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At least 1,441 records · Page 80

U.S. Offshore Pipeline and Reported Incident Datasets

The U.S. Offshore Pipeline and Reported Incident Datasets provide a compilation of data from a variety of credible resources, spatially-temporally integrated into multivariate resources. This spatial resource includes more than 80,000 points along existing and abandoned pipelines in the Gulf with matched incidents based on similar lease blocks and temporal timelines (e.g., the incident date occurs within reported pipeline lifespan), structural characteristics, geologic and seafloor data, and meteorological, oceanographic, and biochemical statistics spatially and temporally matched to each point. This is provided as both a feature class in a file geodatabase, as well as a CSV file for ease of use. The pipeline incidents table is a CSV file containing more than 900 reported incidents from 1986 to 2021, including incident date, area (Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease block and area code), reported causes, reported incident information, and results (i.e., cost, repairs, inspections), along with quantitative severity metrics. Field dictionaries are included for both the pipeline locations and incidents datasets, which detail field definitions. The pipeline locations field dictionary includes original resource reference information.

Advanced Infrastructure Integrity Model↗

Optimization of static heat loads of the PIP-II cryomodules based on prototype HB650 cryomodule test results

During the first cool down of the prototype HB650 cryomodule (pHB650 CM), high static heat loads have been measured compared to the estimation. Several analysis and calculations have been performed to explain this difference which led to cool down this cryomodule two additional times. Before each cool down, repairs and upgrades have been done, and instrumentations were added to identify the issues and quantify their impact on the heat loads. Based on these findings, the production cryomodule design and assembly process have been updated to align the future heat loads measurements with the estimations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Arroyo Seco Improvement Program ( 2019 Annual Report)

The Arroyo Seco Improvement Program is being carried out at Sandia National Laboratories, California in order to address erosion and other streambed instability issues in the Arroyo Seco as it crosses the Sandia National Laboratories, California. The work involves both repair of existing eroded areas, and habitat enhancement. This work is being carried out under the requirements of Army Corps of Engineers permit 2006-400195S and California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region Water Quality Certification Site No. 02-01-00987.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Foundations of an Electric Mobility Strategy for the City of Mexicali

The Foundations of an Electric Mobility Strategy for the city of Mexicali aligns with numerous energy, environmental, and transport plans and will help Mexicali meet multiple related goals. Mexicali’s energy mix, with 28% renewables, already enables plugin electric vehicles (PEVs) to reduce the mass of greenhouse gases (GHGs) per km driven 2/3 below that of their conventional counterparts. This GHG benefit will increase should Mexicali take steps to further increase their share of renewables in their electricity supply. Beyond increasing renewables, Mexicali could possibly deploy PEVs so that electric load is added in the right location (depending on further analysis of substations and feeders) and at the right time (between 21:00 and 11:00) in order to minimize grid upgrade costs. There are a handful of charge timing control mechanisms –at various stages of development– that Mexicali could implement. Transport electrification can facilitate mass transit by powering buses, trains, and small vehicles that get people from their homes or work to the transit stations and vice versa. Mexicali could utilize fleets as early PEV adopters in order to gain acceptance and add electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). Recommended prioritization of different types of fleets are suggested in this report: transit buses, school buses, airport ground support equipment (GSE), refuse trucks, taxis, shuttle buses, campus vehicles, delivery trucks, utility trucks, and finally semitrailers. There are a handful of policy options that Mexicali could use to incentivize fleets to purchase PEVs, including mandates, economic incentives, energy performance contracts, waivers to access restrictions, electricity discounts, and EVSE requirements in building codes. Mexicali’s taxi fleet was an early adopter of PEVs and had experienced some challenges—mostly related to the insufficient range of the taxis due to hot weather. In this report, we strategize ways to extend the range of the current electric taxis, including ways to make charging more convenient to the drivers, and more suggestions for appropriate vehicles to purchase in the future. This report also includes the groundwork of geotracking Mexicali’s taxi fleet so that more detailed recommendations can be made in the future. Once fleets have increased PEV acceptance and EVSE installations, the market will be ready to expand to private vehicle owners. In order to do this, more EVSE needs to be installed in the right locations. This mobility strategy lays out general local areas where EVSE could be well utilized, based on traffic patterns, land use, and demographic data. Mexicali could approach businesses within these areas that would likely make suitable hosts, based on how well they can profit from the additional business that EVSE would bring. Mexicali could then adopt a series of purchase incentives (including sales tax waivers or access to high-occupancy vehicles [HOV] lanes) that would encourage private vehicle owners to purchase PEVs. Purchase incentives run the risk of creating equity issues, which can be countered by promoting electrification in mass transit, creating more HOV lanes that have PEV exemptions, and installing EVSEs in underserved communities. Private PEV ownership will require a set of experts that Mexicali can help train, including PEV repair technicians, EVSE installation electricians, and first responders.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Front shielding of the 25-kW beam absorber in Linac-to-Booster transfer line

The 25-kW beam absorber in the Linac-to-Booster transfer line is supposed to take in the beam from PIP-II 800-MeV Linac occasionally, on the average for one hour once a week. Such an operational scenario suggests that residual dose of the absorber front part can be relatively low. In order to simplify access to the front part of the absorber and beam window in case of repair or maintenance, using a slide-in shielding plug is considered as a preferred option.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Substation Secondary Asset Health Monitoring and Management System (SSHM)

Electric Power Group, LLC (EPG) was awarded DOE OE0000850 to design, develop, and demonstrate a real-time software application for substation secondary equipment health monitoring and management at host utility American Electric Power (AEP), a cost share partner. This project addresses the need for monitoring substation equipment health and providing operators with tools to identify and take pre-emptive action to avoid catastrophic equipment failure. By monitoring synchrophasor data in real time, data anomalies that indicate potential asset failure can be detected and alerts can be sent to operators in time to take corrective actions. EPG developed two data driven algorithms to identify abnormal equipment signature patterns as well as a method using substation linear state estimation (SLSE). The software has been deployed on hardened PC’s and tested and validated for cost share partner AEP’s substations - 138kV and 765 kV. The SSHM software has been accepted by AEP and final demonstration of DOE - OE0000850 for AEP and DOE was successfully completed on March 17th, 2020. EPG developed the Substation Secondary Asset Health Monitoring (SSHM) Platform to analyze equipment failure signatures in PMU data and alert substation personnel when pre-emptive inspection, repairs and other actions are warranted to prevent potential catastrophic failures. This is the first system that automatically monitors the health of substation secondary assets and alerts users to emerging failures using synchrophasor measurements. SSHM uses high resolution PMU data from PTs, CTs, and CCVTs to analyze equipment signatures and identify anomalies that are precursor indicators of potential equipment failure. When an anomaly is detected, there is a likelihood of potential failure of monitored equipment, the system alerts the user with visual alarms including alarm trend charts and indicator lights on a oneline diagram of the substation.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Physical Sciences Vistas (Issue 3 2020)

In this issue, highlights of our outstanding R&D supporting the Laboratory’s nuclear security mission include the following. 1. The essential nuclear materials science contributions of MST’s Materials Properties Team to a range of Lab missions, operations, and initiatives. 2. Work in the Sigma Complex supporting NNSA’s Advanced Manufacturing Development milestones by members of Sigma Division and colleagues across the Laboratory and other NNSA sites. 3. Greg Dale’s role in the Lab’s molybdenum program and today as a technical lead on the Scorpius project. 4. Measurements that reveal the role thermal interfaces play in dynamic compression experiments. 5. The first-ever synthesis of an actinide framework, which offers opportunities for understanding these structures as potential radioactive waste forms and provides new models of actinide species transport in the environment. This issue also showcases, as part of our commitment to simultaneous excellence in mission operations and community relations, the successful high-hazard repair of the LANSCE accelerator, which resulted in a large team Laboratory Distinguished Performance Award, and a virtual Summer Physics Camp for Young Women that brought together participants from around the world, even as COVID kept them socially distant in their homes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Arroyo Seco Improvement Program Annual Report for 2020

The Arroyo Seco Improvement Program is being carried out at Sandia National Laboratories, California in order to address erosion and other streambed instability issues in the Arroyo Seco as it crosses the Sandia National Laboratories, California. The work involves both repair of existing eroded areas, and habitat enhancement. This work is being carried out under the requirements of Army Corps of Engineers permit 2006-400195S and California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region Water Quality Certification Site No. 02-01-C0987.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Chapter 22: Compressed Air Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures (September 2011 - August 2020)

Compressed-air systems are used widely throughout industry for many operations, including pneumatic tools, packaging and automation equipment, conveyors, and other industrial process operations. Compressed-air systems are defined as a group of subsystems composed of air compressors, air treatment equipment, controls, piping, pneumatic tools, pneumatically powered machinery, and process applications using compressed air. A compressed-air system has three primary functional subsystems: supply, distribution, and demand. Air compressors are the primary energy consumers in a compressed-air system and are the primary focus of this protocol. The two compressed-air energy efficiency measures specifically addressed in this protocol are: high-efficiency/variable speed drive (VSD) compressor replacing modulating, load/unload, or constant-speed compressor; compressed-air leak survey and repairs. This protocol provides direction on how to reliably verify savings from these two measures using a consistent approach for each.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Conservative Release Fraction Correlation for Spray Releases

Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) is planning to conduct repairs in the Liquid Effluent Retention Facility (LERF), and prior to conducting this work they will re-evaluate the hazard category designation for LERF. As part of this evaluation, WRPS needs estimates of the release fraction of potential accidental sprays, because a spray release is a potential bounding accident. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory previously developed a conservative correlation for the cumulative generation rate (volume per time) of aerosol droplets less than or equal to specific sizes from spray releases as a function of the spray pressure, orifice area, and droplet diameter. To obtain release fraction estimates from the conservative generation rate correlation, the correlation needs to be recast by dividing the aerosol generation rate by the flow rate of a spray. In the current study, a conservative release fraction correlation was developed from the conservative aerosol generation rate correlation developed previously by dividing the generation rate correlation by the flow rate of a spray using an orifice flow rate equation and then this correlation was adjusted to be conservative. Test data were also extrapolated to a lower pressure than the lowest pressure tested (100 psig) for the spray data used for developing the previous conservative generation rate correlation. The new conservative release fraction correlation was then used to predict release fractions of respirable droplets (droplets = 10 µm) for four specific pipes that are part of LERF.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

A Closed-Loop Distribution System Restoration Tool for Natural Disaster Recovery. Final CRADA report

We propose to continue the development of the restoration algorithms and the tool’s user interface, both of which have been developed under the GMLC-0131 project. This project aims to develop a distribution restoration decision support tool that will assist utilities in performing distribution restoration after extreme weather events in an optimal and efficient manner. The tool will integrate the weather information/forecasts and system fragility assessment together with the field measurement data to improve the situational awareness and estimate the system damage status. Advanced optimization models will be leveraged to dispatch repair crews and associated resources. New resources (e.g., automatic switches and distributed generators (DGs)) enabled by distribution automation and smart grid development will be utilized to reconfigure distribution grids and pick up loads promptly to reduce the outage sizes and durations. The closed-loop feature of the tool will make the tool adaptive to the evolving weather events and varying restoration capabilities. In this CRADA, we will collaborate with S&C Electric Company (S&C) to refine ANL-1060 (07/17/2019) the restoration algorithms that can be potentially applicable for any utility systems and vendor products, including: 1) Customizable information from both utility users and vendor users; 2) User interface design.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Concurrent Optimization of Capital Cost and Expected O&M

Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies can utilize heat from concentrated sunlight from a field of tracking mirrors to generate electricity, reform fuel, provide process heat, or augment fossil plant heat sources. Electricity-generating power tower systems focus light from thousands of independent heliostats onto a thermal receiver, which uses the focused light to warm a heat transfer fluid (HTF), typically, a molten nitrate salt. The HTF is then sent to a power generation cycle or diverted into thermal energy storage (TES) for later use. Thermal storage is – in principle – a straightforward proposition. However, optimal utilization of a TES resource is complex and multi-faceted: thermal energy may be dispatched to produce electricity immediately upon first availability, or thermal energy may be reserved for next-day peak periods at risk of filling storage and dumping energy, or a portion of the thermal energy can be reserved to maintain equipment temperatures, reducing power cycle startup time, etc. Many possible dispatch permutations variously emphasize producing peak power, operating through transients, expediting daily startup, etc. The best operation strategy can change day-to-day throughout the year, depending on the weather and market pricing forecasts. The project we describe in this report develops a software package that allows users to explore design optimization, operations decisions, and performance characterization of concentrating solar power tower plants. Users interface with the tool through a scripting language, and results are reported in time series tables, plots, runtime logs, and design outputs. Users choose from a list of variables such as tower height, solar multiple, design-point irradiance, thermal storage size, etc., and specify information about the system using a list of parameters. The software can then optimize the specified variables to reduce the cost of energy produced by the system while meeting certain production requirements, accounting for uncertain weather and electricity price forecasts, and correcting for equipment failures or repair time. The software we develop is the first comprehensive design tool of its kind to incorporate all of these aspects while being deployed as open source.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Chemical Waste Landfill Annual Post-Closure Report. Calendar Year 2020

The purpose of this CWL Annual Post-Closure Care Report is to document monitoring, inspection, maintenance, and repair activities conducted during CY 2020 as required by PCCP Attachment 1, Section 1.12 (NMED October 2009 and subsequent revisions). This annual report documents post-closure care activities conducted from January through December 2020 and fulfills the PCCP requirement for annual reporting to the NMED.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Review of Pantex Radiation Safety Department 2020 Backup Dosimetry Processing Methodology

In the first quarter (Q1) of Calendar Year 2020, the Pantex Radiation Safety Department (Pantex) experienced various issues and failures with their dosimeter processing equipment. Efforts to repair the equipment resulted in limited functionality without the ability to process dosimeters assigned to personnel for monitoring dose. As a result of the impairments to the dosimeter processing equipment, Pantex called upon Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) for support, as their designated backup processor. In January of 2021, LLNL Subject Matter Experts in External Dosimetry started an NNSA-requested review of Pantex’s personnel doses in Q1 2020. Its focus was the technical validity of the means and methods used by Pantex and its conclusions and provide a level of confidence to National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) that the resulting personnel doses were reasonable, conservative, and defensible.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Performance Evaluation of Comparative Vacuum Monitoring and Piezoelectric Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring of Rotorcraft Components

The costs associated with the increasing maintenance and surveillance needs of aging structures are rising at an unexpected rate. Multi-site fatigue damage, hidden cracks in hard-to-reach locations, disbonded joints, erosion, impact, and corrosion are among the major flaws encountered in today’s extensive fleet of aging aircraft and space vehicles. Aircraft maintenance and repairs represent about a quarter of a commercial fleet’s operating costs. The application of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems using distributed sensor networks can reduce these costs by facilitating rapid and global assessments of structural integrity. The use of in-situ sensors for real-time health monitoring can overcome inspection impediments stemming from accessibility limitations, complex geometries, and the location and depth of hidden damage. Reliable, structural health monitoring systems can automatically process data, assess structural condition, and signal the need for human intervention. The ease of monitoring an entire on-board network of distributed sensors means that structural health assessments can occur more often, allowing operators to be even more vigilant with respect to flaw onset. SHM systems also allow for condition-based maintenance practices to be substituted for the current time-based or cycle-based maintenance approach thus optimizing maintenance labor. The Federal Aviation Administration has conducted a series of SHM validation and certification programs intended to comprehensively support the evolution and adoption of SHM practices into routine aircraft maintenance practices. This report presents one of those programs involving a Sandia Labs-aviation industry effort to move SHM into routine use for aircraft maintenance. The Airworthiness Assurance NDI Validation Center (AANC) at Sandia Labs, in conjunction with Sikorsky, Structural Monitoring Systems Ltd., Anodyne Electronics Manufacturing Corp., Acellent Technologies Inc., and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) carried out a trial validation and certification program to evaluate Comparative Vacuum Monitoring (CVM) and Piezoelectric Transducers (PZT) as a structural health monitoring solution to specific rotorcraft applications. Validation tasks were designed to address the SHM equipment, the health monitoring task, the resolution required, the sensor interrogation procedures, the conditions under which the monitoring will occur, the potential inspector population, adoption of CVM and PZT systems into rotorcraft maintenance programs and the document revisions necessary to allow for their routine use as an alternate means of performing periodic structural inspections. This program addressed formal SHM technology validation and certification issues so that the full spectrum of concerns, including design, deployment, performance and certification were appropriately considered. Sandia Labs designed, implemented, and analyzed the results from a focused and statistically relevant experimental effort to quantify the reliability of a CVM system applied to Sikorsky S-92 fuselage frame application and a PZT system applied to an S-92 main gearbox mount beam application. The applications included both local and global damage detection assessments. All factors that affect SHM sensitivity were included in this program: flaw size, shape, orientation and location relative to the sensors, as well as operational and environmental variables. Statistical methods were applied to performance data to derive Probability of Detection (POD) values for SHM sensors in a manner that agrees with current nondestructive inspection (NDI) validation requirements and is acceptable to both the aviation industry and regulatory bodies. The validation work completed in this program demonstrated the ability of both CVM and PZT SHM systems to detect cracks in rotorcraft components. It proved the ability to use final system response parameters to provide a Green Light/Red Light (“GO” – “NO GO”) decision on the presence of damage. In additional to quantifying the performance of each SHM system for the trial applications on the S-92 platform, this study also identified specific methods that can be used to optimize damage detection, guidance on deployment scenarios that can affect performance and considerations that must be made to properly apply CVM and PZT sensors. These results support the main goal of safely integrating SHM sensors into rotorcraft maintenance programs. Additional benefits from deploying rotorcraft Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) may be realized when structural assessment data, collected by an SHM system, is also used to detect structural damage to compliment the operational environment monitoring. The use of in-situ sensors for health monitoring of rotorcraft structures can be a viable option for both flaw detection and maintenance planning activities. This formal SHM validation will allow aircraft manufacturers and airlines to confidently make informed decisions about the proper utilization of CVM and PZT technology. It will also streamline future regulatory actions and formal certification measures needed to assure the safe application of SHM solutions.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Effects of Irradiation on Thermal Properties of Polyurethane Foam

Polyurethane foam is used as a thermal insulator, fire protective material, and impact absorber in the 9977 shipping package. The 9977 shipping package is used to transport special nuclear materials (SNM), and store SNM in the K-area complex at the Savannah River Site. The primary fire-retardant mechanism in the foam is that it produces intumescent char when exposed to high temperatures. Intumescence occurs in the direction of heat application and can allow the foam to “repair” cracks in the event of a mechanical impact, in addition to serving as a secondary thermal barrier with decreased heat conductivity. Because the foam is being used for long-term storage applications, it is vital that it retain its physical, thermal, and mechanical properties over the course of time and with the events of exposure of heat and irradiation. The goal of this project was to determine the effects of gamma irradiation on the thermal properties of polyurethane foam, both in terms of cumulative irradiation and rate of irradiation. At the dose rates and cumulative doses of irradiation measured, there was no correlation between higher cumulative irradiation and thermal stability, specific heat capacity, or chemical structure. Based on the results of the experiments, the fire protective properties in the 9977 shipping containers should be retained with the expected amount of radiation exposure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Update of Erosion Conditions and Assessment of Mitigation Options for the L-Bar Site

The L-Bar former uranium milling site was remediated and closed per regulations and is now under the long-term stewardship of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Legacy Management (DOE/LM). Since assuming stewardship in 2004, DOE/LM has observed erosion and sedimentation processes at the L-Bar Site that will challenge meeting the design closure criteria in the long term, and therefore erosion control structures were installed in several areas. Portions of these structures were subsequently damaged by summer convective storm events and they are being redesigned. At the request of DOE/LM, Desert Research Institute (DRI) reviewed the proposed redesign plans of the erosion control structures. The purpose of this review is to support DOE/LM decisions regarding mitigation of ongoing erosion processes, including assessing possible repair of the existing erosion control structures, as well as plan for effective long-term site management. This design review is performed in reference to the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) standards contained in 40 CFR 192.02 that require containment of residual radioactive material be effective for up to 1,000 years (if achievable, but certainly for 200 years), limit radon release, protect groundwater, and minimize future maintenance. The erosion control structures under review are not subject to the UMTRCA standard directly, but they contribute to the performance of the overall containment system by virtue of their relationship with the large diversion channels bounding the disposal cell. The 11 design drawings included in “Erosion Control Alternatives Analysis, L-Bar, New Mexico, Disposal Site, LTS-111-0043-08-002,” dated January 11, 2019, and listed in Appendix A, and supporting calculations in Weston (2019) are the focus of the review. Additionally, DOE/LM provided supporting data such as a 2018 photogrammetry-based digital elevation model of the site, precipitation records collected from an on-site weather station, and sedimentation records collected at an on-site basin. This assessment includes review of the proposed design to mitigate current site conditions but also addresses site changes between the initial erosion assessment report (Miller et al., 2012) and current conditions. The analysis is at a predesign engineering level and does not include development of hydraulic or sediment transport models. Site precipitation data are included in Miller et al. (2012). The natural conditions of the site, the design of site diversion systems, observed erosion at the site, and predesign engineering analysis are used to develop a holistic view of the challenges to L-Bar Site stability and possible responsive actions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗