Results for “Lab Testing” — Page 14

DOE OSTI2020

Mercury Speciation via Diffusive Gradients Thin-Films Technology

Objectives: Develop and test various diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) samplers for mercury - SRNL is developing reactive DGTS (rDGTs). Test chemistry to differentiate methylmercury from total and/or inorganic mercury in environmental samples. Fabricate and test rDGT samplers for deployment. Deploy the rDGTs in variable settings. Mercury is a persistent-bioaccumulative-toxic environmental pollutant. Mercury exists in different species such as elemental, inorganic, and methyl. Mercury speciation determine mercury behavior and toxicity. For example, methylmercury strongly accumulates in biota such as fish resulting in potential human health impacts. DGTs are innovative samplers to measure water concentration by diffusion and capture. Types of Hg DGTs used: Total Hg, Inorganic Hg, and Methyl Hg. Deployment Sites: Upper Three Runs, Lower Three Runs, Steele Creek, East Fork Poplar Creek (SRNL Sites), Horizons Creek, NOA Creek, Bruners Creek (ORNL Sites). DGT concentration estimates closely matched alternative measurements for soluble mercury at each Oak Ridge site - DGTs did not respond to particulate mercury. DGTs provide a representative measure for biota uptake since they are left out longer which allows for an average exposure concentration. DMA-80 provided an efficient and quick analysis. Variability in site location made a difference in Hg species. DGT preparations and sampling wasn't as quick and simple as microcolumn technology. Copper reagent degraded agarose gel - more work and cleaner data are needed to assess speciation in rDGTs. Future Work: Use cross-linked polyacrylamide for the collection layer for a stronger plastic. Make a copper diffusion layer without agarose. Test copper separation in lab using realistic stream conditions such as high organic carbon.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2020

Data Exploration of UAV Flights Recorded on Smartphones

The increasing accessibility and technological advancements of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) pose legitimate concerns to nuclear non-proliferation efforts. To deter and combat unwanted or nefarious UAV activity near or around nuclear sensitive sites, the ability to quickly and easily detect drones becomes vital. Our team is exploring the use of ubiquitous smartphones as multi-modal sensors (microphone, accelerometer, gyroscope, etc.) to meet this challenge. In conjunction with Idaho National Lab, two UAV flight tests and one stationary in-air test were conducted and recorded with eight Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphones. This work presents initial characterization and annotation of acoustic signals associated with UAV activity.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗

DOE OSTI2026

SULI End of Summer Presentation

This presentation made on Power Point is a brief summary of my work enhancing the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) architecture for Idaho National Lab’s Critical Infrastructure Test Range Complex (CITRC). This work was part of an on-going project to create a digital twin of CITRC that will be implemented for resiliency research. Resiliency is growing more important as extreme weather, aging infrastructure, and increasing load all exert stress on the United States power grid. This presentation highlights how I documented the existing devices and data flow on site and then updated specific device settings to better support the needs of the project. It also examines future use of this data in the digital twin data warehouse (DeepLynx), and future Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Distribution Management System applications. It will be presented to the B751 Water and Energy Systems Analysis group at INL during my last week.

24 - POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2021

Liquid Metal Intrusion Testing Final Report

Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) is concerned about potential interactions between a tin-antimony pewter material used for localized radiation shielding and stainless-steel containers used for storage and movement of radioactive materials when containers are subjected to elevated temperatures. The specific concern is whether pewter constituents can diffuse into grain boundaries and lead to embrittlement of the stainless steel, potentially compromising the ability of stainless steel components to maintain containment. This work will provide a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the depth of penetration of the pewter coating constituents into stainless steel when the test coupons are subjected to a range of thermal environments. The results of the present work will allow LANL to determine conditions for safely using the pewter lined containers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Scale-Up and Modeling Efforts Using an Omniphobic Surface Treatment for Mitigating Solids Deposition

Abstract Gas hydrates, waxes and asphaltenes represent some of the most significant flow assurance challenges, especially in subsea lines, where treatment options can be limited. Currently, complete avoidance is the primary strategy for hydrate management, while chemical or mechanical flushing/pigging may be utilized for other solids. Each system must also be treated with individualized solutions, as there have been no proved one-size-fits-all technologies demonstrated to date. As an alternative to constant chemical injection or thermodynamic controls such as insulation or heating, a robust omniphobic surface treatment material has been developed which has been shown in previous studies to significantly reduce the adhesion of flow assurance solids, resulting in lower risk for deposition and plugging of gas hydrates, waxes, and asphaltenes. As part of a Department of Energy study, laboratory scale tests were performed on a variety of apparatuses ranging from micromechanical force (micron scale) to laboratory flow loop testing (meter scale). While the results from these tests have been promising, there can be some disconnects between lab-scale observations and field-scale testing. Several factors can result in discrepancies between small-scale bench-top studies and deployment-scale efforts. These include flow conditions (Reynolds number, flow regime), chemistry (synthetic vs. crude oils, gas composition, and additives), physical differences (pipeline material, size, and geometry), etc. This work will describe the actions taken to better understand the deployment and performance of a material such as this omniphobic surface treatment in field scenarios, and to build confidence for deployment in a production scenario. These efforts include modeling field production scenarios using models developed from lab observations, application of the material to field-scale equipment to better understand application challenges, and expanded survivability and longevity testing. Understanding the bridge between laboratory testing and full-scale deployment allows for better technique and risk mitigation for field scale testing.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

DOE OSTI2022

A High Power Prototype of a Harmonic Kicker Cavity

A harmonic kicker, a beam exchange device that can deflect the beam at an ultra-fast time scale (a few ns), has been developed in Jefferson Lab *, **. The high power prototype that can deliver more than a 100 kV kick at 7 kW was fabricated. The RF performance of cavity such as the harmonic resonant frequencies, kick profiles, it’s stability, and electric center is tested at bench. The cavity will eventually be tested with a beam at Upgraded Injector Test Facility (UITF) in Jefferson Lab. In this paper, we report some features of fabrication and bench test results. We also briefly describe our beam test plan in the future.

Park, Gunn↗

DOE OSTI2024

TEAMER - Field Demonstration of MarineSitu’s Marine Energy Monitoring Tools - CRADA 664 (Abstract)

In order to effectively monitor for marine life around marine energy devices and thus minimize the risk of collision, multiple sensors working in coordination and augmented with around-the-clock automated monitoring algorithms need to be installed in challenging high-energy tidal and wave environments. Such systems are often too expensive for widespread adoption, or lack sufficient sensors or smarts to enable around-the-clock, real-time monitoring without human involvement. MarineSitu has been working to tackle this problem by developing a low-cost, combined sonar and stereo camera sensor array with connected real-time AI-based algorithms for automatically detecting marine life in these marine energy suitable environments. In this TEAMER project with Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL), MarineSitu will be testing this novel sensor system for the first time in the high-energy tidal channel environment at PNNL’s Marine and Coastal Research Lab. Throughout this deployment, MarineSitu will be monitoring their system and running analytics on the sensor’s data in real-time. Meanwhile, PNNL Data Scientists and Ocean Engineers, will be evaluating the system’s effectiveness and ease of use both as a tool for plug-and-play environmental monitoring and novel environmental monitoring research. In doing so, the team will improve MarineSitu’s system and software, produce insightful data products, and develop novel visualizations and AI algorithms for combining and analyzing the data produced by systems like MarineSitu’s.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

DOE OSTI2025

TEAMER – Field Demonstration of MarineSitu’s Marine Energy Monitoring (Abstract)

In order to effectively monitor for marine life around marine energy devices and thus minimize the risk of collision, multiple sensors working in coordination and augmented with around-the-clock automated monitoring algorithms need to be installed in challenging high-energy tidal and wave environments. Such systems are often too expensive for widespread adoption, or lack sufficient sensors or smarts to enable around-the-clock, real-time monitoring without human involvement. MarineSitu has been working to tackle this problem by developing a low-cost, combined sonar and stereo camera sensor array with connected real-time AI-based algorithms for automatically detecting marine life in these marine energy suitable environments. In this TEAMER project with Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL), MarineSitu will be testing this novel sensor system for the first time in the high-energy tidal channel environment at PNNL’s Marine and Coastal Research Lab. Throughout this deployment, MarineSitu will be monitoring their system and running analytics on the sensor’s data in real-time. Meanwhile, PNNL Data Scientists and Ocean Engineers, will be evaluating the system’s effectiveness and ease of use both as a tool for plug-and-play environmental monitoring and novel environmental monitoring research. In doing so, the team will improve MarineSitu’s system and software, produce insightful data products, and develop novel visualizations and AI algorithms for combining and analyzing the data produced by systems like MarineSitu’s.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

DOE OSTI2023

DarkNESS Project Testing

This internship involved the design and assembly of a mechanical system for testing skipper-Charge Couple Devices (CCDs) for the DarkNESS project. Skipper-CCDs are highly-sensitive sensors with ultra-low readout noise that are deployed for direct detection of dark matter. DarkNESS is a CubeSat that aims to use skipper CCDs to search for dark matter decaying into X-rays. Currently, in the testing phase, the design process involved creating 3D models of mechanical adapters to operate a prototype space Multi Chip Module (sMCM) package in existing testing chambers in the CCD lab at Fermilab's IERC. The drawings were sent out to be machined, and while waiting to receive the finished adapters, we assembled a vacuum chamber for skipper-CCD testing and performed initial testing of a single CCD controlled by the space Low Threshold Acquisition (sLTA) board that will be employed on the CubeSat. The results showed that the testing conditions are optimal for data to start being taken and analyzed.

Akouedjinoude, Kodjo↗

DOE OSTI2022

Introducing the 9500 Node Distribution Test System to Support Advanced Power Applications: An Operations-Focused Approach

The 9500 Node Test System is a representative section of distribution power system model developed as a part of the GridAPPS-D™ project, an effort funded by DOE as a part of the Grid Modernization Lab Consortium (GMLC) program. The test system was developed to fulfill a growing need to represent the rapidly evolving state of electric distribution systems by combining elements of legacy infrastructure systems, modern feeder topologies, and an anticipated future with smart grid technologies. It also provides a network model capable of supporting the simulation of operational scenarios such as the ones in a utility distribution control center. This test system allows the evaluation of the performance of advanced power applications in real-time, such as one that simulates the operations of an Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS), Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS), etc. in a Distribution control center. This model is an extension of the widely used IEEE 8500 Node Test Feeder and is currently being validated to become an IEEE test case to help increase adoption and widespread usage among both academia and industry. It is a full-size model representative of a section of a utility’s distribution system with multiple feeders fed from different substations. The model includes multiple distribution circuits, a sub-transmission system, multiple substations, behind the meter customer rooftop photovoltaics (PV), and multiple utility-scale distributed energy resources. To enable accurate simulations of operational scenarios, the 9500 Node Test System is designed to support procedure-based operations, with the ability to realistically demonstrate switching operations, feeder reconfiguration, adjustment of volt-var control equipment, dispatch of distributed generation, and response to planned and unplanned outages. The 9500 Node Test System includes three radial distribution feeders with 12.3 MVA of average load, consisting of both medium voltage and low voltage equipment each supplied by a different distribution substation. The three distribution feeders are connected to each other through Normally-Open switches which can be closed when needed to simulate restoration scenarios due to a fault. One feeder represents today’s grid with low penetration of customer-side renewables. The second represents a potential future grid with microgrids and 100% renewable penetration. The third has no customer generation resources, a district steam plant, and a utility-scale solar farm. The three diverse circuits were created to allow the simulation of both today’s situation as well as potential future scenarios. All three feeders have customers connected by low-voltage secondary triplex lines. This test system meets all requirements outlined in the report for creating a simulation environment that would enable discussion between key technical stakeholders as well as having the potential to accelerate operational application development and their subsequent testing and integration. The new model is a possible representation of what we believe the distribution grid may look like in the future: a high penetration of renewables, reconfigurable radial and mesh topology, numerous DERs, islanded microgrids, and significantly increased data and measurement density. The system supports both the solution of existing and newer algorithms but also enables the evaluation of applications in a realistic operational environment defined by task oriented procedural steps that represent the interaction between the control center operator and field personnel.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2023

PV Inverter Testing for Momentary Cessation and Rate-of-Change-of-Frequency Events

To understand the power system stability and develop better electromagnetic transient (EMT) models of field deployed photovoltaic (PV) inverters, it is important to characterize inverters' response to abnormal voltage and frequency scenarios. Because EMT models are not typically available for small distribution-connected PV inverters, and because inerterconnection standards historically did not specify desired ride-through behaviors, we tested two such inverters in the lab to characterize their responses to severe undervoltage events and high rate-of-change-of-frequency (ROCOF) conditions. The inverters tested were pre-IEEE 1547-2018 residential PV inverters widely used in the Hawaiian Electric territory and many other areas. The testing results for undervoltage scenarios showed that the inverter from one vendor exhibited momentary cessation while the inverter from the other vendor did not exhibit momentary cessation behavior or tripping for most of the events below the 120 ms undervoltage trip threshold duration set by IEEE 1547-2003. The testing results for ROCOF scenarios showed that the inverter from one vendor temporarily lost synchronization during ROCOF conditions while the inverter from the other vendor did not lose synchronization or cease generation for any ROCOF conditions. Both the inverters were also tested for EMT-simulated grid events with severe changes in frequency and voltage. The observed responses of the inverters were different from the simulated response of PV inverters represented the best available assumptions from pre-existing information. The results from these experiments can be used to update the inverter models used in bulk power system studies.

aggregates↗

DOE OSTI2023

PV Inverter Testing for Momentary Cessation and Rate-of-Change-of-Frequency Events: Preprint

To understand the power system stability and develop better electromagnetic transient (EMT) models of field deployed photovoltaic (PV) inverters, it is important to characterize inverters' response to abnormal voltage and frequency scenarios. Because EMT models are not typically available for small distribution-connected PV inverters, and because inerterconnection standards historically did not specify desired ride-through behaviors, we tested two such inverters in the lab to characterize their responses to severe undervoltage events and high rate-of-change-of-frequency (ROCOF) conditions. The inverters tested were pre-IEEE 1547-2018 residential PV inverters widely used in the Hawaiian Electric territory and many other areas. The testing results for undervoltage scenarios showed that the inverter from one vendor exhibited momentary cessation while the inverter from the other vendor did not exhibit momentary cessation behavior or tripping for most of the events below the 120 ms undervoltage trip threshold duration set by IEEE 1547-2003. The testing results for ROCOF scenarios showed that the inverter from one vendor temporarily lost synchronization during ROCOF conditions while the inverter from the other vendor did not lose synchronization or cease generation for any ROCOF conditions. Both the inverters were also tested for EMT-simulated grid events with severe changes in frequency and voltage. The observed responses of the inverters were different from the simulated response of PV inverters represented the best available assumptions from pre-existing information. The results from these experiments can be used to update the inverter models used in bulk power system studies.

IEEE 1547 2018↗

DOE OSTI2026

Lab-Scale Cable-Driven Parallel Robot Prototype for Automated Prefabricated Component Manipulation

This paper presents the design and evaluation of a lab-scale cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR) developed as a flexible platform for automated installation of prefabricated components onto exterior building envelopes. Traditional manual installation methods for prefabricated components, which depend on scaffolding, cranes, cherry pickers, and verbal coordination, are not only labor-intensive and error-prone but also face significant limitations in dense urban environments due to site access constraints. To address these challenges, we developed a lab-scale CDPR platform capable of autonomously transporting building envelope components from a designated pickup zone to their target installation location, minimizing the need for human intervention. This study describes the system’s mechanical design, actuation architecture, real-time feedback system, and control strategy of the CDPR, and evaluates its performance in a laboratory environment. The robot’s actuation system uses torque control for end-effector manipulation. The robot’s real-time pose feedback comes from a construction-grade total station and a wireless inertial measurement unit (IMU), which together support precise end-effector control. Experimental results demonstrate the successful integration of the hardware, sensing, state estimation, and control subsystems. Preliminary tests showed that our lab-scale prototype can position the end effector with an error of less than 3 mm, which is a level of precision not previously achieved by existing CDPRs in construction applications. The key findings are twofold: (1) torque-only control is necessary but not sufficient for minimizing final pose error, and (2) incorporating real-time pose feedback can achieve the desired placement accuracy.

Liu, Yifang [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL),↗

DOE OSTI2022

Results from an international interlaboratory study on light‐ and elevated temperature‐induced degradation in solar modules

Abstract This paper reports the results of an international interlaboratory comparison study on light‐ and elevated temperature‐induced degradation (LETID) on crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules. A large global network of PV module manufacturers and PV testing laboratories collaborated to design a protocol for LETID detection and screen a large and diverse set of prototype modules for LETID. Results across labs indicate the reproducibility of LETID testing is likely within ±1% of maximum power (P MP ). In intentionally engineered LETID‐sensitive modules, mean degradation after the prescribed detection stress is roughly 6% P MP . In other module types the LETID sensitivity is smaller, and in some we observe essentially negligible degradation attributable to LETID. In LETID‐sensitive modules, both open‐circuit voltage (V OC ) and short‐circuit current (I SC ) degrade by a roughly similar magnitude. We observe, as do previous studies, that LETID affects each cell in a module differently. An investigation of the potential mismatch losses caused by nonuniform LETID degradation found that mismatch loss is insignificant compared to the estimated loss of cell I SC , which drives loss of module I SC . Overall, this work has helped inform the creation of a forthcoming standard technical specification for LETID testing of PV modules, IEC TS 63342 ED1, and should aid in the interpretation of results from that and other LETID tests.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Toward the performance assessment of advanced nuclear waste forms: temperature dependence of lanthanide borosilicate glass dissolution

Lanthanide borosilicate (LaBS) glasses are among the most promising waste forms for the immobilization of high-level radioactive waste generated from advanced nuclear fuel cycles. However, the temperature dependence of their dissolution kinetics remains poorly understood and constrained, limiting the integration of these materials into established performance assessment models. Here, we investigate the dissolution behavior of the legacy AmCm2-19 LaBS glass and the benchmark alkali aluminoborosilicate ISG-1 in deionized water between 50 °C and 250 °C using ASTM C1285 (Product Consistency Test-B) protocols. For AmCm2-19 LaBS glass, normalized elemental release rates for boron and silicon increase with temperature before plateauing near 150 °C, consistent with solubility-limited behavior. From data obtained at 50 °C and 100 °C, Arrhenius analysis yields activation energies of E a (B) = 24.8 ± 0.3 kJ mol⁻¹ and E a (Si) = 14.4 ± 0.2 kJ mol⁻¹, similar or slightly lower than those previously reported for two other compositions of LaBS glasses. No secondary phases or alteration layers were detected by SEM-EDX or pXRD. These results establish one of the first temperature-dependent kinetic datasets for LaBS glass dissolution, providing quantitative parameters to inform mechanistic corrosion models and predictive simulations of glass degradation in geological disposal environments.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2024

A common task framework for testing and evaluation at the Space Domain Awareness Tools, Applications, and Processing Lab

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Astronomy and AstroPhysics↗

DOE OSTI2025

Disentangling the gap between pure and mixed-gas performance of thin film composite membranes through improved cell design and testing methods

Testing thin film composite (TFC) membrane coupons at low stage-cuts (≤5%) in a sweep-gas permeation system is a common practice to obtain mixed-gas separation properties for benchmarking performance and making scale-up decisions. However, even under these idealized conditions, mixed-gas permeance and selectivity can be more than 30% lower than their pure-gas values, partially due to concentration polarization, an effect that typically intensifies with increased membrane permeance. This study investigates the effect of cell design on mixed-gas testing using PolyActive TM TFC membranes with pure-gas CO 2 permeance of 1700 – 3100 gas permeance unit (GPU), covering the permeance range of most state-of-the-art CO 2 /N 2 separation membranes. Here, we designed and 3D-printed a counter-current permeation cell with enhanced feed and sweep flow efficiency, resulting in a 33 – 41% increase in mixed-gas CO 2 permeance compared to traditional permeation cells. Furthermore, we compared sweep-gas and vacuum permeation methods using traditional permeation cells, revealing that the latter delivers 41% higher mixed-gas CO 2 permeance, because vacuuming effectively minimizes the downstream concentration polarization. These findings highlight the importance of cell design and permeation apparatus selection in lab-scale mixed-gas testing, with strong implications for module design and process optimization at the industrial scale.

mixed gas performance↗

DOE OSTI2023

FY23 Update: Aerosol Sampling for the Canister Deposition Field Demonstration

This report describes the results of preliminary testing of aerosol monitoring equipment that will be used to continuously monitor the aerosol source term for the multi-year Canister Deposition Field Demonstration (CDFD). These data are required inputs for the development and validation of models for the deposition of dust and potentially corrosive salts on the surface of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) dry storage canisters. Surface salt loads correlate with the extent of corrosion damage on a metal surface, and potentially to the likelihood and timing of initiation of stress corrosion cracks. Aerosols will be monitored at the CDFD site using three instruments. A Dekati ® ELPI+ cascade impactor will be used for real-time monitoring of aerosol particle sizes. It will also collect dust in 14 size bins on impactor targets that can be chemically analyzed to determine the soluble salts present as a function of particle size. However, this instrument can only measure dried aerosols, with a diameter of <10 µm. The second instrument is a Topas laser particle size spectrometer, which provides real-time monitoring of aerosol particle sizes up to ~40 µm in size. It monitors both the ambient (potentially deliquesced) aerosol particle size distributions required for the dust deposition models and the distributions of the equivalent dried particles, allowing correlation with the Dekati ® data. However, it does not discriminate between inert dust particles and salt aerosols, and it does not retain samples of the different particle sizes for later analysis. The third instrument that will monitor aerosols at the CDFD site is a Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET) tower, which uses a multiple canister system to collect weekly samples for analysis to total suspended aerosol particle compositions and atmospheric gas concentrations. This status report describes work in FY23 to develop the capabilities for using these tools. In two training exercises, the cascade impactor and laser particle sizer were deployed in two different testing environments, one indoor and one outdoor. For the cascade impactor, the tests provided opportunities for the operators to familiarize themselves with impactor substrate preparation, and post-test sample removal and analysis. For the laser particle sizer, the tests were used to evaluate different instrument parameters, to determine the most appropriate settings for capturing transient events. Data and samples were collected for weeks to months for each test, and the results are presented here. In addition to the preliminary testing, contracts were developed with WSP Analytical Labs for sample preparation and analysis of the cascade impactor samples. The impactor tower from outdoor test was delivered to WSP and used to train the staff there in disassembly, sample extraction, sample analysis, and tower reassembly with new target substrates. These are tasks that WSP will be performing routinely for the CDFD project. The CASTNET system cannot be purchased or tested until an actual site has been selected for the CDFD test. Work for this FY has been restricted to preparation of contracts for purchasing the CASTNET tower, and for sample analysis, once the tower is in operation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗