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At least 1,117 records · Page 62
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Developing a Decision Support Engine to Enable Irrigation Modernization - Poster

Irrigation systems in the United States are some of the oldest continually utilized infrastructure in existence today, with some systems exceeding 100 years in age. They are operated to meet farming demands but are managed through a balance of varying influence: policies limiting water usage, stakeholder interests, and environmental impacts. Irrigation modernization is defined as a set of activities that update and improve existing irrigation systems, including, but not limited to improving water quantity, development of distributed energy resources for surrounding communities, ecosystem services, and improved agricultural yields. Modernizing an existing irrigation system can enable stakeholders to combat changing environmental and population demands but is difficult because the complexity involved in determining the potential benefits and consequences of irrigation modernization is high. We are combining a large amount of various geospatial, tabular, and temporal data with subject matter expertise into a decision support engine that will enable stakeholders to determine the benefits and consequences of irrigation modernization in their irrigation systems. A web-based GIS will allow the user to construct the modifications out of a palette of modernization options, which will be sent to the analytics engine for computations, and back to the web client for a graphical display and comparison of relevant metrics. Our development process involves four phases: 1) identify mechanisms of modernization, 2) identify data requirements, data streams, first principles and applicable algorithms necessary to quantify modernization mechanisms, 3) create ‘modules’ for each modernization mechanism, these modules will form the decision support engine, each capable of performing independently but can also inform other modules when needed, 4) Merge the decision support engine with a user interface, capable of ingesting user inputs and returning insights into the impacts of a modernization project as they relate to economic, environmental, monetary, and energy generation. Once complete, it is our intention that this tool will be fundamental in irrigation modernization projects, providing a strong analytical basis from which stakeholders can quickly make informed decisions regarding project development.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Increased Fissile Loading Flowsheet Review

A request was made by H-Canyon Process Engineering to assess the impact of blending dissolved, neutralized Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) with future sludge batches and their impact on downstream processing facilities including the Concentration, Storage and Transfer Facilities (CSTF), the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF), the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), Saltstone, and the Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF). The purpose of this change is to accelerate the deinventory of SNF which is currently stored in the L-Area Disassembly Basin. The addition of SNF increases the mass of fissiles in each future sludge batch, due to their high enrichment. This high enrichment has the potential to complicate the programs to eliminate criticality events in the downstream processing facilities and will increase the number of canisters produced by DWPF because of the SNF mass increase. A separate report addressed the impacts to glass. The review and subsequent calculations were based on average predicted compositions of Accelerated Basin Deinventory (ABD) slurry, average compositions for predicted future sludge batches, average past salt batches and average past recycle batches to predict the feeds that will be processed in SWPF, DWPF, Saltstone, the 2H evaporator and ETF. Each of the processes was evaluated for potential issues.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Microgrid Design Toolkit (MDT) User Guide. Software v1.3.

The Microgrid Design Toolkit (MDT) supports decision analysis for new ("greenfield") microgrid designs as well as microgrids with existing infrastructure. The current version of MDT includes two main capabilities. The first capability, the Microgrid Sizing Capability (MSC), is used to determine the size and composition of a new, grid connected microgrid in the early stages of the design process. MSC is focused on developing a microgrid that is economically viable when connected to the grid. The second capability is focused on designing a microgrid for operation in islanded mode. This second capability relies on two models: the Technology Management Optimization (TMO) model and Performance Reliability Model (PRM).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

POEM

User manual for software POEM (Platform of Optimal Experiment Management).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Panel Session 46: Final Closure of Unlined LLW Disposal Facilities Worldwide (R3.5)

This panel discussed the on-going and emerging issues with the design and construction of final cover system of unlined disposal facilities (e.g., material disposal areas (MDAs), subsurface disposal areas (SDAs), burial grounds, and similar historical waste trenches, pits and vaults). The discussion focused on key technical and regulatory issues as well as lessons learned from years of engineering and construction in US and non-US locations. Panelists with presentations: Closure of Unlined LLW Disposal Sites (Craig Benson); Closure of LLW Facilities (Paul Pointon); Final Closure of Unlined LLW Disposal Facilities - Lessons Learned (Kevin Foye)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluating direct vessel injection accident-event progression of AP1000 and key figures of merit to support the design and development of water-cooled small modular reactors

The passive safety systems (PSSs) within water-cooled reactors are meticulously engineered to function autonomously, requiring no external power source or manual intervention. They depend exclusively on inherent natural forces and the fundamental principles of reactor physics, such as gravity, natural convection, and phase changes, to manage, alleviate, and avert the release of radioactive materials into the environment during accident scenarios like a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). PSSs are already integrated into such operating commercial reactors as the Advanced Pressurized Reactor-1000 MWe (AP1000) and the Water-Water Energetic Reactor-1200 MWe (WWER-1200) are adopted in most of the upcoming small modular reactor (SMR) designs. Examples of water-cooled SMR PSSs are the passive emergency core-cooling system (ECCS), passive containment cooling system (PCCS), and passive decay-heat removal system, the designs of which vary based on reactor system-design requirements. However, understanding the accident-event progression and phases of a LOCA is pivotal for adopting a specific PSS for a new SMR design. This study covers the accident-event progression for direct vessel injection (DVI) small-break loss-of-coolant accident (SB-LOCA), associated physics phenomena, knowledge gaps, and important figures of merit (FOMs) that may need to be evaluated and assessed to validate thermal-hydraulics models with an available experimental dataset to support new SMR design and development.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Real Time - Optimal Power Flow Based Distributed Energy Resources Management System (DERMS) (CRADA Number CRD-20-16909 Final Report)

The integration of behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (DERs) into distribution systems brings transformative changes to power systems. This requires operators and planners to find solutions to modernize electric grids and to effectively manage DERs for grid services. NREL developed novel DER management algorithms (referred to as Real-Time Optimal Power Flow, RT-OPF) through U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded efforts, including Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) Network Optimized Distributed Energy Systems (NODES) funding. This cutting-edge control technology aims to modernize distribution systems with large amounts of DER integration, which will help utilities solve issues brought by renewable integration and build resilient and renewable-based electric grids nationwide. Utilidata worked with NREL to investigate the commercialization opportunity of this RT-OPF-based distributed energy resource management system (DERMS). In this project, NREL performs the technology transfer of the RT-OPF to Utilidata to help them fully understand the RT-OPF solution, to identify potential engineering hurdles, and to assess the expected commercial value of various RT-OPF use cases and deployment. The technology transfer work includes two major tasks. First, NREL performs an in-depth knowledge transfer of the entire RT-OPF solution to Utilidata to help them gain an extensive and detailed understanding of the complete RT-OPF solution. In this task, NREL provides exhaustive information (e.g., documentation, code packages, laboratory and field trial data, performance results) while conducting in-depth training sessions to provide a thorough explanation of the entire solution. NREL hosts meetings to present different topics related to the RT-OPF solution, and question-and-answer sessions are included in each meeting to better explain the RT-OPF-related work. Second, the RT-OPF simulations are performed in a laboratory environment. The main objectives of this task are to walk through with Utilidata engineers how to set up a simulation of RT-OPF, identifying each RT-OPF code block/component in operation, learning how these components interact with each other, and eventually running RT-OPF simulations under various system conditions. This task helps Utilidata engineers understand performance limitations and constraints while also quantifying the commercial value of the RT-OPF for different use cases. Based on these two tasks, Utilidata engineers should be able to define and prioritize the next steps of RT-OPF implementation with an eye toward commercial success and scalability of the solution. The next steps are expected to be part of a new project following the conclusion of this project.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Differential multi-probe thermal transport measurements of multi-walled carbon nanotubes grown by chemical vapor deposition

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are quasi-one dimensional nanostructures that display both high thermal conductivity for potential thermal management applications and intriguing low-dimensional phonon transport phenomena. In comparison to the advances made in the theoretical calculation of the lattice thermal conductivity of CNTs, thermal transport measurements of CNTs have been limited by either the poor temperature sensitivity of Raman thermometry technique or the presence of contact thermal resistance errors in sensitive two-probe resistance thermometry measurements. Here we report advances in a multi-probe measurement of the intrinsic thermal conductivity of individual multi-walled CNT samples that are transferred from the growth substrate onto the measurement device. The sample-thermometer thermal interface resistance is directly measured by this multi-probe method and used to model the temperature distribution along the contacted sample segment. The detailed temperature profile helps to eliminate the contact thermal resistance error in the obtained thermal conductivity of the suspended sample segment. A differential electro-thermal bridge measurement method is established to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and reduce the measurement uncertainty by over 40%. The obtained thermal resistances of multiple suspended segments of the same MWCNT samples increase nearly linearly with increasing length, revealing diffusive phonon transport as a result of phonon-defect scattering in these MWCNT samples. The measured thermal conductivity increases with temperature and reaches up to 390 ± 20 W m –1 K –1 at room temperature for a 9-walled MWCNT. In conclusion, theoretical analysis of the measurement results suggests submicron phonon mean free paths due to extrinsic phonon scattering by extended defects such as grain boundaries. The obtained thermal conductivity is decreased by a factor of 3 upon electron beam damage and surface contamination of the CNT sample.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Annual Sustainability Report 2023

ORNL, managed under contract by UT-Battelle LLC, is DOE’s largest science and energy laboratory and, as such, executes the widest range of mission capabilities. Diverse expertise spans a broad range of scientific and engineering disciplines, enabling research and science achievements to accelerate the delivery of solutions to the marketplace. ORNL supports DOE’s national missions of scientific discovery, clean energy, and security. To execute these activities, ORNL has grown significantly over 80 years of continuous operations, consisting of facilities with commissioning dates ranging from the 1940s to the present—an extraordinary set of distinctive scientific facilities and equipment. The complexities of such a variety of facilities require teamwork among divisions, a wide variety of conservation projects, and creative strategies to achieve the desired energy and water savings. Such a diverse and unique set of major facilities, totaling over 5.5 million square feet, with 6,000 employees, requires an innovative plan to accomplish advancements in operational efficiencies. ORNL is tasked with the management of an extraordinary set of distinctive scientific facilities and equipment for DOE. ORNL is mission-driven, and its mission has grown substantially over the decades. ORNL’s core research capabilities provide broad science and technology support for DOE in the areas of energy, environment, and national security. Currently, ORNL is a world leader in materials, neutron, and nuclear science and engineering, and in high-performance computing and data analytics. ORNL’s vast portfolio of research facilities must be maintained and carefully upgraded to protect the nation’s investment in scientific analysis. The goal of sustainable and resilient operations is to enable more effective execution of ORNL’s science and technology mission. Sustainable operational practices and enhanced resilience strive for excellent results while remaining diligent in energy conservation, environmental stewardship, asset management, and community engagement. The Sustainable ORNL Program (Sustainable ORNL) Continuous improvements in operational and business processes must be integrated into the fabric of the ORNL culture to maximize the return from the investment made in modernizing facilities and equipment. The Sustainable ORNL program promotes the legacy of system-wide best practices, management commitment, and employee engagement that will lead ORNL into a future of efficient, resilient, and sustainable operations. ORNL leadership and Sustainable ORNL champions receive regular status reports on the progress of each project and focus area (i.e., roadmap) and periodic summary reports. More information can be found at the program’s website. The Sustainable ORNL roadmap structure endorses 15 vital roadmaps. The figure below summarizes the current project assignments and demonstrates that each project contributes to the wellbeing of the whole. Continuous employee engagement and regular status reports confirm the ideals of the program. The roadmap structure is not static; as the science mission advances and the needs of the organization evolve, the Sustainable ORNL roadmap structure elements are modified to align with developing priorities. In 2022, Sustainable ORNL made roadmap changes to better align ORNL to support new federal requirements that have been issued.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Engineering Scale Drying of Aluminum-Clad Spent Nuclear Fuel: Experiment Report

Engineering-scale tests were performed to evaluate the relative effectiveness of forced gas and vacuum-drying processes on aluminum-clad spent nuclear fuel (ASNF) in preparation for extended dry storage. Drying models were developed to improve confidence in the likely range of conditions at the start of dry storage and to understand the factors most significant to each process. Testing was performed at the Holtec International Forced Helium Dehydration training facility in Camden, New Jersey, by students from the University of South Carolina in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory. A full-size Type 1a basket, with a full-diameter vessel configuration (based on the Department of Energy standardized canister design), was used in combination with a 10 assembly surrogate ASNF arrangement to provide a proxy for geometry. A resistance heater incorporated in one assembly simulated the influence of 100 W decay heat. This instrumented chamber allowed testing of the removal of bulk water, physisorbed water, and chemisorbed water over a range of operating parameters with either drying process. Thick oxide films were grown on aluminum test plates to mimic the ASNF surface chemistry. These one-use test plates were housed within select assemblies during drying. Post-test analysis of these plates gave a measure of the moisture removed during each test, which was compared to a control. Instrumentation provided detailed thermal, humidity, and gas or pressure data relevant to each test. Model simulations generally compared favorably to instrument data for the tests. While both processes were able to remove bulk water, removal of chemisorbed water was shown to depend heavily on local temperature. To the disadvantage of vacuum drying, operations approaching or exceeding 220°C achieved consistently more dehydroxylation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Prototype Hanford Barrier Performance Monitoring Report: Fiscal Year 2024

This report provides an annual update on performance monitoring of the Prototype Hanford Barrier (PHB) at the Hanford Site. The PHB is part of a long-term study that serves as the scientific basis for many of the evapotranspiration-capillary barrier designs currently used globally and for future engineered barrier designs planned for remedial actions over waste and demolition sites at the Hanford Site. The PHB allows us to identify potential future issues and develop better monitoring techniques before these engineered barriers are constructed. Surface barriers like the PHB are essential for preventing water infiltration and curbing the spread of contaminants to groundwater. Effective monitoring of soil moisture levels above and below these barriers is crucial given that performance metrics could span up to 1,000 years. From July 2023 to June 2024, the water flux (as measured by tipping buckets) through the 2-m-thick silt loam layer of the PHB – a fine silty material that stores water under high capillary tension – remained well below the 0.5-mm-per-year performance threshold, demonstrating its effectiveness in preventing water penetration. In 2024, degraded tipping bucket gauges were replaced to ensure the accuracy of future data. Additionally, neutron probes revealed that the wetting front from the rainy season only penetrated to a maximum depth of 1.2 m into the silt loam. This further demonstrated the barrier's efficiency, as the wetting front did not fully penetrate the 2-m-thick capillary barrier. The western gravel slope of the PHB, composed of Hanford Site pit gravel of varying sizes, demonstrated low flux rates. In contrast, the eastern riprap slope exhibited higher flux rates. Zhang (2017) found that the riprap side slope of the PHB had the highest drainage rates in January and the lowest in late summer or early fall, indicating significant summer evaporation. Drainage rates increased significantly under enhanced precipitation conditions, far exceeding the design criterion, which could lead to water infiltration into the waste zone. The study introduced the “edge effect,” where elevated drainage rates from the riprap may migrate laterally beneath the barrier, compromising its ability to isolate waste, and recommended expanding the barrier and conducting further research to mitigate this issue. This report provides a review on surface barrier edge effects and their potential impact to subsurface contaminant migration.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Krypton Concentration using HZ-PAN

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has developed and tested engineered sorbents to separate and capture volatile fission products such iodine, xenon (Xe), and krypton (Kr) from off-gas streams. As noble gases, Xe and Kr can be difficult to capture and separate. Historically, cryogenic distillation has been used to execute the separation. However, performing this separation from bulk air streams is expensive and can pose significant hazards. INL has successfully developed two different sorbents for Xe and Kr capture, silver mordenite polyacrylonitrile and hydrogen mordenite polyacrylonitrile (HZ-PAN). Adsorption studies to date successfully separated and captured Kr from carrier gas streams, but those studies focused primarily on initial separation and capture. Successful utilization in a used nuclear fuel (UNF) reprocessing facility, however, requires further concentration of the Kr to minimize long term storage volumes. This study focuses on the concentration of Kr utilizing HZ PAN as the concentrating media. Concentrating Kr during desorption is ideal for two reasons: one, to produce Kr that can be used for commercial and research applications, or two, to minimize the volume of the radioactive gaseous waste stream for disposal. This report investigates the Kr concentrating potential of HZ-PAN by running multiple Kr adsorption-desorption cycles, collecting the desorbed effluent from a saturated HZ-PAN column, and loading it onto a fresh column. This study demonstrates that four adsorption-desorption cycles can transform a 150 ppmv Kr stream into a 37.5% Kr stream, an overall concentration factor of 2497. Each concentration step results in successively smaller volumes desorbed, reducing volume by a factor of approximately 40,000. Depending on the operational goals, during desorption one could collect smaller volume fractions of high concentration Kr (~ 67%). This demonstration should be considered proof-of-concept. Further refinement is necessary to develop optimum operating schemes to integrate into UNF off-gas treatment.

12 - MGMT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Microscale Imaging of Thermal Conductivity Suppression at Grain Boundaries

Abstract Grain‐boundary engineering is an effective strategy to tune the thermal conductivity of materials, leading to improved performance in thermoelectric, thermal‐barrier coatings, and thermal management applications. Despite the central importance to thermal transport, a clear understanding of how grain boundaries modulate the microscale heat flow is missing, owing to the scarcity of local investigations. Here, thermal imaging of individual grain boundaries is demonstrated in thermoelectric SnTe via spatially resolved frequency‐domain thermoreflectance. Measurements with microscale resolution reveal local suppressions in thermal conductivity at grain boundaries. Also, the grain‐boundary thermal resistance – extracted by employing a Gibbs excess approach – is found to be correlated with the grain‐boundary misorientation angle. Extracting thermal properties, including thermal boundary resistances, from microscale imaging can provide comprehensive understanding of how microstructure affects heat transport, crucially impacting the materials design of high‐performance thermal‐management and energy‐conversion devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

High Flux Isotope Reactor Low Enriched Uranium U-10Mo Fuel Design Parameters

Activities to convert the HFIR from HEU to LEU are ongoing as part of the US Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) nuclear nonproliferation mission. Design activities to study the conversion of HFIR from HEU to LEU fuel explored different fuel design features and shapes with a uranium-molybdenum (U-10Mo) monolithic alloy fuel. This high-density alloy contains 90 wt % uranium and 10 wt % molybdenum and has a uranium density of 15.318gU/cm 3 . The goal of these studies is to generate several candidate HFIR LEU fuel designs of varying fuel fabrication complexity that meet the current HEU performance metrics and safety requirements. Recent advancements in modeling and simulation tools and design methods enabled a thorough analysis of the available design space with U-10Mo fuel. A surrogate model used this analysis as training data to quickly determine the performance of a design given specific design parameters. An optimization module used this surrogate model to quickly search this multidimensional search space given specific desired performance characteristics. This approach was made possible by the large available design space with U-10Mo fuel. Shift, a Monte Carlo tool optimized for high-performance computing (HPC) architectures, was used for faster calculation and better data management for reactor physics simulations. Once most of these design studies were complete, a new suite called the Python HFIR Analysis and Measurement Engine (PHAME) was developed to connect all fuel design analysis steps, making design studies more efficient and reproducible. The post-processing capabilities of these new tools are leveraged for the information provided herein. Leveraging these tools, several candidate fuel designs were selected with varying levels of feature complexity and reactor performance. This report provides design feature details for four selected HFIR LEU U-10Mo fuel designs and their corresponding performance and safety metrics. Nominal best-estimate design parameters and irradiation conditions, including fission rate densities, power densities, heat fluxes, and cumulative fission densities, are provided. Simulations show that the high uranium density of U-10Mo fuel provides a large potential design space that enables various LEU designs to meet HEU core performance metrics and safety requirements with a power increase from 85 MW (HEU) to 95 MW or 100 MW (LEU).

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Prefabricated Zero Ascend Omnispecies (ZAO) Modular Fish Passage Modules Using Advanced Manufacturing Techniques

The Zero Ascend Omnispecies (ZAO) fish passage attraction module “ZAO Attractor” is a novel system designed to facilitate upstream passage for a broad spectrum of fish species, with a particular focus on American shad and river herring (alewife and/or blueback herring). Combining the use of prefabricated, modular components with advanced manufacturing, the ZAO aims to provide a cost-effective and scalable solution for fish passage attractions across various hydropower sites. The system features a surface level entry, so fish do not need to climb. In addition, it is designed to be adjusted and repositioned to create the most effective attraction flows by managing the outflows from hydropower turbines. Budget Period 1 (BP1) focused on the design and modeling of the ZAO Attractor and demonstrated the engineering feasibility of a modular, prefabricated, hydrodynamically efficient structure with surface level entry and passage. It was discovered that there were limited published studies on the direct correlation between quantified flow patterns and fish attraction, emphasizing the need for controlled studies to observe and measure these effects. In Budget Period 2 (BP2), controlled studies with live fish were prioritized to address these complexities. In conclusion, the ZAO fish passage attraction module presents a promising approach to fish passage at hydropower stations, with the potential to balance environmental concerns with renewable energy development. However, further field validation and optimization are necessary to ensure its effectiveness and practicality in real-world applications.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cyber Conservative Operations

In an era of increasingly sophisticated and pervasive cyber threats, robust cyber resilience strategies are more critical than ever. This paper introduces the concept of Cyber Conservative Operations, a proactive approach designed to assist critical infrastructure owners and operators in managing risk and maintaining resilience in the face of imminent, yet not occurring, cyber events. By leveraging the principles of Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) and the energy sector’s practice of conservative operations, Cyber Conservative Operations offer a framework for planning and executing coordinated active defense and resilience-oriented actions ahead of cyber events. This approach aims to minimize the consequences of digitally-enabled hazards and ensure swift recovery from anticipated cyber threats. Cyber Conservative Operations enhance the ability of owners and operators to execute pre-planned defense and resilience actions, thereby reducing the impact of digitally-enabled hazards. These operations are crucial for addressing impacts that cannot be precisely quantified or forecasted and for preparing organizations for rapid recovery from imminent digital threats. The paper begins with a discussion of conservative operations as applied to the bulk power system (BPS), a current mechanism allowing BPS entities to enact defensive operating plans to mitigate impending grid unreliability. Building on this model, we present a concept for implementing cyber conservative operations at asset owner facilities. The paper concludes with two case studies of cyber conservative operations drawn from high-profile cyber events, illustrating the practical application and benefits of this proactive approach.

42 - ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Rapid and Ultrasensitive Short-Chain PFAS (GenX) Detection in Water via Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy with a Hierarchical Nanofibrous Substrate

GenX, the trade name of hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) and its ammonium salt, is a short-chain PFAS that has emerged as a substitute for the legacy PFAS perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). However, GenX has turned out to be more toxic than people originally thought. In order to monitor and regulate water quality according to recently issued drinking water standards for GenX, rapid and ultrasensitive detection of GenX is urgently needed. For the first time, this study reports ultrasensitive (as low as 1 part per billion (ppb)) and fast detection (in minutes) of GenX in water via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) using a hierarchical nanofibrous SERS substrate, which was prepared by assembling ~60 nm Ag nanoparticles on electrospun nylon-6 nanofibers through a “hot start” method. The findings in this research highlight the potential of the engineered hierarchical nanofibrous SERS substrate for enhanced detection of short-chain PFASs in water, contributing to the improvement of environmental monitoring and management strategies for PFASs.

Ismail, Ali K. (ORCID:0009000005987973)↗
DOE OSTI2021

NETL Well Integrity Workshop: Identifying Well Integrity Research Needs for Subsurface Energy Infrastructure

Wells are a critical component of subsurface energy infrastructure. Ensuring the integrity of wells as engineered pathways for the safe extraction, injection, and storage of fluids in the subsurface is key to maximizing the effectiveness and resilience of that infrastructure. Addressing well integrity issues in a technically robust manner that promotes environmental sustainability and social equity is also an important focus of the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. Industry best practices, regulatory standards, modern monitoring data acquisition and control systems, and decades of research and development have dramatically improved the performance and reliability of wells for hydrocarbon extraction and underground injection in the oil and gas industry. Yet, important innovation is required to improve and ensure well integrity performance in engineered geologic systems where operational environments (fluid composition, temperature, pressure, and/or stress conditions) and long functional life cycles of well systems present unique challenges. Additionally, work is needed to understand and manage the long-term integrity and risks associated with legacy wells—especially those located adjacent to and presenting hazards for new subsurface activity.

02 PETROLEUM↗