Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “publications”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,027 records · Page 57

System Model Calculations for the Active Trenches of the Low-Level Burial Grounds, Hanford Site, Washington

Two lined trenches (Trench 31 and 34) located within the 200 West Low-Level Burial Ground (LLBG) area of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford Site are designated for permanent disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) and mixed low-level radioactive waste (MLLW). In accordance with DOE O 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management, radioactive waste shall be managed and disposed in a manner that is protective of worker, public health and safety, and the environment. DOE O 435.1 requires a site-specific radiological performance assessment (PA) that includes calculations of potential releases and subsequent doses to members of the public for a period of 1,000 years after closure of a low-level waste (LLW) disposal facility. The purpose of this environmental calculation file (ECF) is to document the various dose calculations performed to support DOE’s LLBG PA. The dose assessments are performed to evaluate the potential exposure of an all-pathway representative person to radionuclide contaminants of potential concern (COPCs) that may be released from the LLBG Trenches 31 and 34 to the point of calculation (POC) located at the outer edge of a 100 m buffer zone surrounding the trench boundary. This ECF uses inputs from other ECFs and their associated model package reports (MPRs) supporting the LLBG PA. The five major objectives of this ECF are to present the results of the following: (1) Deterministic dose assessments for both groundwater and atmospheric exposure scenarios; (2) Radon-222 (Rn-222) flux emanating at the surface from the disposed wastes; (3) Uncertainty analyses of the groundwater pathway annual dose due to uncertainty in input parameters; (4) Sensitivity analyses of the input parameters that could potentially impact the fate and transport of the contaminants and doses; (5) Doses arising from inadvertent intruder exposure scenarios.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

MARSAME Release Report for TA-03 Building 16

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship (EPC-ES) has determined that materials associated with technical area 3, Buildings 16 and 18 (collectively known as TA-3-16) (Figure 1) do not meet the criteria for unrestricted release to the public under Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, Radiation Protection for the Public and the Environment (DOE 2020) and are to be treated as Low Level Waste (LLW). These conclusions are based on the known history of the building combined with radiation survey data collected in 2020 and 2021, and findings are consistent with DOE Order 458.1 and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Functional Series Document EPC-ES-FSD-004, Environmental Radiation Protection (LANL 2020a). Sampling and data analysis, as described in this report, were sufficient to meet measurement quality objectives under the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment (MARSAME) manual (MARSAME 2000) and LANL procedures (LANL 2020b). Final approvals for waste disposition will come from LANL’s Waste Management Program.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Annual Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2020. Final Report

The U.S. Department of Energy requires that all its site facilities develop an annual site environmental report to comply with DOE Order 231.1B, Chg 1, and DOE Order 458.1, Admin Chg 4. This report provides a synopsis of calendar year 2020 information related to environmental management performance and compliance efforts at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. It summarizes site compliance with federal, state, and local environmental laws, regulations, policies, directives, permits, and Orders, and provides environmental management performance benchmarks and their status to the public, regulatory agencies, community officials, Native American tribes, and public interest groups.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC Site 300 Facility ID N-472 Toxics Emissions Inventory Plan for AB 2588 California Air Toxics "Hot Spots" Information and Assessment Act of 1987

The Air Toxics "Hot Spots" Information and Assessment Act (AB 2588 or the “Act”) was enacted in September 1987. Under the Act, stationary sources are required to report the types and quantities of certain toxic substances their facilities routinely release into the air. AB 2588 is designed to provide information to state and local agencies and to the general public on the extent of airborne emissions from stationary sources and the potential public health impacts of those emissions. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (the District) is mandated by the State to implement AB 2588.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

There's No Place Like Home: Residential Parking, Electrical Access, and Implications for the Future of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

In March 2021, the cumulative sale of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEV), reached 1.8 million in the United States (Argonne National Laboratory 2021). However, PEV adoption is still in its infancy; its market share has just reached around 3% of new light-duty vehicle (LDV) sales by the end of 2020 (Alliance for Automotive Innovation 2021). Current trends suggest that PEV market share in the United States is increasing. The U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA's) 2020 Annual Energy Outlook forecasts PEV registrations to exceed 8 million vehicles by 2030 (AEO 2020). PEV adoption is expected to be led by states that are regulating the sale of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) (California Air Resources Board). California continues to push for more aggressive ZEV regulations; the state recently issued an executive order aimed at 100% of LDV sales being ZEVs by 2035 (Office of Governor Newsom). At the federal level, the Biden administration has shown great ambition in encouraging broader electric vehicle (EV) adoption, including setting the goal of installing 500,000 new chargers nationwide (The White House 2021). Access to charging infrastructure is consistently cited as one of the primary barriers to the increased sale of PHEVs and BEVs (Carley et al. 2019). In the United States, PEV charging options are often described using a pyramid structure, with residential charging as the foundation, workplace charging in the middle, and public charging on top (Figure 1). The existing electricity system, which generates, transmits, and distributes electric fuel to residential households, has helped PEVs partially overcome the "chicken and egg" conundrum that has haunted other alternative fuels. Viable home access to electric charging is also an important equity issue, because non-residential PEV charging options (e.g., workplace or public charging stations) are generally more expensive. Households without residential charging access may experience higher total cost of PEV ownership if non-residential charging options are more costly.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

MARSAME Radiological Release Report TA-50, TRU Liquid Waste Construction Soil

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship (EPC-ES) has determined that the soil associated with Technical Area 50 (TA-50), Transuranic (TRU) Liquid Waste construction project (TLW) meets the criteria for unrestricted release to the public under Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, Radiation Protection for the Public and the Environment (DOE 2020, NNSA 2021). This conclusion is based on the known history of the area combined with soil sample data collected in 2021; the findings are consistent with DOE Order 458.1 and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Functional Series Document EPC ES-FSD-004, Environmental Radiation Protection (LANL 2020a). Sampling and data analysis, as described in this report, were sufficient to meet measurement quality objectives under the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment (MARSAME) manual (MARSAME 2000) and LANL procedures (LANL 2020b). Final approvals for waste disposition will come from LANL’s Waste Management Program. The scope of this final release report includes the TLW construction site soil located south of TA-50, Building 001.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Elimination of Class-9 Hazards in Lithium-ion Recycling (Final Report)

The objective of this project was based upon the FOA request to demonstrate replication of results of the innovation to different locations. The project demonstrated battery deactivation innovations on different battery formats, chemistries, and within various industrial settings. The successful deactivation process was demonstrated on mainstream applications as well as safety-outliers, such as batteries that may have a residual charge. Success of deactivation was shown through repeated observations that various treated batteries do not exhibit thermal runaway with exposure to excessive heating or nail penetration. Deactivation processing was successfully demonstrated on batteries from private industry, public transit authorities, and military formats accessed with support of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). Third party analysis of deactivated batteries is ongoing through use of voucher programs available through OnTo’s Made in America Phase II Battery Recycling Prize, and OnTo’s CalTestBed award; these activities support the future special permit or declassification of deactivation treated material that has a firm foundation in results from this project. The project demonstrated the potential for a service business to perform the activities of electrolyte removal and reactivity elimination from large electric vehicle batteries in a relevant environment such as a battery testing and repackaging, or public-transit electric bus service shop. This successful project provided the first description, demonstration, and basis to teach quality control and assurance of successful battery deactivation.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Report on Mowry Shale Thermal Maturity Mapping in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming

The Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute (EORI) has completed a map of thermal maturity of the Mowry Shale in the Powder River Basin (PRB). Thermal maturity, the degree to which the total organic carbon in a formation has been transformed from kerogen to producible hydrocarbons due to heat and pressure, is an important measure for not just the quality of a source rock, but also helps for delineating areas more favorable for unconventional drilling. There is a dearth of published Mowry maturity maps available for the PRB and this publication endeavors to provide a detailed map based on a large, public data set covering the Wyoming portion of the PRB. Additional data, currently held confidential by operators in the basin, would be of benefit to future iterations of this map.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Coherent light propagation through variable-density gas domain

This document releases calculations on beam propagation through a turbulent gas domain to our collaborators at UCSD with an ultimate intent to become part of a scientific publication. Therefore, we are releasing this document for general public.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Autonomous Ride-Share Fleet to Reduce Traffic Congestion for Suburban Commuters

As urbanization progresses in areas across the United States, traffic is worsening as more personal vehicles are required to ferry suburban commuters between home and work. Many suburban commuters would prefer public transportation over driving a personal vehicle to use their commute time more efficiently, but existing infrastructure can make conventional public transit inconvenient or impossible. There is a need for a wide-spread system that can safely, conveniently, and cost-effectively transport suburban commuters to and from work. This will decrease congestion on roads, allowing suburban areas to continue growing in population without dramatically increasing commute times. The customer (suburban commuters) needs a system that enables them to commute to and from work more efficiently. This efficiency can be thought of as both the total time spent commuting, as well as the quality of that time spent commuting. The “quality” of the time is subjective, but in general is a metric of the ability of the commuter to focus on things other than traveling during the commute process. The new system should decrease the total time commuting, but increase the quality of the commute time. Collectively Americans spend a total of 55.2 minutes per day commuting, up from 43.4 minutes per day in 1980. Additionally, as of 2013, 76% of Americans get to work by driving alone, up from 64% in 19803. The 40-hour work-week was established in the U.S in 1940 and has not changed since. The result is that Americans spend an increasing amount of time commuting and at a lower quality, but the standard work week has not changed. This decreases the amount of time adults in the U.S have for leisure, friends, and family. A system solution has the potential to improve this, particularly with the advent of new and future technologies. This system is picked specifically for suburban commuters, as they have the highest potential to be helped.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Developing Generic Prior Distributions for Common Cause Failure Alpha Factors and Causal Alpha Factors

This report is a revision of the original report, INL/LTD-17-43723. Distribution of the original report was to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) only, and the report was not made available to the public. The original report was revised as this report for public distribution. This report presents the latest update of generic prior distributions for common cause failure (CCF) alpha factors, as well as the development of new generic prior distributions for CCF causal alpha factors. The history of CCF treatment and parameter estimations is reviewed. The existing process for developing generic prior distributions is reviewed and used to develop new priors for CCF alpha factors and causal alpha factors. For causal alpha factors, different priors are developed for the five different CCF cause groups: Component (GC), Design (GD), Environment (GE), Human (GH), and Other (GO). These generic prior distributions could be used in the Standardized Plant Analysis Risk (SPAR) models for CCF parameter estimation. The issues and preliminary thoughts regarding prior distribution development are documented. Potential future work is then proposed for improving the process of developing priors.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Feasibility Study of Developing Alternative Common-Cause Failure Model for Event Assessment

This report is a revision of the original report, INL/LTD-14-33376. The original report, which was a limited distribution to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) only and not available to the public, was revised as this report for public distribution. The report presents the feasibility study of alternative common-cause failure (CCF) models that could be used for event assessment in the Standardized Plant Analysis Risk (SPAR) models. The current CCF model used by the SPAR models is the alpha factor model. The proposed alternative CCF models are the partial alpha factor model and general dependency model. These alternative CCF models are reviewed and compared to the current alpha factor model, with the partial alpha factor model being identified as the preferred CCF model that could be used for event assessment in the SPAR models.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Characteristics of U.S. Energy Production using Nuclear Fission

When considering potential energy production technologies for the future, a critical consideration centers on the question of “how green” the technology is. Here, the word “green” implies that the technology has a zero or minimal impact on the public and environment while still providing benefits by way of electricity, heat, and other products such as hydrogen and water. And, these potential impacts must be considered over the lifecycle of the technology deployment, from design, construction, operation, and disposition. Ideally, a green energy technology would be net-zero (i.e., having no to almost negligible contribution) on five key elements: 1. Greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases such as ozone-depleting gases 2. Water consumption 3. Material resource consumption 4. Disposition of wastes 5. Public, flora, and fauna safety including deaths, health, and environmental impacts. Society would benefit from net-zero impacts of the five elements above while having low-cost energy. As society starts to replace fossil fuels in the energy mix, we need to consider the possible impacts of adopted technologies. We need a production approach that provides large quantities of energy while being safe, reliable, economical, and sustainable. In this report, we describe a variety of characteristics related to the five elements above to provide a fact-supported, science-based depiction of nuclear fission as an energy providing technology. By better understanding how fission power is nearly net-zero in the five elements above, we can position our thinking to align with the overarching goal to provide society with a low-impact energy source.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Workflows Community Summit: Tightening the Integration between Computing Facilities and Scientific Workflows

Scientific workflows are used almost universally across science domains for solving complex and largescale computing and data analysis problems. The importance of workflows is highlighted by the fact that they have underpinned some of the most significant discoveries of the past decades. Many of these workflows have significant computational, storage, and communication demands, and thus must execute on a range of large-scale computer systems, from local clusters to public clouds and upcoming exascale HPC platforms. Managing these executions is often a significant undertaking, requiring a sophisticated and versatile software infrastructure. Historically, infrastructures for workflow execution consisted of complex, integrated systems, developed in-house by workflow practitioners with strong dependencies on a range of legacy technologies—even including sets of ad hoc scripts. Due to the increasing need to support workflows, dedicated workflow systems were developed to provide abstractions for creating, executing, and adapting workflows conveniently and efficiently while ensuring portability. While these efforts are all worthwhile individually, there are now hundreds of independent workflow systems. These workflow systems are created and used by thousands of researchers and developers, leading to a rapidly growing corpus of workflows research publications. The resulting workflow system technology landscape is fragmented, which may present significant barriers for future workflow users due to many seemingly comparable, yet usually mutually incompatible, systems that exist. In order to tackle some of the challenges described above, the DOE-funded ExaWorks and NSF-funded WorkflowsRI projects have organized in 2021 a series of events entitled the “Workflows Community Summit”. The third edition of the “Workflows Community Summit” explored workflows challenges and opportunities from the perspective of computing centers and facilities. This third summit builds on two prior summits (https://workflowsri.org/summits) that (i) established a high level vision for workflows research; and (ii) explored technical approaches for realizing that vision. The third summit brought together a small group of facilities representatives with the aim to understand how workflows are currently being used at each facility, how facilities would like to interact with workflow developers and users, how workflows fit with facility roadmaps, and what opportunities there are for tighter integration between facilities and workflows. This report documents and organizes the wealth of information provided by the participants before, during, and after the summit.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Status Report on FY2022 Model Development within the Integrated Energy Systems HYBRID Repository

This publication details newly created energy storage models developed within the HYBRID Modelica repository as part of the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Integrated Energy Systems (IES) program, led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Model development to-date includes creation of dynamic systems-level models of a pebble bed high temperature gas reactor (HTGR), liquid air energy storage (LAES), and compressed air energy storage (CAES) in the IES-based HYBRID repository. Models are developed using the latest publicly available data and incorporate the possibility of control strategy inclusion for use with the existing IES modeling, analysis, and optimization toolset. Simulations showcase the abilities of each technology to flexibly operate in ways consistent with IES operation expectations. When these models are available, they can be utilized within different integrated energy park concepts to understand optimal system operation, control, and dispatching. Moreover, given the generic nature of the models, industrial partner technologies can be quickly added to the repository using the existing models as a basis. Additional dynamic models for thermal energy storage concepts can be developed and added to the HYBRID repository as needed.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

End-Use Load Profiles for the U.S. Building Stock: Methodology and Results of Model Calibration, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification

The United States is embarking on an ambitious transition to a 100% clean energy economy by 2050, which will require improving the flexibility of electric grids. One way to achieve grid flexibility is to shed or shift demand to align with changing grid needs. To facilitate this, it is critical to understand how and when energy is used. High- quality end-use load profiles (EULPs) provide this information, and can help cities, states, and utilities understand the time-sensitive value of energy efficiency, demand response, and distributed energy resources. Publicly available EULPs have traditionally had limited application because of age and incomplete geographic representation (Frick, Eckman, and Goldman 2017; Frick 2019). To help fill this gap, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded a three-year project - End-Use Load Profiles for the U.S. Building Stock - that culminated in the release of a publicly available dataset1 of simulated EULPs representing residential and commercial buildings across the contiguous United States. The motivation for this work is further detailed in a November 2019 report: Market Needs, Use Cases, and Data Gaps (Mims Frick et al. 2019). This Methodology and Results report provides detailed descriptions of how the dataset was developed, intended for an audience of dataset and model users interested in the technical details. These details include descriptions of all of the model improvements made for calibration and the final comparisons to empirical data sources. A companion report, End-Use Load Profiles for the U.S. Building Stock: Applications and Opportunities, will be published subsequently and will describe example applications and considerations for using the dataset, intended for an audience of general dataset users.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗