Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “TEST PROGRAM”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8

AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE CREEP-RUPTURE STRENGTHS FOR WELDMENTS WITH ALLOY 800H BASE METAL AND ALLOY 617 FILLER METAL

In Section III, Division 5 of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Alloy 800H is qualified for elevated-temperature nuclear construction for temperatures up to 760°C (1,400°F) and a maximum service life of 300,000 hours. There are two permissible filler metals for Alloy 800H weldments specified in Division 5: ENiCrFe-2 (Alloy A) and ERNiCr-3 (Alloy 82). Low creep-rupture strengths of these weldments at the upper limits of the qualified temperatures and service lives may restrict the design envelope for elevated-temperature nuclear construction with Alloy 800H. As a result, an alternative filler metal is desired to improve the creep-rupture strengths of Alloy 800H weldments for the qualified temperatures and service lives. This work investigates an overmatched filler metal. Specifically, a weldment with Alloy 800H base metal and Alloy 617 filler metal fabricated by semiautomated gas tungsten arc welding is investigated. A scoping creep-rupture test program was conducted of cross-weld specimens at temperatures ranging from 750 to 1,000°C (1,292 to 1,832°F). Preliminary results on the creep-rupture strengths of the Alloy 800H weldment with Alloy 617 filler metal do not show significant improvement compared to the filler metals currently qualified in Division 5 for Alloy 800H weldments. Consequently, work is in progress to investigate a matching filler metal.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Laboratory tests of laser control of electron beams for future colliders

Laser-driven Compton backscattering (CBS) has been proposed as method for controlling the intensity of colliding bunches in the FCC-ee so as to avoid the flip-flop instability caused by intensity asymmetry in colliding bunches. Laser-based collimation has also been proposed as an indestructible collimator for high-intensity electron beams. We have initiated a laboratory-based test program of these concepts with the E344 experiment at FACET-II. In this paper, we describe simulations of laser–beam interactions at FACET-II and the relevant scaling for FCC-ee. We also describe the experimental setup and diagnostics that will be used to make the measurements at FACET-II.

accelerator physics↗

Low RF loss DC conductive ceramic for RF windows

Charging of RF windows has historically been problematic, frequently resulting in damage to the window severe enough that the window needs to be replaced. Many attempts have been made to prevent charging and therefore improve window lifetime, the most successful and common of which is coating the window with titanium nitride (TiN). Surface coatings such as TiN rely on the secondary electron yield of the coating material being lower than that of the ceramic window material, reducing the number of electrons emitted from a variety of mechanisms. An alternative approach is to introduce a small amount of DC conductivity to the ceramic itself, turning the traditionally insulating window into a mildly conductive one. This allows any charge on the surface of the window to drain rather than build until a discharge happens. A magnesium titanate ceramic has been developed with a small DC conductivity and used to make RF windows. Several window assemblies have been produced and tested, including 1.3 GHz waveguide and 650 MHz coaxial designs. The results of the conductive ceramic window test program will be presented.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Scale-up of Next Generation Nano-Enhanced Composite Materials for Longer Lasting Consumer Goods

The objective for this project was to create an industrial-scale manufacturing operation for Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Forests (VACNTs), which make up N12 Technologies’ (N12) NanoStitch® product, a prepreg additive that makes advanced composites tougher, lighter, and more durable. This was achieved using University of Dayton Research Institute’s (UDRI) 60-inch Nano Adaptive Hybrid Fabric (NAHF-X) reactor system. N12 had a unique and effective nanomaterial-based product that they were manufacturing on small-scale 1-inch wide substrate machines in Boston, MA. UDRI had a large-scale 60-inch wide nanomaterial growth reactor available for scaling up 2nd party products in Dayton, OH. Thanks to the successful cooperation between both parties, this project resulted in the world’s first industrial-scale continuous VACNT film pilot plant in Dayton, OH with an increase in VACNT supply production rate of >10X. This scale up enabled market validation via testing programs and pilot manufacturing operations with a number of customers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Shockwave Arrival Times from Operation Redwing and Operation Upshot-Knothole

Back in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, 210 nuclear tests were conducted in the atmosphere. As part of the testing program, EG&G performed shockwave arrival-time measurements for different shots in different operations using pressure transducers at different distances from ground zero. They then developed correlations unique to each set of data. They did not attempt to correlate all data onto one curve. As a fireball moves, material is picked up and pulled in, which is called entrainment. This extra material increases the mass of the fireball, and as the energy is spread out over a larger and larger mass, the specific internal energy of the fireball gases drops, which causes the temperature to drop as well. When the energy in the solid angle of a spherical shockwave hits the surface, it is reflected. Shortly thereafter, it catches up with the outward-moving shockwave and re-combines with it, causing it to expand at a slightly faster rate. As the shockwave grows, it approaches a hemispherical shape. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate that the shockwave arrival-time data can, in fact, be correlated onto a single function when the shockwave time-dependent solution is modified to include a geometric factor, θ, and is corrected for an entrainment coefficient.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Validation of the Mach Stem Triple Point

Among the more complex characteristics of an explosion’s shock front is the creation of the Mach stem and its triple point. The scientific footage of the US Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Testing Program has a film that may show the locus of points formed by the triple point, allowing us to visually investigate the trajectory of these shockwaves. During a nuclear blast, once the X-ray diffusion process ends, an incident shockwave forms in all directions. When the incident shockwave contacts the ground, a reflected shockwave is created. The overall magnitude and impact of these two shockwaves are proportional to the increasing total pressure and temperature, allowing the disturbances to move faster than the local speed of sound.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Sandia's Research in Support of COVID-19 Pandemic Response: Computing and Information Sciences

This report summarizes the goals and findings of eight research projects conducted under the Computing and Information Sciences (CIS) Research Foundation and related to the COVID- 19 pandemic. The projects were all formulated in response to Sandia's call for proposals for rapid-response research with the potential to have a positive impact on the global health emergency. Six of the projects in the CIS portfolio focused on modeling various facets of disease spread, resource requirements, testing programs, and economic impact. The two remaining projects examined the use of web-crawlers and text analytics to allow rapid identification of articles relevant to specific technical questions, and categorization of the reliability of content. The portfolio has collectively produced methods and findings that are being applied by a range of state, regional, and national entities to support enhanced understanding and prediction of the pandemic's spread and its impacts.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

CephFS experiments on stria.sandia.gov

This report is an institutional record of experiments conducted to explore performance of a vendor installation of CephFS on the SNL stria cluster. Comparisons between CephFS, the Lustre parallel file system, and NFS were done using the IOR and MDTEST benchmarking tools, a test program which uses the SEACAS/Trilinos IOSS library, and the checkpointing activity performed by the LAMMPS molecular dynamics simulation.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Preliminary Reporting of Thermophysical Property Measurements for the Ghareb Formation

Accurate knowledge of thermophysical properties of rock is vital to develop meaningful models of high level nuclear waste emplacement scenarios. The Israel Atomic Energy Commission is considering storing high level nuclear waste in the Ghareb formation, a porous kerogen bearing chalk. Sandia is supporting this effort with an evolving lab- based geomechanics testing program. We have completed measurements of thermal properties up to 275C and room temperature hydrostatic compaction measurements. We report thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat, and mass loss from our thermal measurements, and we report bulk moduli and porosity loss from our compaction measurements. These values are crucial for the numerical models to simulate heat transfer and formation compressibility around a heat generating repository.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Test Report for the Qualification Testing of the ORNL-SFC-W-1 Special Form Capsule

Three prototypes the ORNL-SFC-W-1 special form capsules (SFCs) of the same design were evaluated to determine if the requirements of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 173.469, Tests for Special Form Class 7 (Radioactive) Materials, were met. The results of the special form tests are documented in this test report. This report describes the special form testing activities performed on the three ORNL-SFC-W-1 capsules. The test units were designated as TU-1, TU-2 and TU-3. TU-1 was subjected to leak testing, impact testing and percussion testing. TU-1 was leak tested using the leak rate test specified in 49 CFR 173.469(a)(4)(i). The impact test was conducted according to the requirements in 49 CFR 173.469 (b)(1). The percussion test that was carried out on TU-1 was conducted in accordance with 49 CFR 173.469 (b)(2). Both TU-2 and TU-3 were subjected to a leak rate test as specified in 173.469(a)(4)(i) and a heat test as specified in 49 CFR 173.469(b)(4). Each test unit was leak tested before and after these respective tests. The leak rate tests performed were helium back-pressure tests and bubble tests as specified in American National Standards Institute (ANSI) N14.5-2014.The measured leak rates were converted to standard condition leak rates as specified in American Society for Testing and Measurement (ASTM) E 493. The determined standardized leak rates obtained from the test and the calculations for all the test units met the requirements for special form certification. The testing was performed under the direction of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Package Testing Program (PTP).

42 ENGINEERING↗

Sister Rod Destructive Examinations (FY20) Appendix A: Full Length Rod Heat Treatments (FHT)

As a part of the US DOE-NE High Burnup Spent Fuel Data Project, ORNL is performing destructive examinations (DEs) of high burnup (HBU) (>45 gigawatt days per metric ton uranium) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) rods from the North Anna Nuclear Power Station operated by Dominion Energy. The SNF rods, called the “sister rods,” are all HBU and include four different kinds of fuel rod cladding: standard Zircaloy-4, low-tin Zircaloy-4, ZIRLO®, and M5®. The DEs are being conducted to obtain a baseline of the HBU rod’s condition prior to dry storage and are focused on understanding overall SNF rod strength and durability. Both composite fuel and empty cladding are being tested. While the data generated can be used for multiple purposes, a primary goal for obtaining the post-irradiation examination data will support SNF dry storage licensing and relicensing activities.This report documents the status of the ORNL Phase 1 DE activities related to full length rod heat treatments (FHT) applied to selected sister rods in Phase 1 of the sister rod test program. The results of this work and detailed examinations are summarized in the Sister Rod DE Status Report.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Creep-fatigue Behavior and Damage Accumulation of a Candidate Structural Material for Concentrating Solar Power Solar Thermal Receiver (Final Technical Report)

Creep-fatigue deformation is an important consideration for a thermal receiver in Concentrating Solar Power systems due to the constant static stress or pressure, diurnal cycling, and elevated service temperatures required for efficient operation. An accurate description of the creep-fatigue behavior, not available for five of the six candidate materials, is important for assessment of preliminary designs. This project has provided a detailed analysis of the creep-fatigue behavior and damage accumulation of Alloy 740H, a candidate structural material for a CSP solar thermal receiver to address a critical knowledge barrier for receiver designs identified in the CSP Gen3 Demonstration Roadmap. This project was divided in to three tasks, split between two general categories: Experimental and design methodology. Tasks 1 and 3, relating to the collection of data on Alloy 740H plate and sheet forms, respectively, were performed at the Idaho National Laboratory and used as input to Task 2, the development of design methodology performed at Argonne National Laboratory. Experimental work covered limited tensile and creep testing to fill gaps in available data that is currently available and to demonstrate how the plate of Alloy 740H tested in this work compared to historical data. A more substantial testing program for fatigue and creep-fatigue was performed, with particular emphasis on creep-fatigue as there is little available data and it is necessary to understand the creep-fatigue interaction and develop related design models. This effort includes the development of rules for the design of solar receiver components against high temperature creep-fatigue and ratcheting failure modes. The ASME Code rules for high temperature nuclear components was used to the basis of the method but adjustments will be made to reflect the generally shorter, diurnal operating cycles of thermal receivers and the relative consequences of failure, comparing nuclear to solar components. This work has provided guidance for the design of components for concentrating power facilities operating at high temperatures and undergoing high, secondary thermal stresses relative to the applied primary pressure stress. The design rules were developed for the design of Generation 3 CSP tubular receivers manufactured from Alloy 740H, but are generally applicable to a wide range of component types undergoing similar loads. Procedural design rules for components to be used in conjunction with the 2019 edition of the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code and the corresponding design data for Alloy 740H have been developed. A commentary describing the rationale behind the design rules and the data underlying the design material properties, as well as an extensive set of worked sample problems detailing the application of the rules to CSP components were developed as a part of this project, with a separate report covering these aspects in detail and included in the Appendix of this report.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

CephFS experiments on stria.sandia.gov

This report is an institutional record of experiments conducted to explore performance of a vendor installation of CephFS on the SNL stria cluster. Comparisons between CephFS, the Lustre parallel file system, and NFS were done using the IOR and MDTEST benchmarking tools, a test program which uses the SEACAS/Trilinos IOSS library, and the checkpointing activity performed by the LAMMPS molecular dynamics simulation.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

An initial framework for the rapid qualification of long-term creep rupture strength via microstructural modeling

This report describes the development and testing of a new method for extrapolating short-term creep rupture test data to predict long-term rupture strength. The goal of this work is to reduce the time required to qualify new materials for nuclear service by reducing the lead time required for dedicated, long-term material testing to establish key long-term material properties. The new approach described here uses a physics-based model to predict the long-term creep rupture strength of 316H stainless steel using only short-term test data. The key idea is to use Bayesian inference to find the statistical distribution of the model parameters that best explain the short-term rupture data. Because the model is physics-based these parameters are all microstructural quantities that can be measured through detailed material characterization experiments. The Bayesian prior distributions provide a means for incorporating this characterization data into the final model to improve the accuracy of the long-term model predictions. However, where such data is not available the process still produces an accurate model based on an uniformed prior. Our hypothesis is that this approach more accurately extrapolates the short-term test data when compared to current, empirical methods. The report proves this hypothesis using actual long-term rupture data available for 316H, including tests with rupture times greater than 200,000 hours. The general approach developed here could be applied to other materials and other time-dependent material properties. Applying this new technique to develop long-term qualified material properties, potentially in conjunction with other accelerated qualification approaches like staggered qualification test programs, could greatly reduce the time required to qualify new materials for nuclear service.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Report on FY 2020 Welding Parameters Optimization and the Fabrication of Qualified Alloy 709 Welds

Alloy 709 is an attractive candidate construction material for the Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR). As part of the Alloy 709 Intermediate Term Test Program, this work covers the development of the technical basis for weld fabrication and weld qualification of Alloy 709. The phase of research reported herein focused on the issue of weld solidification cracking recently experienced in both experimental heats and a commercial heat of Alloy 709 with relatively high phosphorous levels.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Operation Ivy

Operation Ivy, a two-shot test program, included the United States’ first thermonuclear device, Mike; and King, its highest yield fission bomb. Mike, if successful, held the promise of future weapons having megaton yields. King, pushing the limits of a fission design, provided a high yield alternative should Mike fail.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗