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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Coal and Biomass to Liquids (CBTL) Greenhouse Gas Optimization Tool Documentation

This report is the user documentation for the NETL CBTL Jet Fuel Model submitted under a separate approval routing. The documentation is intended to accompany the model. The documentation explains how to the use the model. The documentation does not contain any energy analysis findings. NETL completed this model/report as part of a study for the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) to provide techno-economic and life cycle analysis modeling support for CBTL alternative jet fuel production, which forms key references to their report to the Defense Logistics Agency (their project sponsor/funder).

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2014

Comprehensive Analysis of Coal and Biomass Conversion to Jet Fuel: Oxygen Blown, Transport Reactor Integrated Gasifier (TRIG) and Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) Catalyst Configurations

The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) has received funding from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy to demonstrate how liquid fuel can be produced from coal and meet the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 greenhouse gas (GHG) requirement for DOD fuel purchases of synthetic fuel. Section 526 of EISA requires that any fuel purchases have a life-cycle CO2 emission less than conventional petroleum fuel. This study evaluates different scenarios for the conversion of coal and biomass to jet fuel using oxygen blown, transport reactor integrated gasifier and Fischer-Tropsch catalyst configurations.

biomass↗
DOE OSTI2018

Advanced Analytics Studies Applied to US Department of Veterans Affairs' Corporate Data Warehouse (Initial Draft)

In this report, we describe our experience of applying several advanced analytics algorithms to the US Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) electronic health records datasets during FY2017-18. While various algorithms were applied to the CDW data, the main goal of this effort was to provide useful insights into the operational aspects (as opposed to the purely clinical aspect) of this specific implementation. Since there are not many reports in the public literature on advanced analytics applied to this data, this report provides unique insight in this regard. We focused on two machine learning (ML) applications: (1) clinical pathway inference (patterns dominating clinical pathways applied to a male dataset of Stable Ischemic Heart Disease patients as use case) and (2) medical-concept representation learning’s capability to inform and refine cohort membership based on probable patient outcomes. During our study on clinical pathway inference, we used two main modeling techniques: (a) topic probabilistic modeling (latent Dirichlet allocation [LDA]) and (b) feature imbedding. We observed that the applicability of LDA to the pathway inference remains in question. LDA provides results that are intuitive and easy for humans to comprehend; however, when applied to the pathway inference, it also generates pathway patterns that consist of a few dominant pathway components. In addition, LDA provides no information regarding the relationships among components in the same pathway. The outputs of LDA are also found to categorize patients based on their trace data of clinical procedures. However, the results suggest that LDA is biased toward statistically dominant components. This makes it particularly hard to discriminate pathway subbranches. To address the issue, we designed a new pathway inference methodology that integrates temporal ordering of pathway components into LDA results, as existing feature embedding tools such as word2vec are not readily applicable to our task. In addition, we developed our own feature embedding tool customized for patient traces. We conclude this study by suggesting two approaches to use embedding representation of a component into LDA and briefly list our lessons learned and recommendations for future work. For our study on medical-concept representation learning ability to inform and refine cohort membership based on probable patient outcomes, during our empirical evaluation we compared methods from medical-concept learning to standard one of a kind (one-of-K) encoding to evaluate the change in effectiveness as done in Choi, Schuetz, Stewart, and Sun (2016). We performed two primary empirical evaluations. The first evaluation was on a curated collection of 60,000 patients with no more than 1 year of medical history included. The second was a collection of patients with no restriction to the amount of medical history included. The hypothesis across both evaluations is that representation learning is broadly useful independent of downstream processing models; thus, for each experiment, we trained three models—a logistic regression model, a two-layer neural network model, and a nearest-neighbor model—and then averaged the results. Each model was trained using fivefold cross validation. We provided evidence that medical-representation learning improves predictions of the primary diagnosis category of a short patient history through 12 experiments. In addition, we provided evidence that medical-representation learning fails to improve prediction of the primary diagnosis category of an arbitrarily long patient history through 12 experiments. We conclude this study with a brief list of our lessons learned and recommendations for future work. We conclude the report with a discussion of recent technology trends as they relate to our artificial intelligence and, more specifically, to our ML research and approaches as described previously.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2019

RLUOB Toppled Load: Near Miss to Personnel Injury (Incident Investigation Final Report)

On Monday, February 25, 2019, at approximately 1430, the Logistics Central Shop (LOG-CS) Hoisting and Rigging (H&R) crew moved an anti-vibration table on the first floor of Technical Area 55 (TA-55), Building 400, Radiological Laboratory/Utilities/Office Building (RLUOB). The table was designed to be anchored to the facility floor on pedestals to provide vibration dampening for an electron microscope (SEM/TEM). The table was approximately 86 inches wide by 56 inches tall, an asymmetrical load. It weighed approximately 2,300 pounds. The crew was transporting the load using a lifting device, specifically a Vere Optical Table Hoist. The work control package (Integrated Work Document [IWD] and H&R Ordinary Lift Plan) included staging the table, moving the load from the loading dock through corridors into a laboratory, and installing the table. During the table move, the riggers made adjustments to the lifting device to enable the load and device to pass through security double doors. After the crew successfully passed through the security double doors, three riggers moved the load approximately ten linear feet further at which point the lifting device and load fell to the RLUOB facility floor. No injuries were sustained as a result of the toppled load and frame. The rigging crew immediately notified supervision who then notified the TA-55 Facility Operations Director (FOD). After further review, the TA-55 FOD categorized the event as a near miss to personnel injury. The scene was preserved and all H&R operations within the TA-55 directorate were paused pending a review of all lift plans with the rigging supervisor and the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement (CMRR) Construction Manager. All lift plans were to be reviewed prior to resumption of H&R lifts within the directorate. Additionally, all newly generated lift plans will be reviewed by the TA-55 FOD, the H&R supervisor and the affected manager. The Associate Laboratory Director for Weapons Production (ALDWP) appointed a team to investigate the event, identify all relevant facts, and determine the direct, contributing, and root causes. The team was also charged with reviewing other similar events to identify common causes for multiple recurring events and the organizational and management weaknesses that have led to failure to correct recurring events. (See Appendix A: Memo, Appointment of Accident Investigation Board.)

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Evaluation of Agricultural Equipment Manufacturing for a Bio-Based Economy

This report provides the analysis results of agricultural and preprocessing equipment and manufacturing requirements to support the mobilization of the Billion Ton projections utilizing the conventional supply chain logistics. This report discusses the number of required agricultural machinery and their market values, the drivers and barriers of the transition in agricultural equipment, the potential economic impacts to the US associated with expansion of these equipment manufacturing and the factors that impact the transition in agricultural machinery to support the growth of a large-scale biofuel and bio-products industry in short and long terms. Short and long terms refer to the early development and mature development phases of the cellulosic biofuels industry in the United States.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Data Analysis of ENSA/DOE Rail Cask Tests

This report describes the results from a series of tests of surrogate pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear fuel assemblies in a rail cask during various modes of transportation and cask handling conducted between June and October 2017. The primary purpose of the tests was to measure strain and acceleration on surrogate fuel rods when the assemblies are subjected to normal conditions of transport (NCT) within the Equipos Nucleares, S.A. (ENSA) UNiversal (ENUN) 32P cask. Acceleration on the cask basket, the cask, the cask cradle, and the transport platforms were also measured. A summary of the test details, logistics and operations for performing the tests is included.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Preliminary Hyde Memorial State Park Modular Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Sizing Study

Hyde Memorial State Park has lost grid supplied power and has been running on a diesel generator for some time now. The powerline that feeds the park is a state owned, 5 mile underground extension from the PNM service connection point. The line has decayed over the past 30 plus years and due to the location (much of it running under the road) the cost of repair and the logistics of closing the road are not good options. In June 2019 through a state contractor, the State of New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department completed a renewable energy microgrid feasibility study to see if it was technically and economically feasible to operate the park without future grid power. The study looked at solar plus battery storage and a propane generator as a possible option. New Mexico State Parks Division has indicated their wish to move forward with the microgrid project which will now go out to one of the state’s energy services performance contractors. The contractor will have to finalize the feasibility study and develop a complete list of construction costs. Given, the lack of long-term O&M data on the battery, as part of the next phase of the project the State of New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department asked Los Alamos National Laboratory to preliminary examine the potential for pumped hydro as an alternative to batteries.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

TA-I Sub-Area Plan: Overview & Summary

The Sub-Area plan recognizes that TA-I is the center of R&D for SNL and its “crown jewel.” The Plan seeks to: Maintain Research and Development (R&D), Manufacturing, and Administration as primary land use; Create a new “front door” and focus for internal and external interaction; Organize the site by nature of work / mission focus to enhance functional relationships and cost-effectiveness; Reshape the security boundary to enhance and simplify the security hierarchy, and open portions of the site for external collaboration; Preserve opportunities for growth and sustainment of mission by encouraging infill, redevelopment, and consolidation; Upgrade roadways and walkways to improve site access, circulation and internal logistics, and promote a pedestrian-oriented environment; Relocate site support activities and functions that do not require a TA-I site (“backyard activities”) to make room for program use and external collaboration.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Mid-Atlantic U.S. Offshore Carbon Storage Resource Assessment Project (Final Technical Report)

The greatest potential for carbon storage in the northeastern United States lies in the offshore geologic formations comprising the outer continental shelf (Monteverde et al., 2011). Offshore storage can be linked to large point-sources of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) while avoiding many of the logistical difficulties and potential risks encountered when siting onshore projects, especially in densely populated areas of the East Coast. Offshore CO 2 storage assessment and research in the United States is underway to address uncertainty in potential storage resources, particularly in the mid- and north-Atlantic offshore area. Given the current knowledge base and access to publicly available data, the objectives of the Mid-Atlantic U.S. Offshore Carbon Storage Resource Assessment Project (MAOCSRAP) were fourfold: (1) complete a systematic carbon storage resource assessment of the mid-Atlantic offshore coastal region from the Georges Bank Basin (GBB) through the Long Island Platform (LIP) to the southern Baltimore Canyon Trough (BCT); (2) define key input parameters to reduce uncertainty for offshore storage resource and efficiency estimates; (3) perform a preliminary assessment of risk factors, uncertainties, and data gaps; and (4) engage industry and regulatory stakeholders through development of a Road Map to assist future project planning and implementation. The MAOCSRAP project has compiled, inventoried, and assimilated various publicly available data sets to provide a strong technical basis on which future carbon storage studies and applications can be built. The knowledge infrastructure necessary to support the development of full-scale offshore carbon storage include: Defining the geologic characteristics of candidate storage sites (Chapter 2). Using existing seismic data to better define the continuity of the storage zones and seals (Chapter 3). Cataloguing the hydrogeologic properties of mid-Atlantic offshore storage sites (Chapter 4). Calculating prospective CO 2 storage resources using net effective pore volumes and fluid displacement properties specific to offshore lithologies (Chapter 5). Examining risk factors related to offshore storage (Chapter 6). Communicating with industry and other stakeholders about the future prospects for offshore storage (Chapter 7). Ensuring technology transfer to industry and other stakeholders (Chapter 8). Led by Battelle, this project was conducted by public and private entities with expertise in offshore geology and resources for the study region, including state geological surveys of Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania; United States Geological Survey-Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center and Haifa University; Rutgers University; Harvard University; and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) at Columbia University. The storage resource assessment was completed for a broad region offshore of the U.S. East Coast, from Massachusetts to Virginia. The results include high-level storage resource estimates for areas not previously characterized and improved storage resource estimates for geographically expansive portions of offshore geologic units. Results of the project provide a foundation for developing CO 2 storage along offshore areas of the mid-Atlantic United States. A combination of information was used to provide confidence in project results. Key findings of the major project tasks are summarized as follows. Subsurface Data Analysis: Legacy seismic, well-log, core, and biostratigraphic data were digitized, reprocessed, and analyzed using modern techniques, augmenting previous characterization efforts. The sequence stratigraphic framework for the Cretaceous and Jurassic strata was developed by correlating well-log depositional sequences to seismic reflectors identified in the BCT, LIP, and GBB. The integration of well-log stratigraphy with seismic stratigraphy and petrophysical analysis helped to identify and map potential storage zones within sequences of the Logan Canyon (LC), Missisauga, and Mohawk formations, as well as the regionally extensive caprock comprised of the Dawson Canyon shale. Approximately 4,000 kilometers (km) of seismic data was reprocessed to create a structural framework that was used to tie together all available well data, constrain sequence stratigraphic interpretations, and make regional assessments of offshore carbon storage resources. Prospective storage resource estimates were 150 to 1136 megatons (Mt) for the combined storage zones. This suggests mid-Atlantic U.S. offshore formations can store decades of CO 2 from industrial sources in the region. Preliminary local reservoir simulations suggest that injection rates of 1 Mt CO 2 /year may be sustained for 30 years in single injection wells in the BCT. Advanced geologic modeling and new data acquisition are needed to address data gaps and advance carbon capture and storage (CCS) in key offshore areas selected for further investigation. Offshore Risk Factors: Offshore geologic risk factors include soft sediment deformation, unit continuity, sedimentological and structural features, seismicity and hydrates. CO 2 storage risks include inadequate seals, migration/leakage, and chemical interactions leading to decreased storage. Sensitive habitats, environmental impacts, disturbance to seafloor, and other risks need to be identified in advance of project activities and integrated into detailed mitigation plans for all project phases. Stakeholder Engagement: Input and participation from government, industry, and environmental groups provided input into the Road Map and address next steps needed for project deployment. Early engagement and ongoing communication, as well as policy framework development, is key to large-scale deployment of CCS. Next Steps: This project represents an important first step by completing a high-level CO 2 storage resource assessment and building the knowledge infrastructure necessary to improve quantitative storage resource estimates. The data sets that have been curated under this project provide an opportunity to conduct research and development (R&D) needed to address data gaps and reduce risk and uncertainty. Offshore characterization and validation strategies that are systematically designed to provide data and infrastructure that can be upscaled to meet commercial requirements could be developed off of this foundation.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Gasification Combined Heat and Power from Coal Fines

The goal of this final project report is to comprehensively summarize the work for public domain conducted on project DE-FE 0031520. In accordance with the Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO), the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (UKy-CAER) (Recipient) has completed a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study 5 MWe polygeneration unit using the Coal Fields Regional Industrial Park in Hazard, Kentucky (KY) as a model location and using coal recovered from the adjacent Pads Branch Impoundment as feed. The scope of work is a thorough study that can be used as a template for the application of the proposed technology throughout Eastern KY and other coal communities nationwide. The Technology Design Basis was developed based on three elements: basic site characteristics; fuel feedstock; and environmental health and safety requirements. The Basic Engineering Design Elements include the preliminary process design (the process area descriptions; the Block Flow Diagram (BFD), Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) and Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), process simulation outputs and Heat and Mass Balance (H&MB) stream tables, the major process equipment and instrumentation lists which includes specifications and materials of construction); the cost estimate (capital cost estimate, operational cost estimate, and comparison with state-of-the-art commercial scale similar technologies, options to lower cost, construction cost and schedule estimate); and other supporting elements (guidelines for execution and management of the project), logistical summary, and balance of plant summary, the Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) assessment; and a Social and Economic Impact (S&EI) assessment. All project milestones, deliverables and success criteria were met. The proposed 5 MWe polygeneration facility being fed from impoundment recovered coal has been shown to be technically feasible. Annual revenues are estimated at $\$ $2.4M from electricity, steam and hydrocarbon production; annual operating expenses are $\$ $5.2M ($\$ $2.9 M in operating expenses, and $\$ $2.4M in indirect expenses). The gasifier facility, as configured during the FEED, will lose money when operating under commercial operating conditions and terms. However, eight options improving the economics can be considered during the detailed design phase to make the facility profitable by taking advantage of the positive differential of revenue to variable operating costs, and reducing the influence of fixed operating costs. Coupled with the findings from the S&EI assessment estimating a total economic impact of $\$ $374M for the proposed polygeneration facility at >$\$ $1.5B, if three additional such projects are implemented, clearly positive economics are demonstrated. No EH&S issues are identified that would prohibit proceeding with the project, although permitting efforts are estimated to take 3-5 years.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2019

Infiltration Data Package for the E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility Performance Assessment

The infiltration data package contains the input parameters, the cap design and material properties assumptions, and the modeling results for the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) infiltration model simulations performed in support of the E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility Performance Assessment (PA). The infiltration estimates establish the upper boundary condition for the PORFLOW vadose-zone model and GoldSim model simulations for the following E-Area disposal unit types: Slit and Engineered Trenches, Low-Activity Waste Vault (LAWV), Intermediate-Level Vault (ILV), Componentin- Grout (CIG) special waste form trench segments, and the Naval Reactor Component Disposal Areas (NRCDAs). The infiltration data package builds upon relevant, foundational PA technical reports and memoranda from the past 15 years and is supported by three important components: the HELP model input parameter datasheets, HELP model input and output filenames and directory structure, and infiltration rates as a function of time for each scenario for each disposal unit type. For Slit and Engineered Trenches, a single best-estimate Bahia-grass case of two-percent slope and 585- foot slope length represents an upper bound on intact closure-cap infiltration rates over a 10,000-year period. Building upon the single, bounding, and intact case, two different approaches were considered for incorporating the effect of localized cap subsidence on infiltration rates in the PORFLOW flow and transport model simulations. In the first approach, a Monte Carlo probabilistic model was developed to calculate infiltration rates for 0.54%, 2%, 3.6%, and 4.9% subsidence scenariosa reflecting historical and future non-crushable content for the Slit and Engineered Trenches. The resulting blended (spatially and slope-length averaged) infiltration rates become an inflow upper boundary condition for the PORFLOW vadose zone model simulations. In the second and preferred approach, a Monte Carlo rectangle packing algorithm (Danielson, 2019) and a simplified equation for the total mass flux of water draining into a subsided compartment (Equation 1) will be employed to implement a weighted blending of radionuclide fluxes to the water table using the results of deterministic PORFLOW vadose zone simulations representative of specific subsidence cases. Finally, HELP-model results from sensitivity studies of the intact infiltration case were fit to a log-logistic function to generate infiltration profiles over a 10,000-year period for most-optimistic, more-optimistic, best-estimate, more-pessimistic, and most-pessimistic cases, for both the intact and four subsidence scenarios. For the LAWV and IL vaults, infiltration rate profiles for a 10,000-year period were developed for both an on-vault (above the concrete/metal vault roof) and an off-vault (10-foot soil zone adjacent to vault walls) scenario. The purpose of the off-vault simulations was to confirm that subsurface runoff from the concrete vault roof will adequately drain through the lowermost backfill layers adjacent to the vault walls. The LAWV and ILV infiltration profiles assume collapse of the concrete roof at relative Years 2,905 and 7,100, respectively. The identical Bahia-grass case with two-percent slope and 585-foot slope length assumed for the Slit and Engineered Trenches will represent an upper bound on intact infiltration rates for the NRCDAs and CIG special waste form as well. While the NRCDA casks are assumed to remain structurally intact (i.e., non-assumed to collapse 300 years after the end of operations. Because both rows of the existing CIG trench segments in ST23 (formerly CIG01) extend across the planned cap crest, the subsided CIG trench segments are treated conservatively in the HELP model as a 100%-subsidence case with zero subsurface run-on. The CIG special waste form trench segment infiltration profile, therefore, consists of an intact-cap period from relative Year 100 to Year 300, followed by a 100%-subsidence period from relative Year 300 to Year 10,100.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Microreactor Agile Nonnuclear Experimental Testbed Test Plan

Microreactors are an attractive technology option for kick-starting nuclear innovation if they can be operated at high temperature, yielding high power conversion thermal efficiencies comparable or better than in commercial light water reactors. Microreactors are currently the smallest variation of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). SMRs are “newer generation reactors designed to generate electric power up to 300 MWe and whose components and systems can be shop-fabricated and then transported as modules to the sites for installation as demand arises.” (IAEA, 2016). Vendors are developing microreactor designs to provide an affordable, potentially mobile source of electricity - see Fig. 1 for an example of a microreactor on a semi-truck. Various microreactor designs are possible including heat pipe- and gascooled options, which are the focus of the nonnuclear testing described in this document. In heat pipe microreactors, high-temperature heat pipes using liquid sodium or potassium working fluid transport fission heat from the core to a heat removal section which in turn transfers heat to the power conversion system working fluid. In a gas-cooled design, He or other gas will flow through a solid monolith of material and transfer heat as the temperature of the gas increases through a heat exchanger to a power conversion unit. The logistics of all these processes will be examined and tested through a series of articles at the nonnuclear test bed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the Microreactor Agile Nonnuclear Experiment Testbed (MAGNET) facility. Microreactors designed to produce power of 0.1-20 MWt offer the potential for more affordable nuclear energy for a range of applications. In a heat pipe microreactor, heat pipes, fuel rods, and/or moderator are intermixed in the reactor core assembly. Heat pipes extend from the core region into the heat removal section where the power conversion unit working fluid flows through holes or channels, transferring heat from the heat pipes to the working fluid. In a gas-cooled microreactor, gas flows through the solid monolith region and up into the heat exchanger region, transferring heat to the working fluid. For initial testing, the heat removal working fluid can be a low pressure gas for testing that addresses thermal stresses. In the final application, heat addition to the power conversion working fluid typically occurs at high pressure, supporting operation of an air-Brayton, supercritical CO 2 (SCO2), or He-recuperated Brayton cycle. Various stages of the steps above will be demonstrated through the tests described in this report.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2020

IAEA ITC28 Project Report. 28th International Training Course on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials and Nuclear Facilities

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has hosted the International Training Course on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials and Nuclear Facilities since 1978. This course is the flagship training course of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). On behalf of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), SNL manages, develops, and coordinates all course materials, and works closely with the IAEA to arrange all logistical details for the course. ITC-28 incorporated several new approaches based on feedback and experience with ITC-27 and earlier versions of the course. For ITC-28, an addition to the Integrated Security Facility (ISF) at SNL was a mock reactor hall with a mock reactor pool. Other facilities at the ISF include a mock processing facility, material receiving area, and central alarm station. The physical protection system at the ISF—an area that formerly housed Category I nuclear material—provides many opportunities for hands-on, real world training in the design and evaluation of a physical protection system (PPS). This document provides a brief description of ITC-28, including a summary of lessons learned and key recommendations for future development efforts.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Communication of industry knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in the space of cellulosic biofuels plant design, project development and execution and operations. Task 1 report

ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, via a technical services agreement, engages Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to provide general industry knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in cellulosic ethanol plant design, project execution, and operations. INL will also assess publicly proposed cellulosic plant designs. The scope of work will be accomplished in three tasks: Task 1, Communicate industry knowledge; Task 2, Present high-level lessons learned; Task 3, Provide an engineering assessment of publicly proposed ethanol plant designs. This Task 1 report provides a high-level summary of general industry knowledge, best practice, and lessons learned in biomass feedstock logistics and integration with bioconversion processes.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

ARM West Antarctic Radiation Experiment

The National Science Foundation provided Antarctic logistical support to the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility from October 2015 through May 2017. Specific support included commercial and military cargo transportation, site preparation and facilities installation at McMurdo Station and at the WAIS Divide field camp in West Antarctica, power and data transmission, and personnel support. NSF provided continuous facility operation in McMurdo from November 2015 through decommissioning in January 2017, and at WAIS Divide during the 2015-2016 austral summer research season, from November 2015 through January 2016.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Ultrasonic Acoustic Deterrent in Reducing Bat Fatalities at Wind Energy Facilities

This project was designed to use thermal video cameras and fatality monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of an ultrasonic acoustic deterrent (UAD) on bat activity and mortality, respectively. Our goals were to redesign the UAD device and installation infrastructure, determine the placement on wind turbines to optimize safety, compatibility and functionality, and to compare the mortality among the following conditions: Control (deterrents off and turbines feathered up to the manufacturer’s cut-in speed of 3.5 m/s), Deterrent (deterrents on and turbines feathered up to the manufacturer’s cut-in speed of 3.5 m/s), Curtailment (deterrents off and turbines feathered up to 5/ m/s), and combination (deterrents on and turbines feathered up to 5 m/s). The project was divided into a Feasibility Study and Comparative Study. The objectives for the Feasibility Study were to develop an installation strategy, redesign a previous iteration of a UAD to improve performance and weatherization, and test the effectiveness of the deterrents on bat activity. The Feasibility Study was intended to work out potential issues using a relatively small number of devices prior to manufacturing and installing numerous devices for a larger-scale comparative study. The division of the project into these separate studies was based on previous experience and the challenges of assessing the capabilities of an untested UAD. During the initial development and manufacturing of the UAD, NRG Systems decided to use a piezoelectric transducer rather than an electrostatic transducer, which was used by a previous device (i.e. Deaton UAD). NRG Systems conducted lab testing (i.e., IP67 or Ingress Protection) to ensure no water or dust ingress. In addition, shock/drop trials and variations in temperature exposure were conducted as part of the reliability testing. NRG Systems also developed a communications system to allow for continuous performance monitoring of the UADs. For the Feasibility Study, we installed 6 UADs on each of 2 Gamesa G90 2-MW wind turbines (Turbine 14 and 8) at the South Chestnut Wind Energy Facility, Pennsylvania and monitored activity under control and treatment (i.e. Deterrent) conditions using thermal video monitoring. There are two major sources of variation in bat activity (beyond the anticipated treatment effect): 1) environment around the turbines might inherently favor more activity at one than the other; 2) weather conditions on any given night or within season difference (e.g., migration later during the study period) might favor more activity on some nights than on other nights. Because we could only monitor two turbines on any night, we sought to control the potential influences of these two sources by alternating the turbine on which deterrents were activated each night. If there were no loss of data due to technical failures, this design would result in an equal number of deterrent and control nights at each turbine through the monitoring period, balancing the effects of both sources of variation. We compared the time bats spent and the number of events that occurred in overlapping cameras FOV as an indicator of risk, since 80% of the overlapping FOV of the cameras was in the RSA. Equipment failures, majority due to lightning, resulted in only 17 nights with useable data, with unbalanced treatment assignment within turbines and uneven distribution of treatment assignment throughout the observational period. This resulted in a confounding of treatment assignment and seasonal change. Deterrent treatment was measured at Turbine 14 on only 2 of the first 8 usable nights (spanning the period from 8/18-9/17), whereas 6 times on Turbine 8. From 9/18-927, deterrent was on at Turbine 14 on 6 of the remaining 10 nights, and 4 on Turbine 8. We recorded a total of 1,057 bats and observed a reduction in number of events and duration of events at the UAD-activated turbine when it was Turbine 14. When Turbine 8 had the UAD activated, we observed no difference in number or duration of events. Variation between turbines is not unusual and can cause issues when study designs have no true replication, i.e., multiple turbines per treatment. Within-turbine differences suggested a trend for reduced activity when UADs were activated, particularly for Turbine 14. These results may be caused by the overall higher bat activity at Turbine 8 and confounding of treatment assignment and seasonal trends. We mapped 58 bat events in 3-dimensional space (3D), 30 and 28 events during control and treatment conditions, respectively. We observed bats crossing the rotor plane under both control and treatment conditions and observed a total of 40 confirmed or near-collisions (i.e., target close to blade but no visual confirmation of a strike) out of a total of 1,491 medium and high confidence bat observations (880 control, 611 at treatment). Twice as many collisions/possible collisions were observed during control conditions. Given the challenges with the equipment and potential confounding of the data (i.e., different activity levels at the two wind turbines), we were unable to determine whether this initial turbine placement and orientation was optimal. Given no new information on how best to install the devices, we elected to use the same placement and orientation for the comparative study. For the Comparative Study, the objectives were to investigate the relative mortality rates among 4 treatments. We searched the area within 90 m of each turbine daily to recover the highest number of fresh fatalities possible. We were unable to detect a clear reduction in mortality from deterrents alone for any individual species. Surprisingly, mortality rate of the eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) was estimated to be 1.3–4.2 times as much when turbines were operating normally and UADs were on than when UADs were off. Reduction in mortality of all bat species combined due to curtailment of turbines was estimated to be between 0%–38%. This effect was nullified when, in addition to curtailment, UADs were on, with 95% confidence interval ranging from a 45% reduction to a 36% increase in mortality. This was likely due to the large proportion of eastern red bats in the total carcass population. Mortality of all low-frequency echolocating bats combined (i.e. hoary bat [L. cinereus], big brown bat [Eptesicus fuscus], silver-haired bat [Lasionycteris noctivagans]) relative to control was lower when curtailed (95% CI: 0%–74%), but the addition of UADs had no detectable effect (95%CI: 13%–79%). The combined treatment reduced mortality in silver-haired bats relative to control by 11%–99%, compared to curtailment (81% reduction–67% increase) or deterrent (82% reduction–67% increase) alone. Because silver-haired bats comprised a large proportion of low-frequency calling bats found during this study, a similar effect was seen for that group. The higher mortality observed for eastern red bats at UAD compared to control could have been caused by several factors, such as the effective range of the UAD, particularly at higher frequencies, behavior, positioning of the devices on the nacelle, or a combination of these. We used 3D thermal videography to compare control and UAD bat behavior from two turbines using a total of 203 3D bat-tracks across 34 nights. We recorded a similar number of bat-tracks between treatment groups, with 51% and 49% for control and UAD, respectively. Due to potential differences in bat behavior around spinning vs stationary turbine blades, we examined UAD effectiveness separately for non-operating turbines (feathered below cut-in speed of 3.5 m/s) and operating (normal operation above wind speed of 3.5 m/s). We found a higher proportion of bat-tracks at operating turbines (82%) compared to non-operating turbines (18%), although this does not account for overall time turbines were operating versus not. At non-operating turbines the UAD appears to be effective at reducing the amount of time, flight length, and number of passes through the rotor plane, compared to control. In addition, we found bats approached turbines similarly between control and treatment turbines, with 61% of control and 63% of UAD bat-tracks originating leeward of the hub. In contrast, at operating turbines, we saw little change in bat behavior in response to UADs. For example, we found an increase in the average duration of bat-tracks between non-operating and operating turbines for UAD but at control turbines we found average duration decreased once turbines became operational. Both control and UAD had a high proportion of bat-tracks that crossed the rotor plane (i.e., collision risk) originate from the windward side when turbines were operational 65% to 92%, respectively. Given that the UAD devices closest to the blades were orientated parallel to the blades, its possible bats were not exposed to the signal until they were close to the turbine blades, as suggested by the slightly higher mean duration within 5 meters of the blades for UAD turbines. Future research should consider concentrating UAD intensity on the areas of risk (i.e. blades) with enough buffer to allow bats to react to the sound before entering the rotor-swept area (RSA). In addition, investigating the potential of installing UAD units windward of the turbine blades (e.g. a hub-mounted UAD), particularly since even under control conditions, a relatively high proportion (65%) of crosses through the blade plane originated windward. 3D thermal videography provided valuable information on future testing strategies (e.g. device placement, UAD orientation) to improve UAD effectiveness when bats are at risk (i.e., operating wind turbines). Across the entire project we experienced issues with the operation and communication with the UADs. Most of the issues occurred during the Feasibility Study and were resolved prior to the Comparability Study. Additional challenges surfaced during the Comparability Study but were remedied immediately and are thought to have little impact on the results. We had logistical constraints at the project that limited our ability use traditional methods in our camera calibration. Several calibrations showed inaccurate scales, which may have been related to inadequate spatial coverage of “points” in the camera calibration volume. Because we were using actual video recordings of bats at a wind turbine, the behavior of bats could have concentrated “points” in specific areas of the turbine (i.e. leeward of nacelle), and limited “points” in other areas, resulting in camera calibration issues. We have plans to address these inconsistencies and improving the software and related methodologies by early 2020.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Woody Feedstock 2018 State of Technology Report

The U.S. Department of Energy promotes production of advanced liquid transportation fuels from lignocellulosic biomass by funding fundamental and applied research that advances the state of technology (SOT). As part of its involvement with this overall mission, Idaho National Laboratory completes annual SOT reports for biomass feedstock logistics. The purpose of the SOTs are to provide the status of feedstock supply system technology development for biomass to biofuels, based on actual data and experimental results relative to technical targets and cost goals from specific design cases. The 2018 Woody Feedstock SOT has been separated into three individual thermochemical conversion pathways that utilize woody feedstocks: indirect liquefaction (IDL), catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP), and algal-blend hydrothermal liquefaction (AHTL). The 2018 delivered cost for the feedstocks were found to be ${$}$63.76/dry ton, ${$}$87.82/dry ton and ${$}$70.31/dry ton, respectively (2016${$}$). In addition to the SOT analyses, projections for each pathway have been made for the year 2022. In 2022, the feedstock costs for IDL and AHTL are estimated to remain constant over the period, while the feedstock cost for CFP is projected to be reduced to ${$}$70.31/dry ton due to advancements in air classification and leaching, that will allow forest residue to be sufficiently cleaned to match or exceed the quality of clean pine.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Woody Feedstocks 2019 State of Technology Report

The U.S. Department of Energy promotes production of advanced liquid transportation fuels from lignocellulosic biomass by funding fundamental and applied research that advances the state of technology (SOT). As part of its involvement with this overall mission, Idaho National Laboratory completes annual SOT reports for nth-plant biomass feedstock logistics. The purpose of the SOTs is to provide the status of feedstock supply system technology development for biomass to biofuels, based on actual data and experimental results relative to technical targets and cost goals from specific design cases. The 2019 Woody Feedstock SOT presents the State of Technology for feedstock supply to three individual thermochemical conversion pathways that utilize woody feedstocks: Indirect Liquefaction (IDL), Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis (CFP), and Algal-blend Hydrothermal liquefaction (AHTL). The 2019 reactor throat delivered feedstock costs were found to be $63.54/dry ton, $70.15/dry ton and $70.31/dry ton, respectively (2016$).

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗