Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “buffer analysis”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

ELECTRON PROBE MICROANALYSIS OF IRRADIATED AND 1600°C SAFETY-TESTED AGR-1 TRISO FUEL PARTICLES WITH LOW AND HIGH RETAINED 110MAG

AGR-1 fuel Compact 4-3-3 achieved 18.63% FIMA and was exposed subsequently to a safety test at 1600°C. Two particles, AGR1-433-003 and AGR1-433-007, with measured-to-calculated 110mAg inventories of <22% and 100%, respectively, were selected for comparative electron microprobe analysis to determine whether the distribution or abundance of fission products differed proximally and distally from the deformed kernel in AGR1-433-003, and how this compared to fission product distribution in AGR1-433-007. On the deformed side of AGR1-433-003, Xe, Cs, I, Eu, Sr, and Te concentrations in the kernel buffer interface near the protruded kernel were up to six times higher than on the opposite, non-deformed side. At the SiC-inner pyrolytic carbon (IPyC) interface proximal to the deformed kernel, Pd and Ag concentrations were 1.2 wt% and 0.04 wt% respectively, whereas on the SiC-IPyC interface distal from the kernel deformation those elements measured 0.4 and 0.01 wt%, respectively. Palladium and Ag concentrations at the SiC-IPyC interface of AGR1-433-007 were 2.05 and 0.05 wt.%, respectively. Rare earth element concentrations at the SiC-IPyC interface of AGR1-433-007 were a factor of ten higher than at the SiC-IPyC interfaces measured in particle AGR1-433-003. Palladium permeated the SiC layer of AGR1-433-007 and the non-deformed SiC layer of AGR1-433-003.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analysis of controls for integrated energy storage system in energy arbitrage configuration with concrete thermal energy storage

Novel highly detailed NuScale reactor and turbo-generator models have been built in Modelica to analyze potential controls for an integrated energy system (IES) configuration combining a nuclear reactor and concrete thermal energy storage (CTES) operating in energy arbitrage. A shakedown test demonstrates the viability of the control schemes to operate across expected operating conditions while maintaining safety limits and buffers. A five-day data set from Idaho is used to show a load-following application of this system that increases the average reactor power level by 20% over the data set and matching demand at nearly all points. Here, by integrating these models, feedback mechanisms across the primary and secondary sides of the nuclear reactor are integrated, and realistic control evaluation is done. All models are consistent with the Hybrid repository, a suite of Modelica models, maintained at Idaho National Laboratory.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Analysis of styrene maleic acid alternating copolymer supramolecular assemblies in solution by small angle X-ray scattering

Over the past decade, Styrene Maleic Acid alternating copolymers (SMA) have gained interest as an alternative to detergent solubilization for the isolation of integral membrane proteins. The formation of SMA lipid particles (SMALPs) presents a novel opportunity to isolate the proximal membrane environment, encompassing and throughout membrane proteins in vitro. Neither the organization or structure of SMAs in an aqueous buffer nor the mechanism by which SMA transforms the membrane bilayer into a SMALP is known. This study investigates the shape and size of diverse SMA polymer complexes/aggregates in solution at various pH, ionic strength, SMA concentration and temperature, analyzed by small angle X-ray scattering. It is clear that SMAs of differing physicochemical properties (styrene to maleic acid ratio, length of copolymer fragments and functionalization) display highly variable sizes/shapes in solution over a range of environmental conditions. The SMA supramolecular aggregates exhibit similar prolate ellipsoidal geometry of varying size, dependent on the degree of hydrophobicity of the SMA copolymer. At elevated temperature, particles composed of SMAs enriched in styrene increase in both radius of gyration and maximum particle diameter. Interestingly, we observe a correlation between the SMALP dimensions and that of native membranes. Future work will investigate if there may be a complimentary relationship between SMA aggregate dimensions and bilayer thickness (and/or protein transmembrane domain thickness), similar to what has been observed for tandem facial amphiphiles.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

In-situ investigation of thermal instabilities and solid state dewetting in polycrystalline platinum thin films via confocal laser microscopy

Solid state dewetting and the subsequent morphological changes for platinum thin films grown on zinc oxide (ZnO) buffered (001) silicon substrates (Pt/ZnO/SiO{sub 2}/(001)Si system) is investigated under vacuum conditions via a custom-designed confocal laser microscope coupled with a laser heating system. Live imaging of thin film dewetting under a range of heating and quenching vacuum ambients reveals events including hillock formation, hole formation, and hole growth that lead to formation of a network of Pt ligaments, break up of Pt ligaments to individual islands and subsequent Pt islands shape reformation, in chronological fashion. These findings are corroborated by ex-situ materials characterization and quantitative electron microscopy analysis. A secondary hole formation via blistering before film rupture is revealed to be the critical stage, after which a rapid dewetting catastrophe occurs. This process is instantaneous and cannot be captured by ex-situ methods. Finally, an intermetallic phase forms at 900 °C and alters the morphology of Pt islands, suggesting a practical limit to the thermal environments that may be used for these platinized silicon wafers in vacuum conditions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Berkeley Screen: a set of 96 solutions for general macromolecular crystallization

Using statistical analysis of the Biological Macromolecular Crystallization Database, combined with previous knowledge about crystallization reagents, a crystallization screen called the Berkeley Screen has been created. Correlating crystallization conditions and high-resolution protein structures, it is possible to better understand the influence that a particular solution has on protein crystal formation. Ions and small molecules such as buffers and precipitants used in crystallization experiments were identified in electron density maps, highlighting the role of these chemicals in protein crystal packing. The Berkeley Screen has been extensively used to crystallize target proteins from the Joint BioEnergy Institute and the Collaborative Crystallography program at the Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, contributing to several Protein Data Bank entries and related publications. The Berkeley Screen provides the crystallographic community with an efficient set of solutions for general macromolecular crystallization trials, offering a valuable alternative to the existing commercially available screens. The Berkeley Screen provides an efficient set of solutions for general macromolecular crystallization trials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hydraulic architecture explains species moisture dependency but not mortality rates across a tropical rainfall gradient

Aim Intensified droughts are affecting tropical forests across the globe. However, the underlying mechanisms of tree drought response and mortality are poorly understood. Hydraulic traits and especially hydraulic safety margins (HSMs), i.e. the extent to which plants buffer themselves from thresholds of water stress, provide insights into species-specific drought vulnerability. Methods We investigated hydraulic traits during an intense drought triggered by the 2015-2016 El Niño on 27 canopy trees across three tropical forest sites with differing precipitation. We capitalized on the drought event as a time when plant water status might approach or exceed thresholds of water stress. We investigated the degree to which these traits varied across the rainfall gradient, as well as relationships amongst hydraulic traits and species-specific optimal moisture and mortality rates. Results There were no differences among sites for any measured trait. There was strong coordination among traits, with a network analysis revealing two major groups of coordinated traits. In one group there were water potentials, turgor loss point, sapwood capacitance and density, HSMs, and mortality rate. In the second group there was leaf mass per area, leaf dry matter content, hydraulic architecture (leaf area to sapwood area ratio), and species-specific optimal moisture. Conclusion These results demonstrated that while species with greater safety from turgor loss had lower mortality rates, hydraulic architecture was the only trait that explained species’ moisture dependency. Species with a greater leaf area to sapwood area ratio were associated with drier sites and reduced their transpirational demand during the dry season via deciduousness.

Hydraulic Saftey Margins, drought, tropical forest↗
DOE OSTI2016

Evaporation Of Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Direct Feed Low Activity Waste Effluent Management Facility Core Simulant

The Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Low Activity Waste (LAW) vitrification facility will generate an aqueous condensate recycle stream (LAW Melter Off-Gas Condensate, LMOGC) from the off-gas system. The baseline plan for disposition of this stream during full WTP operations is to send it to the WTP Pretreatment Facility, where it will be blended with LAW, concentrated by evaporation, and recycled to the LAW vitrification facility. However, during the Direct Feed LAW (DFLAW) scenario, planned disposition of this stream is to evaporate it in a new evaporator, in the Effluent Management Facility (EMF), and then return it to the LAW melter. It is important to understand the composition of the effluents from the melter and new evaporator, so that the disposition of these streams can be accurately planned and accommodated. Furthermore, alternate disposition of the LMOGC stream would eliminate recycling of problematic components, and would reduce the need for closely integrated operation of the LAW melter and the Pretreatment Facilities. Long-term implementation of this option after WTP start-up would decrease the LAW vitrification mission duration and quantity of glass waste, amongst the other operational complexities such a recycle stream presents. In order to accurately plan for the disposition path, it is key to experimentally determine the fate of contaminants. To do this, testing is needed to accurately account for the buffering chemistry of the components, determine the achievable evaporation end point, identify insoluble solids that form, and determine the distribution of key regulatory-impacting constituents. The LAW Melter Off-Gas Condensate stream will contain components that are volatile at melter temperatures, have limited solubility in the glass waste form, and represent a materials corrosion concern, such as halides and sulfate. Because this stream will recycle within WTP, these components will accumulate in the Melter Condensate stream, exacerbating their impact on the number of LAW glass containers that must be produced. Diverting the stream reduces the halides and sulfates in the recycled Condensate and is a key outcome of this work. This overall program examines the potential treatment and immobilization of this stream to enable alternative disposal. The objective of this task was to demonstrate evaporation of a simulant of the LAW Melter Off-gas Condensate expected during DFLAW operations, in order to predict the composition of the effluents from the EMF evaporator to aid in planning for their disposition. This document describes the results of that test using the core simulant. This simulant formulation is designated as the “core simulant”; other additives will be included for specific testing, such as volatiles for evaporation or hazardous metals for measuring leaching properties of waste forms. The results indicate that the simulant can easily be concentrated via evaporation. During that the pH adjustment step in simulant preparation, ammonium is quickly converted to ammonia, and most of the ammonia was stripped from the simulated waste and partitioned to the condensate. Additionally, it was found that after concentrating (>12x) and cooling that a small amount of LiF and Na 3 (SO 4 )F precipitate out of solution. With the exception of ammonia, analysis of the condensate indicated very low to below detectable levels of many of the constituents in the simulant, yielding very high decontamination factors (DF).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Coordination and redox interactions of β-lactam antibiotics with Cu2+ in physiological settings and the impact on antibacterial activity

An increase in the copper pool in body fluids has been related to a number of pathological conditions, including infections. Copper ions may affect antibiotics via the formation of coordination bonds and/or redox reactions. Herein, we analyzed the interactions of Cu2+ with eight β-lactam antibiotics using UV–Vis spectrophotometry, EPR spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods. Penicillin G did not show any detectable interactions with Cu2+. Ampicillin, amoxicillin and cephalexin formed stable colored complexes with octahedral coordination environment of Cu2+ with tetragonal distortion, and primary amine group as the site of coordinate bond formation. These β-lactams increased the solubility of Cu2+ in the phosphate buffer. Ceftazidime and Cu2+ formed a complex with a similar geometry and gave rise to an organic radical. Ceftriaxone-Cu2+ complex appears to exhibit different geometry. All complexes showed 1:1 stoichiometry. Cefaclor reduced Cu2+ to Cu1+ that further reacted with molecular oxygen to produce hydrogen peroxide. Finally, meropenem underwent degradation in the presence of copper. The analysis of activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus showed that the effects of meropenem, amoxicillin, ampicillin, and ceftriaxone were significantly hindered in the presence of copper ions. The interactions with copper ions should be taken into account regarding the problem of antibiotic resistance and in the selection of the most efficient antimicrobial therapy for patients with altered copper homeostasis. © 2018 Elsevier Inc.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Preparation and characterization of electrodeposited cobalt nanowires

Electrochemical deposition technique has been used to deposit cobalt nanowires into the nano sized channels of Anodized Aluminium Oxide (AAO) templates. CoCl{sub 2}Ðœ‡6H2O salt solution was used, which was buffered with H{sub 3}BO{sub 3} and acidified by dilute H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} to increase the plating life and control pH of the solution. Thin film of copper around 150 nm thick on one side of AAO template coated by e-beam evaporation system served as cathode to create electrical contact. FESEM analysis shows that the as-deposited nanowires are highly aligned, parallel to one another and have high aspect ratio with a reasonably high pore-filing factor. The TEM results show that electrodeposited cobalt nanowires are crystalline in nature. The Hysteresis loop shows the magnetization properties for in and out of plane configuration. The in plane saturation magnetization (Ms) is lower than out of plane configuration because of the easy axis of magnetization is perpendicular to nanowire axis. These magnetic nanowires could be utilized for applications such as spintronic devices, high density magnetic storage, and magnetic sensor applications.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Experiments and Analyses of Data Transfers Over Wide-Area Dedicated Connections

Dedicated wide-area network connections are increasingly employed in high-performance computing and big data scenarios. One might expect the performance and dynamics of data transfers over such connections to be easy to analyze due to the lack of competing traffic. However, non-linear transport dynamics and end-system complexities (e.g., multi-core hosts and distributed filesystems) can in fact make analysis surprisingly challenging. We present extensive measurements of memory-to-memory and disk-to-disk file transfers over 10 Gbps physical and emulated connections with 0–366 ms round trip times (RTTs). For memory-to-memory transfers, profiles of both TCP and UDT throughput as a function of RTT show concave and convex regions; large buffer sizes and more parallel flows lead to wider concave regions, which are highly desirable. TCP and UDT both also display complex throughput dynamics, as indicated by their Poincare maps and Lyapunov exponents. For disk-to-disk transfers, we determine that high throughput can be achieved via a combination of parallel I/O threads, parallel network threads, and direct I/O mode. Our measurements also show that Lustre filesystems can be mounted over long-haul connections using LNet routers, although challenges remain in jointly optimizing file I/O and transport method parameters to achieve peak throughput.

Rao, Nageswara S.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Genomic mechanisms of climate adaptation in polyploid bioenergy switchgrass

Long-term climate change and periodic environmental extremes threaten food and fuel security and global crop productivity. Although molecular and adaptive breeding strategies can buffer the effects of climatic stress and improve crop resilience, these approaches require sufficient knowledge of the genes that underlie productivity and adaptation—knowledge that has been limited to a small number of well-studied model systems. Here we present the assembly and annotation of the large and complex genome of the polyploid bioenergy crop switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ). Analysis of biomass and survival among 732 resequenced genotypes, which were grown across 10 common gardens that span 1,800 km of latitude, jointly revealed extensive genomic evidence of climate adaptation. Climate–gene–biomass associations were abundant but varied considerably among deeply diverged gene pools. Furthermore, we found that gene flow accelerated climate adaptation during the postglacial colonization of northern habitats through introgression of alleles from a pre-adapted northern gene pool. The polyploid nature of switchgrass also enhanced adaptive potential through the fractionation of gene function, as there was an increased level of heritable genetic diversity on the nondominant subgenome. In addition to investigating patterns of climate adaptation, the genome resources and gene–trait associations developed here provide breeders with the necessary tools to increase switchgrass yield for the sustainable production of bioenergy.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electrochemical stability, physical, and electronic properties of thermally pre-formed oxide compared to artificially sputtered oxide on Fe thin films in aqueous chloride

Here the electrochemical stability and corrosion behavior of the thermally pre-oxidized and sputter deposited variant of an oxide single-crystalline Fe thin film were compared. Thermal oxides formed Fe 2 O 3 over an inner layer of Fe 3 O 4 while the sputtered oxides were found to have grown Fe 3 O 4 instead of the target stoichiometry of Fe 2 O 3 . Oxide films of both types were stable in pH=9.3 borate buffer solution, however, were altered in pH=9.3, 0.1 M NaCl solution in the case of thermally pre-oxidized Fe thin film. The stability of the oxide differed in pH=4, 0.1 M NaCl where sputtered Fe films were more stable against acidic chemical dissolution than the thermally formed Fe oxide film. These differences were traced by AC/DC electrochemical analysis including electronic defect densities, and molecular identity characterized by ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

A Study of autunite dissolution in the presence of Shewanella oneidensis MR1 and different bicarbonate concentrations - 15736

Remediation of uranium at Hanford Site 300 area via tripolyphosphate injections could sequester uranium (VI) in an insoluble form, creating different types of uranium phosphate minerals like autunite. The factors that influence the dissolution of such minerals come into question. Bacteria can play a significant role in the dissolution of minerals and the formation of secondary minerals. Formed autunite, as a phosphorus-containing mineral, can attract bacteria to liberate phosphorus, meeting their nutrient requirements and causing uranium release back into the environment. Previous studies have been conducted under aerobic conditions. This research was extended to investigate the stability of the autunite mineral under anaerobic conditions pertaining to the Hanford Site, and to study the effect of facultative anaerobic bacteria on the uranium (VI) release from autunite. Objectives: - Evaluate bacterial interactions with uranium (VI) by focusing on facultative anaerobic bacteria, Shewanella Oneidensis MR1. - Study the effect of bacteria on the dissolution of the uranyl phosphate solid phases created as a result of sodium tripolyphosphate injections into the subsurface at the Hanford 300 Area. - Evaluate the role of anaerobic bacteria as one of the factors affecting the outcome of environmental remediation. Experimental Approach: - 16 crimp-sealed bottles were prepared with 50 ml of media solution and 90 mg (4.4 mM of uranium VI) Ca-autunite mineral obtained from Hanford site. Bottles were inoculated with Shewanella Oneidensis MR1 strains when autunite was equilibrated with the media solutions. Bacteria was obtained from Pacific Northwestern National Laboratory (PNNL). - Solution media preparation: 20 mM NaHepes buffer: pH=7, 10 mM Lactate plus bicarbonate in four concentrations (0, 3, 5 and 10 of KHCO{sub 3}) and a bacteria-free control. Samples were taken from the supernatant solutions of the experimental and control bottles. Wet and dry digestion was performed until a white solid residue was acquired. Dilution was made on solid samples for KPA analysis to determine concentration of U (VI) as function of time. The results suggests that in the absence of HCO{sub 3}{sup -} there was a decrease in the of uranium (VI) concentration due to metal reducing bacteria Shewanella Oneidensis MR1, but for higher concentrations of HCO{sub 3}{sup -}, there is no significant difference in uranium (VI) reduction before and after inoculation with bacteria. - Although bottles were sealed, there is an hypothesis that it was oxygen restricted but not strictly performed under anaerobic conditions. For that matter there is a reason to repeat the experiment using the glove box to understand the uranium (VI) reduction mechanism and behavior of bacteria with oxic/anoxic interfaces. Conclusions: - Higher bicarbonate concentrations might interfere with uranium (VI) reduction by anaerobic bacteria. - It is necessary to reduce time of sampling before the inoculation and prolong sampling time after inoculation. - It might be necessary to increase concentration of lactate. Future Work: - Conduct experiment in strictly anaerobic conditions by using the glove box and evaluate if further reduction of uranium (VI) is obtained in the presence of carbonates (HCO{sub 3}{sup -}). - Finalize analysis of calcium and phosphorous via ICP instrument.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Association of residential greenness with obesity and physical activity in a US cohort of women

Highlights: • Women living in greener neighborhoods were less obese, and had higher activity levels. • Similar association observed in urban and rural areas. • Physical activity was an important mediator of association between greenness and obesity. There is evidence of several health benefits associated with neighborhood greenness, but reasons for this are unclear. Studies have found that those who live in greener neighborhoods are more physically active, and have lower rates of obesity. Relatively few studies have attempted to characterize associations between greenness and both obesity and physical activity concurrently, or among women who are at higher risk of developing cancer and for whom physical activity may be important for primary prevention. To address these gaps, we undertook a cross-sectional analysis of data from 50,884 women who enrolled in the Sister Study between 2003 and 2009. This cohort includes women aged 35–74 whose sister had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Residential measures of greenness were determined using the US National Land Cover database. Logistic regression was used to characterize associations between greenness, obesity, and physical activity. Adjustments were made for other possible confounders. Women who lived in areas with the highest tertile of greenness (based on a 500 m buffer) had a reduced risk of obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30) relative to those in the lowest tertile (odds ratio (OR) = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.79–0.87). We also found that those the upper tertile of greenness were 17% more likely to expend more than 67.1 metabolic equivalent (MET) hours per week when compared to those in the lowest tertile (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.10–1.23). Beneficial associations between greenness and both obesity and physical activity were observed in urban and rural areas, and regionally, stronger associations were observed in the western census region in the US. Mediation analyses indicated that physical activity attenuated the association between greenness and obesity by 32%. Our findings indicate that, amongst US adult women at higher risks of breast cancer, residential proximity to greenness may help mitigate against sedentary behaviors that increase the risk of chronic disease.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Energy savings and life cycle cost analysis of advanced double skin facade system applied to old apartments in South Korea

South Korea is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, and the population density in urban areas is much higher among others. Apartments are the most common form of residential buildings due to their high population density. More than 60% of domestic residential buildings are apartments, with more than 10 million households. The high population density is a problem that has long plagued South Korea because more than 45% of apartments are old apartments that are more than 20 years old. Old apartment buildings have low thermal performance that results in lots of energy consumption. Balconies, which worked as a thermal buffer, are also being removed by residents to expand indoor space. According to the green remodeling project supported by the Korean government, the typical retrofitting method is replacing external windows with the high-efficiency window in old apartments in South Korea. Here, this paper proposes a retrofitting method using an extended double-skin façade (DSF) system that replaces exterior windows and acts as a thermal buffer. The simulation model is developed with the EnergyPlus simulation program to conduct energy performance analyses. The simulation model has been calibrated using actual experimental data collected between October 1, 2019, and January 15, 2020. Results show that the cooling, heating, and lighting energy can be reduced up to 44.1% by fully utilizing electric energy generated by solar PV panels integrated with the DSF system. The payback period is about 15 years based on the energy price provided by the utility company. Although the payback period is long, it has great potential of energy savings and CO 2 emission reductions. The DSF system should be considered as a way of renovation, considering other factors such as increased real estate values and energy cost increases in the future.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Next Generation System Analysis Model: Recently Added Features and Future Plans

To better enable informed decision-making regarding the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle, the Integrated Waste Management System (IWMS) program within the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) has been sponsoring the development and application of system analysis tools capable of analyzing various system options for the management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW).With these tools, IWMS architecture analyses are being conducted to support the future deployment of a comprehensive nuclear waste management system that considers all major back-end aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle (i.e., transportation, storage, and disposal). The Next Generation System Analysis Model (NGSAM) is an agent-based simulation software tool expressly designed to be capable of modeling features within various IWMS architectures. NGSAM imports data from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)’s unified database (e.g., historic assembly information, thermal profiles for assembly heat, and at-reactor dry storage loadings) to ensure that each simulation initializes with a realistic representation of the state of commercial SNF in the U.S. Recent major enhancements implemented into NGSAM in the period since NGSAM was last presented at the WM2019 conference include: • Tracking of railroad escort car acquisition and buffer car acquisition • The addition of heavy haul truck (HHT) and barge routes for some sites, as well as support for user-defined inter-modal routes • Updates to the logic that checks the transportation cask thermal limit maps prior to package transport • An allocation method that predicts when reactor sites would pack assemblies from their spent fuel pools for dry storage, and prioritizes shipments directly from the pools of those reactor sites in the preceding periods (before the predicted loadings to dry storage), thus reducing the number of casks loaded into dry storage at reactor sites • The addition of “reactor site family” operational limits to restrict the number of loads of SNF taken from the pool and from dry storage at a given reactor site each year • Added support for multiple canister loading map options and packages with multiple compatible transportation overpacks • Updates to the handling of non-commercial SNF, including a new database that contains data to support the updates • Updates to allow analysis of hypothetical scenarios which include repackaging at reactor sites, e.g., for possible comparative analysis with other scenarios • Implementation of additional output reports, or modification of existing ones • The ability to generate and implement user edits via the NGSAM website • The ability to model loading SNF from pool storage at an interim storage facility (ISF) into dry storage at the ISF • The ability to model consolidating SNF from different existing storage containers at a DOE site into the same DOE standard canister • The ability to model transferring SNF casks from one transportation mode to another, e.g., from HHT to rail, referred to as transloading. These new features have improved NGSAM capabilities and users’ experience with the model. Preliminary NGSAM requirements for modeling advanced reactor fuels, reprocessing, treatment, and conditioning were considered, and this paper describes them at a high level. Other nuclear fuel cycle system analysis tools developed under sponsorship of DOE-NE, like the VISION code developed at Idaho National Laboratory, might be better suited for initial high-level analysis of those technologies and advanced fuel cycles. As technologies are developed and system concepts evolve, NGSAM could provide value by providing more detailed modeling of transport, storage, and disposal of spent fuel and wastes from advanced reactors and advanced fuel cycles at the fuel element and waste container level.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Commissioning of the Mu2e tracker DAQ, planning for the Vertical Slice Test and pre-pattern recognition studies

The primary objective of the Mu2e experiment at Fermilab is to search for the neutrino-less coherent $\mu \rightarrow e$ conversion in the field of an aluminum nucleus ($\mu^- \text{Al} \rightarrow e^- \text{Al}$). The signature of this process is a monochromatic Conversion Electron (CE) with an energy of approximately 104.97 MeV \cite{bartoszek2015mu2e}. Within the Standard Model (SM), the branching ratio for this process, including neutrino masses and oscillation, is expected to be less than $\mathcal{O}(10^{-50})$. This value is far beyond current experimental capabilities. However, models of physics beyond the SM predict much higher relative rates, approaching an observable level. The SINDRUM II experiment set an upper limit on muon conversion at $7 \times 10^{-13}$ (90\% CL) on Au target \cite{SINDRUMII:2006dvw}, and the Mu2e collaboration aims to improve this limit by four orders of magnitude. Observing this process would provide a clear evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model. A brief discussion of the theoretical and experimental aspects is provided in Chapter \ref{intr}. Mu2e adopts a sophisticated experimental setup to achieve its goals, further described in Chapter \ref{mu2echapter}. The central part of the Mu2e detector is the tracker, that consists of 18 tracking stations. The tracker must provide excellent momentum resolution, approximately 1 MeV/c, to distinguish the monochromatic CE signal from the background. To minimize the energy losses, a straw tube tracker will be used \cite{bobbb}. Chapter \ref{chaptertrk} provides an overview of the straw tracker design and its working principles. This Thesis presents a comprehensive study of the Mu2e tracker, covering complementary aspects from initial commissioning to optimization and first steps of the calibration processes. My work at Fermilab has been focused on the complete Data Acquisition (DAQ) testing from both hardware and software perspectives. I was involved in the commissioning of the Mu2e DAQ system and the Vertical Slice Test (VST) of the tracker. The VST encompasses the entire testing chain, from the straws to the readout, and to processed data on disk. I was also focused on the offline analysis, especially on pre-pattern recognition studies, to explore the best methods for identifying $\delta$-electrons during the data taking. Chapter \ref{commissioning} details the commissioning of the tracker DAQ system, emphasizing the importance of understanding of the readout process before the data acquisition. This includes validating the readout logic and firmware through Monte Carlo simulations to confirm functionality and buffering, monitoring the quality of the data from the tracker preamplifiers and front-end electronics, and assessing overall DAQ performance to ensure reliability during future calibration and data-taking. Chapter \ref{planning} discusses the initial steps towards the tracker calibration. The ultimate goal is to perform a time calibration of the first assembled station of the tracker using cosmic muons, aiming for a longitudinal hit position resolution better than 4 cm. This involves determining the signal propagation times and channel-to-channel delays. I performed a Monte Carlo study to determine the impact of the station orientation on the quality of the calibration, in particular on the cosmic track reconstruction, focusing on potential biases that could arise. These studies provide essential insights into the operation, optimization, and calibration of the Mu2e tracker system. Given the high data volume expected during Mu2e operations, estimated at approximately 7 PBytes per year, optimizing memory usage and minimizing CPU consumption are critical. A significant challenge lies in effectively flagging $\delta$-electron hits, which are the primary source of hits in the tracker, without compromising the efficiency of CE hit detection and track reconstruction. A detailed study of pre-pattern recognition and a thorough comparison of two $\delta$-electron flagging algorithms is provided in Chapter \ref{delta}. In Chapter \ref{conclusions}, the findings are concisely summarized, offering a comprehensive synthesis of the research and emphasizing the key insights derived from this study.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗