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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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DOE OSTI2021

Land management effects on wet aggregate stability and carbon content

Land management affects soil structure and many other soil properties and processes. Our objectives were to evaluate soil organic C (SOC), aggregate size distribution, aggregate-associated C, and soil structure as affected by long-term land management and slope. A chronosequence of 38 on-farm sites with low to high (5–18%) slopes was selected to evaluate 5–40 yr of management. The sites were classified as business as usual (BAU) cropland (BAU-Crop), BAU pasture (BAU-Past), newly established conservation reserve program (CRP) areas (CRP-New), and established CRP (CRP-Old). Soil samples were collected from the 0-to-5- and 5-to-15-cm depth increments and processed for soil property measurements including fractionation by wet sieving into five aggregate size classes (>2,000, 1,000–2,000, 500–1,000, 250–500, and 53–250 μm). Within the surface 5 cm, mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) were used to characterize soil structural stability. The BAU-Past and CRP-Old sites had 79% more macroaggregates (>2,000, 1,000–2,000, and 500–1,000 μm), 123% higher MWD, 38% higher GMD, and 47% higher SOC than BAU-Crop or CRP-New sites. The 5-to-15-cm depth increment showed a similar but lower magnitude response. Aggregate-associated C was quantified using a constant soil mass that reflected aggregate size distribution to prevent overestimating C content. Lower-slope locations had more SOC, more macroaggregates, more C associated with macroaggregates, and higher GMD and MWD compared with high-slope locations across all management classifications and soil depths. The results support our hypothesis that the high-slop soils may benefits from specific management decisions than the lower-sloping soils as a function of landscape property. We recommend reestablishing grassland on sloping land that is susceptible to excessive soil erosion, although those practices will likely take a long time to restore soil structural stability and SOC content to precultivation levels.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

WE-FG-202-09: Voxel-Level Analysis of Adverse Treatment Response in Pediatric Patients Treated for Ependymoma with Passive Scattering Proton Therapy

Purpose: We identified patients treated for ependymoma with passive scattering proton therapy who subsequently developed treatment-related imaging changes on MRI. We sought to determine if there is any spatial correlation between imaged response, dose, and LET. Methods: A group of 14 patients treated for ependymoma were identified as having post-treatment MR imaging changes observable as T2-FLAIR hyperintensity with or without enhancement on T1 post-contrast sequences. MR images were registered with treatment planning CT images and regions of treatment-related change contoured by a practicing radiation oncologist. The contoured regions were identified as response with voxels represented as 1 while voxels within the brain outside of the response region were represented as 0. An in-house Monte Carlo system was used to recalculate treatment plans to obtain dose and LET information. Voxels were binned according to LET values in 0.3 keV µm{sup −1} bins. Dose and corresponding response value (0 or 1) for each voxel for a given LET bin were then plotted and fit with the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman dose response model to determine TD{sub 50} and m parameters for each LET value. Response parameters from all patients were then collated, and linear fits of the data were performed. Results: The response parameters TD50 and m both show trends with LET. Outliers were observed due to low numbers of response voxels in some cases. TD{sub 50} values decreased with LET while m increased with LET. The former result would indicate that for higher LET values, the dose is more effective, which is consistent with relative biological effectiveness (RBE) models for proton therapy. Conclusion: A novel method of voxel-level analysis of image biomarker-based adverse patient treatment response in proton therapy according to dose and LET has been presented. Fitted TD{sub 50} values show a decreasing trend with LET supporting the typical models of proton RBE. Funding provided by NIH Program Project Grant 2U19CA021239-35.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Blueprint for DOE Quantum Supercomputing: Ensuring U.S. Leadership in the Quantum Decade

Quantum computing stands at the threshold of a transformative decade, where the field will evolve from small-scale demonstrations toward practical scientific computing at scale. This Blueprint identifies fault-tolerant quantum computers (FTQCs) as a viable, scalable, and broadly applicable path to achieving “quantum scientific utility,” defined as solving scientifically valuable problems beyond the reach of conventional, classical computers. This capability is expected to show scientific demonstrations in the late 2020s and to mature in the early-to-mid 2030s. This Blueprint outlines a strategy to prepare the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for FTQCs and their integration into the U.S. national scientific computing infrastructure. Its purpose is to identify the steps, milestones, and research directions necessary for DOE to enable initial deployment of FTQCs in 2028 as a scientific tool for the nation and mature this capability into the 2030s. DOE has a long history of supporting quantum information science and technology, contributing significantly to research advancements, training a quantum-ready workforce, and providing access to early small-scale quantum hardware. Given recent demonstrations of logical operations on error-corrected logical qubits and the advancement of commercial hardware roadmaps, DOE should begin preparations for large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing deployment for DOE science missions. This Blueprint proposes that DOE focus on (1) deploying first-generation scientifically relevant quantum computers with at least 100 logical qubits and performing at least 10,000 to 100,000 hard logical operations in scientifically relevant calculations; (2) developing essential FTQC programming competencies, system software, and facility readiness; and (3) investing in cutting edge focused R&D that fosters breakthroughs in scientific applications, algorithms, and logical architectures needed to accelerate the advent of scientific utility. This effort will position DOE to transition to larger systems: production-scale quantum computers that comprise 1,000 to 10,000 logical qubits, perform 1 to 10 billion hard logical operations, and execute scientifically useful computations at scale. Achieving these goals will require DOE facilities to evolve with urgency to support scientific campaigns that integrate quantum and classical computing resources into efficient workflows, novel software and firmware environments for compiling and routing quantum programs on FTQC machines, and suitable infrastructure for quantum hardware. It will also require further development and optimization of scientific applications from the fields of materials science, quantum chemistry, and high-energy and nuclear physics. The Blueprint calls for transformative R&D and collective action to accelerate the advent of scientific quantum utility and bring it within reach by 2028.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Policy, Regulatory, Legal, and Permitting Case Study Subtask 3.2 – Topical Report

This report summarizes the policy, regulatory, legal, and permitting requirements to-date for the siting of a CO 2 injection and storage project in the CarbonSAFE Illinois East Sub-Basin pre-feasibility study area. Where applicable, the East Sub-Basin case study focuses on a proposed carbon capture and storage (CCS) site location in West Terre Haute, Indiana. Indiana has established the legal mechanisms to obtain rights to the subsurface mineral estate with the expectation to apply to reservoir pore space for CO 2 storage in an analogous manner to storage of natural gas, which is a common practice in Indiana. There is, however, no precedent in Indiana to take liability for stored CO 2 . There are currently no Indiana State incentives for CCS, but at the Federal level, tax credits for carbon capture and storage under 26. U.S. Code § 45Q constitute the greatest incentive targeted at CCS projects. The amendment to these credits put forth in the Bipartisan Budget Act (the FUTURE Act) of 2018 substantially increases the per-ton incentive for CCS—from $22.66 per ton in tax year 2017 up to $50 per ton in tax year 2027, for CO 2 not used as an injectant (i.e. saline storage). Additional economic opportunities may exist for the provision of CO 2 for potential EOR in the Illinois Basin. Policies that may support the development of CO 2 pipelines and/or CCS projects in Indiana include: 1) Title 41 of the FAST Act (2015), which created a new governance structure, procedures, and funding authorities in order to improve and expedite Federal review and authorization of covered infrastructure projects, including pipelines, and 2) the Eminent Domain for Transportation of Carbon Dioxide by Pipeline (IC 14-39, Indiana State, 2011), which declares pipeline transportation of CO 2 exclusively to a carbon management application, including sequestration, enhanced oil recovery, and deep saline injection as a benefit to the welfare of Indiana and the people. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program Class VI rule and permit requirements address all components pertaining to CO 2 injection and monitoring for long-term storage, and outline the minimum technical criteria to protect underground sources of drinking water at, and surrounding, injection well sites. The Class VI requirements also address financial responsibility for corrective action, post-injection site care, and site closure. In addition, UIC Program public notice requirements include that the EPA issue notice of the draft permit preparation to key stakeholders, and open a public comment period of not less than 30 days. A public hearing about the permit would also be held, if specifically requested by the public. A potential Class VI CO 2 injection well permit for the East Sub-Basin case study site would be obtained through the US EPA Region 5, because the State of Indiana does not have UIC Class VI primacy. Although no CO 2 injection wells have been permitted in Indiana, the US EPA Region 5 (which covers Illinois and Indiana) and the East Sub-Basin CarbonSAFE team (via the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium [MGSC]) have Class VI permitting experience from several projects located in Illinois. Based on our experience, applying for a Class VI permit can be an intensive and iterative process requiring clear communication and numerous interactions with EPA staff. In addition to gathering and preparing the data/models and documentation necessary for a permit application’s initial submittal, the subsequent public comments, EPA response and review, and answering of any follow-up questions/requests by the EPA could significantly increase the timeframe of draft permit issuance. The US EPA offers guidance documents regarding the specific Class VI permit requirements, and shows a general permitting timeline example from the FutureGen Alliance 2.0 covering one-and-a-half years from permit submittal to issuance. However, the overall permitting process to-date has a high degree of variability, and in MGSC’s project experience we observed a more extended timeline to receive Class VI permits for each of two CO 2 injection wells.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2017

Reviewing Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Cask Storage Programs to Identify Challenges for an Integrated Waste Management System - 17535

Under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has responsibility for removing commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from nuclear power plant sites and disposing of the SNF in a deep geologic repository. However, the methods used by commercial nuclear power plants for onsite storage of their SNF define the starting conditions for DOE efforts to develop a waste management system that includes packaging, transportation, storage, and disposal of commercial SNF. The NWPA (as amended) also charges the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) with evaluating the technical and scientific validity of DOE activities related to the management and disposal of SNF and high-level radioactive wastes (HLW). DOE's efforts related to developing an integrated program for storing, transporting, and disposing of SNF and HLW were the focus of a public meeting held by the Board on August 24, 2016, in Washington, D.C. To prepare for the public meeting, the Board's staff compiled information on the dry cask storage systems in service at nuclear power plant sites in order to identify issues that would need to be addressed by DOE in planning to transport SNF away from the sites. This paper is based on a briefing presented to the Board members by the Board's staff before the public meeting. Post-meeting findings and recommendations of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board are documented in the Board letter to the Department of Energy dated December 8, 2016. A note about terminology: in this paper, the phrase 'dry cask storage system' is generic and applies to a complete system used for dry storage of commercial SNF.Within these storage systems, commercial SNF is sealed inside a container called either a cask or a canister depending upon the specific type of storage system used. This distinction is discussed in more detail in the body of this paper. When referring to the containers holding SNF in particular systems, this paper uses the terms 'casks' or 'canisters,' as appropriate. When discussing the collective group of all containers, this paper uses the phrase 'casks and canisters'. Dry cask storage of SNF is a widespread practice throughout the U.S. commercial nuclear industry. As of August 1, 2016, more than 2300 storage casks and canisters were loaded at U.S. commercial nuclear power plant sites. This number is expected to increase by more than 200 casks and canisters annually, reaching a total of approximately 4500 by 2025. Multiple vendors have developed their own unique designs of dry cask storage and transportation systems. The majority of storage system designs (75 percent) feature SNF loaded in welded stainless steel canisters that are stored in ventilated concrete overpacks that allow for convection cooling. Some older dry cask storage system designs do not include a welded stainless steel canister; instead, SNF is loaded directly into a heavily shielded metal cask to minimize radiation exposure to workers and prevent atmospheric release of radionuclides. These types of systems are sealed by O-rings compressed under a bolted lid. After loading, dry cask storage systems are located on concrete pads at Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations (ISFSI) at nuclear power plant sites and will remain there until the time when they will be transported to a consolidated interim storage facility or a deep geologic repository. Eventual transportation of canistered SNF will include removing the stainless steel canisters from the concrete overpacks, possibly repackaging the SNF, and loading the canisters into specially designed transportation casks for shipment by truck, rail, or barge. In the case of the non-canistered casks, some are approved for transportation and can be shipped after impact limiters are installed on the casks. SNF will need to be removed from casks not approved for transportation and transferred to transport-approved casks. This paper highlights five issues and challenges presented by the nuclear industry's use of dry cask storage systems that will need to be addressed by DOE in developing an integrated waste management system. One example, among the five, is that several dry-storage casks and canisters have received Nuclear Regulatory Commission certificates of compliance for storage only and do not have certificates of compliance for transportation. This will pose a challenge when the SNF must be moved to a consolidated interim storage facility or a deep geologic repository. Another example is that, when loaded with SNF, the total weight of new, larger transportation cask designs will exceed 142 metric tonnes (156 tons) which, when combined with the weight of the rail-car, will exceed the gross weight limit for unrestricted operation on some rail lines. This will also affect future transportation planning for shipments of SNF. All five issues and challenges are discussed in detail in the body of the paper. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2013

Advanced Energy Retrofit Guide (AERG): Practical Ways to Improve Energy Performance; Healthcare Facilities (Book)

The Advanced Energy Retrofit Guide for Healthcare Facilities is part of a series of retrofit guides commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy. By presenting general project planning guidance as well as detailed descriptions and financial payback metrics for the most important and relevant energy efficiency measures (EEMs), the guides provide a practical roadmap for effectively planning and implementing performance improvements in existing buildings. The Advanced Energy Retrofit Guides (AERGs) are intended to address key segments of the U.S. commercial building stock: retail stores, office buildings, K-12 schools, grocery stores, and healthcare facilities. The guides' general project planning considerations are applicable nationwide; the energy and cost savings estimates for recommended EEMs were developed based on energy simulations and cost estimates for an example hospital tailored to five distinct climate regions. These results can be extrapolated to other U.S. climate zones. Analysis is presented for individual EEMs, and for packages of recommended EEMs for two project types: existing building commissioning projects that apply low-cost and no-cost measures, and whole-building retrofits involving more capital-intensive measures.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Pilot Study for Multifamily Building Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality

Weatherization Program Notice (WPN) 17-7 issued by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) requires that buildings have ventilation in accordance with ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2016 (entitled Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in Residential Buildings) in dwelling units weatherized under the program. The 2016 version of the standard expanded its scope of application to include all multifamily dwelling units. This has resulted in concerns for buildings where installing ventilation in individual units is costly or otherwise logistically difficult. Also, excessive ventilation rates could significantly increase energy costs, and may cause indoor air quality issues within the buildings. One deficiency that is noted is that the standard does not provide a credit for existing infiltration in multifamily buildings that reduces the required mechanical ventilation levels. This report details findings from a field study investigating envelope air-tightness, inter-unit connectivity, and indoor air quality in centrally ventilated high-rise multifamily buildings with central ventilation systems serving individual units in the state of New York. As allowed under WPN 17-7, the State of New York has a variance in the application of ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2016 in select types of multifamily buildings to provide time to determine how best to implement the standard. The purpose of this pilot study is to characterize the impact that weatherization and feasible ventilation improvements have on the indoor air quality of large, multifamily buildings with centrally ventilated apartments, as currently performed under WAP in the State of New York under their variance request (i.e., to implement ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2016 “to the greatest extent possible” in this type of multifamily building). A major goal is to determine if these practices improve or at least “do no harm” to the indoor air quality of the weatherized multifamily buildings and to the occupants themselves.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2019

Plant Water Profiler: A Tool for Understanding Water Use, Cost and Savings Potential for Manufacturing Plants

In the 1746 Poor Richard’s Almanack, Benjamin Franklin published “When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water” (Franklin, 1746); industrial water users have begun to see the truth in these words as they examine the potential and reality of water scarcity becoming a significant business risk. Through the authors’ interactions with manufacturers via the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Plants program and Strategic Analysis projects, they realized that manufacturing facilities often do not fully understand the risks to the water supply and the consequential risks to their business. The authors’ also noticed that many facilities do not know how their water is used (baselining), how they compare with their peers (benchmarking), the actual cost impacts of water use (true cost of water), and potential areas for water savings. This results in a lack of motivation and ability to identify and implement effective water-efficiency measures.The Plant Water Profiler Tool (PWP) was created to help manufacturing plant management address these issues by identifying and accounting for water use in manufacturing operations, helping determine the true cost of water, and providing some high-level estimates for peer comparison. The PWP uses a water mass balance and common engineering equations to estimate water use by each of the facility’s systems (e.g., differentiating process water use from cooling and restroom water use), even when no submetering data is available. This new tool also helps users identify possible areas for water savings and associated water and energy cost savings, making it a potentially useful resource for corporations conducting water assessments. Additionally, governments and private organizations can use the methodology behind this tool to design a survey to help build a database of industrial water use. This paper and corresponding presentation provide an overview of current industrial water use practices and tools, as well as the value of determining the true cost of water. It also briefly describes the methodology behind the tool, then focuses on its functionality through an industrial case study and lessons learned from implementing the case study.

Armstrong, Kristina O.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Convective Heat Transfer in Decay Heat Exchanger of Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor

Sodium-to-sodium heat exchangers such as the decay heat exchanger (DHX) are key components of the prototype generation [V sodium-cooled fast reactor (PGSFR). The DHX transfers the decay heat generated in the reactor core to the decay heat removal loop after a reactor shutdown. Shell-and-tube type with straight tube arrangement has been widely adopted for the sodium-to-sodium heat exchanger of the sodium-cooled fast reactor. Thus liquid metal heat transfer characteristics inside the tube and around the tube bundle have to be fully understood to design the sodium-to-sodium heat exchanger and evaluate its thermal performance accurately. Plenty of studies on the convective heat transfer of the liquid metals were conducted to present the Nusselt number (Nu) correlations with respect to the Peclet number (Pe). However, those correlations still deviated from each other considerably and few of correlations for low Pe range (less than 100) have been reported. Accordingly, it is difficult for a design code developer to choose a proper heat transfer coefficient correlation for the sodium-to-sodium heat exchanger particularly in a low flow rate range. Recently, a separate effect test for the DHX has been completed using the STELLA-1 facility at KAERI according to the STELLA program which aims at establishment of separate and integral test database (DB) for the design of the PGSFR. The heat transfer performance test of the DHX was successfully conducted under major operating conditions. The objective of this work is to suggest proper convective heat transfer correlations for tube- and shell-sides of the sodium-to-sodium heat exchanger based on the test DB obtained from STELLA-1. The Pe range of the analyzed experimental data is concentrated on less then 100. The adequacy of the suggested correlations is evaluated by applying to the DHX design code, SHXSA. Based on the DHX test DB of the STELLA-1, the proper convective heat transfer correlations for the tube- and shell-side of sodium-to-sodium heat exchangers were suggested. Two correlation combinations for each side were proposed and turned out to be reasonable through the evaluation using the SHXSA design code: Suggestion no. 1: - Lyon correlation (constant = 4) for tube-side; - Lubarsky-Kaufman correlation for shell-side. Suggestion no. 2: - Modified Lyon correlation (constant = 1.45) for tube-side; - Schad-modified correlation for shell-side The Pe ranges of the DHX test DB were 53 - 225 for the tube-side and 45 - 148 for the shell-side, but most of test conditions were concentrated on the Pe range of less than 100. Two correlation suggestions can be practically used for the design of sodium-to-sodium heat exchangers. However, by utilizing more test DB, it needs to be verified which one is closer to real phenomena. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2016

An introduction to optimal power flow: Theory, formulation, and examples

The set of optimization problems in electric power systems engineering known collectively as Optimal Power Flow (OPF) is one of the most practically important and well-researched subfields of constrained nonlinear optimization. OPF has enjoyed a rich history of research, innovation, and publication since its debut five decades ago. Nevertheless, entry into OPF research is a daunting task for the uninitiated--both due to the sheer volume of literature and because OPF's ubiquity within the electric power systems community has led authors to assume a great deal of prior knowledge that readers unfamiliar with electric power systems may not possess. This article provides an introduction to OPF from an operations research perspective; it describes a complete and concise basis of knowledge for beginning OPF research. The discussion is tailored for the operations researcher who has experience with nonlinear optimization but little knowledge of electrical engineering. Topics covered include power systems modeling, the power flow equations, typical OPF formulations, and common OPF extensions.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2014

Linear and nonlinear physics of the magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability of fusion-born ions in relation to ion cyclotron emission

The magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability (MCI) probably underlies observations of ion cyclotron emission (ICE) from energetic ion populations in tokamak plasmas, including fusion-born alpha-particles in JET and TFTR [Dendy et al., Nucl. Fusion 35, 1733 (1995)]. ICE is a potential diagnostic for lost alpha-particles in ITER; furthermore, the MCI is representative of a class of collective instabilities, which may result in the partial channelling of the free energy of energetic ions into radiation, and away from collisional heating of the plasma. Deep understanding of the MCI is thus of substantial practical interest for fusion, and the hybrid approximation for the plasma, where ions are treated as particles and electrons as a neutralising massless fluid, offers an attractive way forward. The hybrid simulations presented here access MCI physics that arises on timescales longer than can be addressed by fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations and by analytical linear theory, which the present simulations largely corroborate. Our results go further than previous studies by entering into the nonlinear stage of the MCI, which shows novel features. These include stronger drive at low cyclotron harmonics, the re-energisation of the alpha-particle population, self-modulation of the phase shift between the electrostatic and electromagnetic components, and coupling between low and high frequency modes of the excited electromagnetic field.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Corrosion Resistance of Amorphous Fe 49.7 Cr 17.7 Mn 1.9 Mo 7.4 W 1.6 B 15.2 C 3.8 Si 2.4 Coating: A New Criticality Control Material

Here, an iron-based amorphous metal with good corrosion resistance and a high absorption cross section for thermal neutrons has been developed and is reported here. This amorphous alloy has the approximate formula Fe 49.7 Cr 17.7 Mn 1.9 Mo 7.4 W 1.6 B 15.2 C 3.8 Si 2.4 and is known as SAM2X5. Chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten were added to provide corrosion resistance, while boron was added to promote glass formation and the absorption of thermal neutrons. Since this amorphous metal has a higher boron content than conventional borated stainless steels, it provides the nuclear engineer with design advantages for criticality control structures with enhanced safety. While melt-spun ribbons with limited practical applications were initially produced, large quantities (several tons) of gas-atomized powder have now been produced on an industrial scale, and applied as thermal-spray coatings on prototypical half-scale spent-nuclear-fuel containers and neutron-absorbing baskets. These prototypes and other SAM2X5 samples have undergone a variety of corrosion testing, including both salt-fog and long-term immersion testing. Modes and rates of corrosion have been determined in various relevant environments and are reported here. While these coatings have less corrosion resistance than melt-spun ribbons and optimized coatings produced in the laboratory, substantial corrosion resistance has been achieved.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Alternative High-Performance Motors with Non-Rare Earth Materials, Final Publishable Report

Electric drive systems, which include electric machines and power electronics, are a key enabling technology for advanced vehicle propulsion systems that reduce the petroleum dependence of the transportation sector. To have significant effect, electric drive technologies must be economical in terms of cost, weight, and size while meeting performance and reliability expectations. The goal of the project is to develop traction motors that reduce or eliminate the use of rare-earth materials and meet the DoE specifications for such a traction motor. This is accomplished by evaluating and developing multiple motor topologies in conjunction with advanced materials. Eight non-permanent magnet motor topologies and two reduced or non-rare earth motor topologies are analyzed and compared using a common set of requirements. Five of the motors are built and tested to validate the analysis. This paper provides a detailed quantitative comparison of the different machine topologies that reduce or eliminate rare-earth materials. Conclusions are drawn from the analysis and test data to show the tradeoffs related to selecting each of the motor topologies with the hope of providing practicing engineers and researchers in the field enough guidelines for choosing the “optimum” machine topology that suits their applications and set of performance requirements. Four materials technologies were investigated for their ability to enable a reduced rare earth electric motor. Two of the technologies were soft magnetic materials, one was a non-rare-earth containing permanent magnet technology, and the last was an insulation material. These processing and performance of these materials were first demonstrated in small coupons. The coupon tests justified proceeding to larger scale processing for two of the materials technologies: 1) a dual-phase soft magnetic material for use in rotor laminates and 2) a high temperature insulation material for use as a slot liner in the stator. The dual phase soft magnetic material was produced at a scale sufficient to build and test a sub-scale motor prototype. The high temperature insulation material was first evaluated in a series of “statorettes” before being demonstrated in the stator of one of the full-scale motor prototypes. Testing of the dual phase material revealed issues with process variability in larger production volumes that are being addressed in a subsequent project. The performance of the high-temperature slot liner insulation was demonstrated during the operation of a full-scale prototype. Furthermore, the insulation material was shown to survive aging tests of 2000 hours and 280 °C and 800 hours at 300 °C. This program provides analysis and data to accelerate the introduction of hybrid electric vehicles into the U.S. road vehicle fleet and bring the added benefits of reduced fuel consumption and environmental impacts

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Development of a Waste Management Organization for the Whiteshell Laboratories Closure Project - 18317

Whiteshell Laboratories (WL) has been generating and managing radioactive waste for over fifty years in support of a wide variety of research and operational applications. The current mission of the WL site, located in Manitoba, Canada, is to fully decommission the site to an approved end-state criterion and to disposition the waste in compliance with national and provincial regulations. To expedite the decommissioning schedule from over thirty years to nine years, which was a contractual commitment for the site operating company, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), it became apparent that a centralized and optimized organization be established to coordinate all waste management activities and to fulfill the mission to process, condition, transport and disposition all radioactive wastes, which include Low-Level Waste (LLW), Intermediate-Level Waste (ILW) and High-Level Waste (HLW). The WL Waste Management Division was effectively established as a two-person operation in 2016 and has rapidly expanded to fulfill the mandate of managing nearly 30,000 cubic meters of LLW, ILW and HLW. This paper outlines the early lessons learned from managing important organizational changes without disrupting ongoing work practices; developing executive-level waste management strategies based on options studies and cost-benefit analysis comparisons; selection of storage vs. disposal disposition strategies; evaluation and selection of transportation methods and packages for LLW, ILW and HLW; and the need to develop an entire suite of programmatic documentation and procedures to support and instill a strong conduct of operations culture. The waste management strategy, which now focuses on transporting the waste to another province (Ontario) in a disposal ready form, represents the first large-scale radioactive waste transportation campaign in Canada that includes all three classes of waste. This paper provides additional insight on the overall waste management strategies for the WL Closure Project. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

Business Models for Coal Plant Decommissioning

Aging coal-fired power plants are retiring across the United States. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory studied coal-fired power plant decommissioning business models to support program development for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) to engage with communities affected by power plant retirement processes. Evaluating and reducing the impact on coal-dependent communities from phasing out coal production is a crucial piece of nationwide economic development and community-directed engagement in the clean energy future. This report describes the steps in the typical coal-fired power plant decommissioning process, including analysis of the following key factors: Drivers including policy and regulations, competition with other fuels, and corporate responsibility goals; Types of coal plant decommissioning including plant retirement without full decommissioning, repurposing with fuel switch, redeveloping to utilize existing transmission, and decommissioning and repurposing with other commercial activities; and, Costs of coal plant decommissioning, including variations across regulated and deregulated markets and the funding resources to support decommissioning activities. The details described in this report relied heavily on the availability of local news reports and communications regarding plant retirements, as the researchers identified a lack of formal literature surrounding business models for coal plant decommissioning and a need for a more robust source material collection. In addition, a lack of oversight entities responsible for decommissioning processes may have led to this shortfall of information. Future research regarding coal plant decommissioning can include quantitative studies on power plant retirement drivers, procedures, and costs, qualitative assessments on affects decommissioning has on surrounding communities, investors, and other stakeholders, and identifying best practices to engage community stakeholders in the decommissioning process.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2014

TU-C-16A-01: Joint AAPM/SEFM/AMPR Educational Workshop On “Education of Radiotherapy Physicists”

This workshop is jointly organized by the AAPM, the Spanish (SEFM) and the Russian (AMPR) Medical Physics Societies, as part of formal educational exchange agreements signed by the AAPM with each one of these two societies.With the rapid technological advances in radiation therapy both for treatment and imaging, it is challenging how physics is taught to medical physicists practicing in radiation therapy. The main Objectives: of this workshop is to bring forth current status, challenges and issues related to education of radiation therapy physicists here in the US, Spain and Russia. Medical physicists from each one of these countries will present educational requirements of international recommendations and directives and analyze their impact on national legislations. Current and future educational models and plans for harmonization will be described. The role of universities, professional societies and examination boards, such as the American Board of Radiology, will be discussed. Minimum standards will be agreed upon. Learning Objectives: Review medical physics educational models supported by AAPM, SEFM, and AMPR. Discuss the role of governmental and non-governmental organizations in elaborating and adopting medical physics syllabi. Debate minimum educational standards for medical physics education based on country-specific resources.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Pressure Gain, Stability, and Operability of Methane/Syngas Based RDEs Under Steady and Transient Conditions (Final Project Report)

The scope of this work addresses key issues associated with losses associated with the detonation wave and other processes internal to the RDE operation, as well as it develops modeling tools for the evaluation of these losses and exhaust emissions in RDEs. The main challenge in studying RDEs is that RDE performance is highly reliant on the specifics of the design so much so that simple/canonical systems alone cannot provide useful engineering information, but practical RDE designs are sufficiently complex and involve extreme operational environments that detailed access either experimentally (laser diagnostics, for instance) or computationally (direct numerical simulations) are as yet to become practical. To overcome this challenge, we have conducted a combined experimental/simulation/analytical study investigating key phenomena that control the characteristics of operation of RDEs. As a result, the study has developed tools and methods that can be used to evaluate performance and design approaches using reduced-physics models, with the assumptions validated using detailed simulations, and the model prediction tested using experimental observations. The specific objectives of the research were: (1) Develop and demonstrate a low-loss fully axial injection concept, taking advantage of stratification effects to alter the detonation structure and position the wave favorably within the combustor; (2) Obtain stability and operability characteristics of an RDE across operating conditions to aid in the development of operability and performance rules for the operations of other systems; and (3) Develop quantitative metrics for performance gain as well as quantitative description of the loss mechanisms through a combination of diagnostics development, reduced-order modeling, and detailed simulations. The work conducted here has made contribution on design of low-loss inlets that has broad application within the power generation industry for use with pressure gain combustion. The operability and stability of different designs, while focusing on axial air inlet designs, has been analyzed. The effect of nozzle and injection conditions was studied. Models and simulations of exhaust emissions, focusing on NOx emission has been developed and used to investigate how operation of the RDE affect NOx production using Lagrangian analysis of RDE simulations. This work has built on previous programs, with the goal of further understanding operation of RDEs and elevate the readiness of design consideration. In addition, a suite of diagnostic and modeling tools have been developed to obtain quantitative metrics on performance based on measurements, which can be readily transferred to other experimental configurations.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

The disCO2ver Platform: Curating Data and Tools for Geologic Carbon Sequestration and Deep Subsurface Research Systems

The U.S. DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory has invested 12+ years of development into the data repository and digital laboratory, the Energy Data eXchange (EDX, edx.netl.doe.gov). Supporting a variety of research areas across the DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, the platform has successfully curated and preserved thousands of data products from DOE research. The Carbon Storage Program has successfully supported data curation, upload, and publishing of data products on EDX for many years, demonstrating a success story of how resources like EDX can effectively help with long term preservation and publishing of DOE data products. EDX continues to shift towards cloud-supported infrastructure, taking a hybrid approach combining on-premises compute and storage integrated with cloud-hosted services. The integration of cloud compute and hybrid architecture enables the development of EDX-hosted platforms that tailor the data and tools hosted on them to a specific community, enables implementation of machine learning tools for data discovery and filtering, and enables the hosting of virtual (online user interface) tools. Geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) research continues to scale up in response to the current administration goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition the energy economy. Over the last year, EDX’s disCO2ver platform has been developed in response to the need for access to data products and tools to support the scaling up of GCS research. disCO2ver provides access to data resources and tools, produced by DOE and outside authoritative external resources. The platform also provides a user-access control component for the virtualization and cloud hosting of tools. Tools that need to be virtualized, to eliminate the need for users to download the tool and use local compute resources, is essential to supporting big-data analysis and machine learning that is becoming common place in carbon storage modeling, risk analysis, and data publishing practices. This talk will review the EDX’s disCO2ver platform and the current work ongoing to curate data and tools to support GCS and deep subsurface systems research.

Morkner, Paige↗