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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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At least 1,369 records · Page 76
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Optimization of metal-supported solid oxide electrolysis cells with infiltrated catalysts

We report metal-supported solid oxide electrolysis cells (MS-SOECs) are being developed for steam-to-hydrogen electrolysis, especially for utilization of dynamic or intermittent electrical power from renewable sources. Various aspects of the electrocatalyst processing and composition, and metal support structure were explored. Catalyst materials, infiltration temperature and infiltration cycles were optimized for high performance and durability. Numerous catalyst materials were screened for both oxygen and steam electrodes. The oxygen catalyst had moderate impact on both initial cell performance and durability. Reducing Ni content in the steam electrode had little effect on durability, but reduced initial performance. Ex-situ XRD analysis and cell assessment of catalyst infiltration temperature revealed that the optimal range is 750–850 °C. The best cell performance and durability was achieved with LSCF-SDC oxygen electrocatalyst and SDC-Ni (60:40 vol%) steam electrocatalyst infiltrated 11 times at 800 °C and operated at 700 °C. At low steam content, a significant mass transport limitation on the steam side results in limiting current behavior. Thinner and more porous metal supports were implemented, and found to improve steam mass transport at low steam content, relevant for SOECs operating under high H 2 recycle rate or high steam utilization.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2014

Interactive Decision-Support Tool for Risk-Based Radiation Therapy Plan Comparison for Hodgkin Lymphoma

Purpose: To present a novel tool that allows quantitative estimation and visualization of the risk of various relevant normal tissue endpoints to aid in treatment plan comparison and clinical decision making in radiation therapy (RT) planning for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Methods and Materials: A decision-support tool for risk-based, individualized treatment plan comparison is presented. The tool displays dose–response relationships, derived from published clinical data, for a number of relevant side effects and thereby provides direct visualization of the trade-off between these endpoints. The Quantitative Analyses of Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic reports were applied, complemented with newer data where available. A “relevance score” was assigned to each data source, reflecting how relevant the input data are to current RT for HL. Results: The tool is applied to visualize the local steepness of dose–response curves to drive the reoptimization of a volumetric modulated arc therapy treatment plan for an HL patient with head-and-neck involvement. We also use this decision-support tool to visualize and quantitatively evaluate the trade-off between a 3-dimensional conformal RT plan and a volumetric modulated arc therapy plan for a patient with mediastinal HL. Conclusion: This multiple-endpoint decision-support tool provides quantitative risk estimates to supplement the clinical judgment of the radiation oncologist when comparing different RT options.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Enhanced Optical Head Tracking for Cranial Radiation Therapy: Supporting Surface Registration by Cutaneous Structures

Purpose: To support surface registration in cranial radiation therapy by structural information. The risk for spatial ambiguities is minimized by using tissue thickness variations predicted from backscattered near-infrared (NIR) light from the forehead. Methods and Materials: In a pilot study we recorded NIR surface scans by laser triangulation from 30 volunteers of different skin type. A ground truth for the soft-tissue thickness was segmented from MR scans. After initially matching the NIR scans to the MR reference, Gaussian processes were trained to predict tissue thicknesses from NIR backscatter. Moreover, motion starting from this initial registration was simulated by 5000 random transformations of the NIR scan away from the MR reference. Re-registration to the MR scan was compared with and without tissue thickness support. Results: By adding prior knowledge to the backscatter features, such as incident angle and neighborhood information in the scanning grid, we showed that tissue thickness can be predicted with mean errors of <0.2 mm, irrespective of the skin type. With this additional information, the average registration error improved from 3.4 mm to 0.48 mm by a factor of 7. Misalignments of more than 1 mm were almost thoroughly (98.9%) pushed below 1 mm. Conclusions: For almost all cases tissue-enhanced matching achieved better results than purely spatial registration. Ambiguities can be minimized if the cutaneous structures do not agree. This valuable support for surface registration increases tracking robustness and avoids misalignment of tumor targets far from the registration site.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Substrate inhibition in the heterogeneous catalyzed aldol condensation: A mechanistic study of supported organocatalysts

In this study, we demonstrate how materials science can be combined with the established methods of organic chemistry to find mechanistic bottlenecks and redesign heterogeneous catalysts for improved performance. By using solid-state NMR, infrared spectroscopy, surface and kinetic analysis, we prove the existence of a substrate inhibition in the aldol condensation catalyzed by heterogeneous amines. We show that modifying the structure of the supported amines according to the proposed mechanism dramatically enhances the activity of the heterogeneous catalyst. We also provide evidence that the reaction benefits significantly from the surface chemistry of the silica support, which plays the role of a co-catalyst, giving activities up to two orders of magnitude larger than those of homogeneous amines. This study confirms that the optimization of a heterogeneous catalyst depends as much on obtaining organic mechanistic information as it does on controlling the structure of the support.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

One- and three-dimensional silver(I)-5-sulfosalicylate coordination polymers having ligand-supported and unsupported argentophilic interactions

Four new coordination polymers, namely, (Hemim·[Ag(Hssa)(H{sub 2}O)]){sub n} (1), ([Ag(ina){sub 2} Ag(Hssa)]·CH{sub 3}OH·H{sub 2}O){sub n} (2), ([Ag{sub 2}(Hssa)(dmp){sub 1.5}]·2H{sub 2}O){sub n} (3) and [Ag{sub 2}(Hssa)(daoc)]{sub n} (4) (Hssa: 5-Sulfosalicylate, emim: 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole, ina: isonicotinamide, dmp: 2,5-dimethylpyrazine and daoc: 1,8-diaminooctane) were synthesized and characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, single crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermal analysis techniques. Complexes 1 and 2 are one-dimensional (1D) coordination polymers while complexes 3 and 4 are three-dimensional (3D) coordination polymers. Complex 3 consists of three dimensional (3D) 3,3,6-c net with 3,3,6T37 topology. Complex 4 exhibits a 2-fold interpenetrating 3D framework with tfc topology. Complexes 1–4 contain ligand-supported (1–3) and unsupported (4) argentophilic Ag⋯Ag interactions. Photoluminescence spectra of the complexes demonstrate that photoluminescent properties may be attributed to intraligand transition of coordinated Hssa ligand. - Graphical abstract: In this study, four new Ag(I)-coordination polymers with 5-sulfosalicylate and some N-donor ligands were synthesized and characterized. Complexes 1 and 2 are one-dimensional (1D) coordination polymers while complexes 3 and 4 are three-dimensional (3D) coordination polymers. Complex 3 consists of three dimensional (3D) 3,3,6-c net with 3,3,6T37 topology. Complex 4 exhibits a 2-fold interpenetrating 3D framework with tfc topology. The complexes 1–4 contain ligand-supported (1–3) and unsupported (4) argentophilic Ag⋯Ag interactions. Photoluminescence spectra of the complexes demonstrated that photoluminescent properties may be attributed to intraligand transition of coordinated Hssa ligand. - Highlights: • Four novel Ag(I)-coordination polymers with 5-sulfosalicylate and N-donor ligands. • Complexes 1–4 contain ligand-supported (1–3) and unsupported (4) argentophilic Ag⋯Ag interactions. • Photoluminescent properties of the complexes may be attributed to intraligand transition of coordinated Hssa ligand.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

A color-tunable luminescent material with functionalized graphitic carbon nitride as multifunctional supports

A color-tunable luminescent material was prepared based on the composition of functionalized graphitic carbon nitride (g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}) and europium (III). The functionalized g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} layers not only behave as multifunctional supports including ligand coordinated with europium (III) and a support structure for the formation of the luminescent material, but exhibit excitation wavelength-dependent luminescence, thus the energy transfer between the functionalized g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} and europium (III) can match very well by controlling the emission wavelength of functionalized g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}. The as-prepared materials was comprehensively characterized via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, X-ray scattering techniques, Ultraviolet and Visible spectrophotometer, fluorescence spectrophotometer, thermogravimetric analysis, etc. The luminescent material exhibits multi-color emissions which are consistent with the characteristic emissions of europium (III) and functionalized g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}, and the photoluminescence quality and density of the europium (III) can be greatly enhanced. The brilliant optical properties of the materials make them suiting for multipurpose applications in practical fields. - Graphical abstract: Schematic illustration of the synthesis and basic composition of the luminescent material. Inset figures were luminescence emission spectra of g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} (A), europium (III) complex (a) and luminescent material (b) with the same concentration in (B) (K{sub ex}=350 nm) and photographs of (left) H{sub 2}O and (right) the H{sub 2}O dispersion of luminescence emission spectra under 350 nm UV radiation. The energy transfer in the luminescent material matchs very well and it exhibits multi-color emissions simultaneously. The enhanced photoluminescence quality and density of the europium (III) makes them suiting for multipurpose applications in practical fields. - Highlights: • Luminescent material exhibits multi-color emissions when excited by single wavelength. • The energy trsnsfer between functionalized g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} and europium matches very vell. • Functionalized g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} exhibits excitation wavelength-depengdent bright blue luminescence. • Functionalized g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} layer provided as multifunctional supports.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Al-doped TiO{sub 2} mesoporous material supported Pd with enhanced catalytic activity for complete oxidation of ethanol

Pd catalysts supported on Al-doped TiO{sub 2} mesoporous materials were evaluated in complete oxidation of ethanol. The catalysts synthesized by wet impregnation based on evaporation-induced self-assembly were characterized by X-ray diffraction, measurement of pore structure, XPS, FT-IR, temperature programmed reduction and TEM. Characteristic results showed that the aluminium was doped into the lattice of mesoporous anatase TiO{sub 2} to form Al-O-Ti defect structure. Catalytic results revealed that Al-doped catalysts were much more active than the pristine one, especially at low temperature (≤200 °C). This should be ascribed to the introduction of aluminium ions that suppressed the strong metal-support interaction and increased the active sites of Pd oxides, enhanced the stabilized anatase TiO{sub 2}, improved well dispersed high valence palladium species with high reducibility and enriched chemisorption oxygen. - Graphical abstract: Al-doped Pd/TiO{sub 2} exhibited optimal catalytic performance for ethanol oxidation and CO{sub 2} yield by the suppression of SMSI. - Highlights: • Palladium catalysts supported on Al-doped TiO{sub 2} mesoporous materials were studied. • The introduction of Al can enhance anatase stabilization and increase defect TiO{sub 2}. • The Pd/Al-TiO{sub 2} catalysts show higher ethanol conversion and CO{sub 2} yield than Pd/TiO{sub 2}. • The influence of Al on SMSI and catalytic performance were evaluated by TPR and XPS.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2012

Electroless preparation and characterization of Ni-B nanoparticles supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes and their catalytic activity towards hydrogenation of styrene

Graphical abstract: The MWCNT/Ni-B catalyst has been successfully prepared by an electroless deposition process. The Ni-B nanoparticles on the supporter are amorphous and are well-distributed. The catalytic conversion towards hydrogenation of styrene shows excellent catalytic activity of the obtained materials. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A two-step treatment of MWCNTs enabled the homogeneous growth of Ni-B nanoparticles. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ni-B nanoparticles were amorphous with an average size of 60 nm. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer There were electron transfer between Ni and B. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The catalyst had excellent catalytic activity towards hydrogenation of styrene. -- Abstract: Nickel-boron (Ni-B) nanoparticles supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were successfully synthesized through an electroless deposition process using the plating bath with sodium borohydride as a reducing agent. The structural and morphological analyses using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy have shown that the Ni-B nanoparticles deposited on the sidewalls of MWCNTs are fine spheres comprised of amorphous structure with the morphologically unique fine-structure like flowers, and homogenously dispersed with a narrow particle size distribution centered at around 60 nm diameter. The catalytic activity of MWCNT/Ni-B nanoparticles was evaluated with respect to hydrogenation of styrene. The hydrogenation catalyzed by MWCNT-supported Ni-B nanoparticles has been found to make styrene selectively converted into ethylbenzene. The highest conversion reaches 99.8% under proper reaction conditions, which demonstrates the high catalytic activity of MWCNT/Ni-B nanoparticles.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Phosphotungstic acid supported on magnetic nanoparticles as an efficient reusable catalyst for epoxidation of alkenes

Highlights: ► Phosphotungstic acid supported on functionalized cobalt ferrite was prepared. ► Silica coated cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were used as support. ► This composite was successfully used as catalyst for epoxidation of alkenes. ► Oxidation reactions were carried out in the presence of t-BuOOH as oxidant. ► The catalyst can be readily separated from solution by magnetic field. -- Abstract: A new magnetically separable catalyst consisting of phosphotungstic acid supported on imidazole functionalized silica coated cobalt ferrite nanoparticles was prepared. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). This immobilized phosphotungstic acid was shown to be an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the epoxidation of various alkenes using tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BuOOH) as oxidant. The catalyst is readily recovered by simple magnetic decantation and can be recycled several times with no significant loss of catalytic activity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

The AMWCNTs supported porous nanocarbon composites for high-performance supercapacitor

Graphical abstract: The AMWCNTs supported porous nanocarbon composites were prepared by a easy method. The composites had shown good performances for electrochemical energy storage with high specific capacitance and good stability. - Highlights: • The AMWCNTs supported porous nanocarbon composites were prepared. • The composites have good conductivity and large BET specific surface areas. • The composites had shown high specific capacitance, and good stability. - Abstract: The porous nanocarbons supported by acid-treated multiwall carbon nanotubes (PC@ACNTs) were prepared by the combination of the hydrothermal polymerization of glucose on ACNTs, carbonization under N{sub 2} protection and final activation with ZnCl{sub 2}. The materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and Raman spectra. The results indicated that the ACNTs distributed uniformly into the framework of the porous carbon. The composites showed the high BET specific surface area up to 1712 m{sup 2} g{sup −1} and good conductivity. The electrochemical measurements indicated that the composites processed good performances for electrochemical energy storage (210 F g{sup −1} at 0.5 A g{sup −1}), and high stability (>99.9%), much higher than the corresponding ACNTs, porous carbons and the samples prepared by using raw MWCNTs as source. The good performance of PC@ACNTs composites was relative with the synergy of good conductivity of ACNTs and large specific surface areas of PC.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Preparation and application of zirconium sulfate supported on SAPO-34 molecular sieve as solid acid catalyst for esterification

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • SAPO-34 supported zirconium sulfate solid acid catalyst was prepared. • Esterification of acetic acid with ethanol can be catalyzed by ZS/SAPO-34. • The hydration of ZS is vital to the acidic property and catalytic performance. • The ZS/SAPO-34 catalyst treated at 200 °C shows good reusability. - Abstract: Zirconium sulfate (ZS) was supported on SAPO-34 molecular sieve by using an incipient wetness impregnation method with zirconium sulfate as the precursor. The as-prepared catalysts were used as solid acid catalyst for esterification reaction of acetic acid with ethanol. The influence of calcination temperature on the acidic property, catalytic activity, and reusability of ZS/SAPO-34 catalysts were mainly investigated. FT-IR, SEM, EDS and TG analysis have been carried out to demonstrate the characteristics of ZS/SAPO-34 catalysts. It was found that the 30 wt%ZS/SAPO-34 catalysts display the property of superacid irrespective of calcination temperature. The ZS/SAPO-34 catalyst treated at 200 °C can enhance the interaction between the supported ZS and SAPO-34 and keep the catalyst remaining substantially active after several reaction cycles. However, further increasing calcination temperature will cause the transfer of ZS from hydrate to anhydrous phase, and thus the decrease of activity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Silver film on nanocrystalline TiO{sub 2} support: Photocatalytic and antimicrobial ability

Highlights: • Simple photocatalytic rout for deposition of Ag on nanocrystalline TiO{sub 2} films. • High antibactericidal efficiency of deposited Ag on TiO{sub 2} support. • Improved photocatalytic performance of TiO{sub 2} films in the presence of deposited Ag. - Abstract: Nanocrystalline TiO{sub 2} films were prepared on glass slides by the dip coating technique using colloidal solutions consisting of 4.5 nm particles as a precursor. Photoirradiation of nanocrystalline TiO{sub 2} film modified with alanine that covalently binds to the surface of TiO{sub 2} and at the same time chelate silver ions induced formation of metallic silver film. Optical and morphological properties of thin silver films on nanocrystalline TiO{sub 2} support were studied by absorption spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Improvement of photocatalytic performance of nanocrystalline TiO{sub 2} films after deposition of silver was observed in degradation reaction of crystal violet. Antimicrobial ability of deposited silver films on nanocrystalline TiO{sub 2} support was tested in dark as a function of time against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. The silver films ensured maximum cells reduction of both bacteria, while the fungi reduction reached satisfactory 98.45% after 24 h of contact.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Synthesis of supported silver nano-spheres on zinc oxide nanorods for visible light photocatalytic applications

Highlights: • Synthesis of supported Ag NPs on ZnO nanorods using open vessel microwave reactor. • Use of the Ag/ZnO NPs as an efficient visible light photocatalyst. • Complete degradation of methylene blue in 1 h with 0.5 g/L Ag/ZnO NPs. - Abstract: We report the synthesis of silver (Ag) nano-spheres (NS) supported on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods through two step mechanism, using open vessel microwave reactor. Direct reduction of ZnO from zinc nitrates was followed by deposition precipitation of the silver on the ZnO nanorods. The supported Ag/ZnO nanoparticles were then characterized by electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, FTIR, photoluminescence and UV–vis spectroscopy. The visible light photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnO system was investigated using a test contaminant, methylene blue (MB). Almost complete removal of MB in about 60 min for doses higher than 0.5 g/L of the Ag/ZnO photocatalyst was achieved. This significant improvement in the photocatalytic efficiency of Ag/ZnO photocatalyst under visible light irradiation can be attributed to the presence of Ag nanoparticles on the ZnO nanoparticles which greatly enhances absorption in the visible range of solar spectrum enabled by surface plasmon resonance effect from Ag nanoparticles.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Integrated carbon cloth supported LiFePO4/N-C films as high-performance cathode for lithium ion batteries

Highlights: • Construct carbon cloth supported LiFePO{sub 4}/N-C films via hydrothermal. • The LiFePO{sub 4}/N-C films show high capacity and good cycles. • Carbon cloth and N-C layer work together to provide fast ion/electron transfer. - Abstract: Fabricating advanced cathode is critical for the development of high-performance lithium ion batteries (LIBs). In this work, we develop a facile hydrothermal method for construction of LiFePO{sub 4}/N-C films on the carbon cloth forming integrated binder-free cathode. The LiFePO{sub 4}/N-C films are composed of interconnected nanoscale LiFePO{sub 4}/N-C particles with diameters of 100–200 nm. High porosity and good adhesion are obtained in the carbon cloth supported LiFePO{sub 4}/N-C films (CC + LiFePO{sub 4}/N-C films). As compared to the LiFePO{sub 4}/C powder nanoparticles, the CC + LiFePO{sub 4}/N-C films show much better electrochemical properties with higher capacities, smaller polarization and better high-rate cycling life. A high capacity of 169 mAh g{sup −1} at 1C is achieved for the carbon cloth supported LiFePO{sub 4}/N-C films, superior to the LiFePO{sub 4}/C powder nanoparticles (154 mAh g{sup −1} at 5C). This enhancement is owing to the unique integrated porous architecture and N-C coating. Our work shows a new way to construct integrated cathode for application in LIBs.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Differentiating supported platinum single atoms, clusters and nanoparticles by styrene hydrogenation

Supported metal catalysts often consist of metal sites ranging from nanoparticles to subnanometer clusters and single atoms. It remains a necessity to differentiate these sites to guide design of optimal catalysts. Here we report a simple method to assess the distribution of metal active sites in catalyst samples. The method takes the advantage of the structure sensitivity of styrene hydrogenation over titania supported platinum (Pt) catalysts with Pt aggregates varied from single atom to ~1.40 nm nanoparticles. The physicochemical properties were characterized by STEM, XPS, XANES, H2-TPR and CO-chemisorption measurements. The reactivity of Pt sites was quantified by styrene hydrogenation at ambient conditions. The nanometer-sized Pt clusters have significantly higher activity than Pt nanoparticles, sub-nanometer clusters or isolated single atoms. Additionally, the relationship between activity and structural/electronic properties of Pt sites influenced by particle sizes was discussed. Similar relationship was found in the carbon supported Pt catalysts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Vector-model-supported optimization in volumetric-modulated arc stereotactic radiotherapy planning for brain metastasis

Long planning time in volumetric-modulated arc stereotactic radiotherapy (VMA-SRT) cases can limit its clinical efficiency and use. A vector model could retrieve previously successful radiotherapy cases that share various common anatomic features with the current case. The prsent study aimed to develop a vector model that could reduce planning time by applying the optimization parameters from those retrieved reference cases. Thirty-six VMA-SRT cases of brain metastasis (gender, male [n = 23], female [n = 13]; age range, 32 to 81 years old) were collected and used as a reference database. Another 10 VMA-SRT cases were planned with both conventional optimization and vector-model-supported optimization, following the oncologists' clinical dose prescriptions. Planning time and plan quality measures were compared using the 2-sided paired Wilcoxon signed rank test with a significance level of 0.05, with positive false discovery rate (pFDR) of less than 0.05. With vector-model-supported optimization, there was a significant reduction in the median planning time, a 40% reduction from 3.7 to 2.2 hours (p = 0.002, pFDR = 0.032), and for the number of iterations, a 30% reduction from 8.5 to 6.0 (p = 0.006, pFDR = 0.047). The quality of plans from both approaches was comparable. From these preliminary results, vector-model-supported optimization can expedite the optimization of VMA-SRT for brain metastasis while maintaining plan quality.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Integral and Separate Effects Test Facilities To Support Water Cooled Small Modular Reactors: A Review

This study reviews previous experimental facilities and test programs relevant to water-cooled reactor system design and analysis to meet regulatory compliances. This study aims to find the best solution for designing the required experiments, obtaining necessary test data, and verifying the developed computer code/models to support the new reactor design and development while minimizing cost and time while leveraging experiences from previous facilities to minimize. Nuclear reactor licensing requires supportive design, analysis, and experimental results to ensure the safety of the full-scale prototype reactor in regular operation, as well as during postulated accident scenarios. These reactor design analyses are generally performed using system codes and other associated simulation tools that require assessment, verification and validation using an appropriate experimental dataset. Experimental facilities used for reactor system safety analysis and system code assessments are categorized into integral effects test (IET) and separate effects test (SET) facilities. Further, these IET and SET experiments and studies use geometrically scaled systems to reproduce the prototype system behavior at a reasonable cost, albeit with some scaling-related distortions. The design challenge of these model facilities is to identify and minimize scaling distortions while reproducing the most important operational phenomena in steady-state operation and in postulated accident scenarios. Lessons learned from previous experimental facilities, models, and correlations can support the development of new multipurpose, scaled, hybrid, integrated, and modular experimental facilities for advanced light water-cooled small modular reactors (SMRs). Successful operation of these facilities can significantly reduce upfront reactor development and demonstration costs and time to deployment.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Uncertainty quantification for Multiphase-CFD simulations of bubbly flows: a machine learning-based Bayesian approach supported by high-resolution experiments

In this paper, we developed a machine learning-based Bayesian approach to inversely quantify and reduce the uncertainties of multiphase computational fluid dynamics (MCFD) simulations for bubbly flows. The proposed approach is supported by high-resolution two-phase flow measurements, including those by double-sensor conductivity probes, high-speed imaging, and particle image velocimetry. Local distributions of key physical quantities of interest (QoIs), including the void fraction and phasic velocities, are obtained to support the Bayesian inference. In the process, the epistemic uncertainties of the closure relations are inversely quantified while the aleatory uncertainties from stochastic fluctuations of the system are evaluated based on experimental uncertainty analysis. The combined uncertainties are then propagated through the MCFD solver to obtain uncertainties of the QoIs, based on which probability-boxes are constructed for validation. The proposed approach relies on three machine learning methods: feedforward neural networks and principal component analysis for surrogate modeling, and Gaussian processes for model form uncertainty modeling. The whole process is implemented within the framework of an open-source deep learning library PyTorch with graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration, thus ensuring the efficiency of the computation. The results demonstrate that with the support of high-resolution data, the uncertainties of MCFD simulations can be significantly reduced. The proposed approach has the potential for other applications that involve numerical models with empirical parameters.

42 ENGINEERING↗