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

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Coral Gardens Reef, Belize: A refugium in the face of Caribbean-wide Acropora spp. coral decline

Caribbean Acropora spp. corals have undergone a decline in cover since the second half of the twentieth century. Loss of these architecturally complex and fast-growing corals has resulted in significant, cascading changes to the character, diversity, and available ecospaces of Caribbean reefs. Few thriving Acropora spp. populations exist today in the Caribbean and western North Atlantic seas, and our limited ability to access data from reefs assessed via long-term monitoring efforts means that reef scientists are challenged to determine resilience and longevity of existing Acropora spp. reefs. Here we used multiple dating methods to measure reef longevity and determine whether Coral Gardens Reef, Belize, is a refuge for Acropora cervicornis against the backdrop of wider Caribbean decline. We used a new genetic-aging technique to identify sample sites, and radiocarbon and high-precision uranium-thorium (U-Th) dating techniques to test whether one of the largest populations of extant A. cervicornis in the western Caribbean is newly established after the 1980s, or represents a longer-lived, stable population. We did so with respect for ethical sampling of a threatened species. Our data show corals ranging in age from 1910 ( 14 C) or 1915 ( 230 Th) to at least November 2019. While we cannot exclude the possibility of short gaps in the residence of A. cervicornis earlier in the record, the data show consistent and sustained living coral throughout the 1980s and up to at least 2019. We suggest that Coral Gardens has served as a refuge for A. cervicornis and that identifying other, similar sites may be critical to efforts to grow, preserve, conserve, and seed besieged Caribbean reefs.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

TCCR Operational Summary and Optimization for Tank 9 Processing - 20314

Savannah River Remediation (SRR) manages and operates the liquid waste facilities at Savannah River Site (SRS) for the Department of Energy (DOE). Stored liquid waste is a complex mixture of insoluble solids (sludge) and soluble salts in an alkaline solution. SRR has deployed the Tank Closure Cesium Removal (TCCR) system, a tank-side ion exchange process, to remove radioactive cesium from salt waste and enable onsite disposal of the resulting decontaminated salt solution as low-level waste at the Saltstone facilities. The TCCR system consists of two prefilters, four ion exchange (IX) columns, one resin trap, and a ventilation system. The IX process uses a form of inorganic crystalline silicotitanate (CST), which has a high affinity for cesium and other alkali metals, strontium, and actinides. This process is currently deployed utilizing salt feed from Tank 10, with future plans to dissolve solid salt in Tank 9 and transfer the salt solution to Tank 10 for processing through TCCR. The feed for TCCR must be created from salt-cake in Tank 10 through a dissolution process. Once enough salt has been dissolved, a qualification process is entered. This process characterizes the feed and ensures the cesium loading on the columns will not cause boiling of waste within the columns during or after processing. Once the batch has been qualified, salt waste is fed to the TCCR system through a transfer pump in the center of the tank. The waste is filtered through a set of two shielded, dead-end prefilters that prevent solids buildup in the columns. The filtered salt solution then travels to the shielded IX columns, which can be operated individually or in series, where the cesium is sorbed on the CST media. The decontaminated salt solution (DSS) then travels through a resin trap and out of the module to Tank 11. TCCR has successfully processed approximately 795,000 L of Tank 10H radioactive salt waste over two batches to date. There has not yet been a system induced shutdown. The prefilters performed as expected with only minor degradation in recovery of differential pressure after a backflush sequence. The time between backflushes decreased as each batch reached the end of processing. The hydraulics in the IXCs mostly performed as expected at all flow rates, except for one IXC that will be further investigated during Batch 3 processing. The TCCR system has shown some opportunities for more efficient processing during the length of the demonstration so far. For future processing of material from Tank 9H through Tank 10H and the TCCR unit, TCCR 1A will implement changes to the prefilters and the IXCs. The prefilters will have an increased surface area and a new filter media in an effort to increase time between filter swaps and improve backwashing cleaning capability. The IXCs will have a reduced diameter to allow for increased heat transfer out of the column and increased loading of Cs-137. Additionally, a new form of CST with an increased kinetic performance is being investigated for use during TCCR 1A operation. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2026

Assessment of Molybdate Based Corrosion Inhibitor for use at the Savannah River Tank Farm Cooling Water System

The Savannah River Site (SRS) has relied on 51 underground storage tanks, many dating back to the 1950s, to store radioactive liquid waste generated from nuclear processing and radionuclide production. These tanks use carbon steel cooling coils, cooled by soft, acidic water, to dissipate the decayed heat produced by radioactive waste. For decades, following historical industry practices, chromate has been added to the cooling water (~450 ppm at pH 9-11) to effectively inhibit corrosion, ensuring cooling coil longevity. Inspections of failed coils reveal that chromate-treated surfaces are generally well-preserved.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1986

Cosmogenic nuclei

Cosmogenic nuclei, nuclides formed by nuclear interactions of galactic and solar cosmic rays with extraterrestrial or terrestrial matter are discussed. Long lived radioactive cosmogenic isotopes are focused upon. Their uses in dating, as tracers of the interactions of cosmic rays with matter, and in obtaining information on the variation of primary cosmic ray flux in the past are discussed.

Raisbeck, G. M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Phosphate (U-Th)/He Thermochronology of Apollo 14 Melt Breccia 14311

Our ability to confidently characterize the impact history of the inner solar system is limited by discrepancies in radiometric dates and age interpretations for lunar rocks, impact melts, and recovered meteorites. It is therefore important to explore different thermally sensitive radiometric systems to unravel the timing and extent of the long term impact flux. Low-temperature thermochronology of lunar samples has the potential to provide more complementary geochronological datasets and further test dynamical models related to the evolution of the inner solar system (e.g., [1]). (U-Th)/He dating is based on the production of 4He atoms by radioactive alpha decay of U and Th (and to a lesser extent, Sm) in a crystal and the thermally activated volumetric diffusion of those 4He nuclides. At high temperatures, the crystal is an open system from which 4He can escape; at lower temperatures, 4He may be retained. This retention temperature depends on factors such as crystal structure and volume fraction of radiation damage in the crystal (e.g., [2, 3]), but is significantly lower for phosphate minerals compared to the diffusion of the radiogenic daughter products in other widely used chronometric systems (e.g., ~75°C in terrestrial apatite (U-Th)/He vs. ~500°C in apatite U-Th-Pb vs. ~900°C in zircon U-Th-Pb chronometry). Phosphate (U-Th)/He dating has been used to decipher peak temperatures and cooling rates related to terrestrial impact events (e.g., [4]). Pairing a low-temperature thermochronometer with higher-temperature approaches (i.e., a combined 207Pb-206Pb and (U-Th)/He approach), can therefore resolve multiple impact ages within a given sample or even grain. However, despite its potential, phosphate (U-Th)/He dating has not been reported on any lunar samples. Here we present the first lunar phosphate (U-Th)/He thermochronology on an Apollo 14 impact melt-breccia.

C A Diaz↗
DOE OSTI2024

Analysis of Tank 38H (HTF-38-23-95, -96) and Tank 43H (HTF-43-23-93, -94) Samples for Support of the Enrichment Control and Corrosion Control Programs

Savannah River National Laboratory analyzed samples from Tank 38H and Tank 43H to support Enrichment Control Program (ECP) and Corrosion Control Program (CCP). The results indicate the concentrations of most soluble species in the Tank 38H surface sample increased significantly from the previous Tank 38H surface sample. The current Tank 38H subsurface sample shows similar Na, free hydroxide, and anions versus the previous subsurface sample. However, the 38H subsurface sample shows higher concentrations of Al, Ca, Fe, Mn, and Si vs. the previous Tank 38H subsurface sample. The current Tank 38H subsurface sample contained visible sludge solids in excess of the previous sample based on visual appearance. Weight percent solids measurements indicate presence of 3.0 ± 0.1 wt.% insoluble solids in the Tank 38H subsurface sample. The significant differences in the concentrations of major components between the Tank 38H surface and subsurface samples indicate significant stratification of solution species between these two locations within the Tank 38H. Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) personnel indicated that there were no tank-to-tank transfers into Tank 38H since early January 2023 and the 2H (16H) Evaporator was shut down on 3/26/2023 and has not operated since that time. There have been many pumped non-waste transfers of water from the H-Area diversion box 7 (HDB-7) sump into Tank 38 since the 3/26/2023 date.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1976

Search for and analysis of radioactive halos in lunar material

The lunar halo search was conducted because halos in terrestrial minerals serve as pointers to localized radioactivity, and make possible analytical studies on the problems of isotopic dating and mode of crystallization of the host mineral. Ancillary studies were conducted on terrestrial halos and on certain samples of special origin such as tektites and meteorites.

Gentry, R. V.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Constraining the Flux of Impactors Postdating Heavy Bombardment Using U-Pb Ages of Impact Glasses

Spherules of glass varying in size from a few micrometres to a few millimetres are common in the lunar regolith. While some of these glass beads are products of pyroclastic fire fountains others originate as impact melt ejected from the target that breaks into small droplets and solidifies as spherical particles while raining back to the lunar surface. These glasses preserve information about the chemical composition of the target and often contain sufficient amount of radioactive nuclides such as 40K to enable Ar-40-Ar-39 dating of individual beads. Studies measuring the age of glass beads have been used in attempts to establish variations in the flux of impactors hitting the Moon, particularly during the period that postdates the formation of major impact basins [1,2]. These studies proposed a possibility of spike in the impact flux about 800 Ma [2] and over the last 400 Ma [1]. More recently U-Th-Pb isotopic systems have been also utilized to determine the age of impact glasses from the Apollo 17 regolith [3]. Our aim is to extend the application of the U-Pb system in impact glasses to spherules isolated from Apollo 14 soil 14163 in an attempt to further investigate the applicability of this isotopic system to the chronology of impact glass beads and gain additional information on the impact flux in the inner Solar system.

Nemchin, A. A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Cliff Retreat Rates Associated with a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA

We present an analysis and interpretation of potential cliff stability at a low-level waste disposal facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, using cliff morphologic and fracture characteristics coupled with carbon-14 surface exposure dating. Our study is important as it directly bears on the licensing criteria for low-level radioactive waste sites. We find that future characteristic cliff failures will likely not breach disposal pits and shafts over the 1000-year minimum regulatory period. Further, we find, using a multivariate regression model, that slope angle and cliff face aspect are sub-equal in importance to predict regions of high risk of failure when combined with surface exposure ages and assuming that old exposure ages are most indicative of stability (instability) and therefore can aid decision making in final design implementation.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analysis of a Bulk 237 Np Oxide Sample for Trace Actinides

A neptunium oxide sample was dissolved and trace actinide constituents were measured by isotope dilution ICP-MS (for 239–244 Pu, 233–238 U, 237 Np, 241–243 Am) and alpha spectrometry ( 238 Pu, 242 Cm, 244 Cm). This material contained significant quantities of transuranic elements, notably americium and curium. The isotopic composition of the material will continue to evolve over time due to radioactive decay; the measurements reported here include all isotopes decay corrected to a reference date of 1/1/2022. These factors may be considerations in criticality studies of the related 237 Np sphere.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
NASA NTRS2003

X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Astronomy with NTD Germanium-based Microcalorimeters

We report on the performance of our NTD-Ge microcalorimeters. To date, the spectral resolution for x-ray and gamma-ray lines from radioactive sources and laboratory plasmas is 4.8 eV in the entire 1 - 6 keV band and 52 eV at 60 keV. Technical details responsible for this performance are presented as well as an innovative electro-thermal approach for enhancing count-rate capability.

Silver, E.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Engineering Assessment And Certification of Integrity Of the DWTF Waste Treatment Tanks At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

This Engineering Assessment and Certification of Integrity of the Building 695 (B-695) Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility (DWTF) Waste Treatment Tanks has been prepared using the guidelines of CCR §66270.16(a) “Specific Part B Information Requirements for Tank Systems”, and the CCR §66264.192(b) requirements for the written assessment of tank systems that store hazardous waste and have secondary containment. The regulations require that this assessment be completed and certified by an independent, qualified, California-registered Professional Engineer. This document will be kept on file by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Environmental Functional Area and is applicable for a maximum of five (5) years from the date of issue.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

Strategy to safely enable X-ray computed tomography examination of highly radioactive tristructural isotropic nuclear fuel

Nondestructive post-irradiation examination of nuclear fuels and materials is useful in collecting data to inform commercial licensing of new nuclear concepts. This work details the planning, shielding design, and workflow of an X-ray computed tomography examination of an irradiated AGR-5/6/7 fuel compact with a dose rate of 1318 R/hr on contact from both β and ɤ-ray radiation with 120 R/hr of the dose rate coming exclusively from ɤ-rays. Post-irradiation examination of highly radioactive samples can help reduce the timeframe from conceptualization of novel nuclear concepts to their commercial implementation as not only is less time spent waiting for experiments to decay away to acceptable levels for examinations, but data from these experiments can more quickly inform model efforts and subsequent experiments. While this work represents the hottest radiological sample that has been openly transported and examined at Idaho National Laboratory’s Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory to date, it is anticipated that this work and its lessons learned will facilitate future examinations of similar or even more radioactive specimens.

42 - ENGINEERING↗