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DOE OSTI · 2999897

Advanced Moderator Material Handbook (FY25)

Kohnert, Caitlin Anne [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000206147236)·Neilson, William Donald [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000186793096)·Cinbiz, Nedim [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)]·Shivprasad, Aditya Prahlad [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000185152756)·Torres, James [MST-8]·Cutler, Theresa Elizabeth [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000249772824)·Wootan, D.W. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)]·Jewel, J.K. [Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)]·Mehta, Vedant Kiritkumar [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:000000026705739X)·Widgeon Paisner, Scarlett [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000272753314)·Taylor, C.N. [Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)]·Luther, Erik Paul [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:000000023002448X)·Trellue, Holly Renee [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000320510852)
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Abstract

High hydrogen density moderators such as metal hydrides are an important research topic within the DOE NE Microreactor Program due to their ability to retain hydrogen to much higher temper atures than other hydrogenous media. This class of moderators, which includes yttrium dihydride (δ-YH 2 ) and zirconium hydride (δ-ZrH 1.6 or ϵ-ZrH 1.8 ), thermalizes neutrons in the system such that the overall fuel mass or the required uranium enrichment in the system can be significantly reduced. Knowledge of material properties, both in the as-fabricated and irradiated state, are important to understanding moderator performance during steady-state and transient reactor operation.

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Kohnert, Caitlin Anne [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000206147236), Neilson, William Donald [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000186793096), Cinbiz, Nedim [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)], Shivprasad, Aditya Prahlad [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000185152756), Torres, James [MST-8], Cutler, Theresa Elizabeth [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000249772824), Wootan, D.W. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)], Jewel, J.K. [Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)], Mehta, Vedant Kiritkumar [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:000000026705739X), Widgeon Paisner, Scarlett [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000272753314), Taylor, C.N. [Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)], Luther, Erik Paul [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:000000023002448X), Trellue, Holly Renee [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000320510852). 2025-10-22. Advanced Moderator Material Handbook (FY25). https://doi.org/10.2172/2999897

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The transition to a flexible and reliable energy infrastructure, using electro-thermal energy generation technologies such as geothermal, concentrated solar power, and nuclear, usually demands simultaneous advancement of thermal energy storage (TES) to support on-demand electricity generation and industrial applications while mitigating the inherent intermittency of renewable energy sources and power outages from direct energy generation. Among TES technologies, thermochemical energy storage (TCES) based on calcium looping emerges as a compelling high-power energy storage candidate due to its high reaction enthalpy, compatibility with elevated operating temperatures, and abundance of low-cost materials. However, the long-term durability of calcium-based sorbents for TCES is hindered by surface sintering and particle aggregation, leading to performance degradation over repeated thermal cycles. This study explores a moisture hydration-based strategy to regenerate a degraded calcium sorbent and mitigate performance degradation for long duration TCES. The addition of moisture transforms calcium oxide into calcium hydroxide and produces intercalation water layers, associated with a regenerated surface area and reduced calcium oxide crystallite size. Both these effects are beneficial in restoring the sorbents' reactivity for carbonization. Additionally, an optimized hydration-assisted reactivation protocol balances the recovered energy storage capacity with heating penalty required for moisture removal from hydrated samples, resulting in an enhanced energy storage capacity up to 176% compared to benchmark sorbents that undergo cycling without reactivation after 60 cycles. In conclusion, these results highlight the potential of hydration-assisted reactivation to enhance the long-term performance of TCES, providing an effective pathway to advancing electro-thermal storage technologies.

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