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At least 109 records · Page 6

MOSIQS: Persistent Memory Object Storage With Metadata Indexing and Querying for Scientific Computing

Scientific applications often require high-bandwidth shared storage to perform joint simulations and collaborative data analytics. Shared memory pools provide a chance to satisfy such needs. Recently, a high-speed network such as Gen-Z utilizing persistent memory (PM) offers an opportunity to create a shared memory pool connected to compute nodes. However, there are several challenges to use scientific applications on the shared memory pool directly such as scalability, failure-atomicity, and lack of scientific metadata-based search and query. In this paper, we propose MOSIQS, a persistent memory object storage framework with metadata indexing and querying for scientific computing. We design MOSIQS based on the key idea that memory objects on PM pool can live beyond the application lifetime and can become the sharing currency for applications and scientists. MOSIQS provides an aggregate memory pool atop an array of persistent memory devices to store and access memory objects to accelerate scientific computing. MOSIQS uses a lightweight persistent memory key-value store to manage the metadata of memory objects, which enables memory object sharing. To facilitate metadata search and query over millions of memory objects resident on memory pool, we introduce Group Split and Merge (GSM), a novel persistent index data structure designed primarily for scientific datasets. GSM splits and merges dynamically to minimize the query search space and maintains low query processing time while overcoming the index storage overhead. MOSIQS is implemented on top of PMDK. We evaluate the proposed approach on many-core server with an array of real PM devices. Experimental results show that MOSIQS gains a 100% write performance improvement and executes multi-attribute queries efficiently with 2.7× less index storage overhead offering significant potential to speed up scientific computing applications.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Persistent Memory Object Storage and Indexing for Scientific Computing

This paper presents Mosiqs, a persistent memory object storage framework with metadata indexing and querying for scientific computing. We design Mosiqs based on the key idea that memory objects on shared PM pool can live beyond the application lifetime and can become the sharing currency for applications and scientists. Mosiqs provides an aggregate memory pool atop an array of persistent memory devices to store and access memory objects. Mosiqs uses a lightweight persistent memory key-value store to manage the metadata of memory objects such as persistent pointer mappings, which enables memory object sharing for effective scientific collaborations. Mosiqs is implemented atop PMDK. We evaluate the proposed approach on many-core server with an array of real PM devices. The preliminary evaluation confirms a 100% improvement for write and 30% in read performance against a PM-aware file system approach.

Khan, Awais↗

Final Report on Aerosol Pretreatment Technology Performance and Benchmarking

Solvent-based post-combustion CO 2 capture (PCC) technology remains one of the leading methods to combat global CO 2 emissions produced from large-scale coal-fired power production. Advanced solventbased PCC technology has made significant improvements in design and performance that reduce capital and operating costs to enable its commercial use. Key to low cost, manageable logistics, and environmentally safe operation of solvent-based PCC technology are minimal solvent losses from the process through the treated gas stream exiting PCC plant absorbers. High flue gas aerosol particle concentrations (>10 5 particles/cm 3 ) for particles in the range of 70-200 nm have been shown to cause significant amine solvent losses for solvent-based PCC processes through several mechanisms including absorption of solvent and water into growing aerosol particles. Flue gas aerosol pretreatment technology is the only realistic and economically attractive method to reduce very high aerosol particle concentrations (>10 7 particles/cm 3 ) to enable solvent-based PCC for existing power plants lacking sufficient particle removal systems, such as baghouses. The overall goal of this project was to design, construct, independently test, and evaluate three flue gas aerosol pretreatment technologies identified to significantly reduce high aerosol particle concentrations (>10 7 particles/cm 3 ) in the 70-200 nm particle size range: (1) a novel, high-velocity water injection spray concept developed by RWE and tested by Linde, (2) an innovative electrostatic precipitator (ESP) device with optimized operating conditions developed by Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), and (3) a non-regenerative sorbent-based filter technology developed by InnoSepra for SO x and NO x removal from coal-fired power plant flue gas. Each technology has been validated with tests on 500-1000 scfm of actual coal-fired flue gas and evaluated in terms of particle removal efficiency (%), cost competitiveness, and environmental impact. Aerosol measurements were performed upstream and downstream of each aerosol reduction unit during independent testing of each technology using advanced instrumentation and analytical methods provided by WUSTL. To perform aerosol measurements, isokinetic probes were inserted into flanged pipes attached to the flue gas piping, and a small suction pump was used to sample gas containing aerosol particles. Aerosol particle number concentrations (# particles/cm 3 ) and size distributions were then measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS, TSI Inc.) for very fine particles (<1,000 nm) and a particle counter manufactured by GRIMM for particles larger than 1,000 nm. This report summarizes the aerosol removal performance results from pilot scale testing of each technology. Performance results have been benchmarked against pre-defined targets and other flue gas aerosol pretreatment technologies with documented performance. Linde Gas North America LLC has been the prime contractor to DOE responsible for overall project management and provided the design for the high-velocity water spray-based aerosol removal technology based on a design concept developed by the German utility company RWE.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Demand Response in Industrial Facilities: Peak Electric Demand

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Better Buildings, Better Plants Program (Better Plants) is a voluntary energy efficiency leadership initiative for US manufacturers and water/wastewater entities. The program encourages organizations to commit to reducing the energy intensity of their US operations over a 10-year period, typically by 25%. Companies joining Better Plants are recognized by DOE for their leadership in implementing energy efficiency practices and for reducing their energy intensity. Better Plants Partners are assigned to a Technical Account Manager, who can help companies establish energy intensity baselines, develop energy management plans, and identify key resources and incentives from DOE, other federal agencies, states, utilities, and other organizations that can enable them to reach their goals. Better Plants Partners are expected to report their progress to DOE once a year. This involves establishing an energy intensity baseline upon joining the program and then tracking their progress over time. Demand Response in Industrial Facilities: Peak Electrical Demand is intended to help companies understand peak demand response programs offering by their local utility. Manufacturing industries can learn about time-varying rates and smart technologies they can use to help them reduce their energy bills. This guidance document is applicable to companies participating at either the program or challenge level. Although this guide is intended primarily to assist companies participating in Better Plants, the methodologies and guidance within the document are applicable to any organization interested in understanding peak demand response programs.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Development and Demonstration of a Fuel-Efficient, Class 8 Tractor & Trailer Engine System (SuperTruck II)

Navistar presents the SuperTruck II (ST II) Final Report to the Unites States Department of Energy (US DOE), which covers the five Budget Periods (BPs) from 10-1-2016 through 6-30-2022. For ST II, Navistar built on the achievements of the SuperTruck I (ST I) Program as a catalyst to continue critical research, design and development, testing, and operations to reach the ambitious goals of the ST II project. This approach allowed Navistar to continue contributing to the essential needs of our nation for safe, efficient, and cost-effective delivery of goods and services, as we reduced negative environmental effects and improved operational productivity. This document contains information specified in DOE F 4600.2, Final Scientific/Technical Report DOE F 241.3, B. SCIENTIFIC/TECHNICAL REPORTS, explaining how we met and exceeded program requirements. Throughout this Final Report, Navistar extracted information from documents prepared during the project that represent our management, design and development, building, and testing efforts to meet and exceed SuperTruck II project goals. Navistar followed Plan requirements to achieve / exceed Project Objectives: a) >100% improvement in vehicle freight efficiency (FE) (on ton-MPG basis) relative to 2009 baseline with stretch goal of 140% improvement [actual: 170%); b) >55% engine brake thermal efficiency (BTE) demonstrated in operational engine at a 65-mph cruise point on a dynamometer – ≥31% increase from 2009 baseline [actual: 55.20% of combined BTE) ; and c) development and implementation of commercially cost effective technologies (in terms of a simple payback). Technology selection / development path focused on developing technologies applicable for production within 3-year approach, while ensuring technology readiness and cost of ownership for end users. The Program was organized into five budget periods: Requirements / Technology Assessment and Initial Hardware Testing; Technology Development and Concept Readiness Demonstration; Technology Finalization and Validation Tractor / Trailer Fabrication, Integration and Commissioning Demonstration; and Fuel Economy (FE) and Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) and Program Completion. Leadership was provided by DOE, with tasks performed by laboratories (Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory); partners at Bosch, TPI, Dana, and J.B. Hunt; , and support from University of Michigan and Clemson University. Navistar lead this team with Principal Investigator / Contracting Officer; Project Manager (PM); Vehicle, Engine, and Aftertreatment Engineers; Finance Manager, Technical Program Leads, and Legal/IP; and other key personnel. Work also included personnel in risk management; funding / budget / finance. Work involved analysis, development, testing, and down selection of individual/system engine, aftertreatment, and vehicle technologies, with integration of selected technologies into a prototype vehicle for demonstration of fuel-efficiency gain. Work also included component/integrated system level development of truck and trailer aerodynamics, base engine efficiency, advanced aftertreatment, combustion efficiency, waste heat recovery, hybrid powertrain, reduced rolling resistance, weight reduction, idle reduction, and driver feedback. As ST II progressed, Navistar performed computer-based modeling / simulations of technologies focused on the primary operational areas: Engine, Aftertreatment, and Vehicle. During the ST II Program, the COVID Virus outbreak unexpectedly challenged by the effects of, which affected staffing, scheduling, design, supplies, availability of materials, production procedures, and testing. The DOE responded by extending the program by three quarters to ensure that project tasks were completed for this vital project. Focus continued on analyzing, developing, testing, and down selecting individual-/system-level engine and vehicle technologies for integration of the final selected technologies into a prototype vehicle that would demonstrate fuel-efficiency gains made possible through these technologies. This included component/integrated system-level development of truck and trailer aerodynamics, base engine efficiency, advanced aftertreatment, combustion efficiency, waste heat recovery, solar power, distributed and intelligent vehicle power, hybrid powertrain, reduced rolling resistance, weight reduction, idle reduction, and driver feedback. Throughout the program, function, reliability, and performance at all levels were ensured through testing. Proof of this approach was demonstrated in multiple, on-road demonstrations: Scenario A (Flatland) Fuel Economy, Scenario B (Hilly) Fuel Economy, and City Cycle Tests. Other benefits derived from ST II included new/improved products, publications, patents, and next-step capabilities related to electric/hydrogen vehicles and autonomous driving.

Zukouski, Russ↗

Demand Response in Industrial Facilities: Peak Electric Demand

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Better Buildings, Better Plants Program (Better Plants) is a voluntary energy efficiency leadership initiative for US manufacturers and water/wastewater entities. The program encourages organizations to commit to reducing the energy intensity of their US operations over a 10-year period, typically by 25%. Companies joining Better Plants are recognized by DOE for their leadership in implementing energy efficiency practices and for reducing their energy intensity. Better Plants Partners are assigned to a Technical Account Manager, who can help companies establish energy intensity baselines, develop energy management plans, and identify key resources and incentives from DOE, other federal agencies, states, utilities, and other organizations that can enable them to reach their goals. Better Plants Partners are expected to report their progress to DOE once a year. This involves establishing an energy intensity baseline upon joining the program and then tracking their progress over time. Demand Response in Industrial Facilities: Peak Electrical Demand is intended to help companies understand peak demand response programs offering by their local utility. Manufacturing industries can learn about time-varying rates and smart technologies they can use to help them reduce their energy bills. This guidance document is applicable to companies participating at either the program or challenge level. Although this guide is intended primarily to assist companies participating in Better Plants, the methodologies and guidance within the document are applicable to any organization interested in understanding peak demand response programs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Success Path Method: Introduction to the Success Path Method Software Tool©

As part of its commitment to advancing safety and reliability assessment methodologies, Argonne National Laboratory pioneered the use of an evaluation method called the Success Path Method (SPM) to improve risk management for offshore oil and gas operations. The development of the SPM at Argonne has been driven by the need to improve existing risk assessment methodologies by focusing on the steps necessary for success rather than failure modes alone. This is particularly important for industrial environments like offshore facilities that perform multiple functions under a continuously evolving set of operational conditions – such as water depth and temperature, currents, and weather conditions. In these dynamic environments, the traditional Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) approach is far too complex as it focuses on what can go wrong – which comprises an infinite failure space that must be fully explored and understood. By shifting the focus to a finite space of success paths, the SPM enables operators and decision makers to prioritize a manageable number of steps that must go right to ensure success. Building on its five decades of experience in safety assessments for the nuclear industry, Argonne made major adaptations to existing risk assessment methods utilizing features similar to fault trees that are traditionally used in PRA to map all pathways in which the system can malfunction. In contrast, SPM identifies the components and processes that must function correctly to achieve specific outcomes – such as preventing the uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons during drilling operations. The SPM framework integrates equipment, procedures, software, processes, and human actions to ensure that physical barriers meet critical safety functions in dynamic operational conditions. This approach helps identify failure modes and improve operational risk management by narrowing the focus to key success elements, which in turn reduces uncertainty and helps users understand, manage, and respond to failures.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

PSY (PowerSystems.jl) [SWR-23-105]

PowerSystems.jl is a package to organize and manipulate data for the study of energy systems with diverse modeling requirements. This software serves two main purposes: to reduce the burden of large power system data set development, and to promote reproducible research and simulation. PowerSystems.jl implements an abstract hierarchy to represent and customize power systems data and includes data containers for quasi-static and dynamic simulation applications. Key features include efficient management of large quantities of time series data, optimized serialization, and comprehensive validation capabilities. For further information regarding the Sienna modeling framework at NREL, see: https://www.nrel.gov/analysis/sienna.html

Lara Aguilar, Jose Daniel↗

Magnetocaloric refrigerator

The invention is for an apparatus and method for a refrigerator and a heat pump based on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) offering a simpler, lighter, robust, more compact, environmentally compatible, and energy efficient alternative to traditional vapor-compression devices. The subject magnetocaloric apparatus alternately exposes a magnetocaloric material to strong and weak magnetic field while switching heat to and from the material. Action of the heat switches is coordinated with the magnetic field strength to move heat up the thermal gradient. The invention may be practiced with multiple magnetocaloric stages to attain large differences in temperature. Key applications include thermal management of electronics, as well as industrial and home refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning. The invention offers a simpler, lighter, compact, and robust apparatus compared to magnetocaloric devices of prior art. Furthermore, the invention may be run in reverse as a thermodynamic engine, receiving low-level heat and producing mechanical energy.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Building the Financial Business Case for Resilience

This fact sheet is designed to help owners, operators, occupants, and investors in commercial buildings and other sectors to understand and address emerging issues in resilience. It includes resources from DOE’s Better Buildings Financing and Resilience Roadmap to identify key issues in measuring, managing, and mitigating resilience risk.

Resilience, Resiliency, Commercial building, comme↗

Magnetocaloric refrigerator

The invention is for an apparatus and method for a refrigerator and a heat pump based on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) offering a simpler, lighter, robust, more compact, environmentally compatible, and energy efficient alternative to traditional vapor-compression devices. The subject magnetocaloric apparatus alternately exposes portions of an MCE material to strong and weak magnetic field while coordinating the heat flow between the exposed portions by heat bridges to move the heat up the thermal gradient. The invention may be practiced with multiple MCE material portions or segments to attain large differences in temperature. Key applications include thermal management of electronics, as well as industrial and home refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning. The invention offers a simpler, lighter, compact, and robust apparatus compared to magnetocaloric devices of prior art. Furthermore, the invention may be run in reverse as a thermodynamic engine, receiving low-level heat and producing mechanical energy.

Vetrovec, Jan↗

Structuring and storing signals with their metadata: practical considerations

This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview on structuring signal data and their metadata, highlighting key considerations for optimal management and storage. Specifically, it focuses on: (a) the relevance of data organization; (b) what data to store and what to keep; and (c) data management methods. Thus, this chapter answers where and how to store metadata efficiently. Chapter 3 explains what is considered metadata. Chapters 5 and 6 present how to collect certain metadata through dedicated sensor validation tests (Chapter 5) or algorithmic analysis (Chapter 6).

Nicolaï, Niels↗

Robotics for Energy Infrastructure Construction on Earth and Beyond: Pilot Study Exploring Level 3-4 Semi-Autonomous Installation of a Reduced-Scale Photovoltaic Power Plant Prototype: Preprint

There is a growing need to build energy infrastructure at massive scale on both Earth and in space. On Earth, increasing electricity demand from applications such as AI data centers is driving rapid expansion of power systems, while in space, long-duration missions such as lunar operations require reliable and resilient energy infrastructure that can be deployed quickly. These needs outpace the capabilities of conventional construction methods. Robotic construction offers a path to faster, lower-cost, and more consistent deployment, yet most existing approaches focus on automating individual tasks rather than end-to-end assembly. The Industrialized Construction Innovation (ICI) team at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), in collaboration with the Colorado School of Mines, has been investigating robotics and automation strategies for rapid end-to-end energy infrastructure construction. This paper presents a pilot study demonstrating level 3-4 semi-autonomous, end-to-end robotic assembly of a reduced-scale photovoltaic power plant prototype under terrestrial conditions. The approach combines hardware redesign of photovoltaic components for robotic compatibility, discrete-event and physics-based robotic simulations in synthetic environments, and sim-to-real deployment to execute end-to-end robotic assembly of[NM1.1][NM1.2] tracking components, structural members, photovoltaic modules, and embedded electrical connections. The pilot identifies key limitations like tolerance management, perception and localization, end effector capability, fastening methods, and multi-physics simulation fidelity, that must be addressed to enable end-to-end robotic assembly of full-scale energy infrastructure. The study highlights how these insights inform scaling strategies for terrestrial energy infrastructure and adaptation to unstructured and extreme environments, including off-world scenarios such as robotic assembly of vertical tall lunar towers.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Understanding the E balance for water management in hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells

As a key challenge for hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells (HEMFCs), understanding water management deeply is critical for performance and durability improvement. Here, in this work, we show that the balance between water generation and phase-change-induced (PCI) flow is the main factor controlling cell voltage over a wide range of conditions where the cells are vulnerable to severe flooding. The regulation of flooding by heat generation can be reflected by a stable voltage with increase of current density in the polarization curve. This PCI balance voltage (E balance ), which determines the shape of polarization curve, is modeled as a function of cell operating conditions and gas diffusion layer (GDL) properties. Temperature, pressure, and thermal conductivity of GDL were found important for tuning the level of E balance , both in HEMFCs and proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The understanding of E balance will help to generate strategies for resolving flooding in HEMFCs, and it offers a new perspective for polarization curve interpretation.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Spent Nuclear Fuel Receipt Rate Analysis within an Integrated Waste Manage-ment System Architecture that Includes Consolidated Interim Storage

A key parameter in analyzing the performance of an integrated waste management system (IWMS) architecture for the disposition of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is the SNF receipt rate from reactor and other custodian sites. The introduction of one or more federal consolidated interim storage facilities (CISFs) into the IWMS architecture can enable the receipt rate profile as a function of time to be accelerated relative to system architectures without a CISF. The question then arises as to what an optimal SNF receipt rate profile for an IWMS architecture might be in view of practical constraints and desired system performance attributes and associated metrics. This paper describes a sensitivity study on SNF receipt rates and the associated results for a selected set of IWMS scenarios aimed an in-forming near-term planning for interim storage capabilities and transportation assets. Two different strategies are compared, one that fills an initial CISF quickly and then idles the transportation system while a disposal system is prepared, and a second strategy that aims to provide a more continuous use of transportation assets and receipt capabilities at the IWMS while the disposal system is readied for SNF receipt. Cost considerations and other factors such as impact on timing of clearing reactor sites of SNF, efficient use of capital assets, and other metrics, including those which may be important to a CISF host community, are examined. Based on the analysis, an initial approach is presented targeting a continuous receipt strategy while having the flexibility to step up receipt capabilities to a reasonable degree when needed and beneficial within overall system constraints.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Shifting agricultural practices to produce sustainable, low carbon intensity feedstocks for biofuel production

The carbon intensity (CI) of biofuel's well-to-pump life cycle is calculated by life cycle analysis (LCA) to account for the energy/material inputs of the feedstock production and fuel conversion stages and the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during these stages. The LCA is used by the California Air Resources Board's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program to calculate CI and monetary credits are issued based on the difference between a given fuel's CI and a reference fuel's CI. Through the Tier 2 certification program under which individual fuel production facilities can submit their own CIs with their facility input data, the LCFS has driven innovative technologies to biofuel conversion facilities, resulting in substantial reductions in GHG emissions as compared to the baseline gasoline or diesel. A similar approach can be taken to allow feedstock petition in the LCFS so that lower-CI feedstock can be rewarded. Here we examined the potential for various agronomic practices to improve the GHG profiles of corn ethanol by performing feedstock-level CI analysis for the Midwestern United States. Our system boundary covers GHG emissions from the cradle-to-farm-gate activities (i.e. farm input manufacturing and feedstock production), along with the potential impacts of soil organic carbon change during feedstock production. We conducted scenario-based CI analysis of ethanol, coupled with regionalized inventory data, for various farming practices to manage corn fields, and identified key parameters affecting cradle-to-farm-gate GHG emissions. The results demonstrate large spatial variations in CI of ethanol due to farm input use and land management practices. In particular, adopting conservation tillage, reducing nitrogen fertilizer use, and implementing cover crops has the potential to reduce GHG emissions per unit corn produced when compared to a baseline scenario of corn–soybean rotation. This work shows a large potential emission offset opportunity by allowing feedstock producers a path to Tier 2 petitions that reward low-CI feedstocks and further reduce biofuels' CI. The prevalence of significant acreage that has not been optimized for CI suggests that policy changes that incentivize optimization of this parameter could provide significant additionality over current trends in farm efficiency and adoption of conservation practice.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Diversifying and perennializing plants in agroecosystems alters retention of new C and N from crop residues

Abstract Managing soils to retain new plant inputs is key to moving toward a sustainable and regenerative agriculture. Management practices, like diversifying and perennializing agroecosystems, may affect the decomposer organisms that regulate how new residue is converted to persistent soil organic matter. Here we tested whether 12 years of diversifying/perennializing plants in agroecosystems through extended rotations or grassland restoration would decrease losses of new plant residue inputs and, thus, increase retention of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in soil. We tracked dual‐labeled ( 13 C and 15 N), isotopically enriched wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) residue in situ for 2 years as it decomposed in three agroecosystems: maize–soybean (CS) rotation, maize–soybean–wheat plus red clover and cereal rye cover crops (CSW2), and spring fallow management with regeneration of natural grassland species (seven to 10 species; SF). We measured losses of wheat residue (C wheat and N wheat ) in leached soil solution and greenhouse gas fluxes, as well as how much was recovered in microbial biomass and bulk soil at 5‐cm increments down to 20 cm. CSW2 and SF both had unique, significant effects on residue decomposition and retention dynamics that were clear only when using nuanced metrics that able to tease apart subtle differences. For example, SF retained a greater portion of C wheat in 0–5 cm surface soils (155%, p = 0.035) and narrowed the C wheat to N wheat ratio ( p < 0.030) compared to CS. CSW2 increased an index of carbon‐retention efficiency, C wheat retained in the mesocosm divided by total measured, from 0.18 to 0.27 (49%, p = 0.001), compared to CS. Overall, we found that diversifying and extending the duration of living plants in agroecosystems can lead to greater retention of new residue inputs in subtle ways that require further investigation to fully understand.

McDaniel, Marshall D.↗

Vapor-Liquid Partitioning of Methylmercury Compounds: Fundamental Data to Support the Savannah River Site Liquid Waste System: Henry's Law, Solubility and Vapor Pressure Determination for Representative Methylmercury Compounds

The Savannah River Site (SRS) Liquid Waste System (LWS) contains approximately 66 tons of mercury within the liquids, salts, and sludges that are currently being processed into final wasteforms for disposal. Mercury concentrations within the system exceed those typically experienced in environmental or industrial systems; thus, management of mercury compounds continues to be a priority for SRS. In the LWS, waste is vitrified into a borosilicate glass wasteform that contains most of the radioactivity, while the lower activity solutions are dispositioned in a low-level grout wasteform, or “saltstone”. The alkaline, high ionic strength caustic wastes are pumped, evaporated, and otherwise managed throughout the LWS and Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) as they are stored and prepared for conversion to the final wasteforms. Because of the complexity of this system, a key component of effective mercury management in the LWS requires analysis of mercury in various physical phases. The high concentration of mercury within the SRS LWS has the potential to generate vapor-phase contamination. Elemental mercury (Hg 0 ), dimethylmercury ((CH 3 ) 2 Hg), and methylmercury (CH 3 Hg + ) are among species known or suspected to contribute to the flux of mercury from liquid to vapor phase (Iverfeldt and Lindquist, 1982). Chemical speciation affects not only mercury behavior in LWS operations but may also affect the performance of mercury treatment and removal technologies in the LWS.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗