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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 1,009 records · Page 56
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Full Submersion Water Testing of SAVY-4000 Nuclear Material Storage Containers

SAVY-4000 (SAVY) containers are the primary container used at Technical Area (TA) TA-55 plutonium facility for the prevention of water ingress to mitigate against a criticality event. The basis for water resistance of these containers has long been attributed to the Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane that is assembled on the outermost surface of the filter assembly. On August 22nd a test of a container used inside of a glovebox was performed that brought into question this long-standing-basis. This test was performed by inverting a SAVY-lid onto a specialized piece of equipment for evaluating the integrity of the PTFE membrane. During the test water was observed passing through the filter indicating that the filter membrane was no longer preventing the ingress of water through the filter. The assumption after making this observation was that alpha-particles were rapidly degrading the membrane creating a leak path through the underlying aluminosilicate media (Fiberfrax®). The apparatus used was designed to only test the lid rather than the entire SAVY assembly. A test plan, PA-PLAN-01921, was developed to investigate whether a fully assembled container with a fully degraded PTFE membrane would be capable of meeting the criteria defined in PA-RD-1009 of not allowing more than 200 ml of water to enter the container with a water column of 6-inches applied over a 2-hour period. This report provides the results of the testing performed against PA-PLAN-01921.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Application of Advanced Materials Processing to Enable Direct Production of Fast Reactor Fuel Alloys

Argonne National Laboratory (the Contractor), located in Lemont, IL, and Oklo, Inc. (the Participant), headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to integrate advanced electrorefining co-deposition and molten-salt monitoring technologies to produce a uranium-transuranic (U/TRU) alloy within a controlled composition range that can be used as fast reactor fuel for Oklo, Inc.’s advanced reactor technology. Argonne performed the integration of electrorefining and process monitoring technologies, determined operating parameters for producing U/TRU alloys, and developed optimized design and operating parameters for co-deposition of U/TRU alloys. Oklo, Inc. worked with Argonne and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to provide the necessary process documentation to begin implementing pyroprocessing technology in the fast reactor fuel production process. Outcomes of this project included a pilot-scale co-deposition cathode design and technical basis for the operation of the co-deposition electrorefiner to produce U/TRU alloys with controlled composition.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Transforming Uinta Basin Earth Materials for Advanced Products (TUBE-MAP)

The objectives of this project were to quantify, assess, and plan to enable the transformation of Uinta Basin earth resources, such as coal, oil shale, resin, rare earth elements, and critical minerals into high value metal, mineral, and carbon-based products. The specific major goals were 1) basinal assessments and initial planning (Task 2), 2) basinal assessment for waste stream reuse with associated plan development (Task 3), 3) basinal strategies development for infrastructure, industries, and business (Task 4), 4) technology assessment, development, and field-testing plan (Task 5), 5) technology innovation center plan (Task 6), and 6) stakeholder outreach and education plan (Task 7).

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2025

HPC for optimizing process parameters to control material evolution in seamless induction hardening of wind turbine main shaft bearings

Work proposed in this project focused on understanding the effect of martensitic transformation in the steel on the potential for cracking during seamless induction hardening (SIH) as a function of process conditions to allow the process to optimally scale up. Large-scale, three-dimensional phase-field simulations of martensitic transformation were performed using MEUMAPPS-SS (Microstructure Evolution Using Massively Parallel Phase-field Simulations – Solid State) code developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The simulations were guided by location-specific thermal history generated by experimental measurements of time-temperature history generated at The Timken Company. The simulations were able to capture the morphological evolution of the martensite variants in an Fe-1.0C-1.5Cr steel based on the Nishiyama-Wasserman (NW) orientation relationship. The simulations were also able to quantify the stress-state at the interface between impinging martensite variants. The simulations indicated that the magnitude of the various stress and strain components were dependent on the sizes of the impinging plates with a reduction in these quantities with reduced plate size in agreement with experimental findings. The results obtained from the simulations will be used to guide the optimization of the alloy thermal conditions to eliminate quench cracking during SIH of bearing steels.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ratio of 1,275 and 186 keV Gamma Ray Count Rates for Age Determination of Material in UF 6 Cylinders

In this work, a method for using ratios of passive gamma ray measurements to determine the time since the filling of UF 6 cylinders was explored. This method uses the 186 keV gamma ray emitted by 235 U and the 1,275 keV gamma ray that results from interactions of alpha particles in fluorine. Studies were made using MCNP models of both 30B cylinders and smaller 5A cylinders. Results indicate that for enrichments at or above that of natural uranium, this approach may provide a method for determining age up to 10 years or identifying whether the age is greater than 10 years, even if the uranium enrichment is unknown. The calculated results show the same behavior as the results of a recent measurement campaign, indicating the possibility of using this method for real-world cylinders.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Instantiation of the Damara Tern Platform for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) Program Collaborative Data Management

This work package focused on deploying an instance of the Damara Tern platform to support AMMT collaborative research activities. The objectives were to provide selected AMMT collaborators with access to a shared environment for capturing operations, trackables, and associated metadata, and to implement data entry functionalities that reflect site-specific procedures. Key activities included creating configurable, schema-driven entry forms and validating the data collection process. The report details the deployment process, the platform infrastructure, and the implemented data entry workflows, providing a reference for end users and establishing a foundation for future production-scale deployments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Materials Signatures of Metallic Phases (Final Report)

This report summarizes key accomplishments from a 2 year Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project focused on advancing nanoscale characterization of metallic particulates and synthesis of laboratory-scale analogs. We successfully developed and refined nanoscale crystallography techniques with significantly improved spatial resolution and throughput compared to traditional transmission electron microscopy. We also established nanotomography capabilities for 3D particle reconstruction and began optimizing throughput for broader application. Additionally, we demonstrated the ability to relocate and characterize individual particles using atomic force microscopy (AFM), providing insights into hardness, conductivity, and magnetic behavior. On the synthesis front, we leveraged controlled and combustion-based methods to investigate annealing effects and rapid oxidation behavior of U–Fe–Ni compounds. These efforts collectively enhance our ability to characterize and interpret particulate formation and transformation under relevant conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Uncertainty Quantification for Smooth Functional Data with Application to Material Properties

This document outlines a method for processing functional output (i.e., curves) for the ultimate purpose of sampling curves under specified input conditions for use in modeling and simulation uncertainty quantification (UQ) studies. A set of benchmark curves sufficiently representative of the relevant scenario(s) being simulated are provided to the process and formatted as described in Section 1. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is utilized to discover the components of uncertainty in the benchmark curves and is outlined in Section 2. Section 3 describes the application of uncertainty quantification to the PCA results for the purpose of sampling curves to be used in UQ analysis. Section 4 applies these techniques to an example benchmark dataset. Concluding remarks are provided in the final section.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technology (AMMT): Development of Additive Manufacturing Agnostic Process Parameter Procedure, 316H Stainless Steel Readiness Level Data Sets, and Machine Maintenance Plan

The University of California, Davis is involved in a project to deploy and enhance an artificial intelligence (AI) system for predicting and preventing plasma disruptions on the DIII D tokamak, under the funding from Department of Energy DE-SC0023500 (title: AI/Deep Learning FRNN Software for Prediction & Real-Time Control of DIII-D Plasma Control System (PCS)). The overarching goal is to demonstrate that real-time, AI-guided intervention can proactively modify the plasma state to avoid or mitigate disruptions—a critical challenge for the future of fusion energy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Using molecular dynamics simulations to validate a new approach for determining the melting curves of materials

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), located in the state of New Mexico (United States), is one of the most iconic research centers in the world. Founded in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, it emerged from a global conflict and an unprecedented scientific emergency. At that time, the United States feared that Nazi Germany might develop an atomic weapon first. Under the direction of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the U.S. government established a secret laboratory in an isolated region of the Los Alamos plateau, bringing together some of the greatest scientific minds of the era. This site, then known as Project Y, became the birthplace of the first atomic bomb.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗