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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 937 records · Page 52
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Development of microstructure and texture during single and multiple pass friction stir processing of a strain hardenable aluminium alloy

Highlights: • Development of microstructure and texture during single and multiple pass FSP of a strain hardenable aluminium alloy • Strain induced boundary migration (SIBM) is the dominant nucleation mechanism for recrystallization • Weak crystallographic texture development influenced by SIBM with the relative dominance of shear texture components • Stable microstructure and texture development after multiple pass FSP • FSP is a promising method for the secondary processing of strain hardenable aluminium alloys - Abstract: In the present study, microstructure and texture development during single and multiple pass friction stir processing (FSP) of a strain hardenable wrought AlMg alloy (AA5086) was investigated. Subtle differences were observed while comparing with heat treatable alloys in the nucleation mechanism of the recrystallized microstructure observed in the nugget zone. Strain induced boundary migration was the dominant mechanism of microstructure evolution in the alloy, which influenced the crystallographic texture development by weakening it. Micro-texture measurements reveal variations in the crystallographic texture along the thickness of the sample. Recrystallization texture components were observed in the nugget zone indicative of a pronounced static recrystallization in the alloy as compared to the heat treatable alloys. Bulk texture measurements within the nugget zone of the optimally processed sample reveal a relatively dominant C component of shear texture. Average grain size in the nugget zone remained the same and the bulk crystallographic texture components were retained during multiple-pass FSP. The lower strain energies involved and the enhanced recovery processes due to the high temperature materials processing of the alloy during FSP resulted in a stable microstructure and texture. In summary, FSP could be promoted as a competent and suitable secondary processing technique for the bulk production of ultra-fine-grained materials in strain hardenable aluminium alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

High efficiency RF sources developments

Calabazas Creek Research, Inc. (CCR) and its collaborators are developing high efficiency RF sources operating from a few hundred MHz to C-Band and power levels from tens to hundreds of kilowatts with the goal of providing MW-relevant sources. The efficiencies approach or exceed 80% with projected costs as low as $0.50/ Watt. Sources under development include magnetrons with phase and amplitude control, single and multi-beam klystrons, multi-beam power grid tubes, and multiple beam IOTs. A magnetron system achieved more than 80% efficiency with fast amplitude control using modulation of the phase locking signal. This would be a low cost, high efficiency RF source for superconducting accelerators. An L-Band, single beam klystron was built with simulated efficiency of 80%. The klystron has yet to be tested to confirm the simulation results. CCR is currently developing a multi-beam klystron to produce more than 200 kW CW at 80% efficiency. Also in development is a multiple beam triode to produce 200 kW CW from 300 MHz to approximately 1 GHz. Not only does the simulated efficiency exceed 75%, but it would be the lowest cost RF source in this frequency range. Finally, CCR recently concluded research for a multiple beam IOT at 700 MHz using third harmonic drive to boost efficiency toward 85%. Successful development and transition to production of these sources will significantly alter the cost/performance landscape for RF power generation.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Three-dimensional flow model development for thermal mixing and stratification modeling in reactor system transients analyses

Mixing, thermal-stratification, and mass transport phenomena in large pools or enclosures play major roles for the safety of reactor systems. Depending on the fidelity requirement and computational resources, various modeling methods, from the 0-D perfect mixing model to 3-D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models, are available. Each is associated with its own advantages and shortcomings. It is very desirable to develop an advanced and efficient thermal mixing and stratification modeling capability embedded in a modern system analysis code to improve the accuracy of reactor safety analyses and to reduce modeling uncertainties. An advanced system analysis tool, SAM, is being developed at Argonne National Laboratory for advanced non-LWR reactor safety analysis. While SAM is being developed as a system-level modeling and simulation tool, a reduced-order three-dimensional module is under development to model the mull-dimensional flow and thermal mixing and stratification in large enclosures of reactor systems. This paper provides an overview of the three-dimensional finite element flow model in SAM, including the governing equations, stabilization scheme, and solution methods. Additionally, several verification and validation tests are presented, including lid-driven cavity flow, natural convection inside a cavity, laminar flow in a channel of parallel plates. Here, based on the comparisons with the analytical solutions and experimental results, it is demonstrated that the developed 3-D fluid model can perform very well for a wide range of flow problems.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A summary of sodium-cooled fast reactor development

Much of the basic technology for the Sodium-cooled fast Reactor (SFR) has been established through long term development experience with former fast reactor programs, and is being confirmed by the Phénix end-of-life tests in France, the restart of Monju in Japan, the lifetime extension of BN-600 in Russia, and the startup of the China Experimental Fast Reactor in China. Planned startup in 2014 for new SFRs: BN-800 in Russia and PFBR in India, will further enhance the confirmation of the SFR basic technology. Nowadays, the SFR development has advanced to aiming at establishment of the Generation-IV system which is dedicated to sustainable energy generation and actinide management, and several advanced SFR concepts are under development such as PRISM, JSFR, ASTRID, PGSFR, BN-1200, and CFR-600. Generation-IV International Forum is an international collaboration framework where various R&D activities are progressing on design of system and component, safety and operation, advanced fuel, and actinide cycle for the Generation-IV SFR development, and will play a beneficial role of promoting them thorough providing an opportunity to share the past experience and the latest data of design and R&D among countries developing SFR.

Aoto, Kazumi↗
DOE OSTI2012

Development of a novel, physiologically relevant cytotoxicity model: Application to the study of chemotherapeutic damage to mesenchymal stromal cells

There is an increasing need for development of physiologically relevant in-vitro models for testing toxicity, however determining toxic effects of agents which undergo extensive hepatic metabolism can be particularly challenging. If a source of such metabolic enzymes is inadequate within a model system, toxicity from prodrugs may be grossly underestimated. Conversely, the vast majority of agents are detoxified by the liver, consequently toxicity from such agents may be overestimated. In this study we describe the development of a novel in-vitro model, which could be adapted for any toxicology setting. The model utilises HepG2 liver spheroids as a source of metabolic enzymes, which have been shown to more closely resemble human liver than traditional monolayer cultures. A co-culture model has been developed enabling the effect of any metabolised agent on another cell type to be assessed. This has been optimised to enable the study of damaging effects of chemotherapy on mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), the supportive stem cells of the bone marrow. Several optimisation steps were undertaken, including determining optimal culture conditions, confirmation of hepatic P450 enzyme activity and ensuring physiologically relevant doses of chemotherapeutic agents were appropriate for use within the model. The developed model was subsequently validated using several chemotherapeutic agents, both prodrugs and active drugs, with resulting MSC damage closely resembling effects seen in patients following chemotherapy. Minimal modifications would enable this novel co-culture model to be utilised as a general toxicity model, contributing to the drive to reduce animal safety testing and enabling physiologically relevant in-vitro study. -- Highlights: ► An in vitro model was developed for study of drugs requiring hepatic metabolism ► HepG2 spheroids were utilised as a physiologically relevant source of liver enzymes ► The model was optimised to enable study of chemotherapeutic damage to the bone marrow ► Minor modifications would enable application as a general toxicity model.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model for Fentanyl in support of the development of Provisional Advisory Levels

Provisional Advisory Levels (PALs) are tiered exposure limits for toxic chemicals in air and drinking water that are developed to assist in emergency responses. Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling can support this process by enabling extrapolations across doses, and exposure routes, thereby addressing gaps in the available toxicity data. Here, we describe the development of a PBPK model for Fentanyl – a synthetic opioid used clinically for pain management – to support the establishment of PALs. Starting from an existing model for intravenous Fentanyl, we first optimized distribution and clearance parameters using several additional IV datasets. We then calibrated the model using pharmacokinetic data for various formulations, and determined the absorbed fraction, F, and time taken for the absorbed amount to reach 90% of its final value, t90. For aerosolized pulmonary Fentanyl, F = 1 and t90 < 1 min indicating complete and rapid absorption. The F value ranged from 0.35 to 0.74 for oral and various transmucosal routes. Oral Fentanyl was absorbed the slowest (t90 ∼ 300 min); the absorption of intranasal Fentanyl was relatively rapid (t90 ∼ 20–40 min); and the various oral transmucosal routes had intermediate absorption rates (t90 ∼ 160–300 min). Based on these results, for inhalation exposures, we assumed that all of the Fentanyl inhaled from the air during each breath directly, and instantaneously enters the arterial circulation. We present model predictions of Fentanyl blood concentrations in oral and inhalation scenarios relevant for PAL development, and provide an analytical expression that can be used to extrapolate between oral and inhalation routes for the derivation of PALs. - Highlights: • We develop a Fentanyl PBPK model for relating external dose to internal levels. • We calibrate the model to oral and inhalation exposures using > 50 human datasets. • Model predictions are in good agreement with the available pharmacokinetic data. • The model can be used for extrapolating across routes, doses and exposure durations. • We illustrate how the model can be used for developing Provisional Advisory Levels.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Goniothalamin prevents the development of chemically induced and spontaneous colitis in rodents and induces apoptosis in the HT-29 human colon tumor cell line

Colon cancer is the third most incident type of cancer worldwide. One of the most important risk factors for colon cancer development are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), thus therapies focusing on IBD treatment have great potential to be used in cancer prevention. Nature has been a source of new therapeutic and preventive agents and the racemic form of the styryl-lactone goniothalamin (GTN) has been shown to be a promising antiproliferative agent, with gastroprotective, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects. As inflammation is a well-known tumor promoter, the major goal of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic and preventive potentials of GTN on chemically induced and spontaneous colitis, as well as the cytotoxic effects of GTN on a human colon tumor cell line (HT-29). GTN treatments inhibited TNBS-induced acute and chronic colitis development in Wistar rats, reducing myeloperoxidase levels and inflammatory cells infiltration in the mucosa. In spontaneous-colitis using IL-10 deficient mice (C57BL/6 background), GTN prevented colitis development through downregulation of TNF-α, upregulation of SIRT-1 and inhibition of proliferation (PCNA index), without signs of toxicity after three months of treatment. In HT-29 cells, treatment with 10 μM of GTN induced apoptosis by increasing BAX/BCL2, p-JNK1/JNK1, p-P38/P38 ratios as well as through ROS generation. Caspase 8, 9 and 3 activation also occurred, suggesting caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway, culminating in PARP-1 cleavage. Together with previous data, these results show the importance of GTN as a pro-apoptotic, preventive and therapeutic agent for IBD and highlight its potential as a chemopreventive agent for colon cancer. - Highlights: • Goniothalamin (GTN) inhibits the development of TNBS-induced colitis in rats. • Moreover, GTN prevents the development of spontaneous colitis in IL-10 deficient mice. • This activity relies on downregulation of TNF-α and upregulation of SIRT-1 expression. • GTN induces intrinsic apoptosis in HT-29 cells, involving ROS, MAPK and caspases. • These results highlight GTN as a potential chemopreventive agent for colon cancer.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

DEET potentiates the development and persistence of anticholinesterase dependent chronic pain signs in a rat model of Gulf War Illness pain

Exposure to DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) may have influenced the pattern of symptoms observed in soldiers with GWI (Gulf War Illness; Haley and Kurt, 1997). We examined how the addition of DEET (400 mg/kg; 50% topical) to an exposure protocol of permethrin (2.6 mg/kg; topical), chlorpyrifos (CP; 120 mg/kg), and pyridostigmine bromide (PB;13 mg/kg) altered the emergence and pattern of pain signs in an animal model of GWI pain (). Rats underwent behavioral testing before, during and after a 4 week exposure: 1) hindlimb pressure withdrawal threshold; 2) ambulation (movement distance and rate); and 3) resting duration. Additional studies were conducted to assess the influence of acute DEET (10–100 μM) on muscle and vascular nociceptor K{sub v}7, K{sub DR}, Na{sub v}1.8 and Na{sub v}1.9. We report that a 50% concentration of DEET enhanced the development and persistence of pain-signs. Rats exposed to all 4 compounds exhibited ambulation deficits that appeared 5–12 weeks post-exposure and persisted through weeks 21–24. Rats exposed to only three agents (CP or PB excluded), did not fully develop ambulation deficits. When PB was excluded, rats also developed rest duration pain signs, in addition to ambulation deficits. There was no evidence that physiological doses of DEET acutely modified nociceptor K{sub v}7, K{sub DR}, Na{sub v}1.8 or Na{sub v}1.9 activities. Nevertheless, DEET augmented protocols decreased the conductance of K{sub v}7 expressed in vascular nociceptors harvested from chronically exposed rats. We concluded that DEET enhanced the development and persistence of pain behaviors, but the anticholinesterases CP and PB played a determinant role. - Highlights: • DEET accelerated and prolonged pain-like behaviors in a rat model of Gulf War Illness. • The development of pain behaviors were dependent upon chlorpyrifos and pyridostigmine. • Conductance of vascular nociceptor Kv7 was diminished 12 weeks following exposures. • DEET did not have any acute influence on nociceptor Kv7, Nav1.8, Nav1.9 or KDR.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Developing a small participant framework: An investigation of mode choice influential factors

An in-depth comprehension of the changing impact of mode choice influencing factors is essential in planning for behavior-adaptive mode shift policies. This study developed a framework to investigate a method of evaluation of the changes in mode choice using a small participation pool. A field application in Pima County, Arizona was developed to test the developed framework to evaluate the impact of a real transit experience. Twenty-two participants were recruited and repeated measurements were taken before and after their transit trip. The results revealed that people are less susceptible to their mental biases after a transit trip and consider more objective elements such as walking time. The developed framework resulted in successful evaluation methods that are reproducible for other application study designs. Thus, the results further present that low participant recruitment in application-based field studies can be accomplished using this developed methodology, for other regions and studies.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Drosophila DOCK family protein Sponge is required for development of the air sac primordium

Dedicator of cytokinesis (DOCK) family genes are known as DOCK1-DOCK11 in mammals. DOCK family proteins mainly regulate actin filament polymerization and/or depolymerization and are GEF proteins, which contribute to cellular signaling events by activating small G proteins. Sponge (Spg) is a Drosophila counterpart to mammalian DOCK3/DOCK4, and plays a role in embryonic central nervous system development, R7 photoreceptor cell differentiation, and adult thorax development. In order to conduct further functional analyses on Spg in vivo, we examined its localization in third instar larval wing imaginal discs. Immunostaining with purified anti-Spg IgG revealed that Spg mainly localized in the air sac primordium (ASP) in wing imaginal discs. Spg is therefore predicted to play an important role in the ASP. The specific knockdown of Spg by the breathless-GAL4 driver in tracheal cells induced lethality accompanied with a defect in ASP development and the induction of apoptosis. The monitoring of ERK signaling activity in wing imaginal discs by immunostaining with anti-diphospho-ERK IgG revealed reductions in the ERK signal cascade in Spg knockdown clones. Furthermore, the overexpression of D-raf suppressed defects in survival and the proliferation of cells in the ASP induced by the knockdown of Spg. Collectively, these results indicate that Spg plays a critical role in ASP development and tracheal cell viability that is mediated by the ERK signaling pathway. - Highlights: • Spg mainly localizes in the air sac primordium in wing imaginal discs. • Spg plays a critical role in air sac primordium development. • Spg positively regulates the ERK signal cascade.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

The role of Rho-GEF Trio in regulating tooth root development through the p38 MAPK pathway

Highlights: • We have determined the role of Trio, a GTP exchange factor, in tooth development. • The Wnt1-cre;Trio{sup fl/fl} mice were created for in vivo study. • P38 MAPK pathway was found to be involved in Trio related root deformity. Trio, the Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (Rho-GEF), plays diverse roles in cell migration, cell axon guidance and cytoskeleton reorganization. Conserved during evolution, Trio encodes two guanine nucleotide exchange factor domains (GEFs) and activates small GTPases. The Rho-family small GTPases RhoA and Rac1, which are target molecules of Trio, have been described to engage in craniofacial development and tooth formation. However, the exact role of Trio in tooth development remains elusive. In this study, we generated Wnt1-cre;Trio{sup fl/fl} mice to address the potential function of Trio in tooth development. Wnt1-cre;Trio{sup fl/fl} mice showed short root deformity as well as decreased expression of odontogenic makers such as RUNX2, OSX, OCN, and OPN. In vitro, Trio was silenced in human stem cells of dental papilla (SCAPs). Compared with the control group, the proliferation and migration ability in the experimental group was disrupted. After knocking down Trio in SCAPs, the cells showed phenotypes of poor odontogenic differentiation and weak mineralized nodules. To study the underlying mechanism, we investigated the p38 MAPK pathway and found that loss of Trio blocked the cascade transduction of p38 MAPK signaling. In conclusion, we identified Trio as a novel coordinator in regulating root development and clarified its relevant molecular events.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Roles of miR-204 in retinal development and maintenance

Highlights: • miR-204 plays an important role in the development, maintenance, and diseases of the retina. • Various layers of the retina including RPE express miR-204. • Retinoblastoma, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and optic nerve injury are among the most common retinopathies caused by miR-204 dysfunction. • miR-204 target genes are involved in diverse signaling pathways crucial for retinal physiology. The retina is the innermost part of the eye of most vertebrates and it is essential for vision. The development, maintenance, and function of this laminated structure is tightly regulated by numerous genes. Deficiencies in the expression of these genes as well as deregulation of various molecular mechanisms can cause retinopathies and blindness. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are one of the most important and effective molecular regulatory mechanisms that underlie the biology of the retina. miRNAs have specific functional roles in the development and maintenance of different retinal layers and retinal cell types. While previous studies have reported a large number of miRNAs linked to development, maintenance and diseases of the retina, no comprehensive study has properly discussed and integrated data from these studies. Given the particular importance of miR-204 in retinal biology, we intend to critically discuss the expression and functional significance of this miRNA in the development, maintenance, and pathologies of the retina. Moreover, we explore biological processes through which miR-204 influences retinal pathophysiology. This review highlights the crucial functions of miR-204 in the retina and suggests the putative mechanism of miR-204 action in retinal biology.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Guide to Using GitHub for Developing and Versioning Data Standards and Reporting Formats

Abstract Data standardization combined with descriptive metadata facilitate data reuse, which is the ultimate goal of the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) principles. Community data or metadata standards are increasingly created through an approach that emphasizes collaboration between various stakeholders. Such an approach requires platforms for collaboration on the development process that centers on sharing information and receiving feedback. Our objective in this study was to conduct a systematic review to identify data standards and reporting formats that use version control for developing data standards and to summarize common practices, particularly in earth and environmental sciences. Out of 108 data standards and reporting formats identified in our review, 32 used GitHub as the version control platform, and no other platforms were used. We found no universally accepted methodology for developing and publishing data standards. Many GitHub repositories did not use key features that could help developers to gather user feedback, or to create and revise standards that build on previous work. We provide guidance for community‐driven standard development and associated documentation on GitHub based on a systematic review of existing practices.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Dynamic enhancer landscapes in human craniofacial development

The genetic basis of human facial variation and craniofacial birth defects remains poorly understood. Distant-acting transcriptional enhancers control the fine-tuned spatiotemporal expression of genes during critical stages of craniofacial development. However, a lack of accurate maps of the genomic locations and cell type-resolved activities of craniofacial enhancers prevents their systematic exploration in human genetics studies. Here, we combine histone modification, chromatin accessibility, and gene expression profiling of human craniofacial development with single-cell analyses of the developing mouse face to define the regulatory landscape of facial development at tissue- and single cell-resolution. We provide temporal activity profiles for 14,000 human developmental craniofacial enhancers. We find that 56% of human craniofacial enhancers share chromatin accessibility in the mouse and we provide cell population- and embryonic stage-resolved predictions of their in vivo activity. Taken together, our data provide an expansive resource for genetic and developmental studies of human craniofacial development.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

SpackDev: Multi-Package Development with Spack

High Energy Physics (HEP) software environments often involve ~ hundreds of external packages and libraries, and similar numbers of experiment-specific, science-critical packages—many under continuous development. Managing coherent releases of the external software stack is challenging enough, but managing the highly-collaborative—and distributed—development of a large body of code against such a stack adds even more complexity and room for error. Spack is a popular Python-based package management tool with a specific focus on the needs of High Performance Computing (HPC) systems and system administrators whose strength is orchestrating the discrete download, build, testing, and installation of pre-packaged or tagged third-party software against similarly stable dependencies. As such it is becoming increasingly popular within HEP as that community makes increasing use of HPC facilities, and as efforts to develop future HPC systems utilize Spack to provide scientific software on those platforms. SpackDev is a system to facilitate the simultaneous development of interconnected sets of packages. Intended to handle packages without restriction to one internal build system, SpackDev is integrated with Spack as a command extension in order to leverage features such as dependency calculations and build system configuration, and is generally applicable outside HEP. We describe SpackDev’s features and development over the last two years, initial experience using SpackDev in the context of the LArSoft liquid argon detector toolkit, and work remaining before it can be considered a fully-functional multi-package build system for HEP experiments utilizing Spack.

Green, Chris↗
DOE OSTI2023

WPEC SG50: Developing an Automatically Readable, Comprehensive and Curated Experimental Nuclear Reaction Database

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Co-operation (WPEC) subgroup (SG) 50 was formed in 2020 to develop an automatically readable, comprehensive and curated experimental nuclear reaction database. This database is called MEDUSAL (Machine-readable Experimental Data User Application & Library), and will draw from EXFOR. The EXFOR database preserves experimental nuclear reaction data true to its original documentation and information from the authors of the data. MEDUSAL will deviate from EXFOR by storing additional information from users of the data for their fields of work (evaluation, model development, validation, etc.). This includes expert judgment on the data sets, identification of data points as outliers, renormalization of the data to the newest monitor reactions, and estimations of missing uncertainty sources. The format for MEDUSAL is being developed to enable easy automatic parsing of large amounts of data. Here, we will summarize the use cases, high-level requirements and first steps towards developing the database MEDUSAL and the API to access it.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Stream-reach Identification for New Run-of-River Hydropower Development through a Merit Matrix Based Geospatial Algorithm

Even after a century of development, the total hydropower potential from undeveloped rivers is still considered to be abundant in the United States. However, unlike evaluating hydropower potential at existing hydropower plants or non-powered dams, locating a feasible new hydropower plant involves many unknowns, and hence the total undeveloped potential is harder to quantify. In light of the rapid development of multiple national geospatial datasets for topography, hydrology, and environmental characteristics, a merit matrix based geospatial algorithm is proposed to help identify possible hydropower stream-reaches for future development. These hydropower stream-reaches sections of natural streams with suitable head, flow, and slope for possible future development are identified and compared using three different scenarios. A case study was conducted in the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) hydrologic subregions. It was found that a merit matrix based algorithm, which is based on the product of hydraulic head, annual mean flow, and average channel slope, can help effectively identify stream-reaches with high power density and small surface inundation. The identified stream-reaches can then be efficiently evaluated for their potential environmental impact, land development cost, and other competing water usage in detailed feasibility studies . Given that the selected datasets are available nationally (at least within the conterminous US), the proposed methodology will have wide applicability across the country.

Pasha, M. Fayzul K.↗
DOE OSTI2014

RDS - A systematic approach towards system thermal hydraulics input code development for a comprehensive deterministic safety analysis

Deterministic Safety Analysis (DSA) is one of the mandatory requirements conducted for Nuclear Power Plant licensing process, with the aim of ensuring safety compliance with relevant regulatory acceptance criteria. DSA is a technique whereby a set of conservative deterministic rules and requirements are applied for the design and operation of facilities or activities. Computer codes are normally used to assist in performing all required analysis under DSA. To ensure a comprehensive analysis, the conduct of DSA should follow a systematic approach. One of the methodologies proposed is the Standardized and Consolidated Reference Experimental (and Calculated) Database (SCRED) developed by University of Pisa. Based on this methodology, the use of Reference Data Set (RDS) as a pre-requisite reference document for developing input nodalization was proposed. This paper shall describe the application of RDS with the purpose of assessing its effectiveness. Two RDS documents were developed for an Integral Test Facility of LOBI-MOD2 and associated Test A1-83. Data and information from various reports and drawings were referred in preparing the RDS. The results showed that by developing RDS, it has made possible to consolidate all relevant information in one single document. This is beneficial as it enables preservation of information, promotes quality assurance, allows traceability, facilitates continuous improvement, promotes solving of contradictions and finally assisting in developing thermal hydraulic input regardless of whichever code selected. However, some disadvantages were also recognized such as the need for experience in making engineering judgments, language barrier in accessing foreign information and limitation of resources. Some possible improvements are suggested to overcome these challenges.

42 ENGINEERING↗