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DOE OSTI2021

Rotary Table Design for the Modular In-Chamber Electron Beam Welding System

The Modular In-Chamber Electron Beam Welding (MIC-EBW) system which is being designed and assembled under DOE Projects DE-NE0008846 (Phase 1--completed) and DE-NE0009039 (Phase 2—in progress) includes several major components: four modules (the lower vacuum module, electron beam module, a spacer module, and a lid), a robust rotary table, large vacuum pumps/system, electron beam welding system controls/power supply, and an electron beam generator/gun. Many of these components and their functions were described in the earlier EPRI-DOE report 3002018146. This report provides an overview of one of the primary components, the rotary table, that has been designed and will be manufactured by Rusach International in Phase 2 of the project.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Materials for Advanced Ultra-Supercritical (A-USC) Steam Turbines --- A-USC Component Demonstration

The U.S. Advanced Ultra-Supercritical (A-USC) Consortium was formed in 2001 as a government/industry program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO) and cost shared by industrial and not-for-profit partners. The purpose of the consortium was to advance the state of the art for power generation by evaluating and developing materials that allow the use of advanced steam cycles in coal-based power plants. These advanced cycles, with steam temperatures up to 1400°F (760°C), can increase the efficiency of coal-fired boilers from an average of 35% (current U.S. fleet) to more than 45% higher heating value (HHV) (>49% lower heating value [LHV]). The increase in a plant’s efficiency is limited unless new materials able to withstand these higher operating temperatures and pressures are identified and approved for use. The A-USC Consortium identified these needed materials during earlier phases of the program. It developed the welding and joining techniques along with manufacturing processes for casting and wrought products made from these new high-nickel alloys. It subjected these materials to extensive laboratory and steam loop testing. It then obtained ASME code approval for their use in U.S. boiler systems. The program’s successes leave this last remaining activity (ComTest Phase 2) that the U.S. utility industry has recommended to be accomplished prior to commercialization. The focus of the activity is the evaluation and demonstration of commercial readiness for “full scale” components to be made from these nickel-based alloy materials and provided by a U.S. domestic supply chain that is new to working with these alloys. According to studies completed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the cost of an A-USC plant is approximately 20% higher than a non-A-USC plant because of its use of nickel-based alloys needed for the high temperature operating conditions. However, CO 2 reductions of approximately 30% from the current fleet average provide a strong incentive for its consideration. The actual costs and perceived value for CO 2 abatement will determine whether new or retrofitted plants are undertaken, although decisions to build A-USC plants in India would indicate its economic feasibility while also being part of a global carbon emissions strategy. The work by the A-USC Consortium, prior to the start of the ComTest project, has included lab scale and pilot scale materials testing, both in air and oxy-combustion. This testing has included air-cooled and steam-cooled “loops” that were installed into existing operating utility boilers to gain exposure of these materials to realistic conditions of high temperature and corrosion caused by the constituents in the coal ash. The A-USC Consortium also gained ASME Code approval of the Inconel 740 material, has cast and extruded the largest high nickel precipitation hardened alloys, and developed unique welding techniques to avoid problems identified by the competing European program. However, as valuable as these material test loops and accomplishments have been for obtaining information, their scale is below that required to minimize the risk associated for a U.S. utility to build a multibillion-dollar A-USC power plant. To reduce the final identified risk barrier to full-scale commercialization of these advanced materials and systems, the A-USC Consortium (guided by a utility industry advisory committee) has identified the key areas of the technology they desire to see as being capable of full-scale manufacturing and/or fabrication from an identified, capable U.S. domestic supplier base. A significant amount of work was accomplished during Phase 1 to identity the components, as well as the component size, that would be manufactured from advanced alloys such as Inconel 740H or Haynes 282 alloys. Pathways to supply these components for ComTest have been identified, as well as any further development that would be required. The Phase 2 effort used Phase 1 findings for designing these key full-scale components for A-USC boilers and turbines to include large castings; extrusions, forgings, fabrication of water walls and steam loops with headers from advanced materials, raw material (such as pipe extrusion billets) are at the commercial readiness level to permit advancement to a demonstration project. The Phase 2 work scope was addressed by a diverse team, including government, industry, and not-for-profit partners. The work scope under Phase 2 addressed fabrication of components identified as being outside of the proven capabilities of the existing supply chain, including the following: Steam turbine rotor forging and Haynes 282 nozzle carrier casting Superheater and reheater header and tube assemblies Large-diameter pipe extrusions and forgings Test valve articles to support ASME Code approval. In addition, key fabrication steps were completed, including boiler weld overlays and simulated field repairs. Throughout, extensive inspection and quality assurance testing of the components were performed. The team worked to advance ASME Code approval for key components and processes. Although much of the focus of ComTest Phase 2 was the high-temperature nickel-based alloy materials, a broader range of materials were incorporated, which would be representative of the materials used in full-scale A-USC power plant applications and have cross-cutting applicability on other high-temperature power generation options, such as advanced nuclear, supercritical CO 2 cycles, and central solar receivers. This report that has been submitted is organized in the following manner: Section 1 contains an Executive Summary. Section 2 discusses the ComTest project background and organization. Section 3 discusses project management and reporting. Section 4 discusses the procurement of nickel-based alloy and other A-USC materials and components. Section 5 discusses the fabrication of procurement of nickel-based alloy and other A-USC materials and components. Section 6 discusses the fabrication of cast nickel-based A-USC steam turbine components. Section 7 discusses the fabrication of forged nickel-based A-USC steam turbine piping and steam pipe components. Section 8 discusses the qualification of pressure relieve valves (PRVs) for A-USC power plants. Section 9 discusses proposed plans for future evaluation of A-USC components. Section 10 contains the summary and conclusion.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Performance Testing of a Moving-Bed Gasifier Using Coal, Biomass, and Waste Plastic Blends to Generate White Hydrogen

The objective of this DOE-funded project by the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI), Hamilton Maurer International (HMI) and Sotacarbo S.p.A. (Sotacarbo), is to qualify coal, biomass, and plastic waste blends based on performance testing of selected pellet recipes in a pilot-scale updraft moving-bed gasifier. The testing will provide relevant data to advance the commercial-scale design of the moving-bed gasifier to be able to successfully use these feedstocks to produce hydrogen. In particular, the effects of the waste plastics on feedstock development (i.e., blending and pelletizing) and the resulting products (i.e., syngas compositions, organic condensate production, and ash characteristics) are a focus. The gasifier is Hamilton Mauer International, Inc. (HMI)’s moving-bed gasifier, which has been proven capable of gasifying nearly all coal ranks. It has also shown the ability in prior testing work to gasify wood chips. However, mixtures of these fuels with plastic wastes have not been prepared and gasified together. The feedstocks will be prepared by California Pellet Mill (CPM) under contract to HMI. The technical tasks and current status for this two-year research project are: Feed Procurement and Preparation: Nine different feedstocks were prepared from varying compositions of PRB coal, corn stover biomass, and car fluff waste plastics. Fuel pellets were produced by California Pellet Mill and shipped to Sotacarbo’s test facility in Italy. Test Plan Development: A test plan was created to define the test runs to be performed. The test plan detailed the different tests that were run, instrumentation used, extractive samples taken, and relevant figures of merit. Gasifier Testing: Tests are currently being performed in the pilot-scale gasifier at Sotacarbo using nine different fuel feedstocks generated from varying mixtures of coal, biomass, and plastic wastes. The testing will provide information on gasification reaction efficiency/performance, yielding relevant data for models used to scale up the gasifier design. This task will also include work to reassemble the gasifier at Sotacarbo and perform a baseline 100% coal run. Data Analysis and Reporting: Review of the data, determination of figures of merit, and interpretation of the results to be reported. The results will be used to specify the range of feedstock blends that can be successfully gasified as well as quantify gasifier outputs based on specific blends. This paper will be summarize the pelletizing procedure that insures the viability of the tri-fuel pellets for the gasification runs that are being performed at Sotacarbo’s 30mm up draft moving bed gasifier. Initial gasification tests have been conducted, and all the lab scale tri-fuel pellet gasification runs will be completed by the fall of 2022. Performance data will enable modeling of a full-scale HMI industrial scale gasifier supporting both CHP and Hydrogen production.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Commercial-Scale Front-End Engineering Design (Feed) Study for MTR’s Membrane CO 2 Capture Process

This is the final report for a DOE sponsored project (DE-FE00031846) where MTR, Sargent & Lundy (S&L), Trimeric Corporation (Trimeric), in cooperation with Basin Electric Power Cooperative (BEPC), and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), completed a full-scale Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) study to evaluate the retrofit of MTR’s membrane-based post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology to the BEPC Dry Fork Station (DFS) Unit 1. The capture plant is designed to treat the entire flue gas flow from DFS; it is estimated that this system will capture 6,560 tonnes per day (TPD) of carbon dioxide. The overall goal of the project was to develop an AACE Level 2 Capital Cost Estimate with an accuracy of ±15% to demonstrate the economic feasibility of constructing and operating the MTR CO2 capture plant.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterizing Impacts of Dry Coal Feeding in High Pressure Oxy-Coal Combustion Systems

Reaction Engineering International (REI) has managed a team of experts from the University of Utah, Southeast University (SEU) in Nanjing, China, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Corrosion Management Ltd. (C-M), Praxair, and Brigham Young University (BYU) to investigate dry pulverized coal feeding for pressurized oxy-coal combustion. Dry feed firing systems for entrained flow, pressurized, oxy-coal combustors have not been well developed, although related technologies have been used in the Shell Gasification Process and for pressurized fluid bed combustion. DOE-funded research recently completed at REI and the University of Utah focused on characterizing impacts of high temperatures and pressures in oxy-coal combustion systems. For high pressure combustion, that research used a coal slurry feed into a 17 bar pressurized combustor. As a consequence of that research, it was identified that fuel feeding and firing system flexibility are challenges that require attention. Based on that experience, the approach of using a coal slurry feed system leads to challenges in producing consistent atomization of the slurry, which causes burnout problems, especially at high pressures. In addition, slurry atomization processes may be difficult to scale to sizes appropriate for practical commercial use. Dry pressurized coal burner systems, on the other hand, have the potential to yield efficiency gains, improve flexibility and facilitate applications at larger scales. Experimental work was conducted at the University of Utah Industrial Combustion and Gasification Research Facility as well as the 100 kW pressurized oxy-coal combustor (POC) facility at Brigham Young University. Mechanism development and CFD-based combustion and dense-phase flow modeling were performed at REI. Successful completion of the project objectives has resulted in the following key deliverables: 1) Design and prototype of a pressurized pulverized coal feeding and oxy-firing system 2) Data from a 100kW, pressurized (15 bar) entrained flow reactor with a dry feeding delivery and burner system that describes flame characteristics, radiative heat flux profiles, carbon burnout, along with characteristics of ash aerosols, fouling, and slagging. 3) Validated and transportable models that describe the relevant conditions in pressurized oxy-combustion systems and that can be used for scale-up and optimization. 4) Principles to guide design of high pressure, pilot-scale and full-scale coal oxy-firing systems. 5) Assessment of pressurized oxy-combustion impacts on key parameters relevant to oxy-coal fired utility boilers such as coal devolatilization, char oxidation, mineral matter transformation, deposition, and corrosion. The experimental data, pressurized oxy-firing system principles, and process mechanisms provided by this work can be used by electric utilities, boiler OEMs, equipment suppliers, design firms, software vendors, consultants and government agencies to assess the use of high temperature and high pressure oxy-combustion in current research and to guide development of new oxy-coal boiler designs.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2021

Characterizing Impacts of Dry Coal Feeding in High Pressure Oxy-Coal Combustion Systems

Reaction Engineering International (REI) has managed a team of experts from the University of Utah, Southeast University (SEU) in Nanjing, China, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Corrosion Management Ltd. (C-M), Praxair, and Brigham Young University (BYU) to investigate dry pulverized coal feeding for pressurized oxy-coal combustion. Dry feed firing systems for entrained flow, pressurized, oxy-coal combustors have not been well developed, although related technologies have been used in the Shell Gasification Process and for pressurized fluid bed combustion. DOE-funded research recently completed at REI and the University of Utah focused on characterizing impacts of high temperatures and pressures in oxy-coal combustion systems. For high pressure combustion, that research used a coal slurry feed into a 17 bar pressurized combustor. As a consequence of that research, it was identified that fuel feeding and firing system flexibility are challenges that require attention. Based on that experience, the approach of using a coal slurry feed system leads to challenges in producing consistent atomization of the slurry, which causes burnout problems, especially at high pressures. In addition, slurry atomization processes may be difficult to scale to sizes appropriate for practical commercial use. Dry pressurized coal burner systems, on the other hand, have the potential to yield efficiency gains, improve flexibility and facilitate applications at larger scales. Experimental work was conducted at the University of Utah Industrial Combustion and Gasification Research Facility as well as the 100 kW pressurized oxy-coal combustor (POC) facility at Brigham Young University. Mechanism development and CFD-based combustion and dense-phase flow modeling were performed at REI. Successful completion of the project objectives has resulted in the following key deliverables: 1) Design and prototype of a pressurized pulverized coal feeding and oxy-firing system 2) Data from a 100kW, pressurized (15 bar) entrained flow reactor with a dry feeding delivery and burner system that describes flame characteristics, radiative heat flux profiles, carbon burnout, along with characteristics of ash aerosols, fouling, and slagging. 3) Validated and transportable models that describe the relevant conditions in pressurized oxy-combustion systems and that can be used for scale-up and optimization. 4) Principles to guide design of high pressure, pilot-scale and full-scale coal oxy-firing systems. 5) Assessment of pressurized oxy-combustion impacts on key parameters relevant to oxy-coal fired utility boilers such as coal devolatilization, char oxidation, mineral matter transformation, deposition, and corrosion. The experimental data, pressurized oxy-firing system principles, and process mechanisms provided by this work can be used by electric utilities, boiler OEMs, equipment suppliers, design firms, software vendors, consultants and government agencies to assess the use of high temperature and high pressure oxy-combustion in current research and to guide development of new oxy-coal boiler designs.

pressurized oxy-coal combustion, sub-micron ash ae↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterizing Impacts of Dry Coal Feeding in High Pressure Oxy-Coal Combustion Systems

Reaction Engineering International (REI) has managed a team of experts from the University of Utah, Southeast University (SEU) in Nanjing, China, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Corrosion Management Ltd. (C-M), Praxair, and Brigham Young University (BYU) to investigate dry pulverized coal feeding for pressurized oxy-coal combustion. Dry feed firing systems for entrained flow, pressurized, oxy-coal combustors have not been well developed, although related technologies have been used in the Shell Gasification Process and for pressurized fluid bed combustion. DOE-funded research recently completed at REI and the University of Utah focused on characterizing impacts of high temperatures and pressures in oxy-coal combustion systems. For high pressure combustion, that research used a coal slurry feed into a 17 bar pressurized combustor. As a consequence of that research, it was identified that fuel feeding and firing system flexibility are challenges that require attention. Based on that experience, the approach of using a coal slurry feed system leads to challenges in producing consistent atomization of the slurry, which causes burnout problems, especially at high pressures. In addition, slurry atomization processes may be difficult to scale to sizes appropriate for practical commercial use. Dry pressurized coal burner systems, on the other hand, have the potential to yield efficiency gains, improve flexibility and facilitate applications at larger scales. Experimental work was conducted at the University of Utah Industrial Combustion and Gasification Research Facility as well as the 100 kW pressurized oxy-coal combustor (POC) facility at Brigham Young University. Mechanism development and CFD-based combustion and dense-phase flow modeling were performed at REI. Successful completion of the project objectives has resulted in the following key deliverables: 1) Design and prototype of a pressurized pulverized coal feeding and oxy-firing system 2) Data from a 100kW, pressurized (15 bar) entrained flow reactor with a dry feeding delivery and burner system that describes flame characteristics, radiative heat flux profiles, carbon burnout, along with characteristics of ash aerosols, fouling, and slagging. 3) Validated and transportable models that describe the relevant conditions in pressurized oxy-combustion systems and that can be used for scale-up and optimization. 4) Principles to guide design of high pressure, pilot-scale and full-scale coal oxy-firing systems. 5) Assessment of pressurized oxy-combustion impacts on key parameters relevant to oxy-coal fired utility boilers such as coal devolatilization, char oxidation, mineral matter transformation, deposition, and corrosion. The experimental data, pressurized oxy-firing system principles, and process mechanisms provided by this work can be used by electric utilities, boiler OEMs, equipment suppliers, design firms, software vendors, consultants and government agencies to assess the use of high temperature and high pressure oxy-combustion in current research and to guide development of new oxy-coal boiler designs.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2023

Milestone Report on Microstructure of Irradiated Sensors and Coupling Adhesive Bonds

This report describes the ORNL aspects of an NSUF project in collaboration between EPRI, ORNL, and NCSU. Preliminary characterizations at ORNL LAMDA laboratory on piezoelectric sensors and bonds before and after NCSU PULSTAR reactor irradiation. Five pre-irradiation and seven post-irradiation samples have been examined by scanning electron microscopy and related methods so far. Samples consisted of (Pb,Bi)(Sc,Ti)O 3 or LiNbO 3 ceramics. Bonding layers consisted of epoxy, zirconia, alumina, aluminosilicate, or a complex soda-lime type slurry.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Particle Separator for Improved Flameless Pressurized Oxy-Combustion

The team of Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®), ITEA, Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI), and General Electric Global Research (GE) is advancing Flameless Pressurized Oxy-combustion (FPO), a novel coal technology. This effort seeks to develop a particle separator for the hot-gas stream leaving the FPO loop. In order to maximize the energy extracted from the cycle, the hot gas is put through a turbo-expander before flue-gas treatment. The particle separator designed under this project sought to operate at high temperature and with low-pressure drop, protecting the turbo-expander from erosion damage. The team engaged potential vendors for the test, developed plans for the pilot test loop modification, and refined requirements for the commercial turbo-expander.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2023

Refining Principal Stress Measurements in Reservoir Underburden in Regions of Induced Seismicity through Seismological Tools, Laboratory Experiments - Final Technical Report

This project developed methodologies to measure the in-situ principal stress in the deep subsurface through use of multiple independent, but complementary, seismic methods, laboratory verification, and development of theoretical frameworks. By leveraging existing regional and local datasets we developed, tested, and refined a set of diagnostic tools for determining the in-situ stress state with reduced uncertainty at and below reservoir depths (1.5-6 km). A set of novel tools was produced that are scale independent, such that their utility is equivalent on regional, field scale, and near borehole monitoring of principal stresses in reservoir underburden for carbon storage projects. During a 4-year Department of Energy (DOE) and Southern Company funded project, carried out by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the University of Oklahoma (OU), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the project team developed methodologies to measure the far-field in-situ principal stress in the deep subsurface, leveraging induced seismicity data from waste-water disposal projects. These methodologies consisted in the use of well-established and technically advanced seismic processing methods, such as virtual seismometer method-moment tensor (VSM-MT) and shear wave splitting (SWS), that are adept at recovering the stress orientation and certain components of the stress tensor. These methods were applied to robust seismicity catalogs created with matched filter techniques near sites of active fluid disposal—a proxy for carbon storage sites where such datasets are more limited. Estimates of the stress orientation made with seismic processing tools were considered along with laboratory acoustic emission experiments conducted on rock samples from the region of interest. Stress orientations in the studied region do not vary significantly across distances of ~100 km, nor are they found to rotate through time as a consequence of local wastewater disposal, as previously speculated. Finally, the project team investigated the trade-offs among the different seismic methods and evaluated the range of uncertainty that is generated with these methodologies, which led to a practical use and refinement of the VSM-MT technique when it is applied to field datasets. Understanding the trade-offs between these different methods highlighted the potential benefits of improved quantification of uncertainties on stress field estimations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Wind Turbine Generator Reliability Analysis to Reduce Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Costs

Wind turbine major systems (blades, pitch, main bearing, gearbox, and generator) are integrated into a composite system. Specifications for these systems and components are developed to achieve symmetry of operation, avoiding negative interaction. For instance, the main bearing, gearbox, and generator (drivetrain) components are interdependent, functioning in unison for efficient energy production. Hence, wind resource and grid interactions affecting the drivetrain impact the performance and reliability of the turbine generator. This paper discusses generator reliability covering the technology evolution over the last 20 years. EPRI's Wind Network for Enhanced Reliability (WinNER) web-based tool and Shermco Industries databases are presented, and conclusions are drawn regarding failures specific to generator design, manufacturing, and operating conditions. Additionally, this paper compares the life expectancy of stator-fed configurations and doubly fed generator systems.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Inventory for Crystalline Silicon Module Recycling: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

A critical challenge for the continued expansion of photovoltaics (PV) is to develop technically feasible, inexpensive and environmentally friendly practices for handling and recycling modules at the end of their usable life. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is requested by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to collect primary data regarding the environmental performance of currently operational PV module recycling facilities in Europe. Very little has been published regarding crystalline silicon (C-Si) module recycling. Thus, much effort will be needed in direct industry outreach, collection of information and other business intelligence strategies similar to NREL's approaches for developing cost models for PV manufacturing. The goal of this work effort is to produce a detailed inventory that accounts for physical (e.g., energy, water, materials) flows through each step of a C-Si recycling process. The inventory (a life cycle inventory, or LCI) shall be designed so that it can be extended to include an accounting of costs for each process step, inputs, etc. This work effort shall leverage prior LCI data collection NREL performed for the United States Department of Energy, Solar Energy Technologies Office, under the auspices of the U.S. contribution to International Energy Agency's Photovoltaics Power Systems (PVPS) Task 12 (Environmental Health and Safety), which SETO nominated NREL to chair. The primary purpose of this work effort is to augment the prior data collection to increase the sample size of manufacturers' primary data in the LCI.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Integration of DER Adoption Forecasting into Distribution Planning: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-11-00430 (Project H)

The objective of this project is to improve distributed energy resources (DER) technology, time, and locational impact analysis by incorporating customer adoption intentions and preferences into distribution planning and operations. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shall collaborate with EPRI staff to contribute to the development of methodology, literature review, analysis, and write-up for two sections of a report "Identification and Overview of Methods for Mapping DER Adoption Forecasts” and “Comparative Analysis of Methods for Mapping DER Adoption Forecasts."

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Experimental and Computational Studies of Stress Corrosion Cracking of Alloys 308/309 and 82/182 Weldments in Corrosive and Radiation Environment

The goal of the project was to determine factors that influence SCC and IASCC in weldments found in LWR nuclear power plants. We focused on a SA508-304L SS weldment fabricated by EPRI using gas tungsten arc welding and used an aggressive BWR normal water chemistry (NWC) immersion environment. This weldment used 309L butter and 308L groove filler material. The microstructure of the 309L butter was non-uniform, exhibiting a 20–30μm thick martensitic layer closest to the SA508 interface, a 1–4 mm thick single γ austenite phase dilution zone, and a γ–δ duplex region extending to the 308L groove filler. The 308L groove filler had an entirely γ–δ duplex microstructure. Two approximately 1-inch thick 304L and SA508 plates approximately 12 by 6 square inches were joined using standard nuclear grade welding techniques. This included a post weld heat treatment of the 309L butter after application, a 0.32 cm fit-up root opening, and 57 bead lines of 308L groove filler applied in 18 layers. A 60 degree weld bevel angle was used and the 309L butter was 1.5 cm thick. Displacement cascade damage was induced using proton irradiation at the Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory. The incident proton energy was 2 MeV, the sample temperature was 360 ºC, and the calculated dpa value at 10 μm (60% of the Bragg peak depth of ~18 μm) was 5 dpa using the quick Kinchin-Pease model. Proton irradiation to this damage level required approximately 125 hours of beam time. Two types of samples were irradiated, tensile specimens and TEM bars. Samples were selected from all regions of the weldment, including the SA508-309L butter interface, the 309L-308L interface, and 308L-304L interface. The stainless steel alloys (304L, 308L, and 309L) within the heat affected zone are characterized by a duplex skeletal morphology of δ-ferrite and γ-austenite resulting from the recrystallization associated with weld fabrication. Approximately 7 to 8 mm of length along the specimen was irradiated. The gauge volume surfaces were mechanically polished and then electro-polished to remove mechanical damage from the mechanical polishing step prior to irradiation. Immersion tests were performed in a recirculating autoclave under BWR NWC conditions (2000 ppb wt. dissolved oxygen, neutral pH, 288 ºC, 10 MPa, and inlet water conductivity <100 nS/cm) to accelerate corrosion. Constant strain rate tests were performed either to failure or to approximately 5% strain. Strain rates of 10 -7 to 10 -6 mm/mm/s were used and typical immersion testing required four to six weeks to achieve failure or strains near 5%. Analysis primarily used advanced electron microscopy techniques of FIB lift out specimens.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Laboratory Evaluation of Tunable White LEDs for Circadian Lighting in Commercial Offices

Tunable white Light-Emitting Diode (LED) systems that allow users to control Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) are often marketed for circadian health, which is an emerging priority in commercial office lighting. However, the energy impacts of meeting circadian criteria with standard non-tunable LEDs and with tunable white LEDs are not well understood. The goals of this project were to implement select commercial lighting systems, including tunable white LEDs, to meet visual and circadian criteria in an office environment, and to quantify lighting performance and energy usage. Most recent studies on tunable white LEDs, circadian lighting strategies, and energy impacts have relied on computer simulations and models. While little research has directly measured tunable LED energy usage for circadian criteria, EPRI has recently published results from a lab-based evaluation of illuminance, spectral output, and energy consumption for several LED products marketed for circadian performance. The research presented here contributes to the field by quantifying the performance of market-available technologies through detailed monitoring of performance parameters (such as illuminance, spectral output, glare, and energy consumption) in a physical space (an office environment).

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Advanced CO 2 Capture Solvent Systems for Dynamic Power Generation

RTI International, in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Carbon Capture Simulation for Industry Impact (CCSI 2 ), Electricity Power Research Institute (EPRI), and West Virginia University (WVU), successfully completed a joint research effort in developing a cost-effective, resilient, load-following advanced CO 2 capture technology for natural gas power plants. The project’s objective was to develop a CO 2 capture process that maximizes the net present value (NPV) of the electricity sale by minimizing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) under dynamic plant loads and high renewable penetration environments. The two key innovations developed in this project were the use of (i) advanced water-lean solvents (WLSs) and (ii) process intensification equipment, such as a rotating packed bed (RPB) absorber and dual-stage flash regeneration. The process’s low CO 2 capture cost is realized through WLSs’ low energy required for solvent regeneration, which lowers the operating cost while RPBs intensify the absorption process and reduces the power plant capital cost. A suite of advanced computational and simulation packages was implemented to guide the process design, validate the dynamic response of the capture plant, evaluate system-wide performance, and maximize the power plant’s profit. The project also engaged with power producers and other stakeholders to ensure its technical relevance and techno-economic viability. The development of this highly disruptive CO 2 capture technology could accelerate the industry adoption and thereby lower the greenhouse gas emissions of the U.S. power sector. Deployment of this technology can increase the reliability and decrease the cost of electricity generation in the U.S. by enabling the use of low-carbon fossil fuels to balance fluctuations of renewable energy availability.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Coronado Generating Station Repowering Evaluation - Siting Evaluation

The purpose of this initial siting evaluation is to consider the suitability of the Salt River Project (SRP) owned land at/near Coronado Generating Station (CGS) for a nuclear generating station (including advanced light water reactors, light water small modular reactors, and non-light-water designs1) and to assess if there are any exclusionary or avoidance factors associated with coal to nuclear repowering at CGS. This initial siting evaluation considers several characteristics (e.g., environmental conditions, seismic concerns, site footprint, water use, etc.) and highlights favorable/preferred characteristics as well as potential risks to feasibility. The results are intended to inform SRP on the strengths and weaknesses associated with the CGS site and inform the selection of candidate nuclear technologies for the CGS site that align with SRP’s mission and business objectives. This report relies on industry-recognized siting guidance, including Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI’s) Siting Guide (Reference 1) 2 and Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) Regulatory Guide (RG) 4.7 (Reference 3), as well as nuclear domain expertise within the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN), MPR Associates, Inc. (MPR), and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗