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At least 1,279 records · Page 71

Preliminary Design of Reactor Cavity Cooling System for a Horizontal Compact HTGR

The Horizontal Compact High Temperature Gas Reactor (HC-HTGR) is being designed by a multi-disciplinary team of nuclear, mechanical, and structural engineers under the support of a DOE-NE Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program’s Advanced Reactor Concepts-20 (ARC-20) award. The objective of this ARC-20 project is to deliver a conceptual design for the proposed MIGHTR in 3 years and support its commercialization as a safe and low-cost HTGR. Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) is responsible for the design and analysis of the reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS) as a safety system for passive decay heat removal of the reactor concept. This report documents the preliminary design study of the RCCS for the HC-HTGR. It includes the establishment of the design requirements, a high-level design study by initial scoping calculations, and preliminary performance calculations of the HC-HTGR RCCS design. Design requirements for the HC-HTGR RCCS have been established to guide preliminary design activities and scoping performance calculations. Initial scoping calculations including estimation of the water inventory, estimation of HVAC thermal capability, and a parametric study on loop dimensions by standalone RCCS analysis. Based on scoping calculation results, a set of baseline dimensions of the HC-HTGR RCCS was derived. A water panel modeling approach was investigated to explore various potential design options for the water panel under consideration for the HC-HTGR RCCS using RELAP5-3D. A test case study was performed to assess the prediction capability of two modeling approaches. The results were compared with CFD simulations conducted in constant RPV temperature and heat flux boundary conditions. It confirms the capability of the RELAP5-3D modeling approach to include all important heat transfer mechanisms expected in the HC-HTGR RCCS operation conditions. Then, a reference RELAP5-3D model for the 1/8 th of a compartment of the preliminary design of the HC-HTGR RCCS was developed. A preliminary performance analysis was conducted to evaluate single-phase natural circulation performance with different top tank temperature values and panel conduction performance in various operation conditions. From single-phase natural circulation performance analysis, the system operation mode was investigated in normal operating and limiting design conditions. It showed operation mode in a subcooled state with a proper top tank water cooling system. Parasitic heat loss by both internal air flow and RCCS was estimated, showing it satisfies maintaining below target maximum heat loss of the HC-HTGR RCCS. From the panel conduction performance analysis, two candidate materials for the riser tube such as carbon steel and stainless steel were compared in the thermal performance of HC-HTGR RCCS. From a single water panel test compared with CFD simulation results, it was confirmed that the current capability of the RELAP5-3D modeling approach for the water panel predicts the thermal conduction of two different materials of the water panel. Then, system-level thermal performance analysis was performed for 1/8 th of the compartment of the preliminary HC-HTGR RCCS design. It was first observed that the current preliminary HC-HTGR RCCS design had minimal impact on the overall thermal performance of the water panel by changing pipe material from carbon steel to stainless steel. From Argonne’s effort on the ongoing water-based NSTF testing program, several considerations other than the thermal performance point of view were addressed to be considered in selecting pipe materials.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

EMRinger: side chain–directed model and map validation for 3D cryo-electron microscopy

Advances in high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) require the development of validation metrics to independently assess map quality and model geometry. We report that EMRinger is a tool that assesses the precise fitting of an atomic model into the map during refinement and shows how radiation damage alters scattering from negatively charged amino acids. EMRinger (https://github.com/fraser-lab/EMRinger) will be useful for monitoring progress in resolving and modeling high-resolution features in cryo-EM.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

An Integral-based Technique to Accelerate the Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Computation for Supernovae

We present an integral-based technique (IBT) algorithm to accelerate supernova (SN) radiative transfer calculations. The algorithm utilizes “integral packets,” which are calculated by the path integral of the Monte Carlo (MC) energy packets, to synthesize the observed spectropolarimetric signal at a given viewing direction in a 3D time-dependent radiative transfer program. Compared to the event-based technique (EBT) proposed by M. Bulla et al., our algorithm significantly reduces the computation time and increases the MC signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). Using a 1D spherical symmetric Type Ia SN ejecta model DDC10 and its derived 3D model, the IBT algorithm has successfully passed the verification of spherical symmetry and cross comparison on a 3D SN model with the direct-counting technique and EBT. Notably, with our algorithm implemented in the 3D MC radiative transfer code SEDONA, the computation time is faster than EBT by a factor of 10−30, and the S/N is better by a factor of 1.5−3, with the same number of MC quanta.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Self-consistent models for triaxial galaxies with flat rotation curves - The disk case

We examine the possibility of constructing scale-free triaxial logarithmic potentials self-consistently, using Schwarzschild's linear programing method. In particular, we explore the limit of nonaxisymmetric disks. In this case it is possible to reduce the problem to the self-consistent reconstruction of the disk surface density on the unit circle, a considerably simpler problem than the usual 2D or 3D one. Models with surface densities of the form Sigma = (x exp n + (y/q) exp n) exp - 1/n with n = 2 or 4 are investigated. We show that the complicated shapes of the 'boxlet' orbit families (which replace the box orbit family found in potentials with smooth cores) limit the possibility of building self-consistent models, though elliptical disks of axis ratio above 0.7 and a restricted range of boxier models can be constructed. This result relies on using sufficiently fine bins, smaller than the 10 deg bins commonly used in 2D or 3D investigations. It also indicates the need for caution in interpreting N-body models of triaxial halos in which the core of the potential is numerically smoothed.

Kuijken, Konrad↗

Consistent modelling of wind turbine noise propagation from source to receiver

The unsteady nature of wind turbine noise is a major reason for annoyance. The variation of far-field sound pressure levels is not only caused by the continuous change in wind turbine noise source levels but also by the unsteady flow field and the ground characteristics between the turbine and receiver. To take these phenomena into account, a consistent numerical technique that models the sound propagation from the source to receiver is developed. Large eddy simulation with an actuator line technique is employed for the flow modelling and the corresponding flow fields are used to simulate sound generation and propagation. The local blade relative velocity, angle of attack, and turbulence characteristics are input to the sound generation model. Time-dependent blade locations and the velocity between the noise source and receiver are considered within a quasi-3D propagation model. Long-range noise propagation of a 5 MW wind turbine is investigated. Sound pressure level time series evaluated at the source time are studied for varying wind speeds, surface roughness, and ground impedances within a 2000 m radius from the turbine.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Three Dimensional Thermal Model of Newberry Volcano, Oregon

Final results of a 3D finite difference thermal model of Newberry Volcano, Oregon. Model data are formatted as a text file with four data columns (X, Y, Z, T). X and Y coordinates are in UTM (NAD83 Zone 10N), Z is elevation from mean sea level (meters), T is temperature in deg C. Model is 40km X 40km X 12.5 km, grid node spacing is 100m in X, Y, and Z directions. A symmetric cylinder shaped magmatic heat source centered on the present day caldera is the modeled heat source. The center of the modeled body is a -1700 m (elevation) and is 600m thick with a radius of 8700m. This is the best fit results from 2D modeling of the west flank of the volcano. The model accounts for temperature dependent thermal properties and latent heat of crystallization. For additional details, assumptions made, data used, and a discussion of the validity of the model see Frone, 2015 (Link below).

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

International Space Station Configuration Analysis and Integration

Ambitious engineering projects, such as NASA's International Space Station (ISS), require dependable modeling, analysis, visualization, and robotics to ensure that complex mission strategies are carried out cost effectively, sustainably, and safely. Learn how Booz Allen Hamilton's Modeling, Analysis, Visualization, and Robotics Integration Center (MAVRIC) team performs engineering analysis of the ISS Configuration based primarily on the use of 3D CAD models. To support mission planning and execution, the team tracks the configuration of ISS and maintains configuration requirements to ensure operational goals are met. The MAVRIC team performs multi-disciplinary integration and trade studies to ensure future configurations meet stakeholder needs.

Anchondo, Rebekah↗

The Santa Barbara Binary-disk Code Comparison

We have performed numerical calculations of a binary interacting with a gas disk, using 11 different numerical methods and a standard binary-disk setup. The goal of this study is to determine whether all codes agree on a numerically converged solution and to determine the necessary resolution for convergence and the number of binary orbits that must be computed to reach an agreed-upon relaxed state of the binary-disk system. We find that all codes can agree on a converged solution (depending on the diagnostic being measured). The zone spacing required for most codes to reach a converged measurement of the torques applied to the binary by the disk is roughly 1% of the binary separation in the vicinity of the binary components. For our disk model to reach a relaxed state, codes must be run for at least 200 binary orbits, corresponding to about a viscous time for our parameters, 0.2(a 2 Ω B /v) is the kinematic viscosity. The largest discrepancies between codes resulted from the dimensionality of the setup (3D vs. 2D disks). We find good agreement in the total torque on the binary between codes, although the partition of this torque between the gravitational torque, orbital accretion torque, and spin accretion torque depends sensitively on the sink prescriptions employed. In agreement with previous studies, we find a modest difference in torques and accretion variability between 2D and 3D disk models. We find cavity precession rates to be appreciably faster in 3D than in 2D.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

High-resolution three-dimensional simulations of core-collapse supernovae in multiple progenitors

Three-dimensional (3D) simulations of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are granting new insight into the as-yet-uncertain mechanism that drives successful explosions. While there is still debate about whether explosions are obtained more easily in 3D than in 2D, it is undeniable that there exist qualitative and quantitative differences between the results of 3D and 2D simulations. We present an extensive set of high-resolution 1D, 2D, and 3D CCSN simulations with multispecies neutrino leakage carried out in two different progenitors. Our simulations confirm the results of Couch indicating that 2D explodes more readily than 3D. We argue that this is due to the inadequacies of 2D to accurately capture important aspects of the 3D dynamics. We find that without artificially enhancing the neutrino heating rate, we do not obtain explosions in 3D. We examine the development of neutrino-driven convection and the standing accretion shock instability (SASI) and find that, in separate regimes, either instability can dominate. We find evidence for growth of the SASI for both 15 M {sub ☉} and 27 M {sub ☉} progenitors; however, it is weaker in 3D exploding models. The growth rate of both instabilities is artificially enhanced along the symmetry axis in 2D as compared with our axis-free 3D Cartesian simulations. Our work highlights the growing consensus that CCSNe must be studied in 3D if we hope to solve the mystery of how the explosions are powered.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Deep Learning Model Segmentations on Computed Tomography 3D Reconstructions of Coffee Beans to Determine Void Ratio (U-Net) and Roast Level (LinkNet)

This project will evaluate the functionality of Object Research Dragonfly software’s user produced deep learning (DL) models on Computed Tomography (CT) scanned coffee beans from green (unroasted) through a dark roast. DL models will be expected to identify voids within the coffee beans, and identify the level of roast of the bean from the CT reconstruction. The scope of this project is intended to meet the Capstone Project requirements of University of California San Diego (UCSD) Structural Engineering master’s degree and offer useful insight on Dragonfly’s DL capability for LANL’s Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) CT team. The results of this project will be presented to the E-6 NDE group within LANL. Data acquisition was completed with a North Star Imaging (NSI) X-25 CT Cabinet.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Magnetotelluric Investigations of the Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

In 2002 and 2003 a collaborative effort was undertaken between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Menlo Park, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and Electromagnetic Instruments Inc. to study the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii using the magnetotelluric (MT) technique. The work was motivated by a desire to improve understanding of the magma reservoirs and conduits within Kilauea and the East and Southwest Rift zones, which has implications for understanding Kilauea's plumbing system. An improved understanding of the rift zones has implications in understanding large-scale landslides that are generated in the Hilina Slump, which produce significant impacts on coastal communities. Up to eight stations operated simultaneously, with multiple remote reference sites, and data were processed using multi-station robust processing techniques. Data was acquired at 70 sites over the Southwest and East rift zones. Good to excellent quality data were obtained even in the harshest conditions, such as those encountered on the fresh lava flows of the East Rift Zone, where electrical contact resistances are on the order of 100 kΩ. A three-dimensional (3D) MT model study was done to guide interpretation of the observed MT measurements. Synthetic modeling demonstrates that conductive bodies in the upper 3 km can be spatially resolved where MT station sampling is good. Resistivity anomalies in the 3D inversions have a high degree of spatial correlation with previously published seismic velocity anomalies beneath Kilauea. Melt fractions between 0.096 and 0.117 are calculated for the Kilauea and Pu'u'ō'ō low resistivity anomalies, respectively.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Characterization of local heat fluxes around ICRF antennas on JET

When using Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequency (ICRF) heating, enhanced power deposition on Plasma-Facing Components (PFCs) close to the antennas can occur. Experiments have recently been carried out on JET with the new ITER-Like-Wall (ILW) to characterize the heat fluxes on the protection of the JET ICRF antennas, using Infra-Red (IR) thermography measurement. The measured heat flux patterns along the poloidal limiters surrounding powered antennas were compared to predictions from a simple RF sheath rectification model. The RF electric field, parallel to the static magnetic field in front of the antenna, was evaluated using the TOPICA code, integrating a 3D flattened model of the JET A2 antennas. The poloidal density variation in front of the limiters was obtained from the mapping of the Li-beam or edge reflectometry measurements using the flux surface geometry provided by EFIT equilibrium reconstruction. In many cases, this simple model can well explain the position of the maximum heat flux on the different protection limiters and the heat-flux magnitude, confirming that the parallel RF electric field and the electron plasma density in front of the antenna are the main driving parameters for ICRF-induced local heat fluxes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

R and DE Robotic Sensor Intern Team: Sensor Suite Software and User Interface

The sensor tree developed for the H-Canyon tunnel inspection project produces a large quantity of camera and Lidar data. A postprocessing pipeline was created to facilitate the analysis of these data. The pipeline follows the following routine: 1) Registration - Salient local features in subsequent scans are identified and used to align the scans with one another. This allows production of a single cohesive map of the tunnel. 2) Sensor Fusion - RGB camera data is 'painted' onto the depth data created by the Lidar. 3) Segmentation - Individual surfaces from within the scene are segmented out separately for individual analysis. 4) Degradation Analysis - Automatic mapping of local deviation from the plane in position or surface normal is performed, as is detection of exposed rebar using Lidar return intensity. 5) Obstacle Detection - Lidar data is also used in real time to detect obstacles in the environment. This could give feedback to the operator to successfully drive in the tunnel. 6) Graphic User Interface - a custom GUI was created to facilitate customer use of the system. The system provides real-time feedback from both the cameras and Lidar. During alignment, local features are used to recognize points within the walls that are especially unique and noticeable (salient) based on their deviation from the expected surface of the wall. These are used as landmarks to register the clouds, which also informs precise localization of the base at each scan point. After registration, clouds are 'painted' with RGB data from the spherical cameras, as shown below. The painted clouds provide a 3D, colorized model of the environment which improves the realism of the experience for the user. Painting also labels high-resolution color imagery from the 3D cameras with depth values. Following sensor fusion, individual walls and cylindrical duct surfaces are segmented from the scene for individual analysis using a Random Sample Consensus algorithm. This algorithm allows segmentation of planar walls and cylindrical ducts. Once individual walls are identified, each point within the wall can be compared to its neighbors and the wall overall in order to detect local areas with damaged concrete. Automatic rebar detection is also performed using the contrast in Lidar return intensity between iron and concrete. The Lidar point-cloud data is also used for obstacle detection. As the Lidar spins, various algorithms are run to analyze the current 'slice' and obstacles in the environment are determined and registered on a cost-map. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed to allow the user to easily command the crawler to set the rotational speed of the Lidar, perform a scan, and register and save the 3D generated cloud after a scan is done. For the good of the crawler, a critical aspect of the GUI design is to allow the user to cancel a scan any time after it is commanded and before it is saved.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Fire Risk Investigation in 3D (FRI3D) Software and Process for Integrated Fire Modeling

Modeling and implementing fire safety for nuclear power plants is a costly activity. Because of the complexity of fire phenomena and multiple operational procedures, it is difficult to computationally provide assurance that mitigation methods are adequate for critical areas using current analysis methods in a cost-effective manner. The nuclear industry needs efficient methods to provide more accurate modeling and optimize mitigation methods to improve nuclear power plant understanding for fire scenarios. This report describes the work done over the last two year on the Fire Risk Investigation in 3D (FRI3D) software. This software simplifies the modeling process by importing existing plant models and data, incorporating a 3D modeling environment and coupling with the fire simulation software CFAST. This eliminates the manual labor and errors associated with much of the fire modeling process. The report lays out the status and path of FRID software for the Risk Informed Safety Analysis pathway of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability project at Idaho National Laboratory and industry collaborators to best help reduce costs and improve realism in fire probabilistic risk analysis.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Gamma-Ray Light Curves from Pulsar Magnetospheres with Finite Conductivity

The Fermi Large Area Telescope has provided an unprecedented database for pulsar emission studies that includes gamma-ray light curves for over 100 pulsars. Modeling these light curves can reveal and constrain the geometry of the particle accelerator, as well as the pulsar magnetic field structure. We have constructed 3D magnetosphere models with finite conductivity, that bridge the extreme vacuum and force-free solutions used in previous light curves modeling. We are investigating the shapes of pulsar gamma-ray light curves using these dissipative solutions with two different approaches: (l) assuming geometric emission patterns of the slot gap and outer gap, and (2) using the parallel electric field provided by the resistive models to compute the trajectories and . emission of the radiating particles. The light curves using geometric emission patterns show a systematic increase in gamma-ray peak phase with increasing conductivity, introducing a new diagnostic of these solutions. The light curves using the model electric fields are very sensitive to the conductivity but do not resemble the observed Fermi light curves, suggesting that some screening of the parallel electric field, by pair cascades not included in the models, is necessary

Harding, A. K.↗

A Differential Abundance Analysis of Very Metal-poor Stars

We have performed a differential line-by-line chemical abundance analysis, ultimately relative to the Sun, of nine very metal-poor main-sequence (MS) halo stars, near [Fe/H] = −2 dex. Our abundances range from −2.66⩽[Fe/H]⩽−1.40 dex with conservative uncertainties of 0.07 dex. We find an average [α/Fe] = 0.34 ± 0.09 dex, typical of the Milky Way. While our spectroscopic atmosphere parameters provide good agreement with Hubble Space Telescope parallaxes, there is significant disagreement with temperature and gravity parameters indicated by observed colors and theoretical isochrones. Although a systematic underestimate of the stellar temperature by a few hundred degrees could explain this difference, it is not supported by current effective temperature studies and would create large uncertainties in the abundance determinations. Both 1D and 〈3D〉 hydrodynamical models combined with separate 1D non-LTE effects do not yet account for the atmospheres of real metal-poor MS stars, but a fully 3D non-LTE treatment may be able to explain the ionization imbalance found in this work.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Improved Modelling of SEP Event Onset Within the WSA–Enlil–SEPMOD Framework

Multi-spacecraft observations of solar energetic particle (SEP) events not only enable a deeper understanding and development of particle acceleration and transport theories but also provide important constraints for model validation efforts. However, because of computational limitations, a given physics-based SEP model is usually best suited to capture a particular phase of an SEP event, rather than its whole development from onset through decay. For example, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models of the heliosphere often incorporate solar transients only at the outer boundary of their so-called coronal domain – usually set at a heliocentric distance of 20–30 R⊙. This means that particle acceleration at coronal mass ejection (CME)-driven shocks is also computed from this boundary onwards, leading to simulated SEP event onsets that can be many hours later than observed, since shock waves can form much lower in the solar corona. In this work, we aim to improve the modelled onset of SEP events by inserting a “fixed source” of particle injection at the outer boundary of the coronal domain of the coupled WSA–Enlil 3D MHD model of the heliosphere. The SEP model that we employ for this effort is Solar Energetic Particle MODel (SEPMOD), a physics-based test-particle code based on a field line tracer and adiabatic invariant conservation. We apply our initial tests and results of SEPMOD’s fixed-source option to the 2021 October 9 SEP event, which was detected at five well-separated locations in the inner heliosphere – Parker Solar Probe, STEREO-A, Solar Orbiter, BepiColombo, and near-Earth spacecraft.

Solar eruptions↗

Comparative Validation of Realtime Solar Wind Forecasting Using the UCSD Heliospheric Tomography Model

The University of California, San Diego 3D Heliospheric Tomography Model reconstructs the evolution of heliospheric structures, and can make forecasts of solar wind density and velocity up to 72 hours in the future. The latest model version, installed and running in realtime at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center(CCMC), analyzes scintillations of meter wavelength radio point sources recorded by the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory(STELab) together with realtime measurements of solar wind speed and density recorded by the Advanced Composition Explorer(ACE) Solar Wind Electron Proton Alpha Monitor(SWEPAM).The solution is reconstructed using tomographic techniques and a simple kinematic wind model. Since installation, the CCMC has been recording the model forecasts and comparing them with ACE measurements, and with forecasts made using other heliospheric models hosted by the CCMC. We report the preliminary results of this validation work and comparison with alternative models.

MacNeice, Peter↗