SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “Methodology”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Effective Registration of Engineered Lattice Geometry: A Comparative Study of Measurement Methodologies.
Abstract not provided.
Quality Guidelines for Energy System Studies - Capital Cost Scaling Methodology: Revision 4a Report
Costs are frequently required as part of systems analysis work at NETL. Many of the cost results provided as part of systems analysis work were created with the use of scaling, since obtaining new vendor-supplied cost quotes for each category developed by NETL would be prohibitively time consuming and costly. Additionally, many of the technologies being investigated by NETL have not progressed far enough to have quotable costs. The costs are scaled from a quote for a similar plant configuration by use of various equations that typically employ at least one process parameter (e.g., coal-feed rate, oxidant-feed rate) and often an exponent. The primary purpose of the exponent is to account for economies of scale (i.e., as equipment size gets larger, it gets progressively cheaper to add additional capacity). The purpose of this section of the QGESS report is to provide a standard basis for scaling costs, with specific emphasis on scaling exponents. The intention of having a standardized document is to provide guidelines for proper procedures to reduce the potential of errors and increase credibility through consistency.
Analysis of FRAM Measurements to Establish Methodology Uncertainty
Qualification measurements were performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on a variety of measurement standards. These measurements will be used to qualify the Fixed-Energy, Response Function Analysis with Multiple Efficiency (FRAM) code with a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector for use at ORNL. Measured items include uranium isotopic standards, U 3 O 8 line sources, and a uranium tetrafluoride source. The 235 U enrichment was estimated using the FRAM isotopic analysis software for each source and compared with the declared isotopic values.
Analysis of ISOCS Measurements to Establish Methodology Uncertainty
Qualification measurements were performed at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on a variety of measurement standards. These measurements will be used to qualify the In-Situ Object Counting System (ISOCS) measurement method with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector for use at ORNL. Measured items include uranium isotopic standards, filter papers coated with uranium oxide (U 3 O 8 ), U 3 O 8 line sources, and a uranium tetrafluoride (UF 4 ) source. The 235 U mass was estimated using the ISOCS calibration software for each source and compared with the declared isotope mass value.
User’s Manual for RESRAD-BUILD Code V.4: Vol. 1 – Methodology and Models Used in RESRAD-BUILD Code
The RESRAD-BUILD computer code models radionuclide release and transport in indoor environments and performs pathway analyses to evaluate the potential radiological dose and risk incurred by an individual who works or lives in a building contaminated with radioactive material or housing radioactively contaminated furniture or equipment. The code provides four geometries to characterize a radiation source: point, line, area, and volume, in which radionuclides are homogeneously distributed. Radionuclides contained in a source are considered to be released to the indoor air due to various processes including erosion (mechanically or weathering), diffusion (for tritium and radon in a volume source), or emanation (radon in a point, line, or area source). The release can proceed through different time phases with different rates. In RESRAD-BUILD Version 4.0, a dynamic ventilation model is implemented to simulate the fate and transport of source material particles and radionuclides after their releases. This dynamic ventilation model considers (1) air exchange between rooms in the building and between the rooms and the outdoor environment, (2) deposition from air to floor, (3) resuspension from the floor to the air, and (4) periodical vacuuming that reduces the floor deposition. The fate and transport modeling provides estimates of radionuclide concentrations in the source, in the air, and on the floor at different times, which are then integrated over the exposure duration for the calculation of radiation doses and cancer risks. A single run of the RESRAD-BUILD code can model a building with up to 9 rooms, 10 sources, and 10 receptors. The potential radiation dose and cancer risk incurred by each receptor are calculated for seven exposure pathways: (1) external radiation directly from the sources (accounting for shielding), (2) external radiation from radioactive particles deposited on the floors, (3) external radiation from airborne radionuclides, (4) inhalation of airborne radionuclides, (5) inhalation of radon and radon progenies, (6) inadvertent ingestion of radioactive particles directly from the source, and (7) ingestion of radioactive particles deposited on the floors. Various exposure scenarios can be modeled with RESRAD-BUILD, including but are not limited to, office worker, renovation worker, decontamination worker, building visitor, and resident. Both deterministic and probabilistic analyses can be performed to obtain results in both text reports and graphic displays.
Methodology for designing Complex Bend lattice
In this note we are discussing the approach of designing the Triple Complex Bend Achromat lattice. The benefits of the Complex Bend (CB) approach include: 1) the promise of reaching ultra-low emittance and, thus, high brightness and 2) compact arrangement of the lattice components, based on grouping several strong focusing and bending poles into a single element, i.e. Complex Bend. In this note, we are presenting an approach of designing the ring lattice from CB elements in a way of minimizing the number of free variables to simultaneously satisfy constraints of low emittance, low chromaticity, long straight sections and maximum of free space inside the lattice.
An Integrated Framework for Risk Assessment of High Safety Significant Safety-related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants: Methodology and Demonstration
This report documents the activities performed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) during Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program, Risk Informed Systems Analysis (RISA) Pathway, digital instrumentation and control (DI&C) risk assessment project. In FY 2019, the RISA Pathway initiated a project to develop a risk assessment strategy for delivering a technical basis to support effective and secure DI&C technologies for digital upgrades/designs. A framework was proposed for this strategy, which aims to (1) provide a best-estimate, risk-informed capability to quantitatively and accurately estimate the risk impact of plant modernization, considering the introduction of high safety-significant safety-related (HSSSR) DI&C systems, (2) support and supplement existing risk-informed DI&C design guides by providing quantitative risk information and evidence, (3) offer a capability of design architecture evaluation of various DI&C systems, (4) assure the long-term safety and reliability of HSSSR DI&C systems, and (5) reduce uncertainty in costs and support integration of DI&C systems in the plant. To achieve these technical goals, the framework provides a means to address relevant technical issues by: (1) defining a risk-informed analysis process for DI&C upgrade, that integrates hazard analysis, reliability analysis, and consequence analysis, (2) applying risk-informed tools to address common cause failures (CCFs) and quantify corresponding failure probabilities for DI&C technologies, particularly software CCFs, (3) evaluating the impact of digital failures at the component level, system level, and plant level, and (4) providing insights and suggestions on designs to manage the risks, thus to support the development and deployment of advanced DI&C technologies on nuclear power plant (NPPs).
Solutions for Enhanced Legacy Probabilistic Risk Assessment Tools and Methodologies: Improving Efficiency of Model Development and Processing via Innovative Human Reliability Dependency Analysis
Probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) are integral to nuclear power plant (NPP) operations, having tremendously benefitted the safety of the U.S. reactor fleet for decades. Insights obtained from the models have provided perspectives on a variety of applications, both at the plant and for the regulator. While these models are very useful, they are now being asked to represent and analyze aspects of the plant that were never envisioned by the initial PRA practitioners. Furthermore, heightened demands on the PRA models have led to increased computing power requirements. Additionally, as the complexity of the PRA models increased, the difficulty experienced by non-PRA experts in trying to understand these models, grasp the insights they provide, and effectively use that information has become problematic. The need for research to address key issues regarding PRA tools and methods has never been greater. Although the nuclear power industry has largely been well-served by these tools and methods, the underlying science is dated, remaining mostly unchanged for over two decades. Three areas were identified as most beneficial to address to maintain and improve the usefulness of the current practice legacy PRA tools: improved quantification speed, increased ability to efficiently model multi-hazard models, and improved modeling human action dependency in PRA. This report is focused on the third critical area, improvements in dependency analysis of human actions conducted as part of a typical human reliability assessment.
3D Nucleon Tomography and Extraction Methodology
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Application of Proliferation Resistance Optimization (PRO-X) Methodology to a Generic Research Reactor
The Proliferation Resistance Optimization Program (PRO-X) has been established by the NNSA to provide a framework for evaluating and integrating proliferation resistance into nuclear reactor system (core, fuel, and auxiliary facilities) designs that also maintain the safety and peaceful use missions of those systems. The research reactor (PRO-RR) area is the component of PRO-X that supports the program objectives by applying state-of-the-art analysis methods to research reactor systems. This report details the results of using a defined set of analytical tools to evaluate the neutronics, thermal hydraulics and proliferation risk characteristics of a set of parametric cores based on a generic 10 MW materials test reactor that uses a plate-type low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. The analysis shows that by suitable adjustment of the core size, reflector configuration and power level, mission performance and safety margins can be maintained or improved while reducing the potential for production of special nuclear material.
Summary of Methodology for Mitigating Risks Associated with Licensing and Qualifying AM Nuclear Materials
The US Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) program focuses on accelerating the development, qualification, demonstration, and deployment of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies to enable reliable and economical nuclear energy. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is one of the most popular additive manufacturing (AM) processes for fabricating components with intrinsically complex geometries. LPBF was extensively explored for nuclear applications under the previous Transformational Challenge Reactor program. Additionally, Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed and licensed the Peregrine software and larger digital platform that couples machine learning and in situ data collection during AM to detect anomalies and any evolved defects. The digital platform will be critical to (1) the qualification of AM components for nuclear applications that link location-specific data to macroscopic properties and (2) predict final component performance. Current in situ process monitoring tools are valuable for observing the formation of stochastic flaws, but additional data are needed to predict the resulting microstructures and associated material performance. Rapid cooling rates and large thermal gradients have caused large heterogeneities in the microstructure, which cause anisotropy in mechanical performance. The AMMT program is evaluating the best approaches for addressing these heterogeneities and their effect on component performance using a combination of multiscale modeling, enhanced in situ process monitoring, and high throughput experimental testing. This report summarizes strategies for mitigating the risks associated with qualifying AM components, including developing new sensing capabilities for in situ process monitoring and characterizing melt pool solidification and residual stresses to inform multiscale modeling efforts.
Assessing Methodologies for Detecting Water Intrusion in Wall Systems: Phase 2
Studies by the University of Florida, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Housing (HUD) have revealed that there is a substantial fraction of commercial and residential buildings that have been exposed to moisture resulting in damage or durability problems. Water intrusion into building envelope components leads to a variety of undesirable conditions such as mold, wood rot, corrosion, and aesthetic damage. Tests methods that are presently used to evaluate the amount of water intrusion into a building envelope component are usually qualitative in nature. For example, ASTM E 331, Standard Test Method for Water Penetration of Exterior Windows, Curtain Walls, and Doors by Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference requires that you “observe and record points of water leakage, if any.” This test was originally developed to assess the performance of fenestration products but is commonly adapted to evaluate other enclosure assemblies. However, when it is typically used for walls, this procedure is limited to recognizing if the moisture is visually observable from the backside side of the sheathing. It does not address moisture that is absorbed in the layers of the building envelope component, which could impact the durability of the assembly. Clearly a quantitative means of determining water penetration would improve the quality of this type of test and assist with better understanding the resultant impact on enclosure assemblies. In 2018-20, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in conjunction with the Air Barrier Association of America, initiated a research project to address this issue. The purpose of that study was to evaluate nine different methods of detecting moisture intrusion through a wall assembly. air and water barrier. The wall assemblies included metal frame construction faced with gypsum sheathing and both self-adhered and fluid applied air and water barriers (AWB) were evaluated for this exercise. This project did not test the efficacy of the different AWBs, rather, fasteners were purposely installed in various ways to foster water penetration and activate the different methods of detection. Each detection method was evaluated for five features that included simplicity of use, cost of implementation, whether the method was quantitative or subjective, accuracy, and applicability. A scale of green/yellow/red was used to assess each feature where green was acceptable, yellow was borderline, and red was not to be pursued at this time. This report covers additional research that has been undertaken to extend the activities initiated in this earlier project with refinements for specific detection methods and considerations for expansion related to field versus laboratory testing standards.
Development of a Data Management Methodology for a COTS Part Testing Program to Meet the Needs of a Broad Range of Users.
Abstract not provided.
Methodology for the Creation of Concurrent Technology Development and Deployment Scheduling for System of System Architectures.
Abstract not provided.
Canister Sampling Methodology for the Canister Deposition Field Demonstration.
Abstract not provided.
Methodology for Mechanical Pillar Array Indentation of Alkali Metals.
Abstract not provided.
A Risk-Based Methodology for the Prioritization of Radioactive Sources.
Abstract not provided.