LANL Hydrogen Processing Laboratory (HPL), Data acquisition and control system upgrade
This report describes upgrades made to the data acquisition and control system of the LANL hydrogen processing laboratory.
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A Policymaker's Guide to Scaling Home Energy Upgrades
There has never been a better time to launch initiatives to promote residential energy efficiency savings. Over the past several decades, residential retrofit programs have demonstrated that energy efficiency measures contribute to achieving multiple benefits, including but not limited to reductions in home energy consumption, stabilization improvements for the grid by shaving peak loads, saving consumers millions on utility bills, and significantly reducing carbon emissions. Although a number of barriers to widespread uptake of home energy upgrades persist, the lessons learned as a result of the 2009 stimulus funding1 have resulted in a set of policy approaches that create new strategies for taking residential energy efficiency to scale.2 The identification of these approaches is well timed; energy efficiency is often the least expensive and most cost effective way to comply with a variety of federal, state and local policies. This Guide is designed to help state and local policymakers to take full advantage of new policy developments by providing them with a comprehensive set of tools to support launching or accelerating residential energy efficiency programs. It is written primarily for state and local policymakers, including state and local executives, legislators, public utility commissioners, and the staff who advise them.
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Pt-based Bi-metallic Monolith Catalysts for Partial Upgrading of Microalgae Oil
Valicor’s proprietary wet extraction process in conjunction with thermochemical pre-treatment was performed on algal biomass from two different algae strains, Nannochloropsis Salina (N.S.) and Chlorella to produce algae oils. Polar lipids such as phospholipids were hydrolyzed, and metals and metalloids, known catalyst poisons, were separated into the aqueous phase, creating an attractive “pre-refined” oil for hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) upgrading by Stevens. Oil content and oil extraction efficiency of approximately 30 and 90% respectively were achieved. At Stevens, we formulated a Pt-based bi-metallic catalyst which was demonstrated to be effective in the hydro-treating of the algae oils to produce ‘green’ diesel. The bi-metallic catalyst was wash-coated on a monolith, and in conjunction with a high throughput high pressure (pilot plant) reactor system, was used in hydrotreating algae oils from N.S. and Chlorella. Mixtures of these algae oils and refinery light atmospheric gas oil (LAGO) supplied by our petroleum refiner partner, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, were co-processed in the pilot plant reactor system using the Pt-based bi-metallic monolith catalyst. A 26 wt% N.S. algae oil/74 wt % LAGO mixture hydrotreated in the reactor system was subjected to the ASTM D975 Diesel Fuel Specification Test and it met all the important requirements, including a cetane index of 50.5. An elemental oxygen analysis performed by an independent and reputable lab reported an oxygen content of trace to none found. The successful co-processing of a mixture of algae oil and LAGO will enable integration of algae oil as a refinery feedstock which is one of the goals of DOE-BETO. We have presented experimental data that show that our precious metal-based catalysts consume less hydrogen than the conventional hydrotreating catalyst NiMo Precious metal catalysts favor the hydrodecarbonylation/hydrodecarboxylation route of HDO over the dehydration route preferred by base metal catalysts, and consumes less hydrogen, if methanation can be mitigated. Our methanation data on Pt and Rh indicate effective suppression of methanation. Our data also show that our catalysts are less susceptible to coking; and unlike NiMo and CoMo, precious metal catalysts are not deactivated by water, a by-product of HDO of algae oil. Finally, our catalysts do not need to be sulfided to be active. A rigorous techno-economic analysis of our process for commercial scale production of 10,000 barrels per day of hydrotreated algae oil, with nutraceuticals co-product claiming only 0.05% of the raw algae oil, indicates an estimated plant gate price of ~$10/gal. Sensitivity analysis shows that critical parameters affecting sale price include (1) algae doubling time (2) biomass oil content (3) CAPEX, and (4) moisture content of post extracted algae residue. Modest improvements in these areas will result in enhanced and competitive economics. Based on a life cycle assessment for greenhouse gas emission, we found that if algae oil replaced 10% of the US consumption, this would result in a CO2e reduction of 210,000 tons per day. Improving the drying process for animal feed by 50% would result in further significant reduction in CO2e.
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Upgrades and Enclosure of Building 15 at Technical Area 40: Los Alamos National Laboratory
The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos Field Office (Field Office) proposes to upgrade and enclose Building 15 at Technical Area (TA) 40, Los Alamos National Laboratory. Building TA-40-15, a Cold War-era firing site, was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (Register) in DX Division’s Facility Strategic Plan: Consolidation and Revitalization at Technical Areas 6, 8, 9, 14, 15, 22, 36, 39, 40, 60, and 69 (McGehee et al. 2005). Building TA-40-15 was constructed in 1950 to support detonator testing. The firing site will be enclosed by a steel building to create a new indoor facility that will allow for year-round mission capability. Enclosing TA-40-15 will adversely affect the building by altering the characteristics that make it eligible for the Register. In compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, the Field Office is initiating consultation for this proposed undertaking. The Field Office is also requesting concurrence with the use of standard practices to resolve adverse effects as defined in the Programmatic Agreement among the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos Field Office, the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Concerning Management of the Historic Properties at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico.
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Shakedown Tests for Refurbished and Upgraded Frames and Initiation of Alloy 709 Creep Rupture Tests
This report describes the shakedown tests conducted on the upgraded frames, and initiation of creep rupture tests on refurbished frames. SS316H, a reference material for Alloy 709, was used in shakedown tests, and the tests were conducted at 816 degree C under three stress levels to accumulate 1% creep strain. 1/4” gage diameter specimen design was used. The creep rupture tests on Alloy 709 were initiated at 600 degree C under 330 MPa to target 1,500 h rupture time. 12 specimens with 3/8” gage diameter were prepared from the materials with 6 heat treatment conditions, 2 from each. The required mechanical load under 330MPa was calculated to be 5,286 lb for the 3/8” gage diameter specimen. Among the ART frames, 7 frames are equipped with 10,000 lb load cell including #5 to 8 and #88 to 90, and can be used. 7 tests were thus started in this stage of project, and remaining 5 will be continued whenever any of the 7 tests is completed.
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DOE FES FY2017 Joint Research Target Fourth Quarter Milestone Report for theNational Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade.
A successful high-performance plasma operation with a radiative divertor has been demonstrated on many tokamak devices, however, significant uncertainty remains in accurately modeling detachment thresholds, and in how detachment depends on divertor geometry. Whereas it was originally planned to perform dedicated divertor experiments on the National Spherical Tokamak Upgrade to address critical detachment and divertor geometry questions for this milestone, the experiments were deferred due to technical difficulties. Instead, existing NSTX divertor data was summarized and re-analyzed where applicable, and additional simulations were performed.
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Advanced Photon Source Upgrade Project preliminary design report
DOE mandated Preliminary Design Report for the APS Upgrade Project.
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Coal Upgrading Technologies and the Extraction of Useful Materials from Coal Mine Products: History and Opportunities
This report will develop topics that may, resultant from successful research and development (R&D), improve the competitive position of United States coal in domestic and international markets. These topics will be exclusively focused on improvements in coal properties that can be achieved through processing of the material. As such, the discussion here will be primarily concerned with upgrading coal quality and optimizing coal properties for end use applications, as opposed to the end use technologies themselves. The objective of this report is the highlighting of the potential for R&D to produce more competitive coal products for existing markets, as well as opportunities for the production of feedstocks for other markets, including those that are emergent.
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Final Technical Report: New Physics in Higgs or Higgsinos Using Vector Boson Fusion, Missing Energy, and ATLAS Trigger System Upgrades
The grant DE-SC0018007 supported Tae Min Hong and his research group at the University of Pittsburgh over a period of nine months leading up to his inclusion in Pittsburgh’s group grant DE-SC0007914. The work was done at the ATLAS Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Hong and his group supported the operations of the trigger subsystem, the upcoming upgrade of the level-1 calorimeter trigger subsystem, and the analysis of data collected by the detector. The analysis focused on the invisible decays of the Higgs boson and the compressed scenario in supersymmetry, both in the vector boson fusion mode of the colliding protons. This is part of a broad program of whether the Higgs boson is in agreement with the Standard Model expectations and whether new spacetime symmetries such as supersymmetry exists.
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BNL Irradiation Damage Studies of the Metal Matrix Composite Mo-GR Considered for High Luminosity LHC Collimator Upgrade
A comprehensive experimental/analytical effort on the resilience of Mo-GR metal matrix composite to high energy proton beam irradiation combined with elevated temperatures has been undertaken at BNL on behalf of the CERN LHC Collimation effort as part of an effort to identify novel materials that will exhibit optimal performance in the high luminosity LHC upgrade. While the Mo-Gr composite was one of the four (4) different materials or composites (Mo, Glidcop, Cu-CD and Mo-Gr) that constituted the High Luminosity LHC collimation material campaign, this report focuses solely on Mo-GR with some reference to its constituents Mo and graphite (graphite studied in previous research or irradiation campaigns along with the carbonfiber composites). The multi-faceted study on Mo-GR (one of several different alloys and matrices) performed at BNL included the following stages: Irradiation damage phase using the 200 MeV proton beams of the BNL Linac and the BLIP target beamline. Specifically, Mo-GR samples encapsulated under vacuum in special capsules were exposed to direct protons as part of a multi-capsule, multi-material irradiation array. The long-term irradiation of ~8 weeks resulted in an accumulated fluence at the Mo-GR of ~10 21 p/cm 2 . The irradiation was conducted in two sessions (RUN 2013 and RUN 2014 of the BLIP operations in tandem with isotope production). Irradiation damage experiments using spallation neutrons at the BLIP beamline generated by 118 MeV protons that interact with and are stopped by an array of isotope producing targets. The Mo-GR capsule combined the effects of short-term proton irradiation and the effects of the mixed irradiating spectrum. Spallation-induced irradiation of Mo-GR at sub-zero temperatures utilizing the mixed field generated by spallation of 28 MeV protons of the BN Tandem on Mo targets Gamma spectrum analysis of the heavily irradiated Mo-Gr to enable the correlation of predicted isotope profile from Mo-Gr by transport codes and therefore the utilization of the validated transport code in other aspects of the damage induced on Mo-Gr by irradiation.
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Final Report for the Project Characterization and Valorization of Aqueous Phases Derived from Liquefaction and Upgrading of Bio-Oils
The Characterization and Valorization of Aqueous Phases Derived from Liquefaction and Upgrading of Bio-Oils project developed processes to extract value from the organics within aqueous streams derived from biomass direct liquefaction processes. The focus of the project was twofold. First, we characterized a diverse set of aqueous streams from numerous processes and feedstocks. The characterization effort served to inform this project toward development around the most prevalent compounds to maximize versatility and impact. We analyzed diverse streams from hydrothermal liquefaction of lignocellulosic, algal, and waste feedstocks; catalytic fast-pyrolysis aqueous phases; fast-pyrolysis aqueous phases; and aqueous phases produced by hydroprocessing of fast-pyrolysis bio-oil. Second, thermochemical catalytic processes were developed to convert aqueous-phase organics into useful products. These processes focused mostly on organic acids and specifically acetic acid, which was found to be ubiquitous from the characterization effort. A La x Zr y O z catalyst was discovered and developed for the ketonization of acids to ketones in the condensed aqueous phase. A dual-bed steam reforming process was developed to convert acids and other organics to hydrogen for bio-oil hydroprocessing. The dual-bed reforming process consisted of a ketonization step followed by a steam reforming step with Co as the active metal. The dual-bed process significantly reduced the rate of coke deposition versus direct steam reforming of the organic acids and beneficially produced CH 4 below the equilibrium value. Finally, we demonstrated direct conversion of aqueous-phase organics to olefins over a Zn x Zr y O z catalyst. Each thermochemical catalytic process was demonstrated with process-derived aqueous mixtures. Model compounds were used to benchmark performance and optimize conditions, but emphasis was placed on utilizing “real” aqueous streams whenever possible. A liquid-liquid extraction process using methyl tert-butyl ether as the solvent was developed to segregate dissolved inorganic species and sugars from desirable light oxygenates such as acids and alcohols. Furthermore, a carbon treatment to remove color bodies was employed after it was found the presumably heavy organic chromophore species deactivated catalysts. These economic separation processes allowed for the successful demonstration of stable catalytic processing in the condensed-phase ketonization, dual-bed reforming, and direct olefin production processes for tens to hundreds of hours, which were limited only by the quantity of feed available. Techno-economic analysis of these processes demonstrated the impact possible when capturing “waste” organics as valuable products. The condensed-phase ketonization process for converting aqueous stream acids to ketones followed by reduction and dehydration to olefins sold as a co-product resulted in the reduction of the minimum fuel selling price by about 13% compared to the anaerobic-digestion, aqueous-phase treatment base case (3.74 to 4.29/GGE). The dual-bed reforming process was commensurate in price to the anaerobic digestion base case (4.24 versus 4.29/GGE). However, the need for external natural gas to produce hydrogen for bio-oil hydroprocessing was eliminated, thereby lowering the carbon impact of the process.
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Final Report for KOTO Trigger and DAQ Upgrade
Our proposal was a comprehensive upgrade to the Data Acquisition System and Level 2 Trigger of the KOTO experiment which included: an increase in the number of channels processed due to the construction of a new inner main barrel; an increase in the interconnectivity and computing power of the Level 2 Trigger to allow for real time clustering and veto timing; and an improvement in the processing power and temporary storage capability of the Level 3 Trigger and online reconstruction.
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NSLS-II upgrade proposal with splitting dipole scheme
In this note, a preliminary study of the NSLS-II upgrade lattice with splitting-dipole scheme is presented. The constraints from maintaining the layout of the ring and re-using the existing magnets have been illustrated. The linear and nonlinear beam dynamics are discussed as well.
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Oil Sands Upgrading
Energy use, feedstock, and emissions from production of 1 kg of synthetic crude oil at an upgrading facility (delayed coker or hydrocracker). To access the model referenced in the report, please visit https://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analysis/details?id=466F5438-C64F-48C7-9A73-41F42562F829
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Lighting and Power Upgrade Recommendations for U.S. National Park Service Caribbean Units
The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) maintains and operates numerous park units along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, extending into the Caribbean to Commonwealth territories like Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Several of these units were in the direct path of hurricanes Irma and Maria during the 2017 hurricane season and suffered considerable damage, including power outages, structural damage, and destroyed equipment. In February 2018, a task force deployed to three locations in the Caribbean to assess hurricane damage to the existing lighting systems and energy infrastructure. The primary objective was providing related recommendations for resiliency upgrades to the lighting and electrical supply systems, with special added emphasis on the numerous goals, objectives, and requirements of the NPS (such as protecting night skies, wildlife, wilderness character, cultural resources, etc.). Numerous opportunities exist for simultaneously increasing resiliency and preserving natural environments within these sensitive locations, and technological approaches that work in the extreme conditions encountered here should readily translate to many other less complex sites across the greater park system. Ultimately, care and attention to detail in implementation are the most important underlying requirements for success across the myriad needs likely encountered at these sites, once commitment to resolving them has been secured.
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Search for New Physics with Top Quarks and Upgrade to the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter
The recent successful discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland provides a long sought-after key to the Standard Model of particle physics. However, the existence (and mass) of this fundamental scalar does not resolve the tension between the electroweak and Planck scales, hinting at the possibility of new physics that may be accessible at the LHC. The objective of this research is to search for signs of such new physics, in particular for the existence of a supersymmetric partner to the top quark, using the ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) detector at the LHC to reconstruct signatures of top quarks and missing energy from corresponding undetected particles. Furthermore, in order to ensure that the full potential of the LHC is harnessed in future searches for new physics, the project also entails the upgrade of the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter read-out electronics, thereby improving the performance of boosted objects, jets, and missing energy triggers for planned higher luminosity running conditions.
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HL-LHC Accelerator Upgrade Project US Contribution to CERN: RF Dipole Crab Cavities
The HL-LHC Accelerator Upgrade Project (HL-LHC AUP),focuses on production of quadrupoles and cavities by sharing the work among a consortium of US Laboratories(FNAL, ANL, LBNL, BNL, JLAB and SLAC) and Old Dominion University, and in close connection with the CERN-led HL-LHC Collaboration.
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Algae/Wood Blends Hydrothermal Liquefaction and Upgrading: 2019 State of Technology
The fiscal year (FY) 2019 State of Technology (SOT) Assessment for a microalgae and woody biomass blend feedstock hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and biocrude upgrading system has been completed and reported here. This study is a preliminary economic analysis for this system. Inputs from the 2019 NREL open pond algae cultivation model provided microalgae seasonal flowrates and dewatered algae feedstock price. These inputs have been coupled with modeled experimental data from PNNL for algae/wood blends processed via HTL to assess the cost impacts. The TEA results demonstrated a 28% reduction in the conversion cost only from $1.22/gge in 2018 to $0.88/gge in 2019.
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