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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 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

COMSOL Results for the Nominal Steady-State Operation of the Proposed 95-MW LEU Silicide Core for HFIR Conversion

Engineering design studies are being performed to determine the feasibility of converting the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) from highly enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This activity is sponsored by the Office of Reactor Conversion and Uranium Supply (ORCUS) under the auspices of the US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Material Management and Minimization. HFIR is a very high flux, pressurized, light water–cooled and moderated, flux trap–type research reactor with a core made of involute shaped U 3 O 8 /Al cermet fuel plates and coolant channels. HFIR currently operates at a thermal power of 85 MW and supports key national and international missions in neutron scattering, isotope production, materials/fuels irradiation, neutron activation analysis, gamma irradiation, and neutrino research. Advanced multiphysics computational fluid dynamics models have been developed in the COMSOL Multiphysics software to simulate the steady-state operating conditions for the proposed low-and high-density LEU U 3 Si 2 -Al (uranium silicide dispersion) fuel designs. The COMSOL models for HFIR inner and outer fuel element models incorporate various essential inputs and physics such as spatially dependent nuclear heat deposition, multilayer heat conduction, conjugate heat transfer, turbulent flows (using Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes turbulence models), structural mechanics (thermal–structural interactions and fuel swelling), and oxide layer build-up. This report presents the best-estimate thermal hydraulics results for the low- and high-density optimized silicide LEU core designs at 95 MW steady-state nominal operation.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Assembly of MiniFuel Targets for Irradiation of U-Mo Fuel Specimens in the High Flux Isotope Reactor

To support the development of advanced low-enriched uranium for use in nuclear reactors, irradiation testing of U-Mo disk specimens was performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to collect experimental irradiation data on this type of fuel at pressurized water reactor–relevant temperatures. U-Mo is a uranium alloy that has superior dimensional stability relative to alpha-phase uranium metal and has a substantially higher uranium density compared to UO 2 . U-Mo disks specimens were fabricated at Idaho National Laboratory and inserted into MiniFuel targets for HFIR irradiation. Three MiniFuel targets were successfully assembled, welded, tested, and delivered to HFIR, along with their quality assurance documentation. The targets were inserted into HFIR’s inner vertical experiment facility within the permanent beryllium reflector. Each target contains six disk specimens and will be irradiated in HFIR for three, four, and eight cycles, with target temperatures between 250 and 500°C. This report summarizes the experiment design, test matrix, pre-characterization of specimens, and experiment assembly.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Fission Induced Radiolysis of Uranyl Sulfate Solutions

At Argonne National Laboratory, an experimental pilot facility is being tested for the production of the medical isotope molybdenum-99 ( 99 Mo). AMORE (Argonne Molybdenum Research Experiment) is an experimental pilot facility in which a 40 MeV electron beam from the LINAC strikes a depleted uranium (DU) target. The target generates high energy neutrons, which are thermalized in an 18-liter uranyl sulfate solution of low enriched uranium (LEU). Thermalized neutrons fission the uranium-235 ( 235 U) to produce 99 Mo as well as many other fission products. The 99 Mo is recovered from the uranium solution and purified. The goal of our work is to reduce the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) for the production of this isotope.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Isotopic Characterization of HALEU from EBR-II Driver Fuel Processing

Provide the isotopic characteristics of the High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) product recovered during the used nuclear fuel treatment operations occurring at Idaho National Laboratory. Revision one of this document (TEV-3537 Rev 1) provides isotopic characterization for material that has been recast using the drip cast crucible gravity casting technique used to transform traditional EBR-II uranium ingots into regulus.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Recovery of Neptunium-236g from Photon and Proton-Irradiated Actinide Targets

Neptunium-236g is a rare radionuclide used as a tracer for neptunium-237 analyses. The availability of 236gNp is limited and the viable production routes are costly, time consuming, and only produce trace quantities of the desired product. For this work, two known production methods were tested to determine product recovery, purity, and viability for use as a tracer. The first method utilizes a photon-irradiated 237Np target to produce 236gNp by the 237Np(?,n)?236Np reaction. The second method utilizes the 238U(d,4n) ?236Np reaction. These production routes were evaluated previously, and the former was considered ineffective without isotope separation and the latter was not well-characterized for the 236mNp/236gNp production ratio. Recent resurgence of electromagnetic isotope separation technology has enabled at least partial recovery of 236gNp from part-per-million abundance feeds produced by the photonuclear reaction. To address the lack of production data for the second method, a deuteron-irradiated depleted uranium target was chemically processed to recover and purify the Np for abundance and ratio analyses. The status and current analytical results for each production method are presented.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development of Cr, Se, U, Sb, and Te isotopes as indicators of redox reactions, contaminant fate, and contaminant transport in aqueous systems: A review

Cr, Se, U, Sb, and Te are toxic, redox-active elements that are more mobile and environmentally problematic in their oxidized forms, and less mobile and bioavailable in their reduced forms. This chapter reviews the development of Cr, Se, U, Sb, and Te isotope ratio measurements as new indicators of redox reactions and contaminant migration. Reliable analytical methods exist, but are still evolving. Understanding of isotopic fractionation induced by various (bio)geochemical processes has been explored in dozens of publications, yet is far from complete: Reduction reactions, the major driver of isotopic variation, have been relatively well studied. However, the magnitude of fractionation is variable and the systematics of that variation are still being explored. Isotopic fractionation induced by oxidation reactions is not well understood. Non-redox reactions, which involve smaller changes in bonding of these elements, tend to induce less isotopic fractionation, but can nonetheless cause significant isotopic shifts. Field applications of Cr, Se, U isotope ratios have demonstrated that they are useful as indicators of reduction in natural systems. A few studies suggest they are also useful as indicators of oxidation and contaminant sources. The physical and chemical complexity of groundwater systems hinders accurate quantitative interpretation of Cr, Se, U isotope data using simple models. Numerical models have been developed that capture the behavior of complex, coupled systems and enable the most effective extraction of information from field data sets.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ra-226 extraction and purification from simulated uranium tailings

Growing demand for Ac-225 has outstripped current production, increasing interest in alternative production routes. Furthermore, these often rely on irradiations of Ra-226, yet Ra-226 supplies are also limited. Uranium tailings provide an abundant source of Ra-226, though separation from these complex matrices remains challenging. A laboratory-scale process was developed to recover Ra-226 from simulated U-tailings. After acid leaching, Ra remained adsorbed on refractory oxides and silicates. An additional CaCl₂ leach of the residue raised recovery to ~ 64%. Subsequent purifications, including precipitation, ion-exchange, and extraction chromatography (TK101), achieved chemical yields up to 73 ± 7%, producing 7.68 ± 0.1 µCi of high-purity Ra-226.

and nuclear chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluation of Properties for Microsample Identification

A study was conducted to determine if individual particle characteristics could be used to identify particles of interest, sub-samples, from bulk post-detonation debris. Three archived post-detonation debris samples were used for this effort. Particles from these samples were identified as active (produced fission tracks), and inactive (did not produce fission tracks), as the first defining characteristic. Morphology was the secondary characteristic to select particles for further study, i.e. spherical/non-spherical. Once particles were identified and isolated, they were characterized by optical microscopy for size in µm, number of fission tracks, morphology, transmitted light color, and reflected light color. Particles were then analyzed by scanning electron microscopy for morphology, elemental content, and compound identification. Raman spectroscopy was attempted on five particles with indeterminate results due to environmental mixing (heterogeneity) during the events of particle formation. Once all non-destructive analyses were completed all particles were analyzed by thermal ionization mass spectrometry to determine isotopic atom percents of plutonium and uranium, and an estimate of atoms of plutonium and uranium in each particle. An estimate of the ratio of uranium to plutonium was also obtained (U/Pu). Data analytics of the data from the particles showed that combining characteristics of the particles have a high probability of identifying particles of interest from bulk post-detonation debris samples. Please note that this version of the report is an abridged version of the full report (Wagnon et al. 2025) that has been edited to be appropriate for public release.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2025

Biofilm growth in water-cooling towers as collection platforms for airborne radionuclides

Given its history of nuclear material processing, the Savannah River Site (SRS) was used to evaluate whether biofilms growing in water-cooling towers (WCTs) are effective passive collection platforms for environmental radionuclide surveillance. Uranium and plutonium analyses suggest that WCT-sourced biofilms are efficient, indigenous, constantly running samplers that can be used for environmental monitoring, as their isotopic compositions are distinct from atmospheric fallout and representative of SRS historical activities. Further, the ubiquity of WCTs worldwide and demonstrated ability to detect nuclear material processing and constrain specific activities based on biofilm actinide isotopic compositions make WCT biofilms a promising means to improve monitoring.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2021

Uranium Bed Design Parameters for Tritium Plants Supporting Fusion Reactors

Uranium hydride is commonly used to store hydrogen or its isotopes in a solid state. The Self-Assaying Tritium Accountancy and Containment Unit for ITER (STACI) is a 5.2-kg bed of depleted uranium (dU) capable of holding up to 33 mol of hydrogen or its isotopes. Here we summarize the data analysis of past experimental campaigns with STACI, with the aim of describing the kinetics and thermodynamics of the hydriding process. Computed tomography imaging was performed on STACI both before and after its experimental campaign, and a high degree of swelling was observed in the dU. Literature on studies in regard to the swelling of large (multikilogram) quantities of uranium hydride for storage applications was not identified during this study. Data from the experimental campaign, as well as data on the formation reaction, are presented. The authors hope to create an analytical model of STACI based on these data.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Enhancing isotope mixing in U-10Mo downblend castings with electromagnetic stirring

Uranium alloyed with 10 wt percent molybdenum (U-10Mo) is the proposed fuel for use in the United States’ high-performance research reactors. The U-10Mo fuel is fabricated by a two-step casting process that downblends highly enriched uranium with depleted uranium (DU) and/or natural uranium (NU) and subsequently alloys the resulting high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) with Mo. Currently, a two-step casting process is needed to meet the ingots’ U-235 enrichment homogeneity specifications. This work demonstrates the ability to provide more homogeneous U-235 distributions during downblend casting by using zirconia for crucibles rather than graphite. When graphite is used as a crucible, the electromagnetic field produced by the induction heater couples directly with the graphite. Zirconia is nonconducting in this study, and therefore does not couple with the field. The induction field couples directly with the metal, and causes electromagnetic stirring (EMS) in the molten metal pool. Eight downblend casting experiments were carried out in this work. Four were performed with zirconia crucibles and four with graphite crucibles. The U-235 enrichment was measured at nine discrete points in each casting using laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS). The enrichment homogeneity was approximately eight times better in zirconia crucible castings than in graphite crucible castings as measured by the plate enrichment range and enrichment coefficient of variation. The results show a single casting step could be used to meet USHPRR enrichment specifications if electromagnetic stirring is present during casting. A related investigation was carried out to determine whether it is appropriate to measure enrichment on as-cast ingots or whether heat treated specimens should be used to accurately characterize enrichment. The results show that the as-cast microstructure plays a significant role in enrichment homogeneity. It is recommended that all enrichment measurements be done after the homogenization heat treatment typical of U-10Mo processing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Gas-phase molybdenum-99 separation from uranium dioxide by fluoride volatility using nitrogen trifluoride

Production of the important 99m Tc medical isotope parent, molybdenum-99 ( 99 Mo), via the fissioning of high- and low-enriched uranium (HEU/LEU) targets followed by target dissolution in acid and solution-phase purification of 99 Mo is time-consuming, generates quantities of corrosive radioactive waste, and can result in the release of an array of radionuclides to the atmosphere. An alternative 99 Mo purification method has been devised that has the potential to alleviate many of these issues. Herein, we demonstrate the feasibility of a rapid Mo/Tc gas-phase separation from UO 2 . The results indicate that volatile [ 99 Mo]Mo can be captured downstream of the reacted solid mixture on a column bed (trap) of alumina; the majority of the captured [ 99 Mo]Mo can be subsequently eluted from the alumina trap with a few milliliters of water. >1.0 × 10 5 single pass decontamination of U and the collected [ 99 Mo]Mo product is demonstrated. This simple thermo-fluorination technique has the potential to provide a rapid methodology for routine 99 Mo production.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Neutron resonance transmission analysis prototype system for thorium fuel cycle safeguards

Emerging thorium-based reactor designs and fuel cycles present challenges to traditional non-destructive assay techniques used in international safeguards. Specifically, assaying the masses of 233 U and 235 U when they are present together in samples with high gamma ray backgrounds is difficult because of similar passive neutron signatures and relatively weak gamma-ray emissions of 233 U. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are developing a compact neutron resonance transmission analysis (NRTA) system as one potential solution to these challenges. The NRTA technique provides isotopic information for a sample via neutron time-of-flight (TOF) measurements that exploit a sample’s epithermal neutron resonance cross-sections. A recently developed portable NRTA system uses a commercially available, pulsed deuterium-tritium neutron generator with a ~2 m flight path and a GS20 lithium glass scintillator detector. Finally, this paper describes the prototype NRTA system design, a refined radiation transport model of the system, preliminary measurements with thorium and uranium sources, and demonstration of a quantitative isotopic estimation algorithm.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Rate-induced aging effects on Parallel-Plate Avalanche Counter (PPAC) caused by heavy ion beams

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) is one of the premier scientific user facilities for nuclear science with radioactive beams, capable of producing most (approximately 80%) of the isotopes expected to exist, from oxygen to uranium, at energies up to 200 MeV/u. With the increase in beam power from the present 10 kW to the planned 400 kW, FRIB experiments are about to enter a new era. An unprecedented rate capability as well as stable performance of all the planned instrumentation intended for beam diagnostics and beam tuning is required at the expected high beam intensities (> 1 MHz). A summary of aging phenomena at high heavy-ion beam rates observed in the Advanced Rare Isotope Separator (ARIS) detectors for beam diagnostics, including Parallel Plate Avalanche Counters (PPAC) and plastic scintillation for time-of-flight measurements, is discussed. Current research and development project to mitigate rate-induced aging are presented.

Aging effects↗
DOE OSTI2023

Forensics, Instruments, Turtles & Hot Sauce: The Role of an Isotope Geochemist at LANL [Slides]

Measurable quantities of U in Turtle and Tortoise scute. Turtle samples from areas of known history of radionuclide releases found to have non-natural U isotope signatures. These signatures match what we know about the release of uranium radionuclides at each site. Able to determine quantifiable changes in the U concentration and isotope composition along individual layers of growth (representing seven years of life). Possible correlations with historical releases of U from Oak Ridge site.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Abundances of Uranium and Thorium Elements in Earth Estimated by Geoneutrino Spectroscopy

Abstract The decay of the primordial isotopes 238 U, 235 U, 232 Th, and 40 K has contributed to the terrestrial heat budget throughout the Earth's history. Hence, the individual abundance of those isotopes are key parameters in reconstructing contemporary Earth models. The geoneutrinos produced by the radioactive decays of uranium and thorium have been observed with the Kamioka Liquid‐Scintillator Antineutrino Detector (KamLAND). Those measurements have been improved with more than 18‐year observation time, and improvement in detector background levels mainly with an 8‐year nearly reactor‐free period, which now permit spectroscopy with geoneutrinos. Our results yield the first constraint on both uranium and thorium heat contributions. The KamLAND result is consistent with geochemical estimations based on elemental abundances of chondritic meteorites and mantle peridotites. The High‐Q model is disfavored at 99.76% C.L. and a fully radiogenic model is excluded at 5.2 σ assuming a homogeneous heat producing element distribution in the mantle.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Synthetic diversity in the preparation of metallic uranium

Uranium metal is associated with several aspects of nuclear technology; it is used as fuel for research and power reactors, targets for medical isotope productions, explosive for nuclear weapons and precursors in synthetic chemistry. The study of uranium metal at the laboratory scale presents the opportunity to evaluate metallic nuclear fuels, develop new methods for metallic spent fuel reprocessing and advance the science relevant to nuclear forensics and medical isotope production. Since its first isolation in 1841, from the reaction of uranium chloride and potassium metal, uranium metal has been prepared by solid-state reactions and in solution by electrochemical, chemical and radiochemical methods. The present review summarizes the methods outlined above and describes the chemistry associated with each preparation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗