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At least 289 records · Page 16

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DOE OSTI2015

Seismic design of a nuclear waste repository against an earthquake induced rock shear load - 15346

Concepts for isolation of spent nuclear fuel have been studied by organizations in countries that employ nuclear power. These concepts typically involve a deep geological repository in bedrock, with processed radioactive waste encased in deposition canisters emplaced in underground excavations and surrounded by clay-based buffer. This multi-barrier approach is intended to provide long-term isolation of the waste package from the biosphere. According to many statistics, there is a tendency toward increasing numbers of earthquakes in the Korean peninsula each year. If an earthquake induced rock shear load occurs at a repository site, the engineered barrier system (EBS) can be sheared, resulting in a pressure increased in the buffer material. This is expected to result in damage to the canisters. Therefore, because the damage, which can be fatal to a disposal canister, can be given in case an earthquake occurs, the method protecting the canisters safely is needed. In this paper, 'an earthquake-resistance type buffer' was proposed using a method for protection from earthquake damage. To aid in achieving this objective, we have developed a technique for estimating the behavior of the EBS affected by earthquake induced rock shear using an analysis method, such as finite element method. As a first step, experimental tests are performed for understanding the behavior of the buffer material. Comparing the results of the numerical simulations to the experimental results can be used to verity the reliability of the analysis model. Then we developed the real scale analysis model of a nuclear waste repository. The main parameter having an effect on the earthquake-resistant performance was analyzed and an earthquake-resistance proof type buffer was designed. To improve the earthquake-resistance performance, we designed the buffer by putting the low- density buffer between the canister and buffer. The simulation results show that the earthquake-resistant performance was improved by about 65%. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2022

Universal relation between doping content and normal-state resistance in gate voltage tuned ultrathin Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 + x flakes

We report gate voltage tunable ultra-thin high-T c cuprates supply a unique platform to investigate the electronic phase diagram and superconductor-insulator transition. One of the challenges in this field is the precise determination of the doping content in the underdoped non-superconducting region. Here we report the discovery of a universal relation between the doping content p and the normal-state resistance at a fixed temperature R(T f ), p = α + β ln[1/R(T f )], in the ultra-thin Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+x flakes. The in-depth analysis shows that the evolution of carrier scattering probability with doping content and the change of effective mass caused by superconductor-insulator transition are two key factors leading to this logarithmic relation. Based on our finding, the more precise electronic phase diagram can be established. In addition, the superconductor-insulator transition is verified to be a quantum phase transition using a finite size scaling analysis. The scaling exponent z v is found to have a close correlation with the disorder levels. The present result provides an important foundation to investigate the fascinating electronic states in the ultra-thin cuprates.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2021

Metagenomic analysis reveals global-scale patterns of ocean nutrient limitation

Genomes reveal nutrient stress patterns Within the surface ocean, nitrogen, iron, and phosphorous can all be limiting nutrients for phytoplankton depending on location. Ustick et al. used the prevalence of Prochlorococcus genes involved in nutrient acquisition to develop maps of inferred nutrient stress across the global ocean (see the Perspective by Coleman). They found broad patterns of limitation consistent with an Earth system model and nutrient addition experiments. Leveraging metagenomic data in this manner is an appealing approach that will help to expand our understanding of the biogeochemistry in the vast open ocean. Science , this issue p. 287 ; see also p. 239

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

DOE OSTI2017

Optimizing the Energy Usage and Cognitive Value of Extreme-Scale Data-Analysis Approaches

This report serves as a record that we have successfully completed work on the proposal Optimizing the Energy Usage and Cognitive Value of Extreme Scale Analysis Approaches, or, more succinctly, ECX. This includes successful completion of all three phases of the project, findings as summarized below, strong publications across the fields represented in the proposal, and a set of artifacts (code, websites, and other documentation) available to the public. In total, the results of this project represent significant findings in each domain, and a toolkit that will allow the community to engage with this work, advancing it and contributing to it in the years ahead. They also form the basis for a successfully funded follow-on project. This executive summary presents findings, tools and publications resulting from the ECX project. The balance of the report then provides more detail on these results.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2018

Optimizing the Energy Usage and Cognitive Value of Extreme-Scale Data-Analysis Approaches

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2015

Large-scale compute-intensive analysis via a combined in-situ and co-scheduling workflow approach, In: SC '15 Proceedings of the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis

Large-scale simulations can produce hundreds of terabytes to petabytes of data, complicating and limiting the efficiency of workflows. Traditionally, outputs are stored on the file system and analyzed in post-processing. With the rapidly increasing size and complexity of simulations, this approach faces an uncertain future. Trending techniques consist of performing the analysis in-situ, utilizing the same resources as the simulation, and/or off-loading subsets of the data to a compute-intensive analysis system. We introduce an analysis framework developed for HACC, a cosmological N-body code, that uses both in-situ and co-scheduling approaches for handling petabyte-scale outputs. We compare different analysis set-ups ranging from purely off-line, to purely in-situ to in-situ/co-scheduling. The analysis routines are implemented using the PISTON/VTK-m framework, allowing a single implementation of an algorithm that simultaneously targets a variety of GPU, multi-core, and many-core architectures.

Computer Science↗

DOE OSTI2026

DEMO-FTES: Development, Monitoring, and Control of Fracture Thermal Energy Storage in Crystalline Rock Formations (CRADA Final Report)

The DEMO-FTES project investigated the feasibility of Fracture Thermal Energy Storage (FTES) as a seasonal energy storage solution in crystalline rock formations. FTES leverages hydraulically induced fractures to exchange heat between circulating fluids and the surrounding rock mass, enabling long-term thermal energy retention due to the high specific heat and low thermal conductivity of rock. This approach has the potential to reduce heating and cooling energy demands and enhance building energy resilience. The project combined dimensional analysis, numerical modeling, laboratory experiments, and meso-scale field tests to evaluate FTES performance and advance its technology readiness level from 3 to 5. Scaling analysis identified key dimensionless parameters governing heat transfer and fluid flow, ensuring laboratory and field tests were representative of larger-scale systems. Numerical simulations using TOUGH and iTOUGH2 frameworks supported experiment design and interpretation, modeling fracture geometry, thermal-hydraulic behavior, and thermo-mechanical coupling. Laboratory tests at EPFL involved creating single and multiple fractures in 25 cm cubic samples of Gabbro and Granite under true triaxial stress.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2023

Non-Nuclear Test Facility Development to Support Verification and Validation Needs

This study focuses on developing a non-nuclear test facility to help meet the verification and validation (V&V) requirements of a water-cooled small modular reactor (SMR) system. The scaling analysis necessary for reactor system experimentation and assessment model V&V considers various reactor system accident scenarios such as main steam line break (MSLB), steam generator tube rupture (SGTR), and containment condensation and heat transfer. The goal is to identify key physics based phenomena of interest (POI), specific figures of merit (FOMs), and the state of knowledge (SOK) by employing phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) studies. Important physics phenomena such as heat transfer, fluid dynamics, structural integrity, and material selection must be addressed when scaling a thermal-hydraulics system. Alongside these considerations, modifications to the facility may be needed to align the scaled system with the available footprint (height and space) of the facility. These modifications may include infrastructure upgrades, changes to the piping layout, implementation of safety measures, and installation of new instrumentation and control systems. The test facility aims to provide a scaled-down version of prototypic facilities for comprehensive V&V activities by overcoming these challenges and making the necessary modifications. This approach minimizes scaling distortion, simulates prototypic plant conditions, and accurately models accident event progressions. Thus, the facility will be capable of adequately modeling a scaled SMR system to support the design, development and licensing needs.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2019

Quantum-Hall to Insulator Transition in Ultra-Low-Carrier-Density Topological Insulator Films and a Hidden Phase of the Zeroth Landau Level

A key feature of the topological surface state under a magnetic field is the presence of the zeroth Landau level at the zero energy. Nonetheless, it is challenging to probe the zeroth Landau level due to large electron-hole puddles smearing its energy landscape. Furthermore, by developing ultra-low-carrier density topological insulator Sb 2 Te 3 films, an extreme quantum limit of the topological surface state is reached and a hidden phase at the zeroth Landau level is uncovered. First, an unexpected quantum-Hall-to-insulator-transition near the zeroth Landau level is discovered. Then, through a detailed scaling analysis, it is found that this quantum-Hall-to-insulator-transition belongs to a new universality class, implying that the insulating phase discovered here has a fundamentally different origin from those in nontopological systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2017

Optimizing the Energy Usage and Cognitive Value of Extreme-Scale Data-Analysis Approaches (Final Report)

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2018

4-Hydroxy-tetrahydrodipicolinate reductase from Neisseria gonorrhoeae – structure and interactions with coenzymes and substrate analog

Highlights: • N. gonorrhoeae is an obligate human pathogen which is a leading cause of communicable diseases. • 4-Hydroxy-tetrahydrodipicolinate reductase from N. gonorrhoeae (NgDapB) is a new drug target, and its structure was determined. • ITC we have demonstrated and characterized binding of NADH, NADPH and an inhibitor (2,6-PDC) to NgDapB. • In the case of NgDapB, the ITC results suggest random sequential mechanism for substrate binding. • A large scale analysis of DapBs' sequences revealed that DapBs can be segregated into three distinct groups. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, an obligate human pathogen, is a leading cause of communicable diseases globally. Due to rapid development of drug resistance, the rate of successfully curing gonococcal infections is rapidly decreasing. Hence, research is being directed toward finding alternative drugs or drug targets to help eradicate these infections. 4-Hydroxy-tetrahydrodipicolinate reductase (DapB), an important enzyme in the meso-diaminopimelate pathway, is a promising target for the development of new antibiotics. This manuscript describes the first structure of DapB from N. gonorrhoeae determined at 1.85 Å. This enzyme uses NAD(P)H as cofactor. Details of the interactions of the enzyme with its cofactors and a substrate analog/inhibitor are discussed. A large scale bioinformatics analysis of DapBs' sequences is also described.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2014

Complexity and diffusion of magnetic flux surfaces in anisotropic turbulence

The complexity of magnetic flux surfaces is investigated analytically and numerically in static homogeneous magnetic turbulence. Magnetic surfaces are computed to large distances in magnetic fields derived from a reduced magnetohydrodynamic model. The question addressed is whether one can define magnetic surfaces over large distances when turbulence is present. Using a flux surface spectral analysis, we show that magnetic surfaces become complex at small scales, experiencing an exponential thinning that is quantified here. The computation of a flux surface is of either exponential or nondeterministic polynomial complexity, which has the conceptual implication that global identification of magnetic flux surfaces and flux exchange, e.g., in magnetic reconnection, can be intractable in three dimensions. The coarse-grained large-scale magnetic flux experiences diffusive behavior. The link between the diffusion of the coarse-grained flux and field-line random walk is established explicitly through multiple scale analysis. The Kubo number controls both large and small scale limits. These results have consequences for interpreting processes such as magnetic reconnection and field-line diffusion in astrophysical plasmas.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Strategy for Multi-Scale Single-Phase Flow Coupling

For practical nuclear engineering applications, multi-scale analysis by adopting the combined use of different scale computational tools, such as system thermal-hydraulics and CFD codes is vital when three-dimensional effects play an important role in the evolution of a given transient or accident scenario. The feasibility of coupling low-fidelity systems codes with higher fidelity CFD tools was demonstrated previously under NEAMS by coupling SAS4A/SASSYS-1 with the commercial CFD code STAR-CD and STAR-CCM+. An “adhoc” coupling strategy was implemented. With the advances in numerical techniques and software engineering, such as the availability of PETSc and MOOSE, modernization of existing systems codes or the development of new system code becomes more compelling. MOOSE (Multi-physics Object Oriented Simulation Environment) is a parallel computational framework developed at INL for enabling the solution of complex, fully-implicit multiphysics systems. It has been utilized in many nuclear applications including the system analysis codes RELAP-7 and the SFR module under current NEAMS Reactor Product Line (RPL). This motivates the development of a coupled scheme for MOOSE-based system analysis code and the commercial CFD code STAR-CCM+. STAR-CCM+ is a generalpurpose commercial CFD code using finite volume formulation for the analysis of compressible and incompressible flows and heat transfer, and it is being included in the toolkit of the NEAMS RPL. This investigation is important for the integration between the MOOSE-based system codes and the high-fidelity advanced simulation capabilities developed under the NEAMS RPL.

Hu, R.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Competition between roughness and strength for scale-dependent surfaces

Rocks famously have scale-dependent strength, yet the actual dependence is notoriously hard to measure or incorporate into any theoretical framework. Natural rough surfaces present an opportunity to solve the problem. Surfaces sliding in shear evolve as protrusions collide. These asperities can deform or break, thus creating a new surface shape. In particular, natural surfaces have roughness at all scales as well as scale-dependent strength. Based on a scaling analysis, we have previously suggested that the scale-dependent aspect ratio of steady-state surfaces should be proportional to the scale-dependent shear strain at yield. If true, scale-dependent strength could easily be inferred from natural surfaces. Thus, moving beyond the scaling argument to a rigorous treatment of scale-dependent strength for multiscale rough surfaces in shear is important. However, analytic frameworks for analyzing multiscale problems are challenging, as conventional continuum mechanics typically involves a single value for a material property across scales. Here, in this work, we build on the formalism of Persson (2001) that presents a method to compute contact area for rough surfaces with a prescribed topographic spectrum using a stochastic differential equation. The Persson formalism allows for plastic yield under normal loading of otherwise elastic materials and leaves open the possibility of scale-dependent yield stress. In this study, we pursue this route to develop a theory and numerical results for the yielding of a rough, elastoplastic surface with scale-dependent yield stress. Here, we examine surfaces for which the power spectrum of the topography 𝐶 and yield stress 𝑌 follow power laws as a function of scale 𝜆, such that 𝐶∼𝜆 −𝑚 and 𝑌∼𝜆 −𝑛 , respectively. In this formal treatment of the problem, we focus on surfaces in contact and the resulting yield and do not impose shear. Numerical solutions show that the deviation from the elastic scaling solution is bounded as expected by the prior 1D heuristic scaling argument that anticipates the Hurst exponent as 1−𝑛. We also show that the plasticity is expected to erode the contacts if 𝑚 is lower than 𝑛−3, which corresponds to a Hurst exponent lower than 1−𝑛/2. This result is rigorously sound for 2D, i.e., realistic surfaces, and quantitatively different than the prior scaling argument. The theory now permits a correspondingly quantitative approach to interpreting natural surfaces.

elasticity↗

NASA NTRS2006

Multiscale Analysis of Delamination of Carbon Fiber-Epoxy Laminates with Carbon Nanotubes

A multi-scale analysis is presented to parametrically describe the Mode I delamination of a carbon fiber/epoxy laminate. In the midplane of the laminate, carbon nanotubes are included for the purposes of selectively enhancing the fracture toughness of the laminate. To analyze carbon fiber epoxy carbon nanotube laminate, the multi-scale methodology presented here links a series of parameterizations taken at various length scales ranging from the atomistic through the micromechanical to the structural level. At the atomistic scale molecular dynamics simulations are performed in conjunction with an equivalent continuum approach to develop constitutive properties for representative volume elements of the molecular structure of components of the laminate. The molecular-level constitutive results are then used in the Mori-Tanaka micromechanics to develop bulk properties for the epoxy-carbon nanotube matrix system. In order to demonstrate a possible application of this multi-scale methodology, a double cantilever beam specimen is modeled. An existing analysis is employed which uses discrete springs to model the fiber bridging affect during delamination propagation. In the absence of empirical data or a damage mechanics model describing the effect of CNTs on fracture toughness, several tractions laws are postulated, linking CNT volume fraction to fiber bridging in a DCB specimen. Results from this demonstration are presented in terms of DCB specimen load-displacement responses.

Riddick, Jaret C.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Characterizing the seismic response of a molten salt nuclear reactor

Abstract One Generation IV nuclear reactor, which uses a fluoride salt as a coolant, graphite reflector blocks as a moderator, and circulating buoyant TRISO pebbles as fuel is at an advanced stage of development. To characterize the seismic behavior of components of this reactor, validate numerical models for analysis, and develop recommendations for design, a set of earthquake‐simulator experiments on a scaled model of the reactor vessel and its internals was executed on a six‐degree‐of‐freedom earthquake simulator. The model was seismically isolated at its base using two types of spherical sliding bearings. The scaled model involved representations of the prototype reactor vessel, core barrel, reflector blocks, coolant, and spherical fuel pebbles. The material and geometric properties of different test components were selected based on a dynamic similitude scaling analysis and an approximate length scale of 0.4. Four sets of three‐component earthquake motions were used as inputs for testing. Instrumentation on the test specimen recorded the dynamic responses of the outer vessel, core barrel, and reflector‐block assembly, the hydrodynamic responses (sloshing and hydrodynamic pressure) of the liquid coolant, pebble consolidation under earthquake shaking, and the behavior of the isolation systems. This paper describes the design of the experiments and presents key results from the tests. The dynamic responses of the outer vessel, core barrel, and the reflector blocks revealed that the components responded as a unit for the intense shaking used in the experiments. The sloshing response of the fluid in a thin annulus near the perimeter of the vessel was heavily damped. The change in the packing fraction of the pebble bed under repeated, intense 3D earthquake shaking was less than 3%. Seismically isolating the vessel substantially reduced demands on its internal components.

Engineering↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Workflow to Rapidly Interrogate Multiscale Model Simulation Results Across Multiple Length Scales

Many tools can be used to visualize field and state variables for a single scale analysis so that the influence of relevant mechanisms can be evaluated. Finite element software is often utilized to simulate a unit cell of a material and visualize results at that scale. Material properties can be homogenized from individual constituents and local deformation, damage, and failure mechanisms can be evaluated within the unit cell due to globally applied boundary conditions. Such solutions can produce satisfactory results if a user is only interested in analyzing a single scale. But materials in general contain features across multiple length scales, and assumptions must be made when attempting to account for lower length scale phenomena within a higher length scale model. Multiscale modeling is an attractive means to model materials because detailed material responses can be tracked across multiple disparate length scales while reducing the amount of required assumptions. However, as the complexity of these models increases, a large amount of data can be produced, and data traceability can become increasingly more difficult. Field and state variables, which are naturally dependent on spatial position, may themselves be calculated from one or more lower length scale unit cell models each with their own appropriate field and state variables. The NASA Multiscale Analysis Tool (NASMAT) is one software that can be used to perform a multiscale analysis efficiently and output requested data at all length scales in the analysis. A companion open-source Python software, NASMAT PrePost, can be used to visualize NASMAT model results and rapidly interrogate multiscale data across multiple length scales. This presentation will demonstrate some of the key features of NASMAT PrePost on two multiscale problems by quickly displaying and demonstrating connectivity among multiscale results from large datasets.

Python↗

DOE OSTI2013

Preliminary Scaling and controls Analysis of an FHR-HTSE System Idaho National Laboratory Summer 2013 Final Report

For new nuclear reactor system designs to be approved by regulatory agencies like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the details of system operation must be validated with respect to standards of safety, control, and output. A scaled experiment that replicates certain properties of the system can be used to validate compliance with regulatory standards, while avoiding the prohibitive cost and labor required to develop a fully functional prototype system; therefore, designing such an experiment is of special interest to current efforts to develop hybrid energy systems (HES) that integrate small modular reactors (SMRs), renewable energy systems, and industrial process applications such as hydrogen production and desalination. In addition, a scaled experiment can be an economical method of analyzing the interconnections between HES components and understanding the time constants associated between inter-component energy and information flows. This report discusses the results of a preliminary scaling analysis done for the primary loop of a 300 MWth Fluoride-Salt-Cooled High Temperature Reactor (FHR) that is coupled with a High-Temperature Steam Electrolysis system (HTSE), as well as the basic control logic that governs the primary components and the necessary hardware to achieve optimal functionality. The scaled facility will be a 1 MWth system that uses Dowtherm A as the simulant fluid for Flibe (the coolant of choice for the primary loop of molten salt reactors), and can validate the heat transfer and steady-state operational requirements of the 300 MWth prototype. The scaled facility matches the Prandtl and Reynolds numbers associated with steady-state operation of the FHR-HTSE’s primary loop without having to deal with very high temperatures, flow rates, or power inputs. This will allow the facility to run experiments that analyze various thermophysical and fluid-dynamic properties that characterize reactor operation, such as pressure drops, radial temperature distribution, heat exchanger conditions. The facility also has potential to integrate additional components of the prototype system, such as intermediate thermal-hydraulics loops, real-time grid-demand data, energy storage, and HTSE.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗