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DOE OSTI2016

Soybean Roots Grown under Heat Stress Show Global Changes in Their Transcriptional and Proteomic Profiles

Heat stress is likely to be a key factor in the negative impact of climate change on crop production. Heat stress significantly influences the functions of roots, which provide support, water, and nutrients to other plant organs. Likewise, roots play an important role in the establishment of symbiotic associations with different microorganisms. Despite the physiological relevance of roots, few studies have examined their response to heat stress. Here in this study, we performed genome-wide transcriptomic and proteomic analyses on isolated root hairs, which are a single, epidermal cell type, and compared their response to stripped roots. On average, we identified 1849 and 3091 genes differentially regulated in root hairs and stripped roots, respectively, in response to heat stress. Our gene regulatory module analysis identified 10 key modules that might control the majority of the transcriptional response to heat stress. We also conducted proteomic analysis on membrane fractions isolated from root hairs and compared these responses to stripped roots. These experiments identified a variety of proteins whose expression changed within 3 h of application of heat stress. Most of these proteins were predicted to play a significant role in thermo-tolerance, as well as in chromatin remodeling and post-transcriptional regulation. In conclusion, the data presented represent an in-depth analysis of the heat stress response of a single cell type in soybean.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2018

Elemental Profiling of Rice FOX Lines Leads to Characterization of a New Zn Plasma Membrane Transporter, OsZIP7

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2011

THE LUMINOSITY PROFILES OF BRIGHTEST CLUSTER GALAXIES

We have derived detailed R-band luminosity profiles and structural parameters for a total of 430 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs), down to a limiting surface brightness of 24.5 mag arcsec{sup -2}. Light profiles were initially fitted with a Sersic's R {sup 1/n} model, but we found that 205 ({approx}48%) BCGs require a double component model to accurately match their light profiles. The best fit for these 205 galaxies is an inner Sersic model, with indices n {approx} 1-7, plus an outer exponential component. Thus, we establish the existence of two categories of the BCG luminosity profiles: single and double component profiles. We found that double profile BCGs are brighter ({approx}0.2 mag) than single profile BCGs. In fact, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test applied to these subsamples indicates that they have different total magnitude distributions, with mean values M{sub R} = -23.8 {+-} 0.6 mag for single profile BCGs and M{sub R} = -24.0 {+-} 0.5 mag for double profile BCGs. We find that partial luminosities for both subsamples are indistinguishable up to r = 15 kpc, while for r > 20 kpc the luminosities we obtain are on average 0.2 mag brighter for double profile BCGs. This result indicates that extra-light for double profile BCGs does not come from the inner region but from the outer regions of these galaxies. The best-fit slope of the Kormendy relation for the whole sample is a = 3.13 {+-} 0.04. However, when fitted separately, single and double profile BCGs show different slopes: a{sub single} = 3.29 {+-} 0.06 and a{sub double} = 2.79 {+-} 0.08. Also, the logarithmic slope of the metric luminosity {alpha} is higher in double profile BCGs ({alpha}{sub double} = 0.65 {+-} 0.12) than in single profile BCGs ({alpha}{sub single} = 0.59 {+-} 0.14). The mean isophote outer ellipticity (calculated at {mu} {approx} 24 mag arcsec{sup -2}) is higher in double profile BCGs (e{sub double} = 0.30 {+-} 0.10) than in single profile BCGs (e{sub single} = 0.26 {+-} 0.11). Similarly, the mean absolute value of inner minus outer ellipticity is also higher in double profile BCGs. From a subsample of 24 BCGs, we found strong evidence that extra-light at intermediate radii in double profile BCGs is related to the presence of a faint stellar envelope. Similarly, from another subsample of 12 BCGs we also found that extra-light is related to star formation. On the other hand, we did not find differences between these two BCG categories when we compared global cluster properties such as the BCG-projected position relative to the cluster X-ray center emission, X-ray luminosity, or BCG orientation with respect to the cluster position angle.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2014

CLASH-X: A comparison of lensing and X-ray techniques for measuring the mass profiles of galaxy clusters

We present profiles of temperature, gas mass, and hydrostatic mass estimated from new and archival X-ray observations of CLASH clusters. We compare measurements derived from XMM and Chandra observations with one another and compare both to gravitational lensing mass profiles derived with CLASH Hubble Space Telescope and Subaru Telescope lensing data. Radial profiles of Chandra and XMM measurements of electron density and enclosed gas mass are nearly identical, indicating that differences in hydrostatic masses inferred from X-ray observations arise from differences in gas-temperature measurements. Encouragingly, gas temperatures measured in clusters by XMM and Chandra are consistent with one another at ∼100-200 kpc radii, but XMM temperatures systematically decline relative to Chandra temperatures at larger radii. The angular dependence of the discrepancy suggests that additional investigation on systematics such as the XMM point-spread function correction, vignetting, and off-axis responses is yet required. We present the CLASH-X mass-profile comparisons in the form of cosmology-independent and redshift-independent circular-velocity profiles. We argue that comparisons of circular-velocity profiles are the most robust way to assess mass bias. Ratios of Chandra hydrostatic equilibrium (HSE) mass profiles to CLASH lensing profiles show no obvious radial dependence in the 0.3-0.8 Mpc range. However, the mean mass biases inferred from the weak-lensing (WL) and SaWLens data are different. As an example, the weighted-mean value at 0.5 Mpc is (b) = 0.12 for the WL comparison and (b) = –0.11 for the SaWLens comparison. The ratios of XMM HSE mass profiles to CLASH lensing profiles show a pronounced radial dependence in the 0.3-1.0 Mpc range, with a weighted mean mass bias value rising to (b) ≳ 0.3 at ∼1 Mpc for the WL comparison and (b) ≈ 0.25 for the SaWLens comparison. The enclosed gas mass profiles from both Chandra and XMM rise to a value ≈1/8 times the total-mass profiles inferred from lensing at ≈0.5 Mpc and remain constant outside of that radius, suggesting that M {sub gas} × 8 profiles may be an excellent proxy for total-mass profiles at ≳ 0.5 Mpc in massive galaxy clusters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2011

Absolute intensity calibration of flat-field space-resolved extreme ultraviolet spectrometer using radial profiles of visible and extreme ultraviolet bremsstrahlung continuum emitted from high-density plasmas in Large Helical Device

A precise absolute intensity calibration of a flat-field space-resolved extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrometer working in wavelength range of 60-400 A is carried out using a new calibration technique based on radial profile measurement of the bremsstrahlung continuum in Large Helical Device. A peaked vertical profile of the EUV bremsstrahlung continuum has been successfully observed in high-density plasmas (n{sub e}{>=} 10{sup 14} cm{sup -3}) with hydrogen ice pellet injection. The absolute calibration can be done by comparing the EUV bremsstrahlung profile with the visible bremsstrahlung profile of which the absolute value has been already calibrated using a standard lamp. The line-integrated profile of measured visible bremsstrahlung continuum is firstly converted into the local emissivity profile by considering a magnetic surface distortion due to the plasma pressure, and the local emissivity profile of EUV bremsstrahlung is secondly calculated by taking into account the electron temperature profile and free-free gaunt factor. The line-integrated profile of the EUV bremsstrahlung continuum is finally calculated from the local emissivity profile in order to compare with measured EUV bremsstrahlung profile. The absolute intensity calibration can be done by comparing measured and calculated EUV bremsstrahlung profiles. The calibration factor is thus obtained as a function of wavelength with excellent accuracy. It is also found in the profile analysis that the grating reflectivity of EUV emissions is constant along the direction perpendicular to the wavelength dispersion. Uncertainties on the calibration factor determined with the present method are discussed including charge-coupled device operation modes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2012

ARM - Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E): Multi-Frequency Profilers, S-band Radar (williams-s_band)

This data was collected by the NOAA 449-MHz and 2.8-GHz profilers in support of the Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA sponsored Mid-latitude Continental Convective Cloud Experiment (MC3E). The profiling radars were deployed in Northern Oklahoma at the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Mission (ARM) Southern Great Plans (SGP) Central Facility from 22 April through 6 June 2011. NOAA deployed three instruments: a Parsivel disdrometer, a 2.8-GHz profiler, and a 449-MHz profiler. The parasivel provided surface estimates of the raindrop size distribution and is the reference used to absolutely calibrate the 2.8 GHz profiler. The 2.8-GHz profiler provided unattenuated reflectivity profiles of the precipitation. The 449-MHz profiler provided estimates of the vertical air motion during precipitation from near the surface to just below the freezing level. By using the combination of 2.8-GHz and 449-MHz profiler observations, vertical profiles of raindrop size distributions can be retrieved. The profilers are often reference by their frequency band: the 2.8-GHz profiler operates in the S-band and the 449-MHz profiler operates in the UHF band. The raw observations are available as well as calibrated spectra and moments. This document describes how the instruments were deployed, how the data was collected, and the format of the archived data.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2012

ARM - Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E): Multi-Frequency Profilers, Surface Meteorology (williams-surfmet)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2012

ARM - Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E): Multi-Frequency Profilers, Vertical Air Motion (williams-vertair)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Generating realistic building electrical load profiles through the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN)

Building electrical load profiles can improve understanding of building energy efficiency, demand flexibility, and building-grid interactions. Current approaches to generating load profiles are time-consuming and not capable of reflecting the dynamic and stochastic behaviors of real buildings; some approaches also trigger data privacy concerns. In this study, we proposed a novel approach for generating realistic electrical load profiles of buildings through the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), a machine learning technique that is capable of revealing an unknown probability distribution purely from data. The proposed approach has three main steps: (1) normalizing the daily 24-hour load profiles, (2) clustering the daily load profiles with the k-means algorithm, and (3) using GAN to generate daily load profiles for each cluster. The approach was tested with an open-source database – the Building Data Genome Project. We validated the proposed method by comparing the mean, standard deviation, and distribution of key parameters of the generated load profiles with those of the real ones. The KL divergence of the generated and real load profiles are within 0.3 for majority of parameters and clusters. Additionally, results showed the load profiles generated by GAN can capture not only the general trend but also the random variations of the actual electrical loads in buildings. We report the proposed GAN approach can be used to generate building electrical load profiles, verify other load profile generation models, detect changes to load profiles, and more importantly, anonymize smart meter data for sharing, to support research and applications of grid-interactive efficient buildings.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2016

SU-F-T-179: Fast and Accurate Profile Acquisition for Proton Beam Using Multi-Ion Chamber Arrays

Purpose: Proton beam profile measurement is more time-consuming than photon beam. Due to the energy modulation during proton delivery, chambers have to move step-by-step instead of continuously. Multi-ion chamber arrays are appealing to this task since multiple measurements can be performed at once. However, their utilization suffers from sparse spatial resolution and potential intrinsic volume-averaging effect of the disk-shaped ion chambers. We proposed an approach to measure proton beam profiles accurately and efficiently. Methods: Mevion S250 proton system and IBA Matrixx ion chamber arrays were used in this study. Matrixx has interchamber distance of 7.62 mm, and chamber diameter of 4.5 mm. We measured the same beam profile by moving the Matrixx seven times with 1 mm each time along y axis. All 7 measurements were superimposed to get a “finer” profile with 1 mm spatial resolution. Coarser resolution profiles of 2 mm and 3 mm were also generated by using subsets of measurements. Those profiles were compared to the TPS calculated beam profile. Gamma analysis was performed for 2D dose maps to evaluate the difference to TPS dose plane. Results: Preliminary results showed a large discrepancy between the TPS calculated profile and the single measurement profile with 7.6 mm resolution. A good match could be achieved when the resolution reduced to 3 mm by adding one extra measurement. Gamma analysis for 2D dose map of a 10×10 field showed a passing rate (γ ≤ 1) of 90.6% using a 3% and 3mm criterion for single measurement, which increased to 92.3% for 2-measurement superimposition, and slightly further increased to 92.9% for 7-measurement superimposition. Conclusion: The results indicated that 2 measurements shifted by 3mm using Matrixx generated a smooth proton beam profile with good matching to Eclipse beam profile. We suggest using this 2-measurement approach in clinic for double scattering proton beam profile measurement.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2011

THE OUTER DISKS OF EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES. II. SURFACE-BRIGHTNESS PROFILES OF UNBARRED GALAXIES AND TRENDS WITH HUBBLE TYPE

We present azimuthally averaged radial profiles of R-band surface brightness for a complete sample of 47 early-type, unbarred galaxies, as a complement to our previous study of early-type barred galaxies. Following very careful sky subtraction, the profiles can typically be determined down to brightness levels well below 27 mag arcsec{sup -2} and in the best cases below 28 mag arcsec{sup -2}. We classified the profiles according to the scheme used previously for the barred sample: Type I profiles are single unbroken exponential radial declines in brightness; Type II profiles ('truncations') have an inner shallow slope (usually exponential) which changes at a well-defined break radius to a steeper exponential; and Type III profiles ('antitruncations') have an inner exponential that is steeper, giving way to a shallower outer (usually exponential) decline. By combining these profiles with previous studies, we can make the first clear statements about the trends of outer-disk-profile types along the Hubble sequence (including both barred and unbarred galaxies), and their global frequencies. We find that Type I profiles are most frequent in early-type disks, decreasing from one-third of all S0-Sa disks to barely 10% of the latest-type spirals. Conversely, Type II profiles (truncations) increase in frequency with Hubble type, from only {approx}25% of S0 galaxies to {approx}80% of Sd-Sm spirals. Overall, the fractions of Type I, II, and III profiles for all disk galaxies (Hubble types S0-Sm) are 21%, 50%, and 38%, respectively; this includes galaxies ({approx}8% of the total) with composite Type II+III profiles (counted twice). Finally, we note the presence of bars in 10 galaxies previously classified (optically) as 'unbarred'. This suggests that {approx}20% of optically unbarred galaxies are actually barred; the bars in such cases can be weak, obscured by dust, or so large as to be mistaken for the main disk of the galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Dependence of the outer density profiles of halos on their mass accretion rate

We present a systematic study of the density profiles of ΛCDM halos, focusing on the outer regions, 0.1 < r/R {sub vir} < 9. We show that the median and mean profiles of halo samples of a given peak height exhibit significant deviations from the universal analytic profiles discussed previously in the literature, such as the Navarro-Frenk-White and Einasto profiles, at radii r ≳ 0.5R {sub 200m}. In particular, at these radii the logarithmic slope of the median density profiles of massive or rapidly accreting halos steepens more sharply than predicted. The steepest slope of the profiles occurs at r ≈ R {sub 200m}, and its absolute value increases with increasing peak height or mass accretion rate, reaching slopes of –4 and steeper. Importantly, we find that the outermost density profiles at r ≳ R {sub 200m} are remarkably self-similar when radii are rescaled by R {sub 200m}. This self-similarity indicates that radii defined with respect to the mean density are preferred for describing the structure and evolution of the outer profiles. However, the inner density profiles are most self-similar when radii are rescaled by R {sub 200c}. We propose a new fitting formula that describes the median and mean profiles of halo samples selected by their peak height or mass accretion rate with accuracy ≲ 10% at all radii, redshifts, and masses we studied, r ≲ 9R {sub vir}, 0 < z < 6, and M {sub vir} > 1.7 × 10{sup 10} h {sup –1} M {sub ☉}. We discuss observational signatures of the profile features described above and show that the steepening of the outer profile should be detectable in future weak-lensing analyses of massive clusters. Such observations could be used to estimate the mass accretion rate of cluster halos.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

THE MASS PROFILE AND SHAPE OF BARS IN THE SPITZER SURVEY OF STELLAR STRUCTURE IN GALAXIES (S{sup 4}G): SEARCH FOR AN AGE INDICATOR FOR BARS

We have measured the radial light profiles and global shapes of bars using two-dimensional 3.6 μm image decompositions for 144 face-on barred galaxies from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies. The bar surface brightness profile is correlated with the stellar mass and bulge-to-total (B/T) ratio of their host galaxies. Bars in massive and bulge-dominated galaxies (B/T > 0.2) show a flat profile, while bars in less massive, disk-dominated galaxies (B/T ∼ 0) show an exponential, disk-like profile with a wider spread in the radial profile than in the bulge-dominated galaxies. The global two-dimensional shapes of bars, however, are rectangular/boxy, independent of the bulge or disk properties. We speculate that because bars are formed out of disks, bars initially have an exponential (disk-like) profile that evolves over time, trapping more disk stars to boxy bar orbits. This leads bars to become stronger and have flatter profiles. The narrow spread of bar radial profiles in more massive disks suggests that these bars formed earlier (z > 1), while the disk-like profiles and a larger spread in the radial profile in less massive systems imply a later and more gradual evolution, consistent with the cosmological evolution of bars inferred from observational studies. Therefore, we expect that the flatness of the bar profile can be used as a dynamical age indicator of the bar to measure the time elapsed since the bar formation. We argue that cosmic gas accretion is required to explain our results on bar profile and the presence of gas within the bar region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Illuminating dark matter halo density profiles without subhaloes

Cold dark matter haloes consist of a relatively smooth dark matter component as well as a system of bound subhaloes. It is the prevailing practice to include all mass, including mass in subhaloes, in studies of halo density profiles in simulations. However, often in observational studies satellites are treated as having their own distinct dark matter density profiles in addition to the profile of the host. This difference can make comparisons between theoretical and observed results difficult. In this work, we investigate density profiles of the smooth components of host haloes by excluding mass contained within subhaloes. We find that the density profiles of the smooth halo component (without subhaloes) differ substantially from the conventional halo density profile, declining more rapidly at large radii. We also find that concentrations derived from smooth density profiles exhibit less scatter at fixed mass and a weaker mass dependence than standard concentrations. Both smooth and standard halo profiles can be described by a generalized Einasto profile, an Einasto profile with a modified central slope, with smaller residuals than either a Navarro–Frenk–White or Einasto profile. Furthermore, these results hold for both Milky Way-mass and cluster-mass haloes. This new characterization of smooth halo profiles can be useful for many analyses, such as lensing and dark matter annihilation, in which the smooth and clumpy components of a halo should be accounted for separately.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

The profiles of bars in spiral galaxies

ABSTRACT We present an analysis of major-axis surface-brightness profiles of bars in a volume-limited sample of 182 barred spiral galaxies, using Spitzer 3.6 $\mu$m images. Unlike most previous studies, we use the entire bar profile, and we classify profiles into four categories. These are ‘Peak+Shoulders’ (P+Sh) – updating the classic ‘flat bar’ profile – and three subtypes of the classic ‘exponential’ profile: (true) Exponential, ‘Two-Slope’ (shallow inner slope + steeper outer slope), and ‘Flat-Top’ (constant inner region, steep outer slope). P+Sh profiles are preferentially found in galaxies with high stellar masses, early Hubble types, red colours, and low gas fractions; the most significant factor is stellar mass, and previous correlations with Hubble type can be explained by the tendency of higher-mass galaxies to have earlier Hubble types. The most common type of non-P+Sh profile is Exponential, followed by Flat-Top profiles; all non-P+Sh profiles appear to have similar distributions of stellar mass, Hubble type, colour, and gas fraction. We also morphologically classify the bars of an inclined subsample into those with and without boxy/peanut-shaped (B/P) bulges; as previously reported, the presence of a B/P bulge is very strong function of stellar mass. Essentially all bars with B/P bulges have P+Sh profiles; we associate the profile shoulders with the outer, vertically thin part of the bar. We find a small number of P+Sh profiles in bars without clear B/P bulges, which may indicate that P+Sh formation precedes the formation of B/P bulges.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

DOE OSTI2016

Convective cloud vertical velocity and mass-flux characteristics from radar wind profiler observations during GoAmazon2014/5: VERTICAL VELOCITY GOAMAZON2014/5

A radar wind profiler data set collected during the 2 year Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) campaign is used to estimate convective cloud vertical velocity, area fraction, and mass flux profiles. Vertical velocity observations are presented using cumulative frequency histograms and weighted mean profiles to provide insights in a manner suitable for global climate model scale comparisons (spatial domains from 20 km to 60 km). Convective profile sensitivity to changes in environmental conditions and seasonal regime controls is also considered. Aggregate and ensemble average vertical velocity, convective area fraction, and mass flux profiles, as well as magnitudes and relative profile behaviors, are found consistent with previous studies. Updrafts and downdrafts increase in magnitude with height to midlevels (6 to 10 km), with updraft area also increasing with height. Updraft mass flux profiles similarly increase with height, showing a peak in magnitude near 8 km. Downdrafts are observed to be most frequent below the freezing level, with downdraft area monotonically decreasing with height. Updraft and downdraft profile behaviors are further stratified according to environmental controls. These results indicate stronger vertical velocity profile behaviors under higher convective available potential energy and lower low-level moisture conditions. Sharp contrasts in convective area fraction and mass flux profiles are most pronounced when retrievals are segregated according to Amazonian wet and dry season conditions. During this deployment, wet season regimes favored higher domain mass flux profiles, attributed to more frequent convection that offsets weaker average convective cell vertical velocities.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Role of fast-ion transport manipulating safety factor profile in KSTAR early diverting discharges

Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) activity is analyzed for a particular KSTAR discharge category, the main features of which are a high-$q_\mathrm{min}$ and a broad q profile. An interesting finding in this scenario is that a steady-state high-$q_\mathrm{min}$ and broad q profile has been constructed even without a strong off-axis current drive scheme. Time traces of magnetics spectrograms and electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) clearly show that Alfvénic type MHD activity appears as a high-$q_\mathrm{min}$ and broad q profile is formed. Conversely, this activity disappears as the current profiles evolve toward a low-$q_\mathrm{min}$ profile. In this study, the effect of MHD modes and accompanying fast-particle transport on the formation of various current profiles is explored. The frequency patterns of the magnetics spectrograms and ECEI coherence are compared using a NOVA analysis to determine which series of Alfvénic modes are active. Then, the kick-model is applied to potential modes, and used to estimate how much fast-ions are transported and beam driven current profiles are varied. Here, by comparing the reconstructed total current profile from the kinetic EFIT with the beam-driven current profile estimated from the kick model, it is determined how energetic particle transport is responsible for maintaining the safety factor profile and which q profile can provide high β N operation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Measurement of Fission Product Concentration Profiles in AGR-3/4 TRISO Fuel Graphitic Matrix and Nuclear Graphites

The third Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) irradiation experiment, AGR-3/4, was designed to investigate the migration of fission products in fuel compact graphitic matrix and reactor graphite components. Using destructive methods, radial fission product concentration profiles were measured for gamma-emitting fission products (e.g., Ag-110m, Cs-134, and Eu-154) and beta-emitting Sr-90 in irradiated graphitic and graphite components from six different AGR-3/4 irradiation capsules. These new measured concentration profiles can now be compared to non-destructive measurements and fission product transport simulations and will be used to derive new diffusivities and sorptivities to support refinement of fission product transport models and high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) source-term analyses. Each capsule in the AGR-3/4 experiment had four fuel compacts in the middle of two concentric rings of graphitic matrix material, PCEA graphite, or IG-110 graphite. In addition to the approximately 1898 tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particles in each compact, there were 20 designed to fail (DTF) particles coated only in pyrocarbon so that they released fission products into the surrounding cylindrical rings of carbonaceous materials. Destructive sampling of the rings involved machining/milling material from around the circumference of the rings, collecting that material, and performing radiochemical analyses on it. Milling operations were performed in multiple steps or segments, and each segment was generally 0.508 mm (0.020 in) thick. Knowing the radial position at which each segment was milled, the volume of the milled material at each segment, and the fission product content in each segment, the radial fission product concentrations were constructed for select isotopes in each ring. Ag-110m profiles had the most variation. Some profiles were peaked at an inner or outer surface. Some were peaked at the middle of the ring wall thickness. Some increased radially outward, and some decreased radially outward. These types of variations and the fact that the measured profiles do not generally compare favorably with the transport model employed for AGR-3/4 may adversely impact the ability to extract reasonable transport parameters for this isotope. In many cases, the Cs-134 profiles decreased somewhat linearly in the outward radial direction, and in cursory comparisons, the shapes of these profiles appeared similar to those from model predictions. The step changes in concentration across the inner-outer ring gap were generally consistent with the model predictions as well. In some cases, there were local maxima in concentration at the outer surface of the rings. This suggests that fission products could have transported in the small gaps between the inner ring and the outer ring and between the outer ring and the sink ring such that some portion of a given fission product can bypass diffusion through the ring itself. The analysis of the small nubs on the outer surfaces of some of the outer rings revealed fission product concentrations in the nubs that were often higher than in the outermost segments of the rings. This further supports the hypothesis that short-circuit, gap transport occurred, causing relatively high surface concentrations on the outer surfaces of the rings. Eu-154 and Sr-90 profiles tend to have very similar shapes, suggesting that they transport via the same mechanisms. The observed profiles were indicative of a transport process where the isotopes are sorbed on the inner surface of the ring, but diffusion into the ring from that surface is quite slow. Some elevated concentrations of Sr-90 (relative to Eu-154) on the outer surface of a ring suggested that rapid, gas-gap transport of gaseous precursor Kr-90 and volatile Rb-90 could have occurred prior to their decaying to Sr-90. Overall, the Eu 154 and Sr-90 profiles were still very similar, which indicates that the transport of short-lived Sr-90 precursors is not a major effect. In some capsules, the qualitative Sr-90 behavior across the ring gaps was consistent with the model (using the available legacy Sr-90 transport parameters), but in other capsules the model was inconsistent with the measurements and seems to underestimate the amount of Sr-90 in the outer rings. The total ring Sr-90 inventories were estimated for all the rings that were subject to physical sampling. These results will be used to adjust the predicted particle and/or compact releases used in the AGR-3/4 fission product transport model. Given the different irradiation temperatures among the capsules and the rings, it was not possible to discern fundamental differences in the transport of isotopes within the different carbon materials, i.e., graphitic matrix, IG-110, or PCEA. It may be possible to do this in the course of determining transport from the concentration profiles in future work.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗