SEARCH · Engineering Papers
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.
This document ensures that technologies relevant to LL20-ML-AIT-NE-1-PD3TB “AIT-NEO” have been demonstrated to work as intended and at the appropriate technology readiness level. This assessment is intended to offer management tools for understanding and mitigating programmatic risks associated with new technologies being developed under the AIT-NEO effort.
The report is delivered as DOE-NE Cybersecurity Program Milestone M2CT-22IN1104014-Industry cybersecurity guidance adoption status. The milestone is specifically to document the process and the status of the efforts towards developing guidance in support of industry’s adoption of wireless communication technologies. To transform the operation of nuclear power plants, including domestic light-water reactors, advanced reactors, microreactors, and fission battery, for grid and non-grid applications, secure and resilient wireless capabilities are required. In addition, to realize new operational concepts such as autonomous operation and remote monitoring, advanced sensor, and instrumentation, wireless technology is essential. However, industry implementation is low, and there is no technical basis for how to understand and address potential risks for wireless communications for critical plant functions. A methodology with a technical basis for implementing secure wireless communication is crucial. This wireless adoption methodology is intended to assist a licensee in identifying an appropriate technological approach for securing wireless communications in nuclear power plant. However, this methodology does not provide guidance for addressing wireless design criteria or for addressing all the cybersecurity commitments in licensees’ cybersecurity plans (CSPs) including addressing security impact analysis that a licensee must perform before an update to a Critical Digital Asset (CDA). This methodology guides a licensee through a process of evaluating a proposed wireless implementation and drafting a plant change notification for an example use case. The example is a generic/nonproprietary version of the first test case of the methodology, which, if successfully implemented, is part of the consideration for protecting other functions’ use of wireless in a cybersecure manner.
The economic potential of micro-reactors is vast and underestimated. Commonly-emphasized applications include niche markets such as remote communities, mines and military bases. However, micro-reactors could be used as flexible energy generators also for larger markets, such as mobile and containerized agriculture and manufacturing facilities, district heating, micro-grids for data centers, sea ports, airports and hospitals. The implication is that micro-reactors may have to be deployed also in non-remote locations. Successful implementation of micro-reactors needs a navigable and predictable licensing process, technology-appropriate siting restrictions, risk-informed emergency and safety requirements, and practical operating and maintenance requirements. The primary goal of this project was to develop siting criteria that are tailored to micro-reactors deployable in densely-populated areas, e.g., urban environments. To achieve that goal, we compared the characteristics of the MIT research reactor (MITR) with those of leading micro-reactor concepts (e.g., eVinci, USNC, Aurora), and evaluated whether and how the MITR design basis (e.g., inherent safety features, engineered safety systems, source term, emergency planning and emergency operating procedures) and associated regulations may be applicable to these new micro-reactors as well. What makes MITR a unique analogue in this context is its small power rating (6 MWt) and physical size, mode of operations (24/7 with a somewhat more commercial flavor than typical university reactors), and especially its urban location. Of course significant differences exist, such as mission (power production vs. research) and the reactor design itself. Leveraging the MITR experience, this project was able to generate criteria that will allow micro-reactors to realize their full economic potential as flexible heat and electricity generators for a diverse portfolio of applications in non-remote locations. As such, the outcome of this project might encourage investment in and use of micro-reactors. A second goal of the project was to conceptualize a model of operations for micro-reactors that would minimize the staffing requirements, and thus reduce the cost of electricity and heat generated by these systems. Here too our approach was to systematically review the MITR experience and requirements, as well as survey the innovations in autonomous control technologies and monitoring (e.g., advanced sensors, drones, robotics, AI) that would permit a dramatic reduction in staffing at future micro-reactor installations. The scope of work was expanded after the start date to include also an evaluation of micro-reactor security, using the so-called consequence-based analysis, and the development of a methodology to perform dynamic risk assessment for micro-reactors, using system theory and modeling and simulation.
Unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFC) convert electrical energy to and from chemical bonds in hydrogen. URFCs have the potential to provide economical means for efficient long-term, seasonal, energy storage and on-demand conversion back to electrical energy. We first optimize the catalyst layer for discrete electrolyzer and fuel cell and then configure the URFC. The goal is to identify a cost competitive configuration for URFCs, and demonstrate it in terms of upper limit of round trip efficiencies (RTEs). Two possible configurations of URFCs are compared via experiments and techno-economic analysis (TEA), which emphasize the advantages of the unconventional constant-electrode (CE) URFC over the traditional constant-gas (CG) configuration. We also study the stability via accelerated stress tests (ASTs) and demonstrate steady state operation in a daily cycle for day to night energy shifting. From the investigations, the optimum composition of the URFC anode catalyst layer is 90 at% Ir-black balanced by Pt-black for both CE and CG configurations. At 80 °C and 1 A cm -2 , the optimized CE URFC achieves 57% and 60% RTE with air and O 2 as the reductant gases, respectively. We then evaluated the differences in durability using an AST over 10k charge–discharge cycles; the results reveal that the wider potential window at the anode in CE (0.05–1.55 V) has minimal effect on catalyst layer stability compared to CG (0.55–1.55 V). Furthermore, there was no degradation up to the range of 2k–5k cycles; beyond that the fuel cell (discharge) performance degraded while the electrolyzer (charge) performance was still stable. Finally, the observations here indicate substantial potential to employ URFCs as efficient and cost-effective bidirectional energy-conversion devices within energy storage and utilization systems after appropriate technological and operational optimizations.
During Hanford’s production period, low-level waste products generated from chemical processing of uranium fuel rods were discharged directly to the ground through a system of cribs and trenches located in the 200-BC-1 Operable Unit (OU). The site consists of 6 cribs and 20 trenches that received more than 117,000 m3 of radioactive liquid waste discharged to the soil. These unlined infiltration galleries held volumes of liquid waste while it seeped into the ground, with the understanding that the 100 m (330 ft) thick vadose zone in the area would effectively capture the effluent and prevent groundwater impacts. A conceptual model showing the operation of cribs and trenches is shown in Figure 1. Data show effluent from the 26 cribs and trenches containing about 410 curies of Technetium-99 (Tc-99) is primarily located between 30 m and 70 m (98 ft and 230 ft) depth (Corbin et al., 2005; Ward et al., 2004). Despite no evidence indicating that the contamination has reached the groundwater at BC cribs and trenches, the mobility of Tc-99 had been demonstrated in laboratory tests and was recognized as a threat to groundwater at the site. Using data from numerical models, laboratory analyses, field investigations, and information on historical discharges, the EPA and Ecology identified Tc-99 and U contamination of the vadose zone as a remediation priority. The U.S. DOE was notified by EPA and Ecology regarding risks associated with Tc-99 contamination in a letter requesting development of a strategy for improved methods to understand the nature and extent of vadose zone contamination, specifically Tc-99, and to develop remedial options for addressing such contamination. To develop the appropriate technology for characterizing, remediating, and monitoring the deep vadose zone Tc-99 contamination, the U.S. DOE worked with the EPA and Ecology to create a Treatability Test Plan under a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for the Hanford 200 Areas. Under this RI/FS, it was determined that a treatability test for soil desiccation should be carried out as it was identified as a promising in-situ treatment technology for mitigating risks posed by Tc-99 contamination to the groundwater table. The BC Cribs and Trenches site was identified as a representative site for Tc-99 and U contamination and selected for the soil desiccation treatability test. In this chapter, we summarize the overlying regulatory framework of RI/FS and treatability tests and illustrate how development and experimentation supported the evaluation of selected remedies. We briefly discuss the RI/FS for the 200 Areas of the Hanford Site and focus on the soil desiccation treatability testing performed at the BC cribs and trenches site under the Deep Vadose Zone Treatability Test Plan for the Hanford Central Plateau (DVZ-TT). The DVZ-TT is one component of the remedial investigation/feasibility study for the Hanford 200 Areas and represents the underlying regulatory framework that drives site operations towards records of decision and site closure.
The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) conducted a multiyear program over two phases to perform a field study of the potential efficacy of formation water extraction during carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) injection for CO 2 storage as a means of improving efficiency and/or effectiveness. Phase I was a 2-year study on potential methodologies for a field study of pressure management, culminating in site selection and experimental and site design. Phase II was a 7-year effort that involved constructing site facilities, conducting experiments, and evaluating collected field data. The experimental portion was split into two collaborative components, one for the active reservoir management (ARM) experiment and a second component to host and demonstrate potential water treatment technologies appropriate for high-saline brine at the project site. The results of the overall project are expected to benefit future saline storage projects through validation of techniques that may reduce stress on sealing formations, increase storage capacity, and reduce area of review. The following report focuses on the Phase II ARM experimental implementation and results. A second companion report summarizes the results of the high-saline brine demonstrations.
This report documents the selection of components as part of the efforts initiated to develop a remote, canister-monitoring system (RCMS) for determining and monitoring environmental conditions within dry fuel storage canisters containing aluminum clad spent nuclear fuel (ASNF) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). These efforts are in support of Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) investigations into technical issues associated with extended dry storage (50+ years) of ASNF. The capability to establish and monitor the performance of ASNF in situ provides the opportunity to (1) evaluate the appropriate technologies for monitoring, (2) collect canister environment conditions as soon as possible, (3) verify and validate current laboratory-based study results and analytic modeling approaches, and (4) potentially identify additional dry storage options for ASNF at the INL site. The improved understanding of ASNF behavior gained by performing this work would also contribute to the safety basis for extended dry storage in current and future configurations as well as to provide information for future transportation, conditioning, and disposal of ASNF. The parameters to be monitored by the RCMS include temperature, relative humidity, hydrogen gas concentration and radiation environment (dose). Components are selected based on the expected environmental conditions within the canister and fuel storage area, and the desired performance of the RCMS. Several of these components have been purchased and received. Future activities include component testing and calibration, software development for operation of the integrated sensor module and fabrication of a representative test volume. The results of these tests and changes to desired performance characteristics will inform subsequent activities.
The Office of Environmental Management within the Department of Energy is currently investigating technical issues associated with extended dry storage (50+ years) of aluminum spent nuclear fuel. As part of these efforts, a remote canister-monitoring system (RCMS) has been proposed to collect the real-time data of the environmental conditions in the canisters used for the dry storage of aluminum spent nuclear fuel in the CPP-603 facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The proposed RCMS would provide the opportunity to evaluate the appropriate technologies for monitoring, to collect canister environment conditions as soon as possible, to verify and validate current laboratory-based study results and analytic modeling approaches, and to potentially identify additional dry storage options for aluminum spent nuclear fuel at the INL Site. The document provides a brief update on the progress that has been made toward deploying the RCMS and will present at a high level, the general system design philosophy behind the project and the key future tasks necessary for the completion of the RCMS system design, fabrication of the RCMS prototype, testing, and eventual deployment of the RCMS, and a tentative timeline for these tasks.
In an era characterized by explosive growth in geospatial data, the selection of appropriate technologies for data storage, processing, and orchestration is critical for organizations aiming to maintain competitive advantages. This white paper provides a comprehensive analysis of how Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has effectively employed various cloud technologies, including containerized applications, container orchestrators, and workflow orchestrators, to develop robust geospatial data processing solutions. We explore the fundamental concepts behind these technologies and compare multiple deployment models tailored to diverse use cases. Our findings conclude that while Kubernetes has emerged as the preferred platform for truly scalable and fault-tolerant production workflows, the choice of workflow orchestration tool requires careful consideration of team needs, pipeline complexity, and deployment environments. This paper aims to serve as a strategic guide for organizations leveraging geospatial data, articulating the balance between technology choices and practical implementation to enhance workflow efficacy and scalability.
Biochar is a carbon-rich substance with the potential to increase soil carbon sequestration, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve soil health. When used as part of soil health management systems, biochar can provide multiple synergistic benefits for the agricultural sector and society, while also supporting the production of renewable, climate-neutral biofuels. Establishing a pyrolysis biochar bioenergy industry (PBBI) is necessary to harness the environmental benefits of biochar. To galvanize the necessary coordination to support a PBBI, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), and American Farmland Trust (AFT) co-hosted a virtual convening event on biochar research and commercialization in March 2022. Participants represented a diverse set of stakeholders, including biochar producers, agricultural producers, and members of nonprofit, industry and government agencies. This whitepaper offers a summary of the convening, as well as insights from subsequent stakeholder engagement. Sustainably sourced, fit-for-purpose biochar can be a powerful tool in the soil health management systems and climate-smart toolbox, with decades of research supporting the soil, environment, production, and climate benefits. However, because biochar represents a range of feedstocks, processes and products, there is a critical need to: • Coordinate efforts to characterize and test the application of biochar types across locations with diverse soil and management conditions • Address research and decision-support gaps • Support the growing industry These objectives can be addressed or advanced through a coordinated strategy. To support establishment of this strategy, the convening participants identified key gaps in implementation and research. The experiences of foresters, ranchers, and farmers already using biochar, some of whom participated in the convening, helped inform priorities. Key gaps include: • Practical, applied on-farm research • Supporting management for agricultural productivity • Maximum benefits for conservation • Decision support • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) • Quantification of climate mitigation potential Existing research gaps include: • Potential synergies among biochar, soil organic matter, and enhanced rock weathering • Development of new storage reservoirs for biochar in industrial products Convening participants further provided next steps for rapidly developing a PBBI to produce sustainable, fit-for-purpose biochars that increase soil health and mitigate climate change. Participants also stressed the need for actionable, coordinated, large-scale research relevant to commercial production in the next five years. To have a chance to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we need an array of tools that would aid in mitigation; a coordinated strategy to enable biochar to be an effective tool in the climate-smart toolbox must be created; We cannot wait 50 years.
The construction of evaporative coolers in remote areas can increase the longevity of vegetables, improving food security and the local economy of small farmers in remote, impoverished communities without access to electricity. This work presents a 1:1 scale prototype of an 8 m 3 (2.1 × 2.1 × 2.3 m) stabilized adobe evaporative cooler, with a design based on the appropriate technology framework, and it was built as a chamber using double adobe walls, filled with wet sand, to induce evaporative cooling. Furthermore, the paper presents the prototype’s performance evaluation. The tests were carried out in the dry and wet states, with different volumes of water. The results show good performance compared with other prototypes, although the optimum watering volume could not be determined because of the high climate variance (outside temperature and humidity) that prevented the repetition of the experiments in identical operating conditions. Stabilized adobe proved to be a good choice for use in the cooler, even when subject to moisture accumulation, indicating an estimated long lifetime for the cooler. The data obtained about the efficiency of evaporative cooling show that the cooler, as expected, has its best performance on the hottest and driest days, reducing the internal temperature (up to 13.24 °C) and managing to keep the internal humidity. The cost, efficiency, durability, and replicability make the proposed evaporative cooler a feasible solution for food preservation.
Carbon (C) and greenhouse gas (GHG) research has traditionally required data collection and analysis using advanced and often expensive instruments, complex and proprietary software, and highly specialized research technicians. Partly as a result, relatively little C and GHG research has been conducted in resource-constrained developing countries. At the same time, these are often the same countries and regions in which climate change impacts will likely be strongest and in which major science uncertainties are centered, given the importance of dryland and tropical systems to the global C cycle. Increasingly, scientific communities have adopted appropriate technology and approach (AT&A) for C and GHG research, which focuses on low-cost and low-technology instruments, open-source software and data, and participatory and networking-based research approaches. Adopting AT&A can mean acquiring data with fewer technical constraints and lower economic burden and is thus a strategy for enhancing C and GHG research in developing countries. However, AT&A can have higher uncertainties; these can often be mitigated by carefully designing experiments, providing clear protocols for data collection, and monitoring and validating the quality of obtained data. For implementing this approach in developing countries, it is first necessary to recognize the scientific and moral importance of AT&A. At the same time, new AT&A techniques should be identified and further developed. All these processes should be promoted in collaboration with local researchers and through training local staff and encouraged for wide use and further innovation in developing countries.
This chapter presents lessons learned from two experiences of implementing sociopoliticalsustainability strategies to achieve environmental and economic sustainability.The projects were carried out in rural communities in Guinea-Bissau andJamaica, which are both vulnerable to climate change. Each experience, developedfrom a systemic perspective and under two frameworks (the water–food–energynexus and ‘Appropriate Technology’), is described in four phases (problemcharacterization, solution design, solution pre-evaluation, and implementation),with the significant findings made by the team in terms of challenges, rewards, andessential conditions for development. Both deal with environment-friendly solutionsthat solve the problems of water and energy provision. Based on complex thinking,the experiences are analyzed from the social inclusion, participation, empowerment,and learning theory viewpoints. Finally, the insights gained by the team arehighlighted: communication requirements, the level of dependency of industrializedsolutions, budget constraints, training, testing, and planning recommendations, thediversity of interaction with the communities, and partners’ skills. As a result, futureactions can exploit these experiences and contribute to the success of subsequentprojects.
Many countries worldwide are setting clean energy targets to decarbonize the energy sector and add higher wind and solar capacities. Given their distributed nature, variable renewable energy (VRE) assets can have unique grid integration considerations, and require grid operation practices to be modernized. When transitioning to higher renewable energy levels, many system operators configure a dedicated renewable energy desk to manage renewable energy resource operation in the system control center. Further, system operation planning is conducted with VRE and load forecasting to enable reliable real-time system operation. NREL has partnered with many system operators in the region to identify appropriate technology and grid modernization solutions. NREL and partners from system operators in the region will present on the challenges and some solutions that have been applied and share best practices such as energy management system upgrades, VRE forecasting framework, grid flexibility improvements, and staff training.
As the United States moves to net-zero carbon emission by 2050, a transition to renewable energy generation is required. However, the variable nature of renewable energy generation at high penetrations can cause imbalances in generation and transmission of electricity. These imbalances can be circumvented by the deployment of energy storage. Global industrial energy storage is projected to grow 2.6 times in the coming decades, from just over 60 GWh to 167 GWh in 2030. The challenge is to balance energy storage capabilities with the power and energy needs for particular industrial applications. Energy storage technologies can be classified by the form of the stored energy. The most common forms include thermal, chemical, electrochemical, and mechanical storage technologies. The most appropriate storage technology will depend on the unique energy needs of the industrial application. The purpose of this report is to provide a review of energy storage technologies relevant to the U.S. industrial sector, highlighting the applications in industry that will benefit from increased integration of energy storage, as well as the respective challenges and opportunities unique to integrating different storage technologies.
Radioactive waste slurries at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and Hanford often behave as non-Newtonian fluids with a yield stress. The yield stress increases the size of equipment needed to transport or mix these slurries and can increase the risk of process upsets. This property is often measured by collection of samples and transportation to a laboratory, which can increase the risk of personnel exposure and even change the rheology. In addition, slurry rheology has been observed to change with time. Real-time in-line monitoring (RTIM) of rheological properties of slurries can have substantial benefits to critical processes which are currently in operation or will be part of future plans in Department of Energy (DOE) complex processes. The need for an appropriate RTIM technology that can potentially minimize or eliminate numerous sampling operations was recently identified. This research at Florida International University focuses on addressing the need for a reliable RTIM technology at US Department of Energy sites. The objective of this work is to investigate and develop appropriate and reliable technologies that can perform accurate and easy measurements of yield stress with minimal changes to the flow conditions at US Department of Energy sites. Use of ultrasound in longitudinal and shear modes was considered as a method for monitoring of yield stress variations with no disturbance to the flow. Measurement of shear wave velocity (in shear mode) and monitoring of sound velocity variations with start of flow from rest (longitudinal mode) are the underlying principles. Measurement of pressure loss and liquid rise (due to static differential pressure) during flow of slurries were two other methods that were considered and investigated. In addition, analysis of stability depth of a penetrometer in slurry medium (penetrometer method) revealed a potential suitability. This paper presents efforts associated with investigation of different methods mentioned earlier for kaolin-water mixtures at different concentrations. Theoretical analysis showed that all methods under investigation were capable of monitoring yield stress in a desirable range of 0 to 70 pascal. A bench scale test setup was constructed for investigation of pressure loss and liquid rise methods. Simulants at different concentrations were created for initial testing campaigns. For ultrasonic testing, effects of yield stress on sound propagation speed in longitudinal and shear modes were investigated for simulants placed inside PVC pipes. Parameters such as simulant concentration and pipe diameter were varied to find optimal values. It was found that spacing (or medium thickness) of 1/8 inch or less was necessary to observe echoes with sufficient strength. In addition, a significant effect of yield stress on sound propagation velocity was observed. For the liquid rise method, kaolin-water simulant at 1.17 specific gravity was pumped through a 1/4 inch pipe and liquid height was measured in a vertical riser branching off a three-way connection. Static gauge pressure was varied within [0.3 to 1.1] psi range by increase of pumping pressure and flow. Results showed consistent yield stress data within 10% deviation from values reported by a rheometer. (authors)
This updated STP identifies how DOE proposes to obtain commercial treatment or as appropriate, develop technologies for the site's mixed waste in inventory that does not currently have a developed disposition path. This updated STP also provides the methodology to be implemented if mixed waste is generate or identified that requires development of a disposition path.
Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can improve manufacturing efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. However, using AI in manufacturing also presents several challenges, including issues with data acquisition and management, human resources, infrastructure, as well as security risks, trust, and implementation challenges. For example, getting the data needed to train AI models can be difficult for rare events or costly for large datasets that need labeling. AI models can also pose security risks when integrated into industrial control systems. In addition, some industry players may be hesitant to use AI due to a lack of trust or understanding of how it works. Despite these challenges, AI has the potential to be extremely helpful in manufacturing, particularly in applications such as predictive maintenance, quality assurance, and process optimization. It is important to consider the specific needs and capabilities of each manufacturing scenario when deciding whether and how to use AI in manufacturing. This review identifies current developments, challenges, and future directions in AI/ML relevant to manufacturing, with the goal of improving understanding of AI/ML technologies available for solving manufacturing problems, providing decision‐support for prioritizing and selecting appropriate AI/ML technologies, and identifying areas where further research can yield transformational returns for the industry. Early experience suggests that AI/ML can have significant cost and efficiency benefits in manufacturing, especially when combined with the ability to capture enormous amounts of data from manufacturing systems.