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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

A Fission-like Neutron Spectrum Shaping Assembly based on D-T Generator

For nearly five decades, 252 Cf sources have been used for testing and calibration over a wide range of neutron detection devices used for nuclear safety and radiation protection. However, the vastly increased cost of 252 Cf sources, its short half-life, and concerns about future shortage have prompted nuclear facilities and radiological calibration laboratories that rely on high-intensity neutron sources to seek alternatives. While there appear to be no other radionuclide neutron sources that would match the 252 Cf performance characteristics, all of them, including 252 Cf, present similar concerns in terms of hazards, safety, and security. As a possible solution to this issue, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) developed a low-risk, cost-efficient alternative to produce fission-like spectra based on commercially available deuterium-tritium (D-T) neutron generators. The alternative of producing a fission-like neutron spectrum without any fissionable materials or beryllium would enable the nuclear facilities across the entire complex to eliminate their reliance on high intensity 252 Cf sources for nuclear safety and radiation protection applications, substantially reducing risks and associated costs. This report describes efforts of designing the spectrum shaping assembly, its construction and characterization of the neutron field produced. Performance of this newly developed D-T generator based neutron field is demonstrated via calibration of a criticality detector, neutron survey instruments, and personal dosimeters verified against current standardized fields produced by 252 Cf spontaneous fission sources.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Decision-making Framework to Support the End-of-Life Management of High-Activity Radioactive Sources

Sealed radioactive sources are used for an extremely wide range of purposes, including as radiation sources in various nuclear facilities, universities, hospitals, biomedical and industrial applications, as well as for geological prospecting and exploration. The proper management of these sealed radioactive sources once they have reached their end-of-life is still a global challenge. Very few field-tested Mobile Hot Cells (MHC) exist in the world to support the end-of-life management of disused high-activity radioactive sources. One of the critical challenges that a source recovery team encounters on each site is to find adequate space, and access to that space to complete the staging and recapture process with a MHC; this process is tedious, uncertain, and time-consuming. Therefore, it is essential to understand the planning and management of the MHC setup and takedown. Currently, there isn't an single capable planning tool that will provide an effective medium to plan, inform, educate, and communicate knowledge about the environment where the MHC will be deployed. We present a novel approach for the planning and management of the deployment of the MHC to several different sites that relies on technology. Furthermore, this planning tool will support collaboration, promote information sharing, and foster better decision making processes, resulting in a more efficient, and reliable setup and source recovery with the MHC.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Comprehensive Baseline Environmental Monitoring of an Interim Legacy Waste Store in Arid Zone Australia - 20062

Radionuclide containing soil and rubble from the clean-up of a former uranium, thorium and rare earth minerals processing research facility carried out in the early 50's and 60's is currently stored at the Woomera Test Range in South Australia awaiting final disposal. Prior to developing a final disposal pathway commensurate with waste acceptance criteria, a comprehensive baseline environmental monitoring has been carried out to establish the background radiation levels. The survey included in situ gamma scanning of the surface soil ({sup 238}U, {sup 232}Th, {sup 40}K), a laboratory analysis of 86 soil samples (from 0-20 cm depth), which involved XRF measurements (U, Th, and rare earth metals) and spectroscopic analysis ({sup 238}U, {sup 232}Th, {sup 226}Ra and daughter nuclides). A time series of radon concentration measurements in air was established, while soil radon ({sup 222}Rn) and thoron ({sup 220}Rn) flux measurements were undertaken at 18 different locations. The 2018 comprehensive baseline survey demonstrated radiation levels in the immediate vicinity of the Woomera interim waste store are typical background values of soil and rock. No contamination was detected. (authors)

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

Respirator Cartridge Performance on Mixed Vapors from Hanford Tank Headspaces and Exhausters - 20427

Between 2016 and 2018, the Hanford Tank Operations Contractor - Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) - conducted a series of tests of air-purifying respirator (APR) chemical cartridges commonly used at Hanford tank farms to determine the period of time for which the cartridges would provide adequate performance when used in APRs and powered-air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) to protect workers when exposed to a mixture of vapors exiting tank headspaces. Although cartridge manufacturers provide service life estimating tools for individual chemical compounds, the projected performance of these cartridges on complex vapor mixtures is not available, and the adequacy of APRs for tank farm applications represents an important workforce concern. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration identifies cartridge testing as a valid approach for establishing cartridge service life. The primary function of the WRPS Cartridge Test Program was to obtain objective data to determine service lives for the APR and PAPR cartridges used at Hanford tank farms. WRPS contracted with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to analyze the test data and offer an independent analysis of and recommendations based on respirator cartridge performance. A total of 28 APR and 10 PAPR cartridge tests were conducted between 2016 and 2018 on 12 different tank headspaces and tank farm exhauster slipstreams. Two APR cartridges from SCOTT (now 3M) and two PAPR cartridges from MSA Safety, Inc. and 3M were evaluated using a cartridge testing system specifically designed to measure and monitor test conditions and sample cartridge inlet and outlet vapor streams for important chemical compounds. Testing focused on analysis of approximately 61 tank vapor chemicals of potential concern (COPCs) that have been previously detected in tank vapors at levels above 10% of their occupational exposure limits (OELs). Each test was conducted over 16 hours of run time. Evidence of chemical breakthrough was assessed by comparing inlet and outlet COPC concentrations over the duration of each test. The breakthrough threshold was normally defined as exceeding 10% of the compounds OEL at the cartridge outlet. Ammonia breakthrough was observed in a majority of the cartridge tests and occurred earlier than breakthrough of any other chemical compound. Several other COPCs did exhibit breakthrough behavior, including mercury, 1,3-butadiene, furan, 2,5 dihydrofuran, and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), but only in a very limited number of cartridge tests and only after ammonia breakthrough had occurred. In addition, tests results suggest that breakthrough of some of these COPCs may have been affected by competition with and breakthrough of other non-COPC organics, such as ethanol and acetone, with substantially lower toxicological hazard. Comparison of cartridge manufacturers' service life estimates with the experimentally derived breakthrough times indicates that manufacturers' estimates are generally conservative, even in the presence of the complex mixed vapor streams experienced in these tests. With consideration of appropriate safety margins, these results provide valuable insights on cartridge performance to inform industrial hygiene professionals in establishing appropriate cartridge change-out schedules for APR and PAPR use in the Hanford tank farms. (authors)

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

Applicability of the ARCON96 Code to the Radiological Consequence Analysis of Releases from the Radioassay and Non-Destructive Testing (RANT) Facility

Establish technical justification to demonstrate that the horizontal diffusion parameter (σy) and vertical diffusion parameter (σz) that are embedded in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Atmospheric Relative CONcentrations (ARCON96) code are representative of the meteorological conditions at LANL. Compare the ARCON96 atmospheric diffusion factor ( X /Q) to the MACCS2-calculated X /Q for the determination of radiological consequences of ground releases from the Radioassay and Non-Destructive Testing (RANT) facility on the key receptors, the colocated worker (CW) and Maximally-Effected Offsite Individual (MEOI).

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Predictive Transient Model of the TREAT-SIRIUS Experiments

To support experiments modeling and transient analysis of the NASA-sponsored SIRIUS experiments in the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT), an innovative predictive transient model has been developed to simulate various transient experiments. The developed model is based on a new approach that utilizes steady-state Monte Carlo calculations along with a surrogate model based on polynomial regression to determine the core reactivity. The reactivity is supplied to an exact point kinetics model that determines the reactor power, and it is coupled to an adiabatic feedback model to determine the fuel average temperature. In this work, the newly developed model is introduced along with validation test results considering SIRIUS-1 experiments at different power levels. The initial test results show a very good agreement with experimental data at different power levels, which indicates that the model can be used to predict the power of other transient tests.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

High Power FPC Progress for EIC ESR Cavities

Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) is a next generation particle accelerator to be built at Brookhaven National Laboratory, in partnership with Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. In Electron Storage Ring (ESR), 18 single-cell 591 MHz SRF cavities are required to compensate for up to 10 MW energy loss due to synchronic radiation. Two high power FPCs for each cavity are used to deliver up to 800 kW power to the beam. The high power FPC were designed and reviewed. The FPC prototypes will be ready for high power test around mid-2026. This paper presents the latest development of FPC prototyping and path forward for FPC conditioning.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Cable Condition Monitoring Strategy for Safe and Reliable Plant Operation

Electrical cables provide essential functions, such as delivery of power or instrumentation signals for monitoring systems. Most cables installed in industrial applications are constructed with organic polymer insulations that can become brittle, crack, or degrade over time from exposure to harsh environmental conditions, such as elevated temperatures, moisture, vibration, mechanical shock, and radiation. This paper describes an overall strategy for assessing the health and managing the aging of cables during the operating life of an industrial facility. This strategy involves performing condition assessments and monitoring of electrical cables using both in situ and laboratory testing techniques. It includes in situ testing to identify anomalies in the circuits, such as degraded terminations, splices, connections, and degraded sections of cable insulation, as well as as-found evaluations to determine the current condition of installed cables. Furthermore, these cable condition evaluations provide important information about the current state of the cable circuits. Moreover, the test results can be used to trend/monitor age-related degradation and estimate the remaining useful life of installed cables.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants – Radionuclide Emissions (CY 2019)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) operates the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) and the North Las Vegas Facility (NLVF). From 1951 through 1992, the NNSS was the continental testing location for U.S. nuclear weapons. The release of radionuclides from NNSS activities has been monitored since the initiation of atmospheric testing. After 1962, testing was limited to underground detonations, which greatly reduced radiation exposure to the public. Since the end of nuclear testing in 1992, radiation monitoring has focused on detecting airborne radionuclides from historically contaminated soils because this source dominates the potential offsite dose. These radionuclides are derived from re-suspension of soil (primarily by wind) and emission of tritium-contaminated soil moisture through evapotranspiration. Low amounts of legacy-related tritium are also emitted to air at the NLVF, an NNSS support complex in North Las Vegas.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Solar Radiation Research Laboratory (SRRL) Core Project Final Report: Fiscal Years 2022-2024

The Solar Radiation Research Laboratory (SRRL) at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) is a world-leading solar calibration and measurement facility and maintains and disseminates the World Radiation Reference (essentially the W/m2) for the United States that is essential for traceable and accurate measurements of solar radiation at all solar generation facilities. SRRL operates two calibration facilities that meet International Standards Organization-17025 (ISO-17025) standards and provide unique high-quality calibrations to NREL and other U.S. Department of Energy laboratories. The Baseline Measurement System (BMS) at SRRL provides a high-quality record of solar irradiance and surface meteorological conditions. SRRL capabilities are used to develop (1) improved methods for the calibration of solar radiometers; (2) new standards through the ISO, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the American Standards for Testing of Materials (ASTM) International; (c) solar radiation and meteorological models; and (d) advanced instrumentation and methods for operating solar measurement stations. The SRRL datasets are also critical for the validation of new models and datasets, such as the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB). The research and development of solar radiation measurement systems and resource modeling techniques are essential for advancing the scientific basis for producing reliable resource data. Specifically, the spatial, temporal, and spectral (wavelength dependency) characteristics of the solar resource are required in several different time frames for various project phases.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

HTGR Multiphysics Application Drivers FY26 Updates

This report summarizes FY26 progress under the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program's high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) application driver work, covering a wide range of activities such as code validation and multi-physics code assessment. 1) A detailed SAM model of the High-Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) was developed using a unique-block grouping approach, with an extended parallel thermal network method to capture block-to-block conduction and radiation heat transfer, and applied to steady-state simulations of the HTTR 30~MW and 9~MW cases. 2) In another activity, SAM's newly implemented multi-component gas flow model was validated against the Natural convection Shutdown heat removal Test Facility (NSTF) argon ingress experiment, correctly capturing the density-driven suppression and thermal recovery of natural circulation observed when argon is introduced into the air-cooled Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) loop. 3) For the OECD/NEA High Temperature Test Facility (HTTF) benchmark, we co-led the international benchmark activities as well as the OECD/NEA final benchmark report to be released at the end of this year. 4) Finally, the coupled Griffin-SAM modeling capability for pebble-bed HTGRs was advanced by verifying the Griffin neutronics solution against Serpent Monte Carlo for a realistic non-uniform temperature distribution, resolving several deficiencies in the SAM-to-Griffin temperature transfer scheme, and enabling distinct fuel kernel, moderator, and coolant temperatures for cross section feedback. These new features were demonstrated in a PBR load-following transient.

Lee, Alvin↗
DOE OSTI2020

Evaluation and Demonstration of Intrusion Detection for Spent Fuel Storage Facilities

The IAEA recommends dual containment and surveillance (C/S) systems for difficult to access or difficult to measure spent fuel storage areas. However, many storage areas have limitations that prevent traditional secondary C/S systems, such as radiation levels too high for inspectors to apply individual Tamper Indicating Devices (TID) or have physical impedances to the use of TIDs. Recent developments in C/S technology include Laser Curtain for Containment (LCCT) technology implemented at Atucha-1 power plant in Argentina. The LCCT is a new approach to perimeter-wide C/S and the IAEA has granted provisional approval for its use as one of two required C/S systems. This proposal focuses on investigating and testing new and evolving completely passive (or ultra-low power) tamper indicating systems that will provide backup C/S to the LCCT even during power outages. An investigation of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) technology will be conducted to identify readily available options. Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) fibers will also be investigated. OSL fibers are a passive technology that can measure radiation dose by knocking an electron into a metastable state where it remains until the fiber is interrogated with light. The goal of this project would be to investigate COTS technologies that can be used in low or no power scenarios for radiation detection as well as test and evaluate OSL technology, which can operate passively in no power scenarios. Limitations for each technology will be determined and documented in an effort to determine the best technology for spent fuel storage monitoring.

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

14 MeV DT Neutron Test Facility at the Sandia Ion Beam Laboratory

A recently completed LDRD project has provided a new facility at Sandia for testing effects of energetic neutrons on electronic components. 14 MeV neutrons are produced with a deuterium ion beam onto a thin-film tritide target. The goal of the project was to increase the neutron fluence to levels needed for radiation effects testing and qualification. This goal was achieved through two technical advances. First, a new multi-layer target concept was developed to reduce the rate of tritium loss from the target by isotope exchange, thereby reducing tritium usage and increasing target lifetime. The second advance was the construction of a new test chamber designed to maximize neutron flux at test locations. Together, these increased the available neutron fluence by several orders of magnitude. This new capability is being used in tests for Sandia nuclear weapon programs, evaluation of commercial parts such as highly-scaled CMOS SRAM lCs, and tests of new devices under development at Sandia such as lll-V HBTs, gallium nitride high-voltage diodes, and for fundamental studies of physical mechanisms of device failure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Atomic kinetics of laboratory photoionized plasmas relevant to astrophysics. Final report

The major goal of this project was to study the atomic and radiation physics of photoionized plasmas driven by a broadband x-ray flux and its impact on plasma x-ray heating and ionization, emissivity and opacity, and radiation-hydrodynamics. This problem is relevant to the physics of accretion disks surrounding black holes, x-ray binaries, and active galactic nuclei in astrophysics. In addition, it is also important for understanding non-equilibrium laboratory plasmas driven by a distribution of photons. To this end, and motivated by previous and ongoing gas-cell experiments performed by the PI at the Z facility of Sandia National Laboratories, we developed a new experimental platform at the 1MA Zebra pulsed power accelerator of the University of Nevada, Reno based on using a gas jet produced by a supersonic nozzle. The gas jet is turned into a photoionized plasma driven by the x- ray flux from a wire-array z-pinch. Establishing this new experimental platform at Zebra was a major goal of this project. In addition, we have also dedicated effort to continue complementary experiments at the Z facility using the gas-cell photoionized plasma set up with support from the Fundamental Science Program at Z as well as to perform data processing and analysis, and theory and modeling simulations, including electron kinetics and radiation-hydrodynamics. Since we seek to test and establish what physics models are needed to describe photoionized plasma guided by experimental observation, these complementary experimental efforts were central to achieving the goals of this project.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

A three-dimensional laser ray-tracing methodology for radiation-hydrodynamics simulations

We report on a methodology for performing laser ray-tracing in three spatial dimensions for radiation-hydrodynamics simulation codes. Our method, which is an extension of that developed in Haines et al., Comput. Fluids 201, 104478 (2020), utilizes an automatically generated separate mesh for the laser ray-tracing from the radiation-hydrodynamics mesh. This enables the laser mesh to be tailored to minimize ray noise with significantly fewer rays than would be required when the ray-tracing is performed on the radiation-hydrodynamics mesh, primarily by allowing the use of high-aspect-ratio cells that are not suitable for hydrodynamics solvers. For a planar target, we show that our method provides a ≈ 100× reduction in computational expense to achieve a fixed level of ray noise relative to ray-tracing directly on the radiation-hydrodynamics mesh. The relatively low ray requirement also enables efficient computation of cross-beam energy transfer. Each cell in the logically cubic laser mesh is a non-convex dodecahedron with triangular sides, and numerical integration of the ray trajectories and inverse bremsstrahlung is performed by mapping each cell to the unit cube. We will describe our methodology in detail as well as its implementation in the xRAGE radiation-hydrodynamics code, discuss performance, and present the results from applying the methodology to test problems with analytic solutions for laser ray-tracing through a quadratic density gradient with an analytic solution as well as for a laser-driven heat front. In 3D radiation-hydrodynamics simulations of laser-driven experiments performed on the National Ignition Facility, laser ray-tracing with our methodology uses less than 1% of total computational time while introducing acceptably low levels of ray noise.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Nevada National Security Site Environmental Report 2018

This report presents the National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office environmental protection and monitoring programs data and the compliance status for calendar year 2018 at the Nevada National Security Site and at its two support facilities, the North Las Vegas Facility and the Remote Sensing Laboratory-Nellis. This report also addresses environmental restoration projects conducted by the Environmental Management Nevada Program Office at the Tonopah Test Range.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Report on Evolution of Inconel 718 Following HFIR Irradiation

The report presents the microstructure and mechanical properties of 3D printed Inconel 718 after irradiation in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to assess its potential use as a structural material. The structural components near the outlets of several proposed reactor cores will experience significant neutron fluxes and outlet coolant temperatures ranging from the hot standby temperature of 300 °C to nearly 550 °C at the center of the part. These components must support the core in appropriate loading conditions and require structural analysis at relevant temperatures. In FY21, three heat treatments were designed and conducted to simplify the microstructure and to determine how each precipitating phase contributed to the overall strength. In FY21, baseline mechanical properties were measured from uniaxial tensile tests on subsize SS-J2 specimens at room temperature and at elevated temperatures of 300, 450, and 600 °C to serve a comparison to the irradiated properties. Four capsules containing 3D printed Inconel 718 were inserted into HFIR in FY21 for a matrix of two temperatures and two doses. The lower of the two doses was available for characterization in FY22. Multiple heat treatments of Inconel 718 irradiated to nominal conditions of 2 displacements per atom (dpa) at either 300 or 600 °C were strained with uniaxial tensile tests at the Irradiated Material Examination and Testing (IMET) Facility to discern the mechanical properties. Transmission electron microscopy was performed to correlate the observed mechanical properties with nanoscale features. The initially homogenous AM718-HM increased in strength at both irradiation temperatures based on a high density of nanometer-scale radiation-induced cavities at lower temperature and nucleation and growth of γ" precipitates at higher temperatures. The precipitate-hardened AM718-HT2 showed very small differences in strength before and after irradiation: the contribution to strength from γ" precipitates was replaced with dislocation loops. Because the radioactivity of the nickel superalloys from neutron activation limited the scope of the analysis, a feasibility study examined the possibility of an ultra-miniature specimen geometry, colloquially SS-Tiny (SS-T), for mechanical property determination using the nonirradiated Inconel 718. This study found an overestimation of ductility from the SS-T geometry with yield strength and ultimate tensile strength slightly above the SS-J2 geometry: this could be contributed to a reduction in specimen thickness.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Boundary-Layer Gradients in New Particle Formation Field Campaign Report

Atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) followed by growth of the particles to ~50-150 nm is estimated to account for over 50% of the particles that can activate cloud droplets. As such, NPF and the subsequent growth plays a critical role in our ability to understand how aerosols affect cloud life cycle, properties, and processes and more generally the Earth’s radiative balance. NPF and growth is known to occur throughout the troposphere including in both the boundary layer and the free troposphere. The majority of NPF and growth observations, however, come from surface-based measurements within the boundary layer. Measurements of the vertical distribution of NPF and growth are sparse and thus insufficient to test many of the hypotheses that attempt to explain connections between NPF and boundary-layer transport and meteorology. The purpose of this campaign was to investigate the vertical distribution of NPF and growth at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) observatory.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗