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

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Polar Bear™ – Innovative Capture of Storage Tank Vapors

Polar Bear™ is a patented technology developed by the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) to capture storage tank vapors and eliminate methane emissions from upstream oil- and gas-producing facilities. Sparked by early commercial investment, the EERC licensed the technology and extended the intellectual property to storage tanks. Polar Bear™ is uniquely engineered and adapted to individual lower-producing facilities where there is otherwise no economic alternative for capturing tank vapors. A high number of small producing oil and gas wells are distributed across the country. The aggregate contributes to a significant volume of emissions. Because of the lack of economy of scale, gas volumes from these facilities are typically not recovered and contribute to methane emissions. Polar Bear™ provides a fit-for-purpose compression solution that addresses cost by reducing complexity with respect to conventional vapor recovery units and eliminating oil changes. Unique to Polar Bear™ is the capability to separate oxygenated gas from storage tank vapors. Storage tanks are designed to “breathe,” allowing gas to enter and escape during internal level and temperature changes. This infiltration of air into the tank headspace imparts undesirable oxygen content with respect to pipeline gathering. Polar Bear™ separates the vapor stream, allowing oxygen-rich gas to be used as fuel on-site while recovering the liquids-rich portion of the gas where oxygen content is minimized. A prototype system was tested to verify process models, evaluate operational performance, and advance the technology readiness level from 5 to 6. Results provide a good match between experimental measurements and process models, indicating the models are useful for future scale-up and field design. Various mixtures of nitrogen and liquefied petroleum gas were tested to understand the mass balance of nitrogen and how it relates to the potential control of oxygen content. Findings indicate that less than 2000 ppm of oxygen is likely to remain in the liquid portion of the gas in field applications. The research and development prepare the technology for field implementation to eliminate routine and fugitive methane emissions from storage tanks.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2020

Hanford Tank Vapors in Worker Breathing Zones - Source, Dispersion, and Receptor Data - 20373

A wide range of organic and inorganic chemicals from historical Hanford Site processes are now stored in 177 underground storage tanks at the Hanford tank farms. Workers at the Hanford tank farms have expressed concerns about chemical vapor exposures for many years. During the spring of 2014, worker reports of chemical odors and/or symptoms prompted the development of the Savannah River National Laboratory Hanford Tank Vapor Assessment Team (TVAT) and their resulting independent assessment and recommendations concerning tank farm worker reports of vapors. The Tank Vapor Assessment report included a hypothesis that 'vapors coming out of tanks in high concentration (bolus) plumes sporadically intersected with the breathing zones of workers, resulting in brief but intense exposures to some workers.' The focus of this effort is to present current knowledge to describe the mechanisms by which workers may experience short duration vapor concentrations above background in the tank farms environment. The TVAT hypothesis that workers have experienced concentrations approaching 80% of the tank headspace up to 3 meters (10 feet) from tank sources is not supported by sampling data or modeling results. Modeling indicates that concentrations are quickly reduced from the source, and that the upper end of predicted concentrations at worker breathing zones are a factor of 10 or more lower than source concentrations. Area measurements corroborate the fact that worker breathing zone concentrations are 10 to 100 times lower than source concentrations, and events with elevated concentrations are rare. These reduced vapor concentration levels may result in detectable odors or irritation, depending on a worker's specific odor threshold and sensitivity to the chemical species. Short-duration vapor events may be mitigated by evaluating daily atmospheric conditions in conjunction with planned tank farm activities. Monitoring changing conditions related to tank vapors concentrations at the source and within worker breathing zone is also an important step to protect workers from short duration elevated concentration events. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1981

Flashback flame arrester devices for fuel cargo tank vapor vents

The flame quenching capability of four types of flame arresting devices suitable for installation on fuel cargo tank vents of marine transport vessels is evaluated. A single 30 mesh screen, a dual 20 mesh screen, a spiral wound crimped metal ribbon, and a packed bed of ballast rings were tested. Flame speed and flame penetration of the test arresters were determined. Eight fuels representative of bulk cargoes were tested. The test arresters quenched a minimum of three flashback flames from all eight fuels, with one exception: high speed ethylene flames penetrated the dual 20 mesh screen on three tests. The arresters withstood the sustained flame from a propane/air mixture for 30 minutes. None of the arresters withstood the sustained flame from an ethylene/air mixture for more than 7 minutes.

Bjorklund, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Vapor Degreasing Of A Large Tank

Vapor degreasing procedure provides for removal of relatively non-volatile oils and greases from insides of large vessels. Solvent refluxed to concentrate less volatile contaminants at bottom. Procedure ensures required degrees of cleaniness in high-purity chemical processing and high-vacuum processing vessels. Devised for cleaning complexly-shaped stainless-steel vacuum chamber containing numerous difficult-to-clean features like screw holes and abutting surfaces. Solvent can be chlorofluorocarbon, if means provided to recover most and minimize portion escaping into air. Alternatively, hydrocarbon or other flammable solvent used, provided flammability tolerable in particular application.

Frazer, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Vapor ingestion in Centaur liquid-hydrogen tank

Vapor ingestion phenomena were investigated using scale models of the Centaur liquid hydrogen tank to determine the height of the free surface of the liquid when vapor is intially ingested into the tank outlet. Data are compared with an analysin and, is general the agreement is very good. Predictions are presented for minimum liquid levels required in the Centaur liquid hydrogen tank in order to prevent vapor ingestion when restarting the engines in space and the quantities of liquid remaining in the tank at vapor ingestion during main engine firing.

Symons, E. P.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Submerged gas injector expels cryogenic liquids from tanks

Vaporizing small portion of cryogenic liquid into pressurizing gas reduces amount of pressurizing gas required to expel cryogenic liquid from tank. Specific example of injecting helium gas, stored at same temperature of liquid hydrogen, through submerged porous plate directly into liquid hydrogen is described.

Conrad, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Space shuttle safety - A hybrid vehicle breeds new problems.

Discussion of a few novel problems raised by the design and flight plan of the space shuttle and by the dangerous cargos it might carry. Among the problems cited are those connected with the inspection of the bearings of the propellant turbopumps, particularly those of the hydrogen pump, for evidence of spalling, as well as problems arising in the inspection of the high-temperature parts of the combustor and turbine section of the airbreathing turbofan for shuttle booster and orbiter, and problems resulting from the possibility of fire hazard due to spontaneous ignition of fuel vapor in the fuel tank vapor space.

Pinkel, I. I.↗
DOE OSTI2019

BY-110 Headspace Sampling Comparison Test: Volume 1

The Hanford Tank Operations Contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions, conducted comparison tests of two Hanford Waste tank vapor sampling systems to determine the relative differences in quantifying Chemicals of Potential Concern (COPC) while sampling the same waste tank. The systems are the traditional in situ, inline headspace sampling (HS) method and the recently developed slipstream sampling unit for testing respirator chemical cartridges known as the cartridge test (CT) rig. The comparison test was performed to determine if results obtained using the CT rig are similar to results obtained using the traditional HS method. Using the CT rig would provide efficiencies in headspace vapors sampling such as applying ALARA principles, minimizing worker entries to the tank farms, and eliminating the physical strain of manually lowering the headspace sampling bundles into the waste tanks. Six sampling events were conducted during January and February 2018 to collect headspace vapor samples from Hanford tank BY-110 with the two systems. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was tasked with conducting an analysis of the analytical results to assess the comparability of the sampling methods and make recommendations on future testing or deployment of the CT method.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

BY-110 Headspace Sampling Comparison Test: Volume 2: Raw Data

The Hanford Tank Operations Contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions, conducted comparison tests of two Hanford Waste tank vapor sampling systems to determine the relative differences in quantifying Chemicals of Potential Concern (COPC) while sampling the same waste tank. The systems are the traditional in situ, inline headspace sampling (HS) method and the recently developed slipstream sampling unit for testing respirator chemical cartridges known as the cartridge test (CT) rig. The comparison test was performed to determine if results obtained using the CT rig are similar to results obtained using the traditional HS method. Using the CT rig would provide efficiencies in headspace vapors sampling such as applying ALARA principles, minimizing worker entries to the tank farms, and eliminating the physical strain of manually lowering the headspace sampling bundles into the waste tanks. Six sampling events were conducted during January and February 2018 to collect headspace vapor samples from Hanford tank BY-110 with the two systems. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was tasked with conducting an analysis of the analytical results to assess the comparability of the sampling methods and make recommendations on future testing or deployment of the CT method.

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

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

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

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

Integrating Commercial Ready Autonomous Robotic Platforms to Enhance Worker Safety and Efficiency - 20053

This paper will explore the challenges and triumphs of implementing advanced robotic systems and the supporting technology for the waste management industry. Deployment-ready solutions for autonomous robotic platforms are new to the radioactive waste management industry and have been slow to implement across the complex. Specifically, it will explore Hanford Tank Operations Contractor's implementation of ground-based autonomous robotic platforms to enhance workforce safety and efficiency. The first objective of the project is to demonstrate safe operation of autonomous instrumented robots, followed by a scaling up of capabilities for the platform to meet any additional requests of internal stakeholders. Autonomous robotics platforms offer a fantastic range of capabilities that will aid in decreasing long-term liability of radioactive waste management industry by enhancing clean-up efforts and worker safety. Over the past five years, deployment-ready solutions for autonomous robotic platforms have come a long way. Autonomous robotic platforms are increasingly available to purchase from many vendors, often for prices under $100,000. Additionally, the vendors who produce these products are efficient in accommodating customized solutions to unique challenges, such as those often found in the radioactive waste management industry. However, the newness of this technology to the radioactive waste management industry and has resulted in a slow implementation across the complex. This paper will explore the challenges and triumphs of implementing advanced robotic systems and supporting technology for the waste management industry. Specifically, it will explore Hanford Tank Operations Contractor's implementation of ground based autonomous robotic platforms to enhance workforce safety and efficiency. While the company has utilized robots in many parts of the tank farms mission, this was first attempted in the deployment of an autonomous platform that required no operator with only minor maintenance and created challenges not yet encountered. These challenges included stakeholder buy-in, operational safety, procurement uncertainties, adaption of 'off the shelf products, overcoming the 'Fukushima complexity' perception, security concerns, and the initial criteria down select. Hanford Tank Operations Contractor's management identified the need for a workforce protecting low cost robotics solution in the fall of 2017. The project scope generated was part of the response to the Tank Vapor Assessment Team recommendation to enhance the safety of the workforce by utilizing new technology. Since the projects inception, it has been incorporated into the Tank Stewardship Plan. This project was unique to Hanford Tank Operations Contractor, as the company does not frequently incorporate advanced technology for field deployment quickly. The project was also progressive to the Hanford Tank Operations Contractor as it functions as a partnership project with a local university. The first objective of the project is to demonstrate safe operations of autonomous instrumented robotics, monitoring and collecting data, and the wireless transmission of data to a central computing system. Following the completion of this first objective, the project will scale up capabilities of the platform to meet the requests of additional internal stakeholders throughout the tank farms - including completion of specific in-field tasks. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

A Design Document: Custom Analytical Tools and Automation for the Industrial Hygienist

This report outlines an approach for developing a modular and scalable web-based application suite, Internal Data Access and Visualization (I-DAV), that would be developed to meet the specific analytic requirements for Industrial Hygienist (IH) analysts and tank vapors Subject Matter Expert’s (SME) at the Hanford site. Through interviews and requirements elicitation with IH analyst, and on-site in depth review of workflow patterns and expected outcomes, PNNL has developed a framework for proposed collection of interdependent goal oriented software applications. Commercial off the shelf applications, which require only minimal custom code, were deployed this year as a mechanism of rapid prototyping and providing proof of concept. This report describes these efforts and accomplishments to date, as well as concepts for future applications and general enhancement of the DAV and core concepts for the I-DAV. Additional content was integrated into this report as of March 2019. Updated content was added to reflect the inclusion of I-DAV concepts and ideas, and refined versions of original concepts set forth as the work commenced and continued through the first half of FY19. New and refined concepts have been the product of ongoing weekly meetings, outreach, and elicitation with WRPS.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

A Design Document: Custom Analytical Tools and Automation for the Industrial Hygienist

This report outlines an approach for developing a modular and scalable web-based application suite, Internal Data Access and Visualization (I-DAV), that would be developed to meet the specific analytic requirements for Industrial Hygienist (IH) analysts and tank vapors Subject Matter Expert’s (SME) at the Hanford site. Through interviews and requirements elicitation with IH analyst, and on-site in depth review of workflow patterns and expected outcomes, PNNL has developed a framework for proposed collection of interdependent goal oriented software applications. Commercial off the shelf applications, which require only minimal custom code, were deployed this year as a mechanism of rapid prototyping and providing proof of concept. This report describes these efforts and accomplishments to date, as well as concepts for future applications and general enhancement of the DAV and core concepts for the I-DAV. Additional content was integrated into this report as of March 2019. Updated content was added to reflect the inclusion of I-DAV concepts and ideas, and refined versions of original concepts set forth as the work commenced and continued through the first half of FY19. New and refined concepts have been the product of ongoing weekly meetings, outreach, and elicitation with WRPS.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1993

Microbiological test results of the environmental control and life support systems vapors compression distillation subsystem recycle tank components following various pretreatment protocols

Microbiological samples were collected from the recycle tank of the vapor compression distillation (VCD) subsystem of the water recovery test at NASA MSFC following a 68-day run. The recycle tank collects rejected urine brine that was pretreated with a commercially available oxidant (Oxone) and sulfuric acid and pumps it back to the processing component of the VCD. Samples collected included a water sample and two swab samples, one from the particulate filter surface and a second from material floating on the surface of the water. No bacteria were recovered from the water sample. Both swab samples contained a spore-forming bacterium, Bacillus insolitus. A filamentous fungus was isolated from the floating material. Approximately 1 month after the pretreatment chemicals were changed to sodium hypochlorite and sulfuric acid, a swab of the particulate filter was again analyzed for microbial content. One fungus was isolated, and spore-forming bacteria were observed. These results indicate the inability of these pretreatments to inhibit surface attachment. The implications of the presence of these organisms are discussed.

Huff, Tim↗