and support facilities in BCV west of Scarboro Road. The Chestnut Ridge Regime is directly south of Y-12 and encompasses a section of Chestnut Ridge that is bounded to the west by a surface drainage feature (Dunaway Branch, located immediately west of Industrial Landfill II) and by Scarboro Road to the east. The GWPP maintains an extensive database of geographic and construction details and related information for the monitoring wells in each hydrogeologic regime in the Updated Subsurface Database for Bear Creek Valley, Chestnut Ridge, and Parts of Bethel Valley on the U.S. DOE Oak Ridge Reservation (CNS, 2019). A detailed description of the hydrogeologic framework at Y-12 can be found in the GWPP Management Plan (CNS, 2018).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

A holistic approach to the optimization of neutron beam transport at the LANSCE facility

An advanced neutron beam collimation system has been developed as part of an effort to optimize neutron beam transport at the Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) Facility, located within the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). The goal of this work was to develop and demonstrate techniques to tailor neutron delivery in order to provide maximum available flux on sample with a specific beam profile, while simultaneously reducing unwanted background. A holistic approach was taken, upgrading the facility spallation target, facility metrology infrastructure, and flight path shutter insert to support the implementation of this advanced collimation system. Here, modern instruments and software were employed to conduct facility surveys, characterization of as-built geometry of critical components, 3D ray tracing and neutron transport calculations. Beam images and flux measurements were acquired after installation to evaluate the performance of the collimation system and to demonstrate consistent agreement with MCNP simulations which showed an 87% increase of flux on sample while providing suppression of background neutron impingement on the sample frame by 10 3 .

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1992

Using high-performance networks to enable computational aerosciences applications

One component of the U.S. Federal High Performance Computing and Communications Program (HPCCP) is the establishment of a gigabit network to provide a communications infrastructure for researchers across the nation. This gigabit network will provide new services and capabilities, in addition to increased bandwidth, to enable future applications. An understanding of these applications is necessary to guide the development of the gigabit network and other high-performance networks of the future. In this paper we focus on computational aerosciences applications run remotely using the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation (NAS) facility located at NASA Ames Research Center. We characterize these applications in terms of network-related parameters and relate user experiences that reveal limitations imposed by the current wide-area networking infrastructure. Then we investigate how the development of a nationwide gigabit network would enable users of the NAS facility to work in new, more productive ways.

Johnson, Marjory J.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Electric Propulsion Platforms at DFRC

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center is a world-class flight research facility located at Edwards AFB, CA. With access to a 44 sq. mile dry lakebed and 350 testable days per year, it is the ideal location for flight research. DFRC has been undertaking aircraft research for approximately six decades including the famous X-aircraft (X-1 through X-48) and many science and exploration platforms. As part of this impressive heritage, DFRC has garnered more hours of full-sized electric aircraft testing than any other facility in the US, and possibly the world. Throughout the 80 s and 90 s Dryden was the home of the Pathfinder, Pathfinder Plus, and Helios prototype solar-electric aircraft. As part of the ERAST program, these electric aircraft achieved a world record 97,000 feet altitude for propeller-driven aircraft. As a result of these programs, Dryden s staff has collected thousands of man-hours of electric aircraft research and testing. In order to better answer the needs of the US in providing aircraft technologies with lower fuel consumption, lower toxic emissions (NOx, CO, VOCs, etc.), lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and lower noise emissions, NASA has engaged in cross-discipline research under the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). As a part of this overall effort, Mark Moore of LaRC has initiated a cross-NASA-center electric propulsion working group (EPWG) to focus on electric propulsion technologies as applied to aircraft. Electric propulsion technologies are ideally suited to overcome all of the obstacles mentioned above, and are at a sufficiently advanced state of development component-wise to warrant serious R&D and testing (TRL 3+). The EPWG includes participation from NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), Glenn Research Center (GRC), Ames Research Center (ARC), and Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC). Each of the center participants provides their own unique expertise to support the overall goal of advancing the state-of-the-art in aircraft electric propulsion technologies. DFRC will leverage its vast experience in flight test to assist in the integration and flight test phases of any electric propulsion program. DFRC s core competencies, that have particular relevance to the goals of the EPWG, include flight research planning and execution and providing aircraft test beds for researching and testing electric propulsion concepts and equipment. There are three flight regimes that the EPWG is focusing on: subsonic small GA and UAV, subsonic transport class, and supersonic. DFRC proposes two classes of test bed aircraft, to answer the early- and mid-phase testing requirements of all flight regimes the EPWG is concerned with. First, a highly efficient PIK motor glider will be used to test concepts and equipment associated with the subsonic GA and UAV aircraft regime (N+1). Second, a small fleet of subscale remotely-piloted aircraft test beds, similar to the X48B Blended Wing Body aircraft tested at Dryden, will be developed to answer the unique testing requirements of the subsonic GA and UAV, subsonic transport and possibly the supersonic class of aircraft (N+2, N+3). These aircraft can be tested in either serial stages or concurrent stages, depending on the actual test requirements and program schedules. Both classes of test bed aircraft are described below.

Baraaclough, Jonathan↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Revamping of an Ignition Test Facility

The revamping of an Ignition Test Facility, located in the Research Combustion Laboratory at the NASA Glenn Research Center, is presented. The history of how the test cell has adapted efficiently to a variety of test programs is discussed. The addition of a second test stand for ignition and small-scale rocket testing is detailed. An overview of the facility and the current test programs is offered. Planned upgrades for the future are outlined.

Kearns, Kimberly A.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Field-Scale Lysimeter Studies of Glass and Cementitious Waste Forms at the Hanford Site - 20392

The Hanford site Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) will receive waste forms from vitrification activities at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). The waste form inventory to be disposed of at the IDF will consist of vitrified low-activity waste (LAW) in glass forms and solidified (or encapsulated) secondary wastes in cementitious forms. The IDF is a near-surface burial facility located near Hanford's Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant in the 200 East Area of the site's Central Plateau. An extensive set of laboratory experimental data has been collected to support IDF performance assessment calculations of the eventual degradation of waste forms and mobility of contaminants. This paper describes the start of a field experiment to generate waste-form performance data on a larger scale (tens of centimeters), over a longer duration (five years or more), and under field conditions representative of the IDF. Results from this study are expected to improve model descriptions of contaminant mobility, reduce uncertainties about the representativeness of laboratory results in the IDF performance assessment, improve stakeholder confidence in the safe disposal of treated waste at the IDF, and facilitate the adoption of informed facility designs with the potential to reduce operational costs. A lysimeter test facility near Hanford's 200 West Area has been repurposed to carry out long-term assessments of waste forms buried in sediments excavated from the IDF. The waste forms are buried in large drainage lysimeters, open caissons that are two meters in diameter and three meters deep. Waste forms are buried in up to six locations in each lysimeter. Samplers collect pore water and drainage water beneath the waste forms and air from the pore space adjacent to waste forms. Sensors measure temperature, soil water content, soil water tension, and drainage flux. One lysimeter containing cementitious waste forms and one containing glass waste forms have been completed, along with a control lysimeter (without waste forms). The cementitious waste forms are Cast Stone grout formulations using a liquid secondary waste simulant and a generic Hanford high-salt simulant, as well as a hydrated lime-based grout formulation using a liquid secondary waste simulant. Technetium-99 and iodine-127 were added as tracers to monitor contaminant mobility. Glass waste forms were fabricated in two formulations (LAWA44 and ORLEC28), with rhenium and molybdenum tracers to monitor waste form degradation. The predicted performance of the waste forms in the lysimeters was modeled prior to installation to determine waste form size, tracer concentration/activity, and locations of sensors and samplers. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1994

Implementation of a low-cost, commercial orbit determination system

This paper describes the implementation and potential applications of a workstation-based orbit determination system developed by Storm Integration, Inc. called the Precision Orbit Determination System (PODS). PODS is offered as a layered product to the commercially-available Satellite Tool Kit (STK) produced by Analytical Graphics, Inc. PODS also incorporates the Workstation/Precision Orbit Determination (WS/POD) product offered by Van Martin System, Inc. The STK graphical user interface is used to access and invoke the PODS capabilities and to display the results. WS/POD is used to compute a best-fit solution to user-supplied tracking data. PODS provides the capability to simultaneously estimate the orbits of up to 99 satellites based on a wide variety of observation types including angles, range, range rate, and Global Positioning System (GPS) data. PODS can also estimate ground facility locations, Earth geopotential model coefficients, solar pressure and atmospheric drag parameters, and observation data biases. All determined data is automatically incorporated into the STK data base, which allows storage, manipulation and export of the data to other applications. PODS is offered in three levels: Standard, Basic GPS and Extended GPS. Standard allows processing of non-GPS observation types for any number of vehicles and facilities. Basic GPS adds processing of GPS pseudo-ranging data to the Standard capabilities. Extended GPS adds the ability to process GPS carrier phase data.

Corrigan, Jim↗
DOE OSTI2026

Technology Impact and Resource Assessment of Existing and Planned U.S. Biofuel Production: Life Cycle Water Consumption, Water Stress, Land Use, and Criteria Air Pollutants

Biofuels have the potential to strengthen the U.S. energy supply, enhance energy security, and promote economic development. As the United States continues to expand biofuel production, quantifying resource requirements and location-specific constraints is crucial for planning, siting, and technology development to support long-term viability. Accordingly, this work assesses the life cycle resource consumption (water consumption, and land use), water stress and criteria air pollutants associated with expanded U.S. biofuel production over the 2020–2035 period, based on producers’ plans. We perform a bottom-up technology impact assessment and resource assessment by integrating facility-level production statistics with Argonne’s Research and Development (R&D) GREET model and county-level water-stress characterization factors from Available Water Remaining for the United States (AWARE-US) model. Results suggest that by 2035, biofuels could meaningfully contribute to U.S. energy demand, driven primarily by first-generation and waste-based feedstocks with plans for substantial capacity expansion, although cellulosic and e-fuel technologies remain limited. However, growth must be managed to minimize impacts on water resources and land use. These impacts vary by fuel type and facility location, specifically, projected expansion increases water consumption and can elevate water-stress impacts in certain regions like Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Idaho, California and North Texas. Direct land use also increases overall, particularly for first-generation feedstocks such as corn and soybeans. These findings underscore the need for continued technological improvements and innovative strategies to manage resource demands as the industry scales and to support complementary deployment within the evolving U.S. energy system.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1990

Liquid hydrogen turbopump ALS advanced development program. Volume 1: Hot fire unit

The interface criteria for the Turbopump Test article (TPA) and the Component Test Facility located at NASA, Stennis Space Center is defined by this interface Control Document (ICD). TPA ICD Volume 2 is submitted for the Cold Gas Drive Turbopump Test Article, which is generally similar but incorporates certain changes, particularly in fluid requirements and in instrumentation needs. For the purposes of this ICD, the test article consists of the Hot Fire Drive Turbopump mounted on its test cart, readied for installation in the component test facility. It should be emphasized that the LH2 turbopump program is still in its early concept design phase. Design of the turbopump, test cart, and spools are subject to revisions until successful conclusion of the Detail Design Review (DDR).

Lindley, Bruce↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Characterization of the Terrestrial Environment of Kodiak Island, Alaska for the Design, Development and Operation of Launch Vehicles

A quantitative characterization of the terrestrial environment is an important component in the success of a launch vehicle program. Environmental factors such as winds, atmospheric thermodynamics, precipitation, fog, and cloud characteristics are among many parameters that must be accurately defined for flight success. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently coordinating weather support and performing analysis for the launch of a NASA payload from a new facility located at Kodiak Island, Alaska in late 2001 (NASA, 1999). Following the first launch from the Kodiak Launch Complex, an Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile on November 5, 1999, the site's developer, the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation (AADC), is hoping to acquire a sizable share of the many launches that will occur over the next decade. One such customer is NASA, which is planning to launch the Vegetation Canopy Lidar satellite aboard an Athena I rocket, the first planned mission to low earth orbit from the new facility. To support this launch, a statistical model of the atmospheric and surface environment for Kodiak Island, AK has been produced from rawinsonde and surface-based meteorological observations for use as an input to future launch vehicle design and/or operations. In this study, the creation of a "reference atmosphere" from rawinsonde observations is described along with comparisons between the reference atmosphere and existing model representations for Kodiak. Meteorological conditions that might result in a delay on launch day (cloud cover, visibility, precipitation, etc.) are also explored and described through probabilities of launch by month and hour of day. This atmospheric "mission analysis" is also useful during the early stages of a vehicle program, when consideration of the climatic characteristics of a location can be factored into vehicle designs. To be most beneficial, terrestrial environment definitions should a) be available at the inception of the program and based on the desired operational performance of the launch vehicle, b) be issued under the signature of the program manager and be part of the controlled program definition and requirements documentation, and c) specify the terrestrial environment for all phases of activity including prelaunch, launch, ascent, on-orbit, decent, and landing. Since the beginning of the space era, NASA has utilized some of the most detailed assessments of the terrestrial climatic environment in design, development, and operations of both expendable and reusable launch vehicles.

Rawlins, Michael A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

A RELAP5-3D Model of the Lobo Lead Loop

The goal of our research is to build upon the capability of RELAP5-3D to model molten lead systems. Molten lead has several potential uses in future advanced reactors like the lead fast reactor or fusion reactors that utilize dual-coolant lead lithium blankets. This potential for use in future generations of reactors highlights the necessity to develop molten lead models to ensure that they can accurately predict the thermohydraulic behavior. We have developed a RELAP5-3D model of the Lobo Lead Loop facility, located at the University of New Mexico, to verify the accuracy of RELAP5-3D via comparison to existing computational fluid dynamics results and analytical calculations. It was found that RELAP5-3D accurately calculated radiative heat transfer (within < 1%) when compared to theoretical calculations. In addition, pressure drop calculations done in RELAP5-3D demonstrated reasonable agreement within 20 kPa, mostly within ~7-15%, when compared to the computational fluid dynamics model of the facility developed by the University of New Mexico, and captured the dependence of pressure drop on flow velocity accurately. Finally, a hypothetical loss of flow transient was imposed on the RELAP5-3D model to determine the feasibility of performing a similar experiment with the Lobo Lead Loop. It was found that such an experiment could be possible as the RELAP5-3D model indicated that the temperatures of the fluid would not exceed limiting temperatures of the structure (1658 K) nor the maximum temperature of the electromagnetic pump inlet (823 K). Although there is not experimental data to begin validation, the model will be readily available for future validation studies when the experimental data is generated, especially as the model continues to evolve over time. Furthermore, the results so far demonstrate a promising first step in the verification/validation of the RELAP5-3D model of the Lobo Lead Loop.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS2017

Space Launch System, Core Stage, Structural Test Design and Implementation

As part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Space Launch System (SLS) Program, engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama are working to design, develop and implement the SLS Core Stage structural testing. The SLS will have the capability to return humans to the Moon and beyond and its first launch is scheduled for December of 2017. The SLS Core Stage consist of five major elements; Forward Skirt, Liquid Oxygen (LOX) tank, Intertank (IT), Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) tank and the Engine Section (ES). Structural Test Articles (STA) for each of these elements are being designed and produced by Boeing at Michoud Assembly Facility located in New Orleans, La. The structural test for the Core Stage STAs (LH2, LOX, IT and ES) are to be conducted by the MSFC Test Laboratory. Additionally, the MSFC Test Laboratory manages the Structural Test Equipment (STE) design and development to support the STAs. It was decided early (April 2012) in the project life that the LH2 and LOX tank STAs would require new test stands and the Engine Section and Intertank would be tested in existing facilities. This decision impacted schedules immediately because the new facilities would require Construction of Facilities (C of F) funds that require congressional approval and long lead times. The Engine Section and Intertank structural test are to be conducted in existing facilities which will limit lead times required to support the first launch of SLS. With a SLS launch date of December, 2017 Boeing had a need date for testing to be complete by September of 2017 to support flight certification requirements. The test facilities were required to be ready by October of 2016 to support test article delivery. The race was on to get the stands ready before Test Article delivery and meet the test complete date of September 2017. This paper documents the past and current design and development phases and the supporting processes, tools, and methodology for supporting the SLS Core Stage STA test stands and related STE. The paper will address key requirements, system development activities and project challenges. Additionally, the interrelationships as well as interdependencies within the SLS project will be discussed.

Shaughnessy, Ray↗
DOE OSTI2025

Current Progress on the High-Field Cable Testing Facility at Fermilab

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) is constructing a new High Field Vertical Magnet Test Facility (HFVMTF) with capabilities comparable to the European facilities EDIPO and FRESCA2. The facility, located at Fermilab, will feature a background magnetic field of 15 T, generated by a magnet provided by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The HFVMTF will support two U.S. national programs under the DOE Office of Science: the U.S. Fusion Energy Science (FES) program and the Magnet Development Program (MDP). It will enable the testing of HTS samples in high magnetic fields across a wide range of temperatures and facilitate the development of hybrid magnets combining LTS and HTS superconductors. This paper presents an overview of the current progress in constructing the facility, including updates on the test cryostat, power supplies, and systems for quench protection and monitoring.

Velev, G. [Fermilab]↗
NASA NTRS2001

An Overview of In-Stu Treatability Studies at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is located in Huntsville, Alabama (north-central Alabama), on approximately 1,840 acres near the center of the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal (RSA). MSFC is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) principal propulsion development center. Its scientists, engineers, and support personnel play a major role in the National Space Transportation System by managing space shuttle mission activities, including the microgravity laboratory. In addition, MSFC will be a significant contributor to several of NASA's future programs, including the Reusable Launch Vehicle (X-33), International Space Station, and Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, as well as research on a variety of space science applications. MSFC has been used to develop, test and manufacture space vehicles and components since 1960, when civilian rocketry and missile activities were transferred from RSA to MSFC. In 1994, MSFC was placed on the National Priority List for the management of hazardous waste sites, under the requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). One requirement of the CERCLA program is to evaluate the nature and extent of environmental contamination resulting from identified CERCLA sites, assess the public health and environmental risks associated with the identified contamination, and identify potential remedial actions. A CERCLA remedial investigation (RI) for the groundwater system has identified at least five major plumes of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) in the groundwater beneath the facility. These plumes are believed to be the result of former management practices at 14 main facility locations (termed "source areas") where CVOCs were released to the subsurface. Trichloroethene (TCE) is the predominant CVOC and is common to all the plumes. Perchloroethene (PCE) also exists in two of the plumes. In addition to TCE and PCE, carbon tetrachloride and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane are contained in one of the plumes. The CVOCs are believed to exist as dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) beneath many of the source areas.

McElroy, Bill↗
NASA NTRS2021

Yonkers Urban Development: Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Identify Environmental and Social Drivers of Urban Heat Vulnerability and Model Urban Cooling Interventions in Yonkers, New York

The City of Yonkers, New York, is located directly north of the Bronx in Westchester County and currently hosts a population of nearly 200,000. In response to increasing hot-weather episodes, the risk of heat-related illnesses and mortality is disproportionately affecting neighborhoods in Yonkers historically subjected to race-based housing segregation. NASA DEVELOP collaborated with Groundwork Hudson Valley to determine regions within Yonkers that are experiencing the most intense urban heat island effects, identify and rank sociodemographic and environmental determinants of increasing community-level vulnerability, map these vulnerabilities as a combined vulnerability index, complete a proximity analysis of walkability to local cooling centers and health facility locations, and model potential cooling strategies. The study area consisted of Yonkers, NY and the analyses used data from 2015-2020 (June through August). The project utilized NASA Earth observation products including Landsat 4 and 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS), Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), and ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS). We assessed the benefits of different heat-mitigation scenarios by utilizing the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) urban cooling model. Results from these analyses can be used by Groundwork Hudson Valley, supporting the New York State’s Climate Safe Communities Certifiable Planning Actions, expanding knowledge on the relationship between historic redlining and environmental equity, and informing their Climate Safe Neighborhoods initiative to identify and prioritize mitigation efforts to abate the worst impacts of extreme heat.

Jillian Walechka↗
DOE OSTI2020

MH-1A Sturgis Decommissioning and Dismantlement - 20281

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) with its prime contractor, Aptim Federal Services, LLC (APTIM), recycled 5,260 metric tons (11.6 million pounds) of material from Sturgis Barge (Sturgis) during the Decommissioning and Dismantlement of the MH-1A nuclear power reactor. The overall objective of the project was to reduce residual radioactivity associated with MH-1A to levels that permitted release of Sturgis for dismantlement and termination of the Army Reactor Office permit. By effectively applying waste hierarchy's three Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle - the Sturgis project not only minimized the amount of waste that required disposal at landfills, but also reduced the potential for long-term environmental liability emanating from these landfills. The project team completed the physical decommissioning efforts in June 2018 in Galveston, TX. In September 2018, radiological surveys were completed to demonstrate the vessel could be released for shipbreaking. Sturgis was towed from Galveston, TX to Brownsville, TX in late September 2018. Shipbreaking, dismantlement and recycling efforts began in early October 2018 and were completed on 15 March 2019. As part of the decommissioning effort in Galveston, the team shipped 69 shipments (860 metric tons) of low-level radioactive waste and radioactive components to the Waste Control Specialist (WCS) facility in Andrews TX for disposal. Certain radioactive components had to be transferred to the Department of Energy prior to placing the materials into the Federal Waste Facility located within WCS. However, most of the radioactive waste was characterized, profiled, approved and managed under the WCS permitted radioactive waste exemption process authorized and implemented by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Radioactive Materials Division. This allows LLRW and LLMW to be shipped as regulated waste and then upon receipt at WCS through satisfying the relevant waste acceptance criteria the waste is exempted and placed into the WCS RCRA permitted cell. An additional 35 shipments (544 metric ton) of contaminated hazardous waste water were transported to U.S. Ecology in Robstown, TX for treatment/disposal. An additional 36 shipments (500 metric tons) of non-hazardous wastewater was sent to Republic Waste Services' facility in Fresno, TX. The disposal of these materials required close coordination with State of Texas regulators. During decommissioning, the project team recycled approximately 270 metric tons (600,000 pounds) of lead and steel. As part of the dismantlement in Brownsville, TX the team recycled approximately 5,000 metric tons (11 million pounds) of ferrous and non-ferrous material, limiting our disposal requirements to about 180 metric tons (400,000 pounds) of material (<4% from entire shipbreaking activity). Although the primary hazard being mitigated by this project was radiological, recycling was always a priority for the project. The team strived to achieve sustainability goals as we implemented this one of a kind project. Scrap metal recycling has a large positive impact on the environment and can also favorably impact project disposal costs. Steel is among the most recycled material in the world. Nearly 40% of the world's steel production is made from scrap. Recycling steel also requires 75% less energy than producing it from raw materials. By using recycled steel rather than virgin materials, 2.33 kg of carbon emissions are eliminated per kg of steel [1]. The project recycled more than 4,500 metric tons (10 million pounds) of steel, which eliminated about 10,400 metric tons (23 million pounds) of CO{sub 2}. By implementing a recycling initiative for the Sturgis project, the team was able to realize cost avoidance for disposal of scrap, cost savings from the metals recycled, plus the project provided benefits to the environment through our recycling efforts. Once the dismantlement was complete, the team prepared a detailed decommissioning closure report, which allowed for the termination of the Army Reactor Decommissioning Permit. While it not only reduced any potential long-term environmental liability, this project to decommission and dismantle a floating nuclear power plant is truly unprecedented - it is a prime example of the USACE mission which is: 'Engineering solutions for the Nation's toughest challenges'. This unique, one of a kind, historical power plant was never designed to be taken apart, and the available information about its construction was lacking in many details. The hazards that required mitigation dictated a painstaking and deliberate process in order to avoid any release to the environment and the community, and to protect the health and safety of the workers involved while keeping the waste hierarchy's three R's - reduce, reuse and recycle at the forefront. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗