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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 1,045 records · Page 58
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

The Cementitious Barriers Partnership (CBP) Software Toolbox Capabilities in Assessing the Degradation of Cementitious Barriers - 13487

The Cementitious Barriers Partnership (CBP) Project is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional collaboration supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE) Office of Tank Waste and Nuclear Materials Management. The CBP program has developed a set of integrated tools (based on state-of-the-art models and leaching test methods) that help improve understanding and predictions of the long-term structural, hydraulic and chemical performance of cementitious barriers used in nuclear applications. Tools selected for and developed under this program have been used to evaluate and predict the behavior of cementitious barriers used in near-surface engineered waste disposal systems for periods of performance up to 100 years and longer for operating facilities and longer than 1000 years for waste disposal. The CBP Software Toolbox has produced tangible benefits to the DOE Performance Assessment (PA) community. A review of prior DOE PAs has provided a list of potential opportunities for improving cementitious barrier performance predictions through the use of the CBP software tools. These opportunities include: 1) impact of atmospheric exposure to concrete and grout before closure, such as accelerated slag and Tc-99 oxidation, 2) prediction of changes in K{sub d}/mobility as a function of time that result from changing pH and redox conditions, 3) concrete degradation from rebar corrosion due to carbonation, 4) early age cracking from drying and/or thermal shrinkage and 5) degradation due to sulfate attack. The CBP has already had opportunity to provide near-term, tangible support to ongoing DOE-EM PAs such as the Savannah River Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF) by providing a sulfate attack analysis that predicts the extent and damage that sulfate ingress will have on the concrete vaults over extended time (i.e., > 1000 years). This analysis is one of the many technical opportunities in cementitious barrier performance that can be addressed by the DOE-EM sponsored CBP software tools. Modification of the existing tools can provide many opportunities to bring defense in depth in prediction of the performance of cementitious barriers over time. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Aqueous Degradation in Harvested Medium Voltage Cables in Nuclear Power Plants

For medium voltage (MV) power cables with voltages between 5 and 35 kV that provide power to emergency and safety support systems in nuclear power plants (NPPs), degradation and failure of cables due to water exposure has occurred. Systematic studies of current NPP MV cable systems are being carried out to determine and characterize cable-aging mechanisms and provide greater accuracy to models being developed to predict MV cable field performance to support existing cable aging management and monitoring programs. To validate models based on representative laboratory specimens, samples from harvested MV cable systems are being subjected to accelerated aging and degradation from humid conditions and submergence. Degradation will be characterized via partial discharge and voltage endurance testing of the cable and induced water tree growth in insulation. The technical approach to be used for the testing harvested MV cable samples is presented.

Duckworth, Robert↗
DOE OSTI2017

Observed Changes in As-Fabricated U-10Mo Monolithic Fuel Microstructures After Irradiation in the Advanced Test Reactor

A low-enriched uranium U-10Mo monolithic nuclear fuel is being developed by the Material Management and Minimization Program, earlier known as the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors Program, for utilization in research and test reactors around the world that currently use high-en-riched uranium fuels. As part of this program, reactor experiments are being performed in the Advanced Test Reactor. It must be demonstrated that this fuel type exhibits mechanical integrity, geometric stability, and pre-dictable behavior to high powers and high fission densities in order for it to be a viable fuel for qualification. This paper provides an overview of the microstructures observed at different regions of interest in fuel plates before and after irradiation for fuel samples that have been tested. These fuel plates were fabricated using laboratory-scale fabrication methods. Observations regarding how microstructural changes during irradiation may impact fuel performance are discussed.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Sustainable network design for multi-purpose pellet processing depots under biomass supply uncertainty

This work develops a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming model to manage multi- purpose pellet processing depots under feedstock supply uncertainty. The proposed optimization model would help to minimize cost and to mitigate emissions from the supply chain network. We consider three alternative Biomass Processing and Densi cation Depot (BPDD) technologies; namely, conventional pellet processing, high moisture pellet processing, and ammonia ber expansion. These three technologies pre-process/pre-treat and densify different types of biomass into more highly densi ed intermediate products for different markets in order to improve movability and overall supply network performance in terms of costs and emissions. A hybrid decomposition algorithm was developed that combines sample average approximation with an enhanced Progressive Hedging (PH) algorithm to solve this challenging NP -hard problem. Some heuristics such as Rolling Horizon (RH) heuristic, variable xing technique were later applied to further enhance the PH algorithm. Mississippi and Alabama were selected as a testing ground and ArcGIS was employed to visualize and validate the modeling results. The results of the analysis reveal promising insights that could lead to recommendations to help decision makers achieve a more cost-effective environmentally-friendly supply chain network.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Monitoring: The missing piece

The U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 heralded in an era of more robust attention to environmental impacts resulting from larger scale federal projects. The number of other countries that have adopted NEPA's framework is evidence of the appeal of this type of environmental legislation. Mandates to review environmental impacts, identify alternatives, and provide mitigation plans before commencement of the project are at the heart of NEPA. Such project reviews have resulted in the development of a vast number of reports and large volumes of project-specific data that potentially can be used to better understand the components and processes of the natural environment and provide guidance for improved and efficient environmental protection. However, the environmental assessment (EA) or the more robust and intensive environmental impact statement (EIS) that are required for most major projects more frequently than not are developed to satisfy the procedural aspects of the NEPA legislation while they fail to provide the needed guidance for improved decision-making. While NEPA legislation recommends monitoring of project activities, this activity is not mandated, and in those situations where it has been incorporated, the monitoring showed that the EIS was inaccurate in direction and/or magnitude of the impact. Many reviews of NEPA have suggested that monitoring all project phases, from the design through the decommissioning, should be incorporated. Information gathered though a well-developed monitoring program can be managed in databases and benefit not only the specific project but would provide guidance how to better design and implement future activities designed to protect and enhance the natural environment. -- Highlights: • NEPA statutes created profound environmental protection legislative framework. • Contrary to intent, NEPA does not provide for definitive project monitoring. • Robust project monitoring is essential for enhanced environmental management. • Adaptive database framework is needed to accommodate project-monitoring data.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Pore growth in U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel

U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel is currently under development in the DOE’s Material Management and Minimization program to convert HEU-fueled research reactors to LEU-fueled reactors. In some demanding conditions in high-power and high-performance reactors, large pores form in the interaction layers between the U-Mo fuel particles and the Al matrix, which pose a potential to cause fuel failure. In this study, comprehension of the formation and growth of these pores was explored. As a product, a model to predict pore growth and porosity increase was developed. Well-characterized in-pile data from reduced-size plates were used to fit the model parameters. A data set of full-sized plates, independent and distinctively different from those used to fit the model parameters, was used to examine the accuracy of the model.

in-pile data↗
DOE OSTI2016

Fabrication and testing of U–7Mo monolithic plate fuel with Zircaloy cladding

The Materials Management and Minimization program is developing fuel designs to replace highly enriched fuel with fuels of low enrichment. In the most challenging cases, U–(7–10wt%)Mo monolithic plate fuel are proposed. The chosen design includes aluminum-alloy cladding, which provides some challenges in fabrication and fuel/cladding interaction in service. We investigated zircaloy cladding, specifically Zry–4as an alternative cladding, and development of a fabrication method was performed by researchers with the Comisión Nacionalde Energia Atómica (CNEA) in Argentina, resulting in test fuel plates (Zry–4 clad U–7Mo) which were subsequently tested in the Advanced Test Reactor in Idaho. Because Zry–4 and U–(7–10)Mo have similar high-temperature mechanical properties, fabrication was simplified in that the fuel foil and cladding could be co-rolled and bonded. The challenge was to prevent a thermal-expansion mismatch which could destroy the fuel/cladding bond before complete bonding was achieved; the solution was to prevent the composites from cooling significantly between roll passes. Our final product performed very well in-reactor, showing good bonding, very little fuel/cladding interaction, either from fabrication or in-reactor testing, and little swelling, especially no detectable heterogeneous bubble formation at the fuel/cladding interface tested to a fission density of up to 2.54E+21

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Detailed measurements of local thickness changes for U-7Mo dispersion fuel plates with Al-3.5Si matrix after irradiation at different powers in the RERTR-9B experiment

The Materials Management and Minimization program is developing fuel designs to replace highly enriched fuel with fuels of low enrichment. Swelling is an important irradiation behavior that needs to be well understood. Data from high resolution thickness measurements performed on U-7Mo dispersion fuel plates with Al-Si alloy matrices that were irradiated at high power is sparse. This paper reports the results of detailed thickness measurements performed on two dispersion fuel plates that were irradiated at relatively high power to high fission densities in the Advanced Test Reactor in the same RERTR-9B experiment. Both plates were irradiated to similar fission densities, but one was irradiated at a higher power than the other. The goal of this work is to identify any differences in the swelling behavior when fuel plates are irradiated at different powers to the same fission densities. Based on the results of detailed thickness measurments, more swelling occurs when a U-7Mo dispersion fuel with Al-3.5Si matrix is irradiated to a high fission density at high power compared to one irradiated at a lower power to high fission density.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Nuclear security policy in the context of counter-terrorism in Cambodia

The risk of nuclear or dirty bomb attack by terrorists is one of the most urgent and threatening danger. The Cambodian national strategy to combat weapons of mass destruction (WMD) depicts a layered system of preventive measures ranging from securing materials at foreign sources to interdicting weapons or nuclear or other radioactive materials at ports, border crossings, and within the Cambodian institutions dealing with the nuclear security to manage the preventive programs. The aim of this study is to formulate guidance, to identify scenario of threat and risk, and to pinpoint necessary legal frameworks on nuclear security in the context of counterterrorism based on the International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear security series. The analysis of this study is guided by theoretical review, the review of international laws and politics, by identifying and interpreting applicable rules and norms establishing the nuclear security regime and how well enforcement of the regime is carried out and, what is the likelihood of the future reform might be. This study will examine the existing national legal frameworks of Cambodia in the context of counterterrorism to prevent acts of nuclear terrorism and the threat of a terrorist nuclear attack within the Cambodia territory. It will shed light on departmental lanes of national nuclear security responsibility, and provide a holistic perspective on the needs of additional resources and emphasis regarding nuclear security policy in the context of counterterrorism in Cambodia.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2017

The combined and separate impacts of climate extremes on the current and future US rainfed maize and soybean production under elevated CO 2

Heat and drought stresses are two emerging climatic threats to the US maize and soybean production, yet their impacts on yields are collectively determined by the magnitude of climate change and rising atmospheric CO2 concentration. Here we present a study that quantified the current and future yield responses of US rainfed maize and soybean to climate extremes, and for the first time characterized spatial shifts in the relative importance of temperature, heat and drought stress. Crop yields are simulated using the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM), driven by the high-resolution (12 km) Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model downscaled future climate scenarios at two time slices (1995-2005 and 2085-2094). Our results show that climatic yield gaps and interannual variability are greater in the core production area than in the remaining US by the late 21st century under both Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, and the magnitude of change is highly dependent on the current climate sensitivity and vulnerability. Elevated CO2 partially offsets the climatic yield gaps and reduces interannual yield variability, and effect is more prominent in soybean than in maize. We demonstrate that drought will continue to be the largest threat to US rainfed maize and soybean production, although its dominant role gradually gives way to other impacts of heat extremes. We also reveal that shifts in the geographic distributions of dominant stressors are characterized by increases in the concurrent stress, especially for the US Midwest. These findings imply the importance of considering drought and extreme heat simultaneously for future agronomic adaptation and mitigation strategies, particularly for breeding programs and crop management.

APSIM↗
DOE OSTI2015

UseLATEX.cmake

UseLATEX.cmake is a collection of script functions and examples for building LaTeX documents. It simplifies the process of building LaTeX documents, which requires the execution of multiple programs and the management of several input files. UseLATEX.cmake also provides several options to customize the LaTeX build process.

Moreland, Kenneth↗
DOE OSTI2015

Safety Design Strategy for the Remote Handled Low-Level Waste Disposal Project

In accordance with the requirements of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 413.3A, “Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets,” safety must be integrated into the design process for new or major modifications to DOE Hazard Category 1, 2, and 3 nuclear facilities. The intended purpose of this requirement involves the handling of hazardous materials, both radiological and chemical, in a way that provides adequate protection to the public, workers, and the environment. Requirements provided in DOE Order 413.3A and DOE Order 420.1C, “Facility Safety,” and the expectations of DOE-STD-1189-2008, “Integration of Safety into the Design Process,” provide for identification of hazards early in the project and use of an integrated team approach to design safety into the facility. This safety design strategy provides the basic safety-in-design principles and concepts that will be used for the Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste Disposal Project.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

Mitigation of Syngas Cooler Plugging and Fouling

This Final Report summarizes research performed to develop a technology to mitigate the plugging and fouling that occurs in the syngas cooler used in many Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plants. The syngas cooler is a firetube heat exchanger located downstream of the gasifier. It offers high thermal efficiency, but its’ reliability has generally been lower than other process equipment in the gasification island. The buildup of ash deposits that form on the fireside surfaces in the syngas cooler (i.e., fouling) lead to reduced equipment life and increased maintenance costs. Our approach to address this problem is that fouling of the syngas cooler cannot be eliminated, but it can be better managed. The research program was funded by DOE using two budget periods: Budget Period 1 (BP1) and Budget Period 2 (BP2). The project used a combination of laboratory scale experiments, analysis of syngas cooler deposits, modeling and guidance from industry to develop a better understanding of fouling mechanisms and to develop and evaluate strategies to mitigate syngas cooler fouling and thereby improve syngas cooler performance. The work effort in BP 1 and BP 2 focused on developing a better understanding of the mechanisms that lead to syngas cooler plugging and fouling and investigating promising concepts to mitigate syngas cooler plugging and fouling. The work effort focused on the following: • analysis of syngas cooler deposits and fuels provided by an IGCC plant collaborating with this project; • performing Jet cleaning tests in the University of Utah Laminar Entrained Flow Reactor to determine the bond strength between an ash deposit to a metal plate, as well as implementing planned equipment modifications to the University of Utah Laminar Entrained Flow Reactor and the one ton per day, pressurized Pilot Scale Gasifier; • performing Computational Fluid Dynamic modeling of industrially relevant syngas cooler configurations to develop a better understanding of deposit formation mechanisms; • performing Techno-Economic-Analysis for a representative IGCC plant to investigate the impact on plant economics, in particular the impacts on the Cost of Electricity (COE), due to plant shutdowns caused by syngas cooler plugging and fouling and potential benefits to plant economics of developing strategies to mitigate syngas cooler fouling; and • performing modeling and pilot scale tests to investigate the potential benefits of using a sorbent (fuel additive) to capture the vaporized metals that result in syngas cooler fouling. All project milestones for BP 1 and BP 2 were achieved. DOE was provided a briefing on our accomplishments in BP1 and BP2 and our proposed plans for Budget Period 3 (BP 3). Based on our research the mitigation technology selected to investigate in BP 3 was the use of a sorbent that can be injected into the gasifier with the fuel slurry to capture vaporized metals that lead to the deposit formation in the syngas cooler. The work effort proposed for BP 3 would have focused on addressing concerns raised by gasification industry personnel for the impacts on gasifier performance of sorbent injection, so that at the end of BP 3 the use of sorbent injection would be at “pre-commercial” stage and ready for use in a Field Demonstration that could be funded by industry or DOE. A Budget Continuation Application (BCA) was submitted to obtain funding for BP3 DOE but DOE chose to not fund the proposed BP3 effort.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2016

2014 Annual Site Environmental Report Summary Pamphlet for Sandia National Laboratories New Mexico.

This ASER Summary Pamphlet presents the environmental protection, restoration, and monitoring programs in place at SNL/NM during calendar year 2014. It also discusses Sandia’s compliance with environmental regulations, and it highlights significant environmental program efforts and accomplishments. The environmental programs and waste management activities at SNL/NM meet or exceed the requirements of federal, state, and local environmental regulations, as well as DOE directives in the contract between Sandia and DOE. This document, prepared in accordance with and as required by DOE Order 231.1B, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting, is a key component of DOE’s efforts to keep the public informed about environmental conditions throughout the DOE/NNSA nuclear weapons complex.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Long-Term Monitoring of Desert Land and Natural Resources and Application of Remote Sensing Technologies

Monitoring environmental impacts over large, remote desert regions for long periods of time can be very costly. Remote sensing technologies present a promising monitoring tool because they entail the collection of spatially contiguous data, automated processing, and streamlined data analysis. This report provides a summary of remote sensing products and refinement of remote sensing data interpretation methodologies that were generated as part of the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Solar Energy Program. In March 2015, a team of researchers from Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) collected field data of vegetation and surface types from more than 5,000 survey points within the eastern part of the Riverside East Solar Energy Zone (SEZ). Using the field data, remote sensing products that were generated in 2014 using very high spatial resolution (VHSR; 15 cm) multispectral aerial images were validated in order to evaluate potential refinements to the previous methodologies to improve the information extraction accuracy.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2016

TA-55 and Sigma Overview

These are slides from a facility overview presentation for visiting agencies to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The TA-55 Plutonium Facility (PF-4) is discussed in detail. PF-4 is a unique resource for US plutonium programs. The basic design is flexible and has adapted to changing national needs. It is a robust facility with strong safety and security implementation. It supports a variety of national programs. It will continue for many years into the future. Sigma is then discussed in detail, which handles everything from hydrogen to uranium. It has been in long term service to the Nation (nearly 60 years). It has a flexible authorization basis to handle almost the entire periodic table. It has a wide breadth of prototyping and characterization capabilities. It has integrated program and line management.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

GridAPPS-D Conceptual Design v1.0

The purpose of this document is to provide a conceptual design of the distribution system application development platform being developed for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) Program by the Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium project GM0063. The platform will be referred to as GridAPPS-D. This document provides a high level, conceptual view of the platform and provides related background and contextual information. This document is intended to both educate readers about the technical work of the project and to serve as a point of reference for the project team. The document will be updated as the project progresses.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Underground Test Area Calendar Year 2017 Quality Assurance Report Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

This report is required by the Underground Test Area (UGTA) Activity Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) (NNSA/NFO, 2015) and identifies the UGTA quality assurance (QA) activities for calendar year (CY) 2017 (January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017). UGTA organizations—U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) Nevada Program conduct QA activities throughout the CY. The activities include conducting oversight assessments (OAs) for UGTA Activity QAP compliance, identifying findings and completing corrective actions, evaluating laboratory performance, reviewing technical work, and publishing documents.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗