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At least 1,045 records · Page 58

2015 South Carolina PV soft cost and workforce development Part I. Initial survey results

The South Carolina solar industry has surged over the past two years, largely due to the implementation of Act 236, and continues to grow at a rapid pace. At the beginning of 2014, there was little more than 3MW total spread across the state, but by the end of 2021, that state solar industry will have grown to over 300MW across all sectors. Prior to this study, there has been little publically available information on the solar industry in SC and throughout the Southeastern US. This makes SC a key case study of an emerging market, enabling the development of regional best practices in order to decrease associated costs and increase deployment.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

After Action Report - Kazakhstan NSDD July 2015

On Monday 20 July, Caterina Fox, Ruth Kips and Kim Knight were invited to participate in Kazakhstan's nuclear material inventory management working group meeting coordinated by Alexander Vasilliev as nuclear forensics subject matter experts. The meeting included participants from Kazakhstan's nuclear regulatory agency (CAESC, the Committee on Atomic and Energetic Supervision and Control) and 3 institutes 1. Institute of Nuclear Physics, INP (Almaty), 2. National Nuclear Center, NNC (Kurchatov), and 3. Ulba Metallurgical Plant, UMP (Oskemen). CAESC requested attendance of an MC&A expert, an IT Specialist, and a Physical Security Specialist from each site. The general meeting concerned considerations for creating unified or compatible systems for nuclear material inventory management. NSDD representatives provided an overview of nuclear forensics and presented considerations for developments of inventory management that might be synergistic with future consideration of development of a National Nuclear Forensics Library to support nuclear forensics investigations.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

Predictive Engineering Tools for Injection-Molded Long-Carbon-Fiber Thermoplastic Composites (Fourth FY 2015 Quarterly Report)

The objective of this project is to advance predictive engineering (PE) tools to accurately predict fiber orientation and length distributions in injection-molded long-carbon fiber thermoplastic composites for optimum design of automotive structures using these materials to meet weight and cost reduction requirements defined in Table 2 of DE-FOA-0000648 (Area of Interest 1).

42 ENGINEERING↗

Clean Energy Manufacturing Analysis Center. 2015 Research Highlights -- Carbon Fiber

CEMAC has conducted four major studies on the manufacturing of clean energy technologies. Three of these focused on the end product: solar photovoltaic modules, wind turbines, and automotive lithium-ion batteries. The fourth area focused on a key material for manufacturing clean energy technologies, carbon fiber.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

2015 Fermilab Laboratory Directed Research & Development Program Plan

Fermilab is executing Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) as outlined by order DOE O 413.2B in order to enhance and realize the mission of the laboratory in a manner that also supports the laboratory’s strategic objectives and the mission of the Department of Energy. LDRD funds enable scientific creativity, allow for exploration of “high risk, high payoff” research, and allow for the demonstration of new ideas, technical concepts, and devices. LDRD also has an objective of maintaining and enhancing the scientific and technical vitality of Fermilab.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

2015 Groundwater Monitoring Report Project Shoal Area: Subsurface Correction Unit 447

The Project Shoal Area in Nevada was the site of a 12-kiloton-yield underground nuclear test in 1963. Although the surface of the site has been remediated, investigation of groundwater contamination resulting from the test is still in the corrective action process. Annual sampling and hydraulic head monitoring are conducted at the site as part of the subsurface corrective action strategy. The corrective action strategy is currently focused on revising the site conceptual model (SCM) and evaluating the adequacy of the monitoring well network. Some aspects of the SCM are known; however, two major concerns are the uncertainty in the groundwater flow direction and the cause of rising water levels in site wells west of the shear zone. Water levels have been rising in the site wells west of the shear zone since the first hydrologic characterization wells were installed in 1996. Although water levels in wells west of the shear zone continue to rise, the rate of increase is less than in previous years. The SCM will be revised, and an evaluation of the groundwater monitoring network will be conducted when water levels at the site have stabilized to the agreement of both the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Mercury Remediation Technology Development for Lower East Fork Poplar Creek - FY 2015 Progress Report

Mercury remediation is a high priority for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) because of large historical losses of mercury within buildings and to soils and surface waters at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). Because of the extent of mercury losses and the complexities of mercury transport and fate in the downstream environment, the success of conventional options for mercury remediation in lower East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) is uncertain. A phased, adaptive management approach to remediation of surface water includes mercury treatment actions at Y-12 in the short-term and research and technology development (TD) to evaluate longer-term solutions in the downstream environment (US Department of Energy 2014b).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

2015 Vehicle Technologies Market Report

This is the seventh edition of the Vehicle Technologies Market Report, which details the major trends in U.S. light-duty vehicle and medium/heavy truck markets as well as the underlying trends that caused them. This report is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy s (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), and, in accord with its mission, pays special attention to the progress of high-efficiency and alternative-fuel technologies. After opening with a discussion of energy and economics, this report features a section each on the light-duty vehicle and heavy/medium truck markets, and concluding with a section each on technology and policy. The first section on Energy and Economics discusses the role of transportation energy and vehicle markets on a national (and even international) scale. For example, Figures 12 through 14 discuss the connections between global oil prices and U.S. GDP, and Figures 22 and 23 show U.S. employment in the automotive sector. The following section examines Light-Duty Vehicle use, markets, manufacture, and supply chains. Figures 27 through 63 offer snapshots of major light-duty vehicle brands in the United States and Figures 70 through 81 examine the performance and efficiency characteristics of vehicles sold. The discussion of Medium and Heavy Trucks offers information on truck sales (Figures 90 through 94) and fuel use (Figures 97 through 100). The Technology section offers information on alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure (Figures 105 through 118), and the Policy section concludes with information on recent, current, and near-future Federal policies like the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard (Figures 130 through 137). In total, the information contained in this report is intended to communicate a fairly complete understanding of U.S. highway transportation energy through a series of easily digestible nuggets. Suggestions for future expansion, additional information, or other improvements are most welcome.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

NESHAP Annual Report for CY 2015 Sandia National Laboratories Tonopah Test Range

This National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) Annual Report has been prepared in a format to comply with the reporting requirements of 40 CFR 61.94 and the April 5, 1995 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the EPA approved NESHAP Monitoring Plan for the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), 40 CFR 61, subpart H, and the MOA, no additional monitoring or measurements are required at TTR in order to demonstrate compliance with the NESHAP regulation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

LLNL NESHAPs 2015 Annual Report - June 2016

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC operates facilities at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in which radionuclides are handled and stored. These facilities are subject to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) in Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 40, Part 61, Subpart H, which regulates radionuclide emissions to air from Department of Energy (DOE) facilities. Specifically, NESHAPs limits the emission of radionuclides to the ambient air to levels resulting in an annual effective dose equivalent of 10 mrem (100 μSv) to any member of the public. Using measured and calculated emissions, and building-specific and common parameters, LLNL personnel applied the EPA-approved computer code, CAP88-PC, Version 4.0.1.17, to calculate the dose to the maximally exposed individual member of the public for the Livermore Site and Site 300.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

INL DPAH STAAR 2015 Annual Report

Research conducted at the INL has demonstrated the synergistic extraction of americium using solvents comprised of bis(o,o-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) dithiophosphinic acid (DPAH “1”) and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO), butyl bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) phosphinate (BuCy272), or dibutyl butylphosphonate (DBBP). One potential drawback of this separations scheme is that soft metals such as silver, cadmium, or palladium and fission products such as zirconium are well extracted by these solvents. Several potential scrubbing reagents were examined. Of the scrubbing reagents studied, cysteine and methione exhibited some ability to scrub soft metals from the loaded solvent. More conventional scrub reagents such as ammonium fluoride or oxalic acid were not effective. Reagents like Bimet and CDTA were not soluble at the acidities used in these studies. Unfortunately, these results indicate that the identification of effective scrubbing reagents for use in a flowsheet based upon the INL DPAH is going to be very difficult.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Advanced Fuels Campaign FY 2015 Accomplishments Report

The mission of the Advanced Fuels Campaign (AFC) is to perform research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities for advanced fuel forms (including cladding) to enhance the performance and safety of the nation’s current and future reactors; enhance proliferation resistance of nuclear fuel; effectively utilize nuclear energy resources; and address the longer-term waste management challenges. This report is a compilation of technical accomplishment summaries for FY-15. Emphasis is on advanced accident-tolerant LWR fuel systems, advanced transmutation fuels technologies, and capability development.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

On the Use of Coupled Wind, Wave, and Current Fields in the Simulation of Loads on Bottom-Supported Offshore Wind Turbines during Hurricanes: March 2012 - September 2015

In the United States, potential offshore wind plant sites have been identified along the Atlantic seaboard and in the Gulf of Mexico. It is imperative that we define external conditions associated with hurricanes and severe winter storms and consider load cases for which wind turbines may need to be designed. We selected two hurricanes, Ike (2008) and Sandy (2012), and investigated the effect these tropical storms would have on bottom-supported offshore wind turbines that were hypothetically in or close to their path as they made landfall. For realistic turbine loads assessment, it is important that the coupled influences of the changing wind, wave, and current fields are simulated throughout the evolution of the hurricanes. We employed a coupled model--specifically, the University of Miami Coupled Model (UMCM)--that integrates atmospheric, wave, and ocean components to produce needed wind, wave, and current data. The wind data are used to generate appropriate vertical wind profiles and full wind velocity fields including turbulence; the current field over the water column is obtained by interpolated discrete output current data; and short-crested irregular second-order waves are simulated using output directional wave spectra from the coupled model. We studied two monopile-supported offshore wind turbines sited in 20 meters of water in the Gulf of Mexico to estimate loads during Hurricane Ike, and a jacket space-frame platform-supported offshore wind turbine sited in 50 meters of water in the mid-Atlantic region to estimate loads during Hurricane Sandy. In this report we discuss in detail how the simulated hurricane wind, wave, and current output data are used in turbine loads studies. In addition, important characteristics of the external conditions are studied, including the relative importance of swell versus wind seas, aerodynamic versus hydrodynamic forces, current velocity effects, yaw control options for the turbine, hydrodynamic drag versus inertia forces, and soil-structure interaction effects. A detailed framework is presented that explains how coupled inputs can be included in turbine loads studies during a hurricane. This framework can aid in future efforts aimed at developing offshore wind turbine design criteria and load cases related to hurricanes.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

2015 Progress Report/July 2016: Iron Oxide Redox Transformation Pathways: The Bulk Electrical Conduction Mechanism

Despite decades of research on the reactivity and stable isotope properties of Fe oxides, the ability to describe the redox behavior of Fe oxides in the environment is still quite limited. This is due, in large part, to the analytical and spatial complexities associated with studying microscopic processes at the Fe oxide-water interface. This project had the long-term vision of filling this gap by developing a detailed understanding of the relationship between interfacial ET processes, surface structure and charge, and mineral semiconducting properties. We focused on the Fe(III)-oxides and oxyhydroxides because of their geochemical preponderance, versatility in synthesis of compositionally, structurally, and morphologically tailored phases, and because they are amenable to a wide range of surface and bulk properties characterization. In particular, reductive transformation of phases such as hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) and goethite (α-FeOOH) in aqueous solution can serve as excellent model systems for studies of electron conduction processes, as well as provide valuable insights into effect of nanoscale conductive materials on contaminant fate at DOE sites. More specifically, the goal of the Iowa component of this project was to use stable Fe isotope measurements to simultaneously measure isotope specific oxidation states and concentrations of Fe at the hematite-water and goethite-water interface. This work builds on our previous work where we used an innovative combination of 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and high precision isotope ratio measurements (MC-ICP-MS) to probe the dynamics of the reaction of aqueous Fe(II) with goethite. Mössbauer spectroscopy detects 57 Fe only among all other Fe isotopes and we have capitalized on this to spectroscopically demonstrate Fe(II)-Fe(III) electron transfer between sorbed Fe(II) and Fe(III) oxides (Handler, et al., 2009; Gorski, et al. 2010; Rosso et al., 2010). By combining the Mössbauer spectroscopy and stable isotopes measurements, we have been able to simultaneously track the oxidation state and isotope concentration of the bulk Fe oxide and aqueous Fe. One of our most compelling findings is that despite the apparent stability of the Fe(II)-goethite system, there is actually a tremendous amount of Fe atom cycling occurring between the aqueous phase and the bulk goethite as indicated by the isotopic composition of both phases approaching the mass balance average (Handler et al., 2009). How such extensive re-crystallization and Fe atom exchange can occur with no significant morphological change is a fascinating question. Based on previous work from PI Rosso’s group showing that a potential gradient across hematite crystal faces leads to conduction through hematite and growth and dissolution at separate crystal faces we proposed that a redox-driven recrystallization could be occurring that would explain the extensive mixing observed with the isotope data. From our previous studies utilizing Mössbauer spectroscopy, we know that sorption of Fe(II) onto goethite results in electron transfer between the sorbed Fe(II) and the structural Fe(III) in goethite. Oxidation of the sorbed Fe(II) produces growth of goethite on goethite (i.e., homoepitaxy), as well as injection of an electron into goethite. It is possible that electron transfer from sorbed Fe(II) occurs across a potential gradient, and that Fe(II) atoms are dissolved at a different location on the goethite surface. These newly-reduced Fe(II) atoms could then dissolve into the aqueous phase, exposing fresh Fe(III) goethite to the aqueous phase. Through a repeated series of these five steps of sorption–electron transfer–crystal growth–conduction– dissolution, a redox-driven conveyor belt, could be established that would allow all of the goethite to be eventually exposed to the aqueous phase and exchanged. This surface-mediated recrystallization process would result in similar Fe isotope distributions in the aqueous phase and goethite particle, as we have observed here. It would also result in a stable aqueous Fe(II) concentration, if there were equal rates of goethite growth and dissolution.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

FY-2015 FES (Fusion and Energy Sciences) Joint Research Target: Final Report for the Period October 1st, 2014, through September 30th, 2015

Annual JRT-15 Target: Conduct experiments and analysis to quantify the impact of broadened current and pressure profiles on tokamak plasma confinement and stability. Broadened pressure profiles generally improve global stability but can also affect transport and confinement, while broadened current profiles can have both beneficial and adverse impacts on confinement and stability. This research will examine a variety of heating and current drive techniques in order to validate theoretical models of both the actuator performance and the transport and global stability response to varied heating and current drive deposition.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗