Results for “Capabilities” — Page 69

DOE OSTI2019

NREL's Capabilities in Techno-Economic and Sustainability Analyses for Thermal and Catalytic Conversion of Biomass and Waste Feedstocks

The Thermal and Catalytic Process Development Unit at NREL has state-of-the-art equipment for thermochemical process development and testing, ranging from catalyst and feedstock characterizations to bench-scale reactors to pilot plants. Within this facility is the capability to integrate experimental results with detailed process models to estimate biomass conversion costs. This fact sheet summarizes the core capabilities and applications.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2019

NREL'S Capabilities in Catalyst Development and Characterization

The Thermal and Catalytic Process Development Unit at NREL has state-of-the-art equipment for thermochemical process development and testing, ranging from catalyst and feedstock characterizations to bench-scale reactors to pilot plants. Within this facility is the capability to understand structure-performance relationships for advanced catalytic materials to enable improved carbon yield and reduced costs for the targeted conversion of renewable feedstocks. This fact sheet summarizes the core capabilities and applications.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2019

NREL's Capabilities in Modeling and Simulation of Thermal and Catalytic Conversion Processes

The Thermal and Catalytic Process Development Unit at NREL has state-of-the-art equipment for thermochemical process development and testing, ranging from catalyst and feedstock characterizations to bench-scale reactors to pilot plants. Within this facility NREL's thermal and catalytic simulation and modeling team integrates experimental and computational capabilities to address the complexities of real biomass and waste streams, enabling development of renewable energy technologies. This fact sheet summarizes the core capabilities and applications.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Development of a Clad Activation Capability in BISON using ORIGEN

This work describes the ongoing coupling work establishing ORIGEN as a physics module for depletion, activation, and decay in the MOOSE/BISON fuel performance code. The current phase has focused on the implementation of an activation model, mainly intended for evaluation and comparison of accident tolerant cladding designs within a single fuel performance framework. The next phase will develop a capability for fuel depletion. New aspects of this work include: investigation of how to allow the high-fidelity ORIGEN capability to be interoperable extension of existing lower-fidelity cladding models (e.g. based only on fast fluence), introduction of recalculation thresholds to reduce computational cost during multi-physics iterations, and runtime experiments to assess the cost of this additional physics relative to the baseline MOOSE/BISON fuel performance calculations. The current results show activation increases runtime by a factor of approximately 7, but additional optimizations, discussed in the conclusions, are possible.

Wieselquist, William↗

DOE OSTI2019

Semi-solid electrodes having high rate capability

Embodiments described herein relate generally to electrochemical cells having high rate capability, and more particularly to devices, systems and methods of producing high capacity and high rate capability batteries having relatively thick semi-solid electrodes. In some embodiments, an electrochemical cell includes an anode and a semi-solid cathode. The semi-solid cathode includes a suspension of an active material of about 35% to about 75% by volume of an active material and about 0.5% to about 8% by volume of a conductive material in a non-aqueous liquid electrolyte. An ion-permeable membrane is disposed between the anode and the semi-solid cathode. The semi-solid cathode has a thickness of about 250 μm to about 2,000 μm, and the electrochemical cell has an area specific capacity of at least about 7 mAh/cm2 at a C-rate of C/4. In some embodiments, the semi-solid cathode slurry has a mixing index of at least about 0.9.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Host cell capable of producing enzymes useful for degradation of lignocellulosic material

The invention relates to a host cell comprising at least four different heterologous polynucleotides chose from the group of polynucleotides encoding cellulases, hemicellulases and pectinases, wherein the host cell is capable of producing the at least four different enzymes chosen from the group of cellulases, hemicellulases and pectinases, wherein the host cell is a filam-tous fungus and is capable of secretion of the at least four different enzymes. This host cell can suitably be used for the production of an enzyme composition that can be use in a process for the saccharification of cellulosic material.

Los, Alrik Pieter↗

DOE OSTI2021

FY21 progress report for Advanced Re-fabrication/Re-instrumentation Capability Development

This report will focus on progress and development in establishment of refabrication/instrumentation capability at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Refabrication/instrumentation is considered an enabling capability that allows access to fuel materials at any point in their life cycle. It is also critical in supporting deployment and qualification of ATF materials as many candidate materials are already undergoing irradiation as lead test rods (LTR) in commercial nuclear power plans (NPP) and irradiation in ATR alone can not produce the quantities of materials necessary to support qualification.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Semi-solid electrodes having high rate capability

Embodiments described herein relate generally to electrochemical cells having high rate capability, and more particularly to devices, systems and methods of producing high capacity and high rate capability batteries having relatively thick semi-solid electrodes. In some embodiments, an electrochemical cell includes an anode and a semi-solid cathode. The semi-solid cathode includes a suspension of an active material of about 35% to about 75% by volume of an active material and about 0.5% to about 8% by volume of a conductive material in a non-aqueous liquid electrolyte. An ion-permeable membrane is disposed between the anode and the semi-solid cathode. The semi-solid cathode has a thickness of about 250 μm to about 2,000 μm, and the electrochemical cell has an area specific capacity of at least about 7 mAh/cm2 at a C-rate of C/4. In some embodiments, the semi-solid cathode slurry has a mixing index of at least about 0.9.

Chiang, Yet-Ming↗

DOE OSTI2021

Studies on the scintillation light detection in the ProtoDUNE Dual Phase liquid-argon TPC and its capability for the supernova trigger in DUNE

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment that aims at addressing key questions in neutrino physics in the next decades. Its scientific program includes the detection of the neutrino flux from a core-collapse supernova. The DUNE far detector will have four 17-kt mass liquid-argon (LAr) time-projection chamber (TPC) modules. ProtoDUNE Dual Phase (DP), a dual-phase LAr TPC with 300 t of active mass and 6 m of drift distance, was operated with cosmic muons in 2019-2020 as part of an R&D program at the CERN Neutrino Platform to demonstrate the feasibility of the technology at such a large scale. In a LAr TPC, the photon detection system (PDS) provides fun- damental timing information and trigger capabilities. The PDS of ProtoDUNE-DP, which consisted of 36 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), counted on a dedicated light calibration system (LCS) to monitor the PMT response. In this dissertation, the characterization and validation of the ProtoDUNE-DP PDS and LCS components before their installation will be reviewed, highlighting the results of general interest for experiments that use liquid noble gasses as target medium. The results from the stable performance of both systems in the detector during 15 months will be presented next as well as the studies on the scintillation light detection in ProtoDUNE-DP, where the collection of light produced in LAr at 7 m from the photosensors has been achieved for the first time. It is worth pointing out that the excellent LAr purity and the large size of the detector have enabled to develop a unique data-driven investigation on aspects that are critical for LAr- based experiments but that are not completely understood. The analyses cover the characterization of the low-energy background detected by the PDS, the quantification of the electric field impact on the light yield, the evaluation of the Rayleigh scattering affecting the light propagation, and the analysis of the PMT detection efficiency. The effect of the VUV reflectivity of the detector materials will be also discussed. In addition, the estimation of the cosmic muon flux crossing the TPC and the study of the observed light yield by the PDS will be reported. Finally, the results from the simulation-based study of the supernova burst trigger capability with the PDS of a 12.1-kt active mass dual-phase LAr TPC as the one proposed for DUNE will be summarized. Several configurations of reflective foils installed in the TPC to enhance the light collection will be compared

Gallego-Ros, Ana↗

DOE OSTI2022

Framework for Optimization, Quantification of Uncertainty and Surrogates – Updated Capabilities

This poster presents updated capabilities within the FOQUS Toolset, covering core features as well as project-based applications. Specifically, the poster highlights advancements in FOQUS integration with cloud-based clients, plugin support for machine learning tools and external simulations, sequential design of experiments, and advanced support for dynamic process models. The applications demonstrate the breadth of FOQUS predictive capabilities for chemical, energy and economic system analysis.

Paul, Brandon↗

DOE OSTI2023

symPACK: A GPU-Capable Fan-Out Sparse Cholesky Solver

Sparse symmetric positive definite systems of equations are ubiquitous in scientific workloads and applications. Parallel sparse Cholesky factorization is the method of choice for solving such linear systems. Therefore, the development of parallel sparse Cholesky codes that can efficiently run on today’s large-scale heterogeneous distributed-memory platforms is of vital importance. Modern supercomputers offer nodes that contain a mix of CPUs and GPUs. To fully utilize the computing power of these nodes, scientific codes must be adapted to offload expensive computations to GPUs. We present symPACK, a GPU-capable parallel sparse Cholesky solver that uses one-sided communication primitives and remote procedure calls provided by the UPC++ library. We also utilize the UPC++ "memory kinds" feature to enable efficient communication of GPU-resident data. We show that on a number of large problems, symPACK outperforms comparable state-of-the-art GPU-capable Cholesky factorization codes by up to 14x on the NERSC Perlmutter supercomputer.

Bellavita, Julian↗

DOE OSTI2023

An Overview of the Radioisotope Electromagnetic Isotope Separation Capabilities at Idaho National Laboratory

Electromagnetic isotope separation (EMIS) has been an effective tool for the enrichment of isotopes for over 80 years. In the early 1990’s the U.S. reduced or eliminated electromagnetic isotope separation capabilities, but in the last decade, increased demand for both stable and radioactive enriched isotopes have led to the reestablishment of small-medium scale EMIS capabilities in the U.S. National Laboratory Complex.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2023

Hydropower Resilience Database for Assessing Microgrid Formation Capability and Enhancing Power Grid Resilience

In the face of increasing frequency of extreme events, enhancing resilience and reliability of energy infrastructure demands innovative solutions. Hydropower, with its inherent generation flexibility and grid-forming capability, offers significant potential for enhancing power grid resilience through the establishment of microgrids. To enable informed decision-making and strategic planning, we present the Hydropower Resilience Database (HRD) that integrates data from various sources such as Oakridge National Laboratory (ORNL) HydroSource, National Inventory of Dams, and US Western Grid database. By integrating relevant information on hydropower plant characteristics, including dams, reservoirs, and connected electrical grid, this resource enables hydropower plant owners, utilities, and community stakeholders to identify and evaluate the feasibility of using hydropower resources in microgrids to support nearby communities and critical infrastructure in various challenging scenarios. Using HRD, a set of metrics are evaluated to quantify the capability of hydropower plants to support essential microgrid functions. An interactive tool is developed using ArcGIS, enabling the visualization and analysis using HRD. Our research contributes to strategic planning efforts for fortifying energy infrastructure, ensuring reliable power supply during disruptions, and advancing the development of robust and resilient energy systems in regions susceptible to grid vulnerabilities.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Hydropower Resilience Database for Assessing Microgrid Formation Capability and Enhancing Power Grid Resilience

In the face of increasing frequency of extreme events, enhancing resilience and reliability of energy infrastructure demands innovative solutions. Hydropower, with its inherent generation flexibility and grid-forming capability, offers significant potential for enhancing power grid resilience through the establishment of microgrids. To enable informed decision-making and strategic planning, we present the Hydropower Resilience Database (HRD) that integrates data from various sources such as Oakridge National Laboratory (ORNL) HydroSource, National Inventory of Dams, and US Western Grid database. By integrating relevant information on hydropower plant characteristics, including dams, reservoirs, and connected electrical grid, this resource enables hydropower plant owners, utilities, and community stakeholders to identify and evaluate the feasibility of using hydropower resources in microgrids to support nearby communities and critical infrastructure in various challenging scenarios. Using HRD, a set of metrics are evaluated to quantify the capability of hydropower plants to support essential microgrid functions. An interactive tool is developed using ArcGIS, enabling the visualization and analysis using HRD. Our research contributes to strategic planning efforts for fortifying energy infrastructure, ensuring reliable power supply during disruptions, and advancing the development of robust and resilient energy systems in regions susceptible to grid vulnerabilities.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2012

PHISICS multi-group transport neutronic capabilities for RELAP5

PHISICS is a neutronic code system currently under development at INL. Its goal is to provide state of the art simulation capability to reactor designers. This paper reports on the effort of coupling this package to the thermal hydraulic system code RELAP5. This will enable full prismatic core and system modeling and the possibility to model coupled (thermal-hydraulics and neutronics) problems with more options for 3D neutron kinetics, compared to the existing diffusion theory neutron kinetics module in RELAP5 (NESTLE). The paper describes the capabilities of the coupling and illustrates them with a set of sample problems. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Movable geometry and eigenvalue search capability in the MC21 Monte Carlo code

A description of a robust and flexible movable geometry implementation in the Monte Carlo code MC21 is described along with a search algorithm that can be used in conjunction with the movable geometry capability to perform eigenvalue searches based on the position of some geometric component. The natural use of the combined movement and search capability is searching to critical through variation of control rod (or control drum) position. The movable geometry discussion provides the mathematical framework for moving surfaces in the MC21 combinatorial solid geometry description. A discussion of the interface between the movable geometry system and the user is also described, particularly the ability to create a hierarchy of movable groups. Combined with the hierarchical geometry description in MC21 the movable group framework provides a very powerful system for inline geometry modification. The eigenvalue search algorithm implemented in MC21 is also described. The foundations of this algorithm are a regula falsi search though several considerations are made in an effort to increase the efficiency of the algorithm for use with Monte Carlo. Specifically, criteria are developed to determine after each batch whether the Monte Carlo calculation should be continued, the search iteration can be rejected, or the search iteration has converged. These criteria seek to minimize the amount of time spent per iteration. Results for the regula falsi method are shown, illustrating that the method as implemented is indeed convergent and that the optimizations made ultimately reduce the total computational expense. (authors)

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2023

Host cell capable of producing enzymes useful for degradation of lignocellulosic material

The invention relates to a host cell comprising at least four different heterologous polynucleotides chose from the group of polynucleotides encoding cellulases, hemicellulases and pectinases, wherein the host cell is capable of producing the at least four different enzymes chosen from the group of cellulases, hemicellulases and pectinases, wherein the host cell is a filam-tous fungus and is capable of secretion of the at least four different enzymes. This host cell can suitably be used for the production of an enzyme composition that can be use in a process for the saccharification of cellulosic material.

Los, Alrik Pieter↗

DOE OSTI2013

Cyclus fuel cycle simulation capabilities with the CYDER disposal system model

An algorithm and supporting database for rapid thermal repository loading calculation was implemented in CYDER. This algorithm employs a Specific Temperature Change (STC) method and has resulted from combining detailed spent nuclear fuel composition data with a detailed thermal repository performance analysis tool from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), and the Used Fuel Disposition (UFD) campaign. By abstraction of and benchmarking against these detailed thermal models, CYDER captures the dominant physics of thermal phenomena affecting repository capacity in various geologic media and as a function of spent fuel composition. Abstraction based on detailed computational thermal repository performance calculations with the LLNL semi-analytic model has resulted in implementation of the STC estimation algorithm and a supporting reference dataset. This method is capable of rapid estimation of temperature increase near emplacement tunnels as a function of waste composition, limiting radius, waste package spacing, near field thermal conductivity and near field thermal diffusivity. The sensitivity analyses and validation efforts conducted in this work demonstrate the capability of the CYDER tool to provide repository capacity and performance metrics in the context of dynamic fuel cycle.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗