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DOE OSTI2024

Carbon Management Projects (CONNECT) Database and Explorer

Overview The Carbon Management Projects (CONNECT) Toolkit is an online exploratory visualization tool developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) with support from other federal agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). It provides a single point of access to authoritative information on federal agency investment in a portfolio of research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that have been publicly announced to advance technologies for point source carbon capture, carbon dioxide removal, transport, storage, and conversion, collectively referred to as carbon management. The RD&D programs covered in this tool are authorized by annual congressional appropriations ("Base Program") and the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The tool also incorporates public information on other federal initiatives, such as the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs, and public information released by other government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) and Primacy States’ Underground Injection Control Class VI permits and EPA’s facility level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Developed in a geographic information system, the tool organizes carbon management projects into five groups based on the primary technology that a project aims to advance, each visually represented as a digital layer ("carbon management project layer"). Only federally funded projects are included, which can be awarded projects that are completed or ongoing, or projects that have been selected but are currently under negotiation. Project information can be viewed in the map or in the attribute table below it when turned on. In the map view, each project is displayed at either its host site (for field work), where available, or its performer site (project lead's location, further explained in the table below). Host sites and performer sites are represented in distinct icons. Several reference layers offer additional public information on infrastructural and natural resource environment for carbon management. These reference layers, combined with multiple geographical basemaps, enable users to visualize the carbon management project layers in context. Carbon management project information will be updated monthly based on feedback and information availability. Carbon management project layers Point Source Carbon Capture (PSC) This layer contains DOE-funded projects focused on capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from power plants or industrial facilities. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) This layer contains DOE-funded projects focused on capturing CO2 from the atmosphere, including direct air capture (DAC) and DAC hubs, direct ocean capture, enhanced mineralization, and biomass carbon removal and storage. For projects with multiple host sites, each of the sites are displayed individually with the project cost and cost sharing information representing the total for the entire project. Carbon Transport This layer contains DOE- and DOT-funded projects focused on CO2 transport. The Transport Research and Development sublayer contains projects that do not involve physical infrastructure; the Proposed Transport Corridor sublayer contains projects for which either a route for the transport infrastructure has been proposed or a general area for the transport infrastructure has been identified. Carbon Storage This layer contains DOE-funded key projects focused on CO2 storage. For projects with multiple field-work sites, each of the sites are displayed individually on the map with the project cost and cost sharing information representing the overall total for the entire project. Carbon Conversion This layer contains DOE-funded projects focused on converting CO2 into economically valuable products. Reference layers The following layers provide additional information in the geographic proximity of carbon management projects. Users should reference the original sources for more details (weblinks provided below and in pop-up windows on the map). Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub and Facility These layers illustrate the approximate areas of the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs announced by DOE's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and the approximate locations of individual facilities that constitute the hubs (see "Where are the H2Hubs located?" on the webpage linked above). EPA Facility Level GHG Emissions (direct emitter) This layer shows direct CO2 emissions from stationary sources in 2022, using data extracted from EPA's Facility Level Information on GreenHouse gases Tool (FLIGHT). Captured and injected CO2 are not deducted from direct emitters’ total emissions. Contact EPA for additional details. Underground Injection Control Class VI permit/permit application This layer shows the locations of CO2 injection wells that are granted or in the process of applying for an Underground Injection Control Class VI permit by EPA or a Primacy State (currently Louisiana, North Dakota, and Wyoming). The URLs for the permits or permit applications are provided in the pop-up windows associated with the well locations. Contact EPA for additional details. Carbon Storage Resource This layer contains information on prospective CO2 storage resources in saline formations and oil and gas reservoirs provided by the National Carbon Sequestration Database and Geographic Information System (NATCARB) spatial database. Contact NETL for additional details. Existing CO2 pipeline This layer shows active CO2 pipelines based on information digitized from the map issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Contact PHMSA for additional details.

Carbon Conversion↗
DOE OSTI2024

Energy Communities IWG Site Review Tool

The Energy Communities IWG's new Site Review Tool is a resource for manufacturers and investors interested in developing or expanding clean energy supply chain projects in energy communities and nationwide. The interactive map provides access to publicly available information on brownfields, facilities, nearby infrastructure, and community attributes, including federal incentives. The site review tool empowers community leaders and developers to promote investment into communities and encourages users to learn and explore the diverse range of investment options. This tool can be useful for applicants to identify relevant information about their project that is requested in DOE grant and tax credit submissions, including 48C energy community status and whether a project is located in a disadvantaged community. More information on this tool can be found at: https://energycommunities.gov/iwg-site-review-tool/ Disclaimer: This mapping tool may not be relied upon by taxpayers to substantiate a tax return position or for determining whether certain penalties apply and will not be used by the IRS for examination purposes. The mapping tool does not reflect the application of the law to a specific taxpayer's situation, and the applicable Internal Revenue Code provisions ultimately control.

48C↗
DOE OSTI2024

RADIATION DOSE SIMULATIONS FOR JEFFERSON LAB’S PERMANENT MAGNET RESILIENCY LDRD STUDY

In late 2023, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facil- ity (Jefferson Lab) funded a Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) grant dedicated to investigating the impact of radiation on permanent magnet materials. This research initiative is specifically geared towards assessing materials slated for use in the CEBAF energy upgrade. The experimental approach involves strategically placing perma- nent magnet samples throughout the accelerator, exposing them to varying radiation doses. The simulation code BD- SIM is used to first validate the data and then to simulate the effects on future higher energy passes to study the degra- dation effects on the permanent magnets. In this paper we present the progress of that work.

Deitrick, K.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Summary of Jefferson Lab LDRD on FFA@CEBAF Beam Dynamics Simulations

As Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) looks toward the future, we are considering expanding our energy reach by using Fixed-Field Alternating Gradient (FFA) technology. Significant efforts have been made to design a hybrid accelerator which combines conventional recirculating electron LINAC design with permanent magnet-based FFA technology to increase the number of beam recirculations, and thus the energy. In an effort to further this progress, Jefferson Lab awarded a Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) grant to focus not on the design, but on detailed simulations of the designs created by the larger collaboration. This document will summarize the work performed during this LDRD, and direct the reader to other proceedings which describe elements of the work in greater detail.

Deitrick, K.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Current status of permanent magnet radiation resiliency studies at CEBAF

One possible future for Jefferson Lab’s Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) lies in upgrading its maximum nominal energy using Fixed-Field Alternating-gradient (FFA) technology for its recirculating arcs. The current proposal aims to use permanent magnets to supply the fixed fields. One concern among reviewers is the degradation of these permanent magnets during operation due to the radiation environment in which they will be present. This work, funded by a Laboratory Directed R&D grant, aims to measure the magnet degradation in the CEBAF tunnel enclosure, and extrapolate to the energies expected from the upgrade. We present the latest results of this study, as well as plans moving forward.

Accelerator Physics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Progress and challenges in traveling-wave (TW) SRF cavity

Traveling-wave (TW) technology can push the accelerator field gradient of niobium SRF cavity to 70MV/m or higher beyond the limit of 50~60MV/m in Standing-wave (SW) technology. The early stages of TW SRF cavity developments had been funded by several SBIR grants to Euclid Techlabs and completed in collaboration with Fermilab through a 1-cell prototype and a proof-of-principle 3-cell TW cavity. The TW resonance excitation in the 3-cell TW cavity at 2K was demonstrated through the low power RF test in early 2024. A high-power test of the 3-cell in TW mode being prepared. To advance a design and technology to fabricate a novel high gradient TW SRF cavity, FNAL proposed a half-meter TW RF design and R&Ds to realize that are in progress. Here we will report the recent progress in the 3-cell TW cavity and the challenges towards a half-meter scale TW cavity.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

PDF Entity Annotation Tool (PEAT)

While different text mining approaches – including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other machine based methods - continue to expand at a rapid pace, the tools used by researchers to create the labeled datasets required for training, modeling, and evaluation remain rudimentary. Labeled datasets contain the target attributes the machine is going to learn; for example, training an algorithm to delineate between images of a car or truck would generally require a set of images with a quantitative description of the underlying features of each vehicle type. Development of labeled textual data that can be used to build natural language machine learning models for scientific literature is not currently integrated into existing manual workflows used by domain experts. Published literature is rich with important information, such as different types of embedded text, plots, and tables that can all be used as inputs to train ML/natural language processing (NLP) models, when extracted and prepared in machine readable formats. Currently, both normalized data extraction of use to domain experts and extraction to support development of ML/NLP models are labor intensive and cumbersome manual processes. Automatic extraction of data and information from formats such as PDFs that are optimized for layout and human readability, not machine readability. The PDF (Portable Document Format) Entity Annotation Tool (PEAT) was developed with the goal of allowing users to annotate publications within their current print format, while also allowing those annotations to be captured in a machine-readable format. One of the main issues with traditional annotation tools is that they require transforming the PDF into plain text to facilitate the annotation process. While doing so lessens the technical challenges of annotating data, the user loses all structure and provenance that was inherent in the underlying PDF. Also, textual data extraction from PDFs can be an error prone process. Challenges include identifying sequential blocks of text and a multitude of document formats (multiple columns, font encodings, etc.). As a result of these challenges, using existing tools for development of NLP/ML models directly from PDFs is difficult because the generated outputs are not interoperable. We created a system that allows annotations to be completed on the original PDF document structure, with no plain text extraction. The result is an application that allows for easier and more accurate annotations. In addition, by including a feature that grants the user the ability to easily create a schema, we have developed a system that can be used to annotate text for different domain-centric schemas of relevance to subject matter experts. Different knowledge domains require distinct schemas and annotation tags to support machine learning.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Building an EPA Class VI Permit Application

Summary To accelerate the commercialization of carbon capture and storage (CCS), the US Department of Energy (US DOE) is building on decades of characterization efforts and pilot-scale projects through their CarbonSAFE program. Administered through their National Energy Technology Laboratory, this program seeks to bring fully integrated projects to the sector that can store more than 50 million tonnes of CO2 over a 30-year period. The program, which was enacted before the enhancement of Internal Revenue Code Section 45Q, is in the capture assessment, characterization, and permitting phase. The objectives of this paper are to discuss (a) the injection permitting requirements of the CarbonSAFE projects; (b) information gathering in support of the permit; (c) the timelines of field development and permit-related activities; (d) the major technical components of the field development plan; and (e) early feedback from the regulators toward acceptance of the permit. In Mississippi, more than 30,000 acres have been characterized by six deep characterization wells, a deep groundwater well, and 92 line miles of 2D seismic as part of the CarbonSAFE Project ECO2S. During the acquisition of seismic data, all receiver lines were live, which resulted in the generation of a pseudo-3D seismic design. The incorporation of a 3D seismic survey was not included as part of this project due to logistical difficulties presented by the undulating, wooded surface terrain. A suite of openhole geophysical logs was taken from each well, allowing for a detailed interpretation of prospective storage reservoirs and confining intervals to complement the analysis carried out on the 290 ft of a whole core that was cut through the prospective confining zone and storage reservoir. The detailed geologic and reservoir data were assembled and entered into a 3D model to assess the injection capacity and the area of review (AoR). This information fed into the detailed corrective action, monitoring, testing, and postinjection site care (PISC) modeling. The results have been exceptional. The geologic assessment has revealed three primary storage targets, ranging in depth from 3,500 ft to 6,000 ft. These storage reservoirs net 1,300 ft of sandstone, with mean porosity and permeability of 29% and 3.6 darcies, respectively. Together, these reservoirs have storage capacities that may exceed 20 million tonnes per square mile, making this a gigatonne prospect. Forward modeling of the project resulted in an AoR of 16 sq miles, injecting about 8000 t/d, for 30 years, via two deep injection wells. The excellent confining characteristics of the caprock, relatively simple geologic structure, and lack of historical well drilling activity in this area provide excellent containment of the injected CO2. Based on this work, the project has proposed 20 years of PISC. To date, only two US CO2 injection permits have been granted. These projects relied on a singular capture point feeding a singular sequestration point (source to sink), and considerations have not been made to garner CO2 emissions from other industrial sources. The Kemper County Storage Complex is a first-of-its-kind storage hub concept that looks to develop an area capable of storing significant quantities of CO2 from the region. Also, this work will show how characterization efforts, geological and numerical modeling efforts, and plan development were constructed in support of permit and incentives acceptance.

Energy & Fuels↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dark Energy Studies with LSST using the Photon Simulator (Final Report)

This grant funded the development and dissemination of the Photon Simulator (PhoSim) for the purpose of studying dark energy at high precision with the upcoming Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) astronomical survey. The work was in collaboration with the Dark Energy Science Collaboration (DESC). Several detailed physics improvements were made in the optics, atmosphere and sensor, a number of validation studies were performed, and a significant number of usability features were implemented. Future work in DESC will use PhoSim as the image simulation tool for data challenges used by the analysis groups.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Probing catalytic activity in defect sites in transition metal oxides and sulfides using cluster models: A combined experimental and theoretical approach

Our research program has combined experimental and computational methods to study a range of cluster models for heterogeneous catalytic materials. The focus of our studies has been transition metal oxide and sulfide clusters in non-traditional oxidation states, and their chemical and physical interactions with water, to model steps in the electrocatalytic or photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In the closing year of this project, we have also begun to explore addition systems in preparation for future grant proposals.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

A Model for Lean Corporate/ Startup Interfaces: Unlocking Resources of Midcap Corporations Providing a Pathway to Advanced Energy Technologies

Commercializing energy technologies through traditional market pathways is challenging for early-stage energy innovators. Development cycles in energy are long and expensive, and adoption is difficult, making energy technologies of limited interest to venture capital relative to industries with faster growth and shorter product life cycles such as life sciences and software. As such, partnerships with established corporations are one of the most promising, and in some cases only, go-to-market pathways for energy technologies. Startups often seek to work with, large well-known Fortune 500 (and similar) companies. However, the size and risk aversion of those firms often makes partnering challenging. It can take well over 12 months for a large corporation to agree to commercial terms and get internal board / management approval to move forward with a binding agreement with a startup for even a simple starting partnership. This timeline is prohibitive for most early-stage companies who are both time and money constrained, and often working in highly competitive commodity sectors. Mid-cap corporations ($\$ $100M to $\$ $10B) are a promising but untapped resource for partnering with technology developers because they are often nimbler, tend to be fiercely competitive, and are looking for new revenue or cost-saving opportunities. These factors make them both more receptive to disruptive technologies, and more capable of integrating them. However, while Fortune 500 companies often have venturing groups that facilitate the initial connection process, most midcap incumbents do not have the resources to create standalone corporate venture groups. As a result, although they could help each other significantly (startup technologies make midcaps more competitive; midcaps offer a faster commercialization pathway to startups), midcap companies and startups rarely work together. In 2017, ADL Ventures (ADL) received Award #DE-EE0008111 from DOE EERE’s Innovative Pathways program to unlock the domain expertise and material resources of midcap companies. The goal of the award was to support energy technology commercialization via an innovation platform for startups to interface with midcap corporations. During the grant period, we have developed a novel open innovation platform that allows financially conservative incumbents to efficiently engage with energy innovators and startups, thereby unlocking the incumbents’ domain expertise, strategic capital, R&D facilities, supply chain, and pathways to market. We have executed full-scale open innovation challenges for three clients, exceeding the initial proposed goal of two. We also built a diversified opportunity pipeline which resulted in four projects contracted for 2020, meeting the goals of the proposal, with others pending.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Micropulse Differential Absorption Lidar (MPD) Network Demonstration Field Campaign Report

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Montana State University (MSU) are nearing completion of a National Science Foundation (NSF) major research instrumentation grant to build five micropulse differential absorption lidars (MPDs) for water vapor profiling. The first demonstration of the MPD configured as a five-unit network occurred at the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) field sites near Lamont, Oklahoma from 17 April–21 July 2019 for a total of 96 days of operation. The field deployment was funded in part by DOE (which provided support for the MPD installation, power at the field sites, personnel to launch 3-hourly radiosondes from the Central Facility, and the cost of the radiosondes themselves), internal NCAR funds (to support the MPD shipping costs and NCAR staff travel expenses), and NSF/Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) funds (to support the MSU travel expenses to participate in the instrument setup).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Next Generation Noble Liquid Detectors

The research program here combines Generic and Directed R\&D for Liquid Noble Gas detectors for neutrino physics and dark matter. In neutrino physics and dark matter research, we are addressing some of the most fundamental questions in particle physics today by studying these tiny particles in the electron family. To study them, detectors must be large, high precision, and ideally have the ability to collect detailed information from both charge and light from neutrino and dark matter interactions. Precision detection combined with large scales can be challenging. Liquid Argon detectors mitigate some of these challenges given the nature of its interaction medium and it’s relatively inexpensive cost per ton. Significant progress has been made in the last 15 years in developing these kinds of detectors to be built and operated at large scales. However there are still challenges and new ideas in moving these detectors from ton scale to kiloton scale. To be able to get the most out of these kinds of detectors directed questions with respect to specific components running and colleting data in the detectors must be understood. As well, new ideas on how to best combine charge and light measurements may lead to new ways to learn new things with these detectors. Experimental test stands to conduct this work, as is done in this proposal, to accomplish both of these goals are critical to address both of these questions. In the test stand enabled under this grant at Yale University’s Wright lab, new developments in efficient small scale setups were developed, instrumentation developed for running and future experiments (the SBND experiment at Fermilab at present, the DUNE experiment in the future) were and will be tested, and new ideas for charge and light determination for new measurements are under study. The long term impact of this work in neutrino physcis is both for the short and long baseline programs originating at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. At long baselines, the US flagship DUNE experiment will measure neutrino properties through neutrino oscillations using a beam originating at Fermilab and a massive LArTPC detector sited about a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. Studies here on the high voltage for thes detectors, and ongoing work on charge and light production and collection in the TPC are relevant for the design and data taking of this and other LArTPC detectors to enable them to best measure the neutrinos created at Fermilab that then pass through the detector in South Dakota. What we learn in these detectors may ultimately change the course of how we understand neutrino’s impact in the early universe. What we learn about how to improve this detection technology and develop new ideas in Lar detectors in general may impact both future neutrino experiments and dark matter experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Characteristics of Ultralow Aspect Ratio Toroidal Plasmas and Non-Solenoidal Startup and Edge Stability Studies at Near-Unity Aspect Ratio (Final Report)

This grant supported a long-term research and development program to explore the physics and technology of spherical tokamak (ST) plasma behavior at near-unity aspect ratio ( A ). The PEGASUS Toroidal Experiment is a university-scale ( R ) ~ 0.40 m, α ~ .35 m, I p ≤ 0.3 MA, B T ≤ 0.15 T) experiment that accesses A → 1, to provide large values of the normalized plasma current, I N = I p /α B T , or equivalently the toroidal field utilization factor I p / I TF . The research activities focused on: 1) developing the technique of Local Helicity Injection (LHI) as a viable means of initiating and growing an ST plasma without the use of a central solenoid; 2) exploring the equilibrium and stability properties of spherical tokamak plasmas at extremely low aspect ratio; and 3) obtaining new insights in the properties of the enhanced confinement H-mode regime at A ~ 1. The initial (Phase I) facility employed a unique high-stress central solenoid Ohmic for current drive and heating with simple magnet current waveforms. A subsequent major upgrade (Phase II) offered more flexible control of the plasma evolution along with a powerful LHI system for plasma initiation, heating and sustainment. The LHI technique consists of injection of high-density current streams into vacuum toroidal and vertical magnetic fields. These streams become unstable and support magnetic reconnection to allow the system to relax into a tokamak-like magnetic configuration. This program focused on: 1) development of electron current sources that provide sufficiently high injection currents in the challenging edge plasma region; 2) validation of theoretical limits to achievable I p arising from magnetic helicity and energy conservation plus absolute limits arising from relaxation to a minimal energy states; 3) tests of a power balance model to describe the evolution of the plasma current I p (t); and 4) study of magnetic fluctuations and their role in the I p evolution. This culminated in the production of toroidal currents of I p ≥ 0.2 MA with only ~8 kA of injected current. Operation with Ohmic induction alone in Phase I created plasmas with soft limits on the achievable I p and field utilization ( I p / I TF ~ 1) due to the onset of large low-order (2/1 or 3/2) internal resonant tearing modes. With the expanded capabilities in Phase II operation, methods employed to mitigate those modes and achieve I p / I TF > 1 were: 1) I TF ramp-downs; 2) non-solenoidal startup via LHI; and 3) extremely low I TF Ohmic operations assisted by LHI current injector pre-ionization. Extensive use of LHI-driven startup and drive for non-solenoidal operation produced favorable current profiles to stably operate tokamak plasmas with unprecedentedly high I N = I p / aB T ~ 15 and I p / I TF > 2. With strong reconnection-driven anomalous ion heating, this in turn provided access to tokamak plasmas with B t up to 100%, a world record 2 times higher than that previously achieved in advanced or spherical tokamaks. This high B t regime had a large fraction (~50%) of the plasma volume in a region of an absolute minimum- B configuration. The MHD stability limit in this regime was the ideal external kink mode without a stabilizing wall. These results provided the first demonstration of access to tokamak plasmas with very high B t , high i N , high elongation κ, and low internal inductance ℓ i , and as such served as a proof-ofprinciple for access to this long-sought ST regime. The naturally low B T needed for stability at A ≤ 1.2 reduces the L-H mode power threshold, P LH , so that H-mode plasmas were achieved with Ohmic heating alone. The power threshold for the transition to the H-mode regime was found to be 10× the accepted values from the ITER international scaling, confirming initial trends indicated by experiments on MAST and NSTX, and suggesting that the physics behind this transition is not yet fully understood. The density dependence of the transition and the observed insensitivity to whether the plasma is bounded by a limiter or magnetic divertor are consistent with the recent FM 3 model. Multiple unstable toroidal magnetic modes were measured during ELM (Edge Localized Mode) crashes, with generally lower toroidal mode numbers than seen at higher A , which was attributed to the larger peeling mode instability drive at low A . First-ever edge current profile measurements through an ELM crash showed current-carrying filaments were generated, as seen in ELM simulations and in electromagnetic blob transport theory.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Computer Simulation of Proton Transport in Fuel Cell Membranes (Final Report)

This DOE-supported research grant focused on understanding the nature of proton transport in complex systems such as proton exchange membranes (PEMs). The most unique aspect of the research was the development and implementation of a novel multiscale reactive molecular dynamics (MS-RMD) methodology. In this approach, covalent bonds can dynamically break and form, allowing one to accurately treat the proton hopping process essential to capturing the physics of proton transport. The Voth group applied this method to proton exchange membrane systems, providing insight into their proton transport mechanism. They found that protons can diffuse most rapidly in the water-rich regions, but that protons actually spend so little time in such regions that transport along the hydrophobic – hydrophilic interface controls the membrane performance. In addition, the group worked to increase understanding of acidic solutions, developing methods for simulating and interpreting experimental infrared vibrational spectroscopy for excess protons (acidic solutions). The group also implemented novel tools for developing proton transport reactive MD models using a relative entropy minimization scheme.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Liquid helium fluid dynamics studies. Final Technical Report

Future high energy physics accelerators depend on a number of advanced technologies to open the many doors of scientific discovery. Among these advanced technologies, superconducting magnets and superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities are the backbone of the accelerator and detector systems. But all these low temperature systems depend critically on successful and reliable operation of their supporting technologies, among which the liquid helium cooling system is of the utmost importance. To improve the quality of these systems both in terms of efficiency and reliability, a robust helium cryogenics research and development (R&D) effort is required. The proposed research to be conducted by the FSU cryogenics group aims to produce fundamental knowledge that meets this R&D need. The projects that we have completed over the past grant period at Florida State University consist of experimental research on liquid helium fluid dynamics and heat transfer problems relevant to the development of future superconducting particle physics accelerators. Liquid helium is the coolant used in all such facilities and in many of these facilities He II (the low temperature phase of liquid helium also known as superfluid helium) is preferred due to its outstanding heat transfer characteristics. The work consists of two main experimental studies that probe both fundamental as well as practical aspects of liquid helium cooling. The first is a broad and fundamental study of the heat and mass transfer processes that can occur during a sudden catastrophic loss of vacuum (SCLV) incident in a superconducting accelerator. SCLV refers to the remote but extremely critical accident scenario where atmospheric pressure air is allowed to flood into the insulating vacuum system and impinge on the liquid helium cooled surfaces in the accelerator. Safe performance and recovery from such accidents is essential to the reliable operation of superconducting accelerators. The dynamics of this process is quite complex and so our approach is to conduct a series of well-orchestrated experiments that probe the various physical phenomena that can occur during an SCLV event. The experiments are coupled with analytic and numerical analysis in an effort to develop a general understanding of the process and to assist with future accelerator design and development. The second activity is directed toward fundamental understanding of heat and mass transfer in He II, which is essential to the design of superconducting magnets and radio frequency cavities in accelerators. The work consists of flow visualization of the dynamics of He II using laser assisted techniques. Two complementary techniques are used to study the fundamentals of the turbulent state. The first technique uses neutrally buoyant solid hydrogen particles to probe the flow fields of the superfluid and normal fluid components. The other technique uses laser excited He2* molecules as tracers of the normal fluid motion within the He II. The activities also included an effort to use visualization techniques to locate transient hot spots in radio frequency superconducting cavities. Such work provides valuable information about the heat transfer process in He II and its impact on the performance of superconducting devices. The research effort at Florida State University is not directly in support of a specific high energy physics experiment or facility. Rather, the work is general and coordinated with HEP accelerator laboratories to provide valuable insight that can assist with future accelerator development.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Nuclear Theory (Final Technical Report)

This Grant spans a period of 29 years. Achievements of the principal investigator for Task A (F. Iachello), and of the principal investigator for Task B (Y. Alhassid) during this period. Because of the large span in years, the achievements of the P.I. are many, both within the realm of Nuclear Physics and in Interdisciplinary subjects (Hadronic Physics, Molecular Physics, Crystal Physics and Mathematical Physics).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Interactions Between Microturbulence and Magnetohydrodynamic Instabilities in Magnetized Plasmas (Final Technical Report)

This document details the work accomplished during the period 04/15/2012-01/31/2020 for the collaborative project “Interactions Between Microturbulence and Magnetohydrodynamic Instabilities in Magnetized Plasmas,” and serves as the final report on the University of California, San Diego part of this collaborative project for Department of Energy Office of Science - Fusion Energy Sciences Grant No. DE- SC0007783. This project focused on the development of analytic and computational tools, seeking to better understand the mutual interactions between small-scale temperature-gradient driven microturbulence and macroscopic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities, particularly tearing modes, in magnetically confined plasmas relevant for the generation of fusion energy. This project advanced understanding through numerical simulations of different sets of model equations, corresponding to different microturbulence instabilities. Questions addressed included how the magnitudes, spatial structures, and scaling's of turbulent forcing's and drags impact magnetic island dynamics, as well as quantifying the “region of influence” of an island on the microturbulence dynamics. A key finding of the project is that the microturbulence fluctuations and associated cross-field particle and energy fluxes exhibit spatial asymmetries for sufficiently large islands. The results have improved our fundamental understanding of plasma dynamics, motivated new experimental investigations, and will help inform future fusion predictive modeling efforts.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗