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At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Using X-ray spectrum imaging to quantify fission gas in high-burnup UO2 fuel

Analysis of fission gas bubbles (FGBs) in light-water reactor (LWR) fuel is needed to improve the understanding and predictive capability of fuel evolution under normal- and transient conditions. One of the most important parameters of a FGB is the pressure of the gas, primarily Xe, inside it. Bubble volume and location (inter- vs. intragranular) are important considerations as well. However, experimental analysis of such bubbles is challenging due to their small size and embedded nature, and usefulness of the data requires large numbers be analyzed. This paper proposes a method to measure the pressure of Xe bubbles using X-ray spectrum imaging (XSI) in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). From X-ray generation and instrumental parameters, the number of Xe atoms yielding a given number of Xe L-series X-ray counts is estimated, and then from the estimated volume of the bubble the Xe density is estimated, which can then be converted to pressure via an equation-of-state. We apply the method to XSI datasets from high burnup (HBu) fuel from North Anna 1 reactor in as-irradiated and post-LOCA-test conditions and find Xe pressures in the FGBs clustered around 1 GPa.

Parish, Chad [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000312097439)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Dynamic optical spectroscopy and pyrometry of static targets under optical and x-ray laser heating at the European XFEL

Experiments accessing extreme conditions at x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) involve rapidly evolving conditions of temperature. Here, we report time-resolved, direct measurements of temperature using spectral streaked optical pyrometry of x-ray and optical laser-heated states at the High Energy Density instrument of the European XFEL. This collection of typical experiments, coupled with numerical models, outlines the reliability, precision, and meaning of time dependent temperature measurements using optical emission at XFEL sources. Dynamic temperatures above 1500 K are measured continuously from spectrally- and temporally-resolved thermal emission at 450–850 nm, with time resolution down to 10–100 ns for 1–200 μs streak camera windows, using single shot and integrated modes. Targets include zero-pressure foils free-standing in air and in vacuo, and high-pressure samples compressed in diamond anvil cell multi-layer targets. Radiation sources used are 20-fs hard x-ray laser pulses at 17.8 keV, in single pulses or 2.26 MHz pulse trains of up to 30 pulses, and 250-ns infrared laser single pulses. A range of further possibilities for optical measurements of visible light in x-ray laser experiments using streak optical spectroscopy are also explored, including for the study of x-ray induced optical fluorescence, which often appears as background in thermal radiation measurements. We establish several scenarios where combined emissions from multiple sources are observed and discuss their interpretation. Challenges posed by using x-ray lasers as non-invasive probes of the sample state are addressed.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Seismic Ambient Noise Analyses Reveal Changing Temperature and Water Signals to 10s of Meters Depth in the Critical Zone

The critical zone sustains terrestrial life, but we have few tools to explore it efficiently beyond the first few meters of the subsurface. Using analyses of high-frequency ambient seismic noise from densely spaced seismometers deployed in the forested Shale Hills subcatchment of the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHCZO), we show that temporal changes in seismic velocities at depths from ~1 m to tens of m can be detected. Furthermore, these changes are driven by variations at the land surface. The Moving-Window Cross-Spectral (MWCS) method was employed to measure seismic-velocity changes in coda waves at hourly resolution in 10 different frequency bands. We observed a diurnal signal, a seasonal signal, and a meteorological-event-based signal. These signals were compared to time-series measurements of precipitation, well water levels, soil moisture, soil temperature, air temperature, latent heat flux, and air pressure in the heavily instrumented catchment. Most of the velocity changes can be explained by variations in temperature that result in thermoelastic strains that propagate to depth. But some double minima in seismic velocity time-series observed after large rain events were attributed in part to the effects of water infiltration. These results show that high-frequency ambient noise data may in some locations be used to detect changes in the critical zone from ~1 to ~100 m or greater depth with hourly resolution. But interpretation of such data requires multiple environmental data sets to deconvolve the complex interrelationships among thermoelastic and hydrological effects in the subsurface critical zone.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fuel Injection Dynamics and Composition Effects on RDE Performance

Rotating detonation engines (RDEs) provide a promising route to substantially increasing cycle efficiency in stationary gas turbines. Much of this increase relies on the ability to achieve consistent pressure gain within the combustor. In particular, the design of injectors that feed fuel and air into the detonation channel plays a crucial role. Such injectors have to ensure proper mixing of fuel and oxidizer, while minimizing backflow of detonation products into the feed plenums, and reduce susceptibility to the complex wave structures that exist within the combustor. From a practical perspective, such RDEs also need to operate with variable fuel composition. When fuel mixtures with components that possess vastly different oxidation pathways and time-scales are used, there could be additional losses through deflagrative burning instead of detonation-driven heat release. Such sensitivity to the complete flow path is akin to the physics of thermoacoustic instabilities in conventional gas turbines. In this sense, RDEs pose a unique research challenge: the performance of the device relies on the small-scale heat release process, which is highly dependent on the flow interactions within the full-scale system. As a result, canonical flow configurations, instrumented with detailed diagnostics or modeled using high-fidelity tools, but only focus on the small-scale processes will not contain the key system-level interactions. At the same time, macroscopic measurements and models that only capture system-level performance will not provide insight into the key sources of pressure losses. These couplings and sensitivities provide a formidable challenge to both experimental and simulation studies of the effects Thus, a joint experimental/computational program designed specifically to address these challenges was undertaken in this program. The focus of this program was on two key topics: a) the interaction between injector flow and the overall wave dynamics within the combustor, and b) the deflagration/detonation structure in multi-component fuels that are of practical interest. Both topics involve interaction of small-scale heat release processes with the geometry-dependent wave structure. Studies focused on the study of full-scale RDE systems, based on a 6-inch conventional annular geometry. Experimentally RDEs were studied using a combination of diagnostics. A combination of optical diagnostics and aero-thermo-acoustic analysis based on a combination of spectral and mode decomposition analysis was used to identify the dynamics of the detonation wave and other secondary waves that exist in the system. These studies have helped the identification and investigation of injector and detonation dynamics arising from coupling, and how they affect RDE mixing, detonation structure, operability and performance. Performance of RDEs was investigated through thrust stand measurements, which was used to evaluate the effective pressure gain generated by the system through the concept of equivalent available pressure. Optical diagnostics were developed and implemented to investigate the distribution of heat release, across the detonation wave. Novel optical diagnostics of NIR imaging was also developed and applied to investigate the high temperature / high pressure distribution across the detonation wave. In order to complement the experiments, the computational tools were geared to simulate the full experimental setup. GPU-based acceleration of the models and computations were developed to enable rapid simulation of the full system. In addition, the use of adaptive mesh refinement, and unstructured grid formulation, enabled the investigation of realistic geometries studied in the laboratory. The simulations produced a wealth of detail on the structure of the detonation wave under different operating conditions. Emphasis was placed on quantifying mixture pre-burning and the impact on wave propagation and structure.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Crystallography of low Z material at ultrahigh pressure: Case study on solid hydrogen

Diamond anvil cell techniques have been improved to allow access to the multimegabar ultrahigh-pressure region for exploring novel phenomena in condensed matter. However, the only way to determine crystal structures of materials above 100 GPa, namely, X-ray diffraction (XRD), especially for low Z materials, remains nontrivial in the ultrahigh-pressure region, even with the availability of brilliant synchrotron X-ray sources. In this work,we perform a systematic study, choosing hydrogen (the lowest X-ray scatterer) as the subject, to understand how to better perform XRD measurements of low Z materials at multimegabar pressures. The techniques that we have developed have been proved to be effective in measuring the crystal structure of solid hydrogen up to 254 GPa at room temperature [C. Ji et al.,Nature 573, 558–562 (2019)]. We present our discoveries and experiences with regard to several aspects of this work, namely, diamond anvil selection, sample configuration for ultrahigh-pressure XRD studies,XRD diagnostics for low Z materials, and related issues in data interpretation and pressure calibration.We believe that these methods can be readily extended to other low Z materials and can pave the way for studying the crystal structure of hydrogen at higher pressures, eventually testing structural models of metallic hydrogen.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Thermite and intermetallic projectiles examined experimentally in air and inert gas environments

Intermetallic (aluminum and zirconium) and thermite (aluminum and molybdenum trioxide) projectiles were launched using a high velocity impact ignition testing system. The experiments were designed to simulate reactivity in high (argon) and low (air) altitude environments. The projectiles were launched into a chamber that included a steel target plate for projectile penetration before impacting a rear witness plate. The chamber was semi-sealed and instrumented for quasi-static pressure data. The results provide an understanding of energy release from the projectile materials and of the environmental influence on performance. The transient pressure traces provide insight into reaction kinetics. A bifurcation in transient pressure rise was an indication of a shift in reaction kinetics from the inherent reactive material to metal oxidation with the environment. The bifurcation was delayed by about 0.15 ms for the intermetallic relative to the thermite, evidence that the thermite reaction proceeded faster upon impact than the intermetallic. The two-step process (impact ignition of the reactive material followed by metal oxidation) was shown to produce higher energy conversion efficiencies than projectiles composed of pure fuel (i.e., aluminum) reported previously. Both reactive materials showed energy conversion efficiencies greater than 30% (for air) and 50% (for argon), and an explanation of underestimated efficiency and energy losses is provided. These results have implications for advancing formulations for ballistic applications. Structural reactive materials can be used to modify the effective reactivity of metal-containing formulations in varied atmospheric environments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hybrid time–frequency domain dual-probe coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering for simultaneous temperature and pressure measurements in compressible flows via spectral fitting

We demonstrate a hybrid time–frequency spectroscopic method for simultaneous temperature/pressure measurements in nonreacting compressible flows with known gas composition. Hybrid femtosecond–picosecond, pure-rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), with two independent, time-delayed probe pulses, is deployed for single-laser-shot measurements of temperature and pressure profiles along an ∼ <#comment/> 5 -mm line. The theory of dual-probe CARS is presented, along with a discussion of the iterative fitting of experimental spectra. Temperature is obtained from spectra acquired with an early, near-collision-free probe time delay ( τ <#comment/> 1 = 0 p s ) and pressure from spectra obtained at probe delays of τ <#comment/> 2 = 150 − <#comment/> 1000 p s , where collisions significantly impact the spectral profile. Unique solutions for temperature and pressure are obtained by iteratively fitting the two spectra to account for small collisional effects observed for the near zero probe delay spectrum. A dual-probe pure-rotational CARS system, in a 1D line-imaging configuration, is developed to demonstrate effectively the simultaneous temperature and pressure profiles recorded along the axial centerline of a highly underexpanded jet. The underexpanded air jet permits evaluation of this hybrid time–frequency domain approach for temperature and pressure measurements across a wide range of low-temperature–low-pressure conditions of interest in supersonic ground-test facilities. Single-laser-shot measurement precisions in both quantities and pressure measurement accuracy are systematically evaluated in the quiet zone upstream of the Mach disk. Precise thermometry approaching 1%−2% is observed in regions of high CARS signal-to-noise ratios. Pressure measurements are optimized at probe time delays where the ratio of the late probe delay to the Raman lifetime exceeds four ( τ <#comment/> 2 / τ <#comment/> R > <#comment/> 4 ). The impact of low-temperature Raman linewidths on CARS pressure measurements is evaluated, and comparisons of CARS pressures obtained with our recent low-temperature pure-rotational Raman linewidth data and extrapolated high-temperature Q -branch linewidths are presented. Considering all measurements with τ <#comment/> 2 / τ <#comment/> R ≥ <#comment/> 4.0 , measured pressures were on average 7.9% of the computed isentropic values with average shot-to-shot deviations representing a combination of instrument noise and fluid fluctuations of 5.0%.

Retter, Jonathan E.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Passive and active neutron signatures of 233 U for nondestructive assay

The thorium fuel cycle is emerging as an attractive alternative to conventional nuclear fuel cycles, as it does not require the enrichment of uranium for long-term sustainability. The operating principle of this fuel cycle is the irradiation of 232 Th to produce 233 U, which is fissile and sustains the fission chain reaction. 233 U poses unique challenges for nuclear safeguards, as it is associated with a uniquely extreme γ-ray environment from 232 U contamination, which limits the feasibility of the γ-ray-based assay, as well as more conservative accountability requirements than for 235 U set by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Consequently, instrumentation used for safeguarding 235 U in traditional fuel cycles may be inapplicable. It is essential that the nondestructive signatures of 233 U be characterized so that nuclear safeguards can be applied to thorium fuel-cycle facilities as they come online. In this work, a set of 233 U 3 O 8 plates, containing 984 g 233 U, was measured at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center. A high-pressure 4 He gaseous scintillation detector, which is insensitive to γ-rays, was used to perform a passive fast neutron spectral signature measurement of 233 U 3 O 8 , and was used in conjunction with a pulsed deuterium-tritium neutron generator to demonstrate the differential die-away signature of this material. Furthermore, an array of 3 He detectors was used in conjunction with the same neutron generator to measure the delayed neutron time profile of 233 U, which is unique to this nuclide. These measurements provide a benchmark for future nondestructive assay instrumentation development, and demonstrate a set of key neutron signatures to be leveraged for nuclear safeguards in the thorium fuel cycle.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Simulations of SITI Cookoff Experiments Carried Out with Different Lots of PBX 9502

A pressure dependent cookoff model for PBX 9502 was developed by Hobbs’ et. al. PBX 9502 is composed of 95% by mass triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) and a 5% by mass chlorotrifluoroethylene/vinylidine fluoride binder. The objective in this study is to implement this cookoff model in Aria to simulate Sandia Instrumented Thermal Ignition (SITI) experiments that were carried out with different manufacturing lots of PBX 9502. The SITI design consists of solid cylinders (1" diameter × 1" height) of insensitive high explosive (IHE) confined by a cylindrical aluminum case. An electric heater is wrapped around the lateral surface of the case. This heater produces a temperature heating ramp on the outer surface of the case. Internal thermocouples measure the IHE temperature rise from the center to locations close to the IHE-aluminum interface. The energetic material is heated until thermal ignition occurs. Pressure is measured with a static pressure transducer installed on top of the confinement case. Two–dimensional axisymmetric heat conduction finite element models were implemented to simulate these experiments using four options of the PBX 9502 cookoff model. In addition, the predictive ability of this thermal decomposition model is evaluated using Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) techniques.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Robust In-Situ Strain Measurements to Monitor CO 2 Storage

The goal of this project was to develop and demonstrate robust instrumentation to monitor the in-situ strain tensor in order to improve the reliability and security of CO 2 storage in geologic formations. We met the original goals of the project and the major overarching accomplishment is the advancement of strain tensor monitoring from an intriguing concept to a commercially available technology with a solid foundation of novel instruments supported by theoretical analyses and validation experiments. The main accomplishments of the project are summarized below. We designed, built and evaluated nine new optical fiber strainmeters and tiltmeters using Michelson interferometers to measure deformation with ultra-high resolution at both shallow and deep point locations in the subsurface. These are the robust strainmeters that motivated the title of the project. We designed, built and evaluated a novel method of measuring distributed strain in optical fibers with nanostrain resolution, and cm-scale location, and sampling into the seismic band. The new method is called Coherence-length-gated Microwave Photonics Interfereometry (CMPI). CMPI technology has advantages over existing commercial DAS and DSS methods. We developed and demonstrated capabilities to deploy instruments in the field and used them to measure strain caused by ambient signals like barometric pressure and tides, as well as induced signals like surface loading and pore pressure changes from pumping tests. We deployed a working strainmeter at 1,700 ft depth, slightly above an active reservoir. This is to our knowledge the greatest depth a strainmeter has been deployed and the techniques we used can readily be extended to greater depths. Optical fiber borehole tensor strainmeter techology was advanced from a TRL 4 at the start, to a TRL of 7 at the conclusion of the project. The project included advances in simulations and theoretical analyses. We developed and demonstrated a computational workflow that uses machine learning to reduce the computational requirements and make it practical to use Bayesian inversion to solve large numerical poroelastic analyses needed to interpret strain tensor field data. We evaluated the strain tensor fields and time series that would be caused by leaks of CO 2 or other fluids from reservoirs. These simulations demonstrated that signals from leaks could be measured with instruments developed for the project, opening a potentially new method for ensuring storage security. We showed that strains in caprock can be used to estimate pressure in a reservoir. This avoids the need to drill monitoring wells into the reservoir, and it expands the capabilities of monitoring in the caprock. The project includes a derivation and application of a novel analytical solution to the strains in the vicinity of a pressurized poroelastic inclusion. This solution explains field data measured during injeciton tests at the North Avant Field, and it will simplify future interpretation of strain tensor data. The project included a broad range of experiments, and of the most significant is the characterization of the strain tensor at an array three strainmeters during six injection tests at the North Avant Field, Oklahoma. This demonstrated repeatability of the strain signal measured by the new instruments developed for the project, and it showed similarities between the strain signal at shallow depths and pressure in the underlying reservoir. We also demonstrated that useful strain data can be measured at reservoir depths. This confirms that strain tensor data can be measured throughout the caprock over a reservoir. The project demonstrated the feasibility of using the strain tensor and distributed strain measured in caprock during a variety of different well tests where the pumping rate was constant, sinusoidal and positive, or a periodic square wave with zero net rate. This further strengthens the validity of using strain data to characterize reservoirs and aquifers. We also demonstrated that strain caused be fluctuations of air pressure and water pressure in the vadose zone can be measured and interpreted, suggesting that high resolution distributed strain measurements hold promise for monitoring the vadose zone. The project partially supported nine graduate students in the Environmental Engineering, Hydrogeology, Electrical Engineering programs at Clemson University. The research was described in nine journal papers, 23 talks and conference abstracts. Additional journal papers are in preparation. A new company called Tensora was started to provide strainmeter technology for commercial applications.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2026

Hyperspectral radiance mapping and chromatic correction for temperature measurement in laser-heated diamond anvil cells

In laser-heated diamond anvil cell (DAC) experiments, the effective heated region typically decreases in size with increasing pressure, leading to steeper thermal gradients. Under these conditions, chromatic aberration in the optical path from sample to detector can significantly create bias in spectro-radiometric temperature measurement. We present a radiance-mapping approach using a hyperspectral camera that records 25 spectral channels spanning 605–875 nm at each pixel in a single exposure, providing spatially and spectrally resolved radiance in each frame. This enables chromatic effects to be recorded and corrected in data processing. We developed a procedure for hyperspectral mapping, involving per-camera calibration, crosstalk removal, measured spectral throughput functions, and optional sub-pixel co-registration to minimize chromatic distortion. The calibrated radiance maps are then used to derive temperature maps of the laser-heated hotspots. For smaller heating spots, the radiance mapping approach reveals chromatic shifts that conventional spectro-radiometric methods cannot quantify. Ambient-pressure heating experiments confirm accurate temperature retrieval. At high pressure, application of the hyperspectral system to a platinum-heating experiment at 12 GPa demonstrates stable temperature reconstruction under steep thermal gradients. Beyond mitigating chromatic aberrations, the ability to diagnose optical artifacts separately from emissivity variations during controlled test experiments or in situ suggests a path toward more rigorous spectral emissivity analysis and improved modeling of thermal transport in laser-heated DAC experiments.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

A novel means to generate high pressure

Diamond anvil cells are the most popular means of generating pressures above 2 GPa. However, in many experiments, such as nuclear magnetic resonance and x-ray absorption, the metallic pressurizing gasket (which confines much of the sample) represents an occluding barrier that requires a low Z gasket material (e.g., Be), a split gasket, or other means to enable better coupling of the sample to electromagnetic radiation. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel method for generating high pressures that confines the sample just above the plane of the gasket by using a diamond with a laser hole drilled into the center of the tip. The sample is then confined by the hole, which is sealed by a flat gasket that fits over the hole. When load is applied to the diamonds, metal flows from the deformed gasket into the hole thereby pressurizing the sample similarly to how a piston pressurizes gas inside a cylinder. The pressurized sample is above the metallic gasket plane just inside the tip of the diamond, and thus easily accessible via x rays or visible light that skims just above the plane of the gasket providing an enhanced aperture of radiation collection. Furthermore, we have demonstrated the utility of this method by obtaining Raman spectra of SnC 2 O 4 and x-ray diffraction spectra of seleno-DL-cystine, all at high pressures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Benchmark Simulation of the Natural Convection Shutdown Heat Removal Test Facility Using SAM

Natural convection systems are a promising method to passively remove heat from reactor cavities during loss of forced flow accident scenarios. In this work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), a highly instrumented Natural Convection Shutdown Heat Removal Test Facility (NSTF) was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of air-cooled natural convection systems. In previous work, RELAP5-3D simulations were performed on this facility with favorable comparisons to experiment for mass flow rate, pressure drop, air temperature increase, and air velocity. Both experimental and simulation efforts with this facility present a useful opportunity to perform a benchmark study with the System Analysis Module (SAM). SAM is an advanced thermal-hydraulic system code currently in development at ANL for advanced non-light water reactor safety analysis.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

New developments in structure-property and amorphous materials research at the upgraded 16-BM-B Paris-Edinburgh press station at HPCAT

Beamline 16-BM-B of the High-Pressure Collaborative Access Team (HPCAT) at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) provides a Paris-Edinburgh press program to probe the structure and properties of crystalline and amorphous materials up to 12 GPa at room temperature or 7 GPa at 2000°C. During the recent APS upgrade, 16-BM-B undertook major improvements to its instrumentation and measurement techniques. The upgrade includes the addition of a 1.2 m horizontal “condenser” mirror and a new variable-sized collimation system, the combination of which decreases the acquisition time for energy dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements by a factor of 10 when compared to pre-upgrade measurements. The addition of a new Ge energy-sensitive detector and DANTE (XGLab) digital pulse processor allows for processing the increased diffraction counts with minimal deadtime. In addition to upgraded beamline components, new techniques are being developed for eventual release to the user community, including electrical resistivity and tomography measurements.

APS upgrade↗
DOE OSTI2025

An ASME-Compliant Helium-4 Evaporation Refrigerator for the SpinQuest Experiment

This paper presents the design, safety basis, and commissioning results of a 1 K liquid helium-4 (4He) evaporation refrigerator developed for the Fermilab SpinQuest Experiment (E1039). The system represents the first high power helium evaporation refrigerator operated in a fixed target scattering experiment at Fermilab and was engineered to comply with the Fermilab ES&H Manual (FESHM) requirements governing pressure vessels, piping, cryogenic systems, and vacuum vessels. The design is mapped to ASME B31.3 (Process Piping) and the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) for pressure boundary integrity and overpressure protection, with documented compliance to FESHM Chapters 5031 (Pressure Vessels), 5031.1 (Piping Systems), and 5033 (Vacuum Vessels). This work documents the methodology used to reach compliance and approval for the 4He evaporation refrigerator at Fermilab which the field lacks. Design considerations specific to the high radiation target-cave environment including remotely located instrumentation approximately 20 m from the cryostat are summarized, together with the relief-system sizing methodology used to accommodate transient heat loads from dynamic nuclear polarization microwaves and the high-intensity proton beam. Commissioning data from July 2024 confirms that the system satisfies all thermal performance and safety objectives.

Roberts, Jordan D. [Virginia U.]↗
DOE OSTI2023

Using in-situ strain measurements to evaluate the accuracy of stress estimation procedures from fracture injection/shut-in tests

Fracture injection/shut-in tests are commonly used to measure the state of stress. Injection creates a hydraulic fracture (or in some cases, opens a preexisting fracture), and then the pressure after shut-in is monitored to identify fracture closure. Different interpretation procedures have been proposed for estimating closure, and the procedures sometimes yield significantly different results. In this study, direct, in-situ strain measurements are used to observe fracture reopening and closure. The tests were performed as part of the EGS Collab project, a mesoscale project performed at 1.25 and 1.5 km depth at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The tests were instrumented with the SIMFIP tool, a double-packer probe with a high-resolution three-dimensional borehole displacement sensor. The measurements provide a direct observation of the fracture closure signature, enabling a high-fidelity estimate of the fracture closure stress (ie, the normal stress on the fracture). In two of the four tests, injection created an opening mode fracture, and so the closure stress can be interpreted as the minimum principal stress. In the other two tests, injection probably opened preexisting natural fractures, and so the closure stress can be interpreted as the normal stress on the fractures. The strain measurements are compared against different proposed methods for estimating closure stress from pressure transients. The shut-in transients are analyzed with two techniques that are widely used in the field of petroleum engineering – the ‘tangent’ method and the ‘compliance’ method. In three of the four tests, the tangent method significantly underestimates the closure stress. The compliance method is reasonably accurate in all four tests. Closure stress is also interpreted using two other commonly-used methods – ‘first deviation from linearity’ and the method of Hayashi and Haimson. In comparison with the SIMFIP data, these methods tend to overestimate the closure stress, evidently because they identify closure from early-time transient effects, such as near-wellbore tortuosity. In two of the tests, microseismic imaging provides an independent estimate of the size of the fracture created by injection. When combined with a simple mass balance calculation, the SIMFIP stress measurements yield predictions of fracture size that are reasonably consistent with the estimates from microseismic. In conclusion, the calculations imply an apparent fracture toughness 2-3x higher than typical laboratory-derived values.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurements of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect with ACT and DESI luminous red galaxies

Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons scatter off the free-electron gas in galaxies and clusters, allowing us to use the CMB as a backlight to probe the gas in and around low-redshift galaxies. The thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect, sourced by hot electrons in high-density environments, measures the thermal pressure of the target objects, shedding light on halo thermodynamics and galaxy formation, and providing a path toward understanding the baryon distribution around cosmic structures. We use a combination of high-resolution CMB maps from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and photometric luminous red galaxy catalogs from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument to measure the thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich signal in four redshift bins from 𝑧 = 0.4 to 𝑧 = 1.2, with a combined detection significance of 19⁢𝜎 when stacking on the fiducial CMB Compton-𝑦 map. We discuss possible sources of contamination, finding that residual dust emission associated with the target galaxies is important and limits current analyses. We discuss several mitigation strategies and quantify the residual modeling uncertainty. Furthermore, this work complements closely related measurements of the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich and weak lensing of the same galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗