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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Evolution of Sandia National Labs Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWiFT) Facility.
Abstract not provided.
Liquid Cooling for HPC - National Renewable Energy Lab
NREL has nearly a decade of experience in liquid cooling or HPC. The technical approach will be presented along with success stories on energy, cost and emission savings over two generations of HPC systems. Lessons learned will also be shared.
External Assignments Tri Lab meeting
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Sustainable Immersive Visualization: A Tale of Two Visualization Labs
For large-scale immersive installations, sustainability is a challenge. This talk presents a comparative analysis of two immersive visualization laboratories, each following distinct trajectories. At the core of this discussion lies the question of what has made the NREL ESIF Insight Center a sustainable success for the last decade. Our examination encompasses three pivotal ingredients: the right funding model, the right usage model, and demonstrating added value.
Shortage of Type B LLRW Casks in the US to Serve Nuclear Plants and National Labs - 15663
In early 2012, the industry experienced sudden shortage of Type B Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) transport casks available for transportation of nuclear waste and sealed sources within the United States (US) of America. Some of the events which created this situation include, but not limited to, opening of a new LLRW Disposal facility (Andrews County, TX) managed by Waste Control Specialists (WCS) for Class A, B and C LLRW, retirement of vast majority of previously certified Type B LLRW transport packages, more stringent regulatory certification requirements and increased demand for LLRW transportation casks to support decommissioning of nuclear power plant and transportation of sealed sources. Cask designers are still in the process of responding to the emerging needs of the industry. This paper will provide a detailed background and discuss the events that have occurred in recent years that have led to a shortage of Type B LLRW transport casks available to service the industry with transportation of resins, used filters, irradiated hardware and sealed sources. In addition, this paper will provide an overview of currently available, being fabricated Type B packages as well as information about the tentative designs of Type B LLRW transport casks to be designed and certified in the US by cask design/manufacturing firms in the near future. In conclusion section, this paper will summarize whether the LLRW Type B transport cask supply market for discussed payloads will be able to adequately respond to the industry demand. Potential ways for long term resolution of this issue will be discussed. (author)
WTP Modifications to Support DFLAW: LAW, BOF, Lab - 16219
The Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is a one-of-a-kind nuclear waste treatment facility being designed and constructed for the U.S. Department of Energy by Bechtel National, Inc. and principal subcontractor URS to process and vitrify radioactive waste stored in underground tanks at the Hanford Site. The Tank Operations Contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions, has responsibility to retrieve, stage, pretreat, and deliver the tank waste feed to WTP. To treat tank waste as soon as practicable, a scenario is being considered to deliver pretreated feed straight to WTP's Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Vitrification Facility. This scenario is called the Direct Feed LAW (DFLAW) program. Balance of Facility utility and system facilities are designed for full WTP operation. Thirteen of these are needed to support reduced throughput during DFLAW operation, of which eight require moderate to extensive changes. Extensive changes include permanent plant modifications that allow DFLAW to operate if the Pretreatment (PT) Facility is unavailable. Under full WTP operation, effluents from the LAW Facility will be returned to the PT Facility for further processing and/or transfer to the Liquid Effluent Retention Facility/Effluent Treatment Facility. The PT Facility also handles all flush water from the tank farm transfers. To address these requirements, a Value Improvement Project was performed. The recommended approach is to provide a 'split stream' Effluent Management Facility (EMF) with an evaporator to support DFLAW. The required modifications for DFLAW facilities are discussed in this paper. (authors)
Progress in demonstrating the performance of Engineered Barriers for the disposal of HLW and SNF: lab studies and demonstration experiments - 20293
Disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) and spent nuclear fuels (SNF) in a geological disposal facility requires a fundamental understanding of the degradation processes of materials used in its engineered barrier system (EBS) over very long timescales. Beyond the wasteform itself (i.e. the borosilicate glass for HLW or the fuel matrix and cladding for SNF), materials often employed in a disposal concept include metallic containers (typically copper and/or carbon steel) and clay-based buffer materials (typically bentonite). In this paper we explore key developments on the long-term evolution of materials employed for the immobilisation, isolation and containment of HLW and SNF in a geological disposal facility, including nuclear glasses, candidate container materials and clay buffers. Our discussion is based on the latest findings from both experimental studies and in-situ demonstration experiments. We present relevant findings from the long-term evolution of HLW glasses (UK composition), metallic materials for the containment system (envisaged in Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and other countries), and bentonite clays (envisaged in many national disposal programmes). (authors)
Defining a Metric to Assess Leachability of Contaminants from Cementitious Waste Forms in Lab Testing Related to Hanford - 20478
This paper reports on the determination of performance metrics for the release of four contaminants (technetium, iodine, nitrate, and chromium) from a theoretical supplemental low-activity waste (LAW) inventory of grout in the Hanford Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF). The performance metric was defined as a retardation factor, R, that can be used to quantify a waste form's ability to retain one contaminant compared with an un-retarded species (e.g., sodium). By setting the target R value at the magnitude required to maintain concentrations of the contaminants below the drinking water standard at the point of compliance for the IDF, a bar for grout leach performance can be established for screening laboratory leach test data. The R can be converted to a corresponding laboratory-observed diffusivity value against which to assess leach test data. The individual performance metrics were determined through an iterative set of simulations using a variable saturation and transport flow model of a grout waste form inventory in the IDF to calculate the resulting concentration-based requirements at the point of compliance. (authors)
Precision Measurement of the Neutron Asymmetry An 1 at Large Bjorken x at 12GeV Jefferson Lab
The virtual photon asymmetry A1 is one of the fundamental quantities that provide information on the spin structure of the nucleon. The value of A1 at high xBj is of particular interest because valence quarks dominate in this region, which makes it a relatively clean region to study the nucleon structure. Several theoretical calculations, including naive SU(6) quark model, relativistic constituent quark model (RCQM), perturbative QCD (pQCD), predict the behavior for A1 and the quark polarization in the high xBj valence quark region. The An 1 experiment during the 6 GeV JLab era showed that An 1 turns positive at x ? 0.5, while up to the highest measured x value of 0.61 the down quark polarization ?d/d remains negative, in contrast to the pQCD prediction. Subsequent theoretical studies following the 6 GeV results claimed that quark orbital angular momentum could delay the upward turn of ?d/d to higher xBj or the non-perturbative nature of the strong interaction could keep it negative all the way to xBj = 1 as predicted in a Schwinger-Dyson approach with di-quark model assumptions. With the 12 GeV upgrade of JLab, a new experiment on An1 (E12-06-110)1 was carried out using a 10.4 GeV beam, a polarized 3He target, and the HMS and the Super-HMS (spectrometers) in Hall C. This measurement reached a deeper valence quark region, reaching up to x ? 0.75. This thesis reports on the 3He asymmetries A?, A?, A3He 1 , and A3He 2 without radiative corrections.
LANL/ RCR-FT - FY25 Lab Call Discussion
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EVs@Scale Lab Consortium High-Power Charging Pillar Deep-Dive Technical Meeting
Managed under the the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded EVs@Scale Consortium, the High-Power Electric Vehicle Charging Hub Integration Platform (eCHIP) project aims to create an experimental platform for integration and control approaches in a direct current (DC), distribution-based high-power charging (HPC) system. The eCHIP project addresses the crucial need to design and validate efficient, low-cost, reliable, and interoperable solutions for a DC-coupled charging hub ("DC hub" for short). This report explains the design, development, and implementation process of an experimental platform for the DC hub. DC distribution holds significant potential for enhancing the operation of an HPC station architecture. However, there are challenges in establishing a DC hub, including interoperability, commoditization, distributed energy resource integration, stability, DC protection, and a lack of common system-level controllers. To address these challenges, a testing setup is required that accommodates commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, as well as novel, in-house designed solutions, to evaluate different use cases at rated power and voltage levels. The developed proof-of-concept charging platform and open-source SEMS allow the development and testing of various controllers and chargers from different vendors. The DC hub platform integrated EVs, an ESS, a PV system, and building load to demonstrate the flexibility of the platform. The open-source SEMS controlled the devices within the hub using a rule-based implementation, realizing available standards.
Lab Scale Demonstration of Pipeline Third-Party Damage Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks
This research aims to propose a simple experiment for third party damage classification problem by generating a dataset of third-party damage events on a laboratory scale utilizing single mode-multi mode-single mode (SMS) fiber acoustic sensor. The sound samples representative of various third-party activities, such as vehicle movements, excavation, and digging, were sourced from open-source databases. These samples were then played through a speaker in proximity to an SMS sensor, and the resultant fiber acoustic vibration data were recorded for each event. This process yielded a collection of 200 samples across 13 distinct third-party events. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) were employed to classify these samples into their respective categories, and an accuracy exceeding 97% was obtained from our results.
Lab-Scale Demonstration of Pipeline Third-Party Damage Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks
This research aims to mitigate the challenges of field tests for classification of third-party damages by generating a dataset of third-party damage events on a laboratory scale utilizing single mode-multi mode-single mode (SMS) fiber acoustic sensor. The sound samples representative of various third-party activities, such as vehicle movements, excavation, and digging, were sourced from open-source databases. These samples were then played through a speaker in proximity to an SMS sensor, and the resultant fiber acoustic vibration data were recorded for each event. This process yielded a collection of 200 samples across 13 distinct third-party events. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) were employed to classify these samples into their respective categories, and an accuracy exceeding 97% was obtained from our results.
νBDX: a Coherent Elastic Neutrino Nucleus Scattering (CEνNS) experiment at Jefferson Lab
Particle physics is an ever-changing field seeking to explain phenomena that lie at the limits of our current knowledge. Among discovered and hypothesized interactions, Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CE?NS) stands out as a fascinating and elusive phenomenon, offering a unique window into the nature of neutrinos and their interactions with matter. CE?NS, a process predicted by the Standard Model, represents one of the subtle ways in which neutrinos can interact with atomic nuclei. Unlike other neutrinonucleus interactions, CE?NS occurs coherently, meaning that the entire nucleus collectively responds to the neutrino-mediated weak force, resulting in small energy transfers to the nucleus as a whole. The extremely rare nature of CE?NS events presents a formidable challenge to experimenters seeking to detect and study these interactions. Recent advances in detector technologies and the implementation of large-scale experiments, such as coherent neutrino scattering experiments at research facilities around the world, have opened up new avenues for exploring this elusive phenomenon. These experiments aim not only to observe CE?NS directly but also to extract valuable information on neutrino properties, nuclear structure, and potential deviations from the Standard Model. This thesis aims to study the feasibility of an experiment to study CE?NS at The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, VA, USA. This would be an experiment that exploits the production of neutrinos by an electron beam dumped on a thick target (the beam dump). The large quantity of neutrinos produced and their energy profile are well suited to the purpose of studying the CE?NS. In my thesis, I will start from previous studies on CE?NS and from theoretical considerations regarding the process, then quantify the expected events for a hypothetical experiment and possible backgrounds through simulations aimed at optimizing the geometry of the future detector. I will also show some tests on selected detector components that will be part of a first prototype.
Realization of a high luminosity muon beam at the Jefferson Lab
The proton is the major component of the visible matter of our universe, so being able to determine its fundamental properties, such as its charge radius, is of vital importance. In recent years, several experiments have been performed for the accurate measurement of the proton radius with different experimental techniques. The main and most common are based on two different techniques: ep scattering and Lamb shift spectroscopy of regular hydrogen atoms. The latter can also be performed on muonic hydrogen atoms with a significant improvement in accuracy. Recent measurements that use this method have highlighted a discrepancy between the results obtained with the diffusion of electrons and those obtained with the spectroscopic technique leading to the so-called ?proton radius puzzle?. The explanation of why this difference between the measured values exists is still a matter of discussion. The last attempt to address the puzzle was the PRad Experiment. It was performed with a unique experimental setup that gave the scientists an excellent control on the systematic errors that are usually present in electron-proton scattering experiments. This has significantly increased the precision of the measurement, bringing it in the same area as the spectroscopic ones done on muonic hydrogen atoms, which are considered the most precise. However, to solve the puzzle once and for all, even more precise electron scattering measurements are needed. Alternatively, new methods can be used, such as eg. muon-proton scattering at low transferred momenta in order to lower the systematic errors that comes with the measurement. This thesis tries to address this problem by studying the set up of an intense muon beam at the Jefferson Laboratory (JLab) that can be used to carry out a high-precision m ? p scattering experiment. Using Montecarlo simulations I studied the muon production resulting from the interaction of the primary electron beam with the beam-dump at JLab Hall-A. The simulations were performed using the FLUKA package via the FLAIR graphical interface. In this study, I modified an existing geometry (built for the ?Beam Dump eXperiment?) and performed several studies in order to optimize the muon beam parameters. In order to estimate the beam intensity, I studied the muon generation and transportation through the concrete bunker surrounding the Hall-A beam-dump. Detailed studies on muon attenuation and dispersion at different depth allowed me to track the beam profile in space and momentum as a function of the distance from the beam-dump. Last, but not least, I studied a possible tagging system for the muon beam. The tagging system will allow us to know with good precision (O(1=1000)) the energy of each muon of the beam. Based on the results obtained, I created an event generator that incorporates the detailed description of the muon beam (energy, position, emittance) useful to define and optimize the experimental setup for a future measurement of the proton radius at the JLab.
Intern Poster - Characterizing Wildland Fire Conditions for Lab-Scale Testing of Advanced Conductors
As the demand for energy increases each year, electric utilities face the challenge of delivering more power than before. Current transmission/distribution networks have proved reliable in the past but are physically unable to meet higher energy demands. Traditional overhead conductor cables (such as Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR)) are limited in their ability to hold more voltage due to increased temperatures and resulting sag. When the cable sags, it comes closer to the ground, violating clearance standards and presenting an environmental risk. Newly developed advanced conductors, aluminum conductors with carbon fiber composite cores (instead of steel) mitigate this risk. Advanced conductors are engineered to perform in higher operating temperatures without sagging, thus possessing higher capacity potential. Regardless, utilities are hesitant to adopt this new technology due to scarcity of use data. The largest looming risk for utilities is wildland fires. There is little to no data on how advanced conductors perform in the event of a wildland fire. To address these concerns, this project aims to test the mechanical performance of advanced conductors in these conditions, providing utilities use data for their reference. The initial steps of the project will be to design and construct a fire table apparatus to reproduce wildland fire conditions, calculate proper parameters for this testing, and analyze the impact mathematically. After completing these actions, the next steps will be to test the advanced conductors in the laboratory fire chamber.