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At least 397 records · Page 22

Site Environmental Report–Pantex Plant (CY2020)

The 2020 Annual Site Environmental Report (ASER) summarizes the Pantex Plant’s status, data, and efforts for the environmental compliance, protection, and restoration programs. It has been prepared in accordance with DOE Order 231.1B, Environment, Safety and Health Reporting (DOEa), and DOE Order 458.1, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment (DOEb). These orders outline the requirements for environmental protection programs at DOE facilities to ensure that programs fully comply with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, executive orders, and DOE policies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Pantex Plant Calendar Year 2021 (Annual Site Environmental Report)

The 2021 Annual Site Environmental Report (ASER) summarizes the Pantex Plant’s status, data, and efforts for the environmental compliance, protection, and restoration programs. It has been prepared in accordance with DOE Order 231.1B, Environment, Safety and Health Reporting (DOEa), and DOE Order 458.1, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment (DOEb). These orders outline the requirements for environmental protection programs at DOE facilities to ensure that programs fully comply with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, executive orders, and DOE policies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

FY20 Update on Brine Availability Test in Salt. Revision 4

This report summarizes the 2020 fiscal year (FY20) status of the borehole heater test in salt funded by the US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Spent Fuel and Waste Science & Technology (SFWST) campaign. This report satisfies SFWST level-two milestone number M2SF-20SNO10303032. This report is an update of an August 2019 level-three milestone report to present the final as-built description of the test and the first phase of operational data (BATS la, January to March 2020) from the Brine Availability Test in Salt (BATS) field test.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Status and Plan of DUNE at Fermilab

The discovery and the solid confirmation of neutrino flavor oscillation have been made throughout late 1990 to 2000s. Such oscillation is the clear proof of non-zero neutrino mass since this is caused by the fact that the neutrino mass eigenstates differ from that of the flavor. The neutrinos in the Standard Model, however, are massless leptons, and thus the neutrino flavor oscillation necessitates either the Standard Model to be significantly modified or a new theoretical paradigm to describe the universe better. In order to provide experimental information, it is essential for the properties of the neutrino oscillation be well understood through precision measurements of oscillation parameters, including the mixing angles, determination of the mass hierarchy between the three mass eigenstates and determination of the CP phase (Delta_CP) between neutrino and anti-neutrino oscillations. Among the several next generation neutrino experiments, this presentation covers the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) which, with the high intensity neutrino beam facility, will help accomplish these goals. In this report, I will discuss the current status and plan of the DUNE experiment, including the results of the detector performance studies from the large scale prototype detectors operating at CERN and the timeline for construction and data taking of the experiment, as well as its physics prospects.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Software Quality Assurance for EBR-II Fuels Irradiation and Physics Database (FIPD)

The Fuels Irradiation and Physics Database (FIPD) is an ongoing DOE project on archival of the EBR-II metal-alloy fuel irradiation experiments. As part of its use in support of license applications, the Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) was drafted and endorsed by NRC in an effort to demonstrate its compliance with regulatory expectations. Software Quality Assurance (SQA) for the physics portion of FIPD is intended to qualify the calculated quantities such as fuel and cladding temperatures, neutron fluence and axially varying burnup estimates for irradiated fuel elements. This report covers the initial evaluation of SQA status of three neutron physics and thermo-fluid codes (REBUS, RCT and SE2RCT) that form the basis of calculated quantities for as-irradiated characteristics of the tested metallic fuel elements. The report also introduces an SQA plan to address the identified deficiencies. The REBUS, RCT, and SE2RCT codes are all part of the Argonne Reactor Code (ARC) code system. There is considerable knowledge and experience on REBUS and RCT but relatively less on SE2RCT. During FY2021, efforts focused on an assessment of how the data in the EBR-II Physics and Analysis DataBase (PADB) is generated with SE2RCT and used in FIPD. Additional tasks included considerations of uncertainties for power estimates in REBUS and RCT calculations and their impact on the combined RCT methodology. The RCT software usage in FIPD was assessed this year and the input/output details studied. A “requirements” document was created that identifies the key features of the RCT software being used in FIPD that need to have SQA documentation. A brief discussion on the history of RCT and its input is included in this report along with the basic SQA roadmap laid out in the requirements document. The SE2RCT software usage in FIPD is still being studied noting that there is no current manual. As part of the work done this year, two bugs were identified in the SE2RCT software which have a minor impact on the accuracy of the results it produces. No requirements document has been created, but one identified feature of SE2RCT being used that needs verification was its fuel pin temperature calculation. The work completed this year confirms that the approximations which will be included in the software verification report for SE2RCT are accurate. In addition to software quality assurance work for RCT and SE2RCT, an automated verification framework is proposed to simplify the software quality assurance process. The purpose of this framework is to streamline code verification and documentation while minimizing repetitive tasks for code developers and reviewers. The reduction of repeated input (between reference solution, software, and documentation input) throughout the SQA process reduces potential for human errors during the preparation of the supporting software quality records. The automation of the verification and documentation process proposed for this project leverages the existing verification structure already in place for the SAS4A/SASSYS-1 code.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Cybersecurity Lessons Learned from Vehicle to Grid Engagement

As the transportation industry continues to become electrified, introduction of additional digital devices within associated actions such as recharging bring additional potential for cybersecurity attacks. Devices that are designed, implemented, and operated with cybersecurity as a crucial consideration exacerbate these concerns by failing to provide strict boundaries on access to and use of the equipment. Emerging use cases such as Vehicle to Grid (V2G) charging may expand the potential physical effects of a cybersecurity attack by providing indirect access to electrical components of a building microgrid or portions of the larger power grid. This paper serves as an overview of findings and recommendations based on cybersecurity testing performed at a V2G implementation site operated by a member of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to Establish the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Collaboration [1]. The Department of Energy Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response is a signatory of the MOU, and has funded this research paper and associated body of work regarding V2X cybersecurity. Sandia has a large background of previous research focused on Electric Vehicle (EV) cybersecurity, such as reference [2], which includes an overall survey of EV infrastructure cybersecurity and recommendations based on those findings. This report seeks to expand knowledge of EV cybersecurity status and needs by focusing on a specific implementation of V2G charging, and providing recommendations based on the relevant findings. This report serves as a publicly available, sanitized description of applied vulnerability testing on an operational V2G implementation. A more in-depth technical version of the report is provided to the MOU partner, but not available at the time of writing due to inclusion of proprietary information. V2G charging comes with many research problems that must be solved before the technology can securely implemented in sites with unrestricted public access or where cybersecurity attacks could have increased consequences, such as government offices. V2G charging requires many stakeholders such as end users, host sites, equipment vendors, and integrators, which all rely on operational safety and security as well as security and trustworthiness of any associated financial transactions.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

BOILER Experiment Material Characterization and HFIR Irradiation Status

Pre-oxidized alumina-forming austenitic (AFA) steels have been previously identified as candidate alloys for structural components in lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs). They offer compatibility with liquid Pb, high-temperature strength, formability, and cost advantages. However, variations in Ni content can affect the formation and stability of the Al 2 O 3 layer, influencing compatibility with liquid Pb. The effect of fast neutron irradiation on Al 2 O 3 stability in liquid Pb also requires evaluation. Therefore, understanding how Ni concentrations impacts pre-oxidized AFAs under combined extremes of irradiation and liquid metal corrosion is essential before safe deployment. The Behavior Of In-situ Lead Environments & Radiation (BOILER) experiment was developed under the Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) program to integrate alloy development, irradiation experiment design, and irradiated materials characterization. In this effort, two pre-oxidized AFA steels with 20 wt% and 25 wt% Ni, hereinafter referred to as GA05-20Ni and GA05-25Ni, were produced. An irradiation experiment was then planned for the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), designed for passive heating of irradiation rabbit capsules from gamma heating in the HFIR flux trap (1 × 10 15 n/cm 2 ·s, >0.1 MeV). This heating melts Pb and exposes the pre-oxidized AFA steel specimens to nominal temperatures of 400 and 650°C. Detailed neutronics and thermal analyses were performed, though based on nominal design rather than as-built, as-irradiated conditions. This report documents further characterization of the pre-oxidized AFAs in the unirradiated condition. It also includes as-built thermal analysis using measured component dimensions, updated fill gas concentrations, and actual HFIR irradiation positions. Finally, the report summarizes capsule fabrication, current irradiation status, projected completion, estimated damage accumulation, and initial plans for post-irradiation examination plans.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Design Status of the Electron-Ion Collider

The Electron-Ion Collider is gearing up for "Critical Decision 2", theproject baseline with defined scope, cost and schedule.Lattice designs are beingfinalized, and preliminary component design is being carried out. Beam dynamicsstudies such as dynamic aperture optimization, instability and polarizationstudies, and beam-beam simulations are continuing in parallel. We report onthe latest developments and the overall status of the project, and presentthe plans for future activities.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Curium(iii) radiation-induced reaction kinetics in aqueous media

Insight into the effects of radiolytic processes on the actinides is critical for advancing our understanding of their solution chemistry because the behaviour of these elements cannot be easily separated from the influence of their inherent radiation field. However, minimal information exists on the radiation-induced redox behaviour of curium (Cm), a key trivalent transuranic element present in used nuclear fuel and frequently used as an alpha radiation source. Here we present a kinetic study on the aqueous redox reactions of Cm(III) with radicals generated through the radiolysis of aqueous media. In particular, we probe reaction kinetics in nitric acid solutions that are used as the aqueous phase component of used nuclear fuel reprocessing solvent systems. Second-order rate coefficients (k) were measured for the reaction of Cm(III) with the hydrated electron (e aq - , k = (1.25 ± 0.03) × 10 10 M -1 s -1 ), hydrogen atom (H˙, k = (5.16 ± 0.37) × 10 8 M -1 s -1 ), hydroxyl radical (˙OH, k = (1.69 ± 0.24) × 10 9 M -1 s -1 ), and nitrate radical (NO 3 ˙, k = (4.83 ± 0.09) × 10 7 M -1 s -1 ). Furthermore, the first-ever Cm(II) absorption spectrum (300–700 nm) is also reported. These kinetic data dispel the status quo notion of Cm(III) possessing little to no redox chemistry in aqueous solution, and suggest that the resulting Cm(II) and Cm(IV) transients could exist in irradiated aqueous solutions and be available to undergo subsequent redox chemistry with other solutes.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Recent Progress in Developing Nb 3 Sn Conductors With Increased Specific Heat

A possible approach to reducing Nb 3 Sn magnet training is to increase the energy margin of Nb 3 Sn conductors by enhancing their specific heat (C p ). For this study, we have been developing Nb 3 Sn conductors with increased C p by incorporating substances with high C p at 2-10 K based on a conductor design that is compatible with standard Nb 3 Sn strand production. In the past couple of years our efforts have been mainly focused on improving strand design (e.g., position of high- C p filaments, thickness of the Cu tube for the high-C p filaments, ratio of the Cu powder to the high-C p substance, filament spacing, etc.) in order to obtain good strand drawability and to reduce degradation after rolling, which is needed for production of Rutherford cables. We also tried a new high-C p substance, Gd 2 O 2 S, and verified that it has much higher C p over the whole magnetic field range than the Gd 2 O 3 we used before. With that development work we can now produce high-C p strands with good drawability and low levels of degradation after rolling. This paper reports our findings and the current status of the development of high-C p Nb 3 Sn conductors.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Remote Monitoring Systems/Remote Data Transmission for International Nuclear Safeguards.

The use of remotely transmitted data from a nuclear facility under international nuclear safeguards to an inspectorate headquarters has been rapidly growing since inception as its value in reducing inspection effort and cost is demonstrated. There are opportunities for further growth moving forward including (1) the number of spent fuel casks in dry interim storage are increasing, leading to strain on inspection resources and potentially increased radiation exposure to inspectors, (2) the frequency of encapsulating spent nuclear fuel for final disposal in geological repositories occurs at a rate that may lead to the need for on-site inspectors unless systems can be developed to remotely transmit data, and (3) new facility types such as small modular reactors may rely heavily on remotely transmitted data due in part to remote locations of operation and mobility. Challenges need to be addressed too and include (1) hesitancy to implement remote data transmission by states, (2) data collection, transmission, security, and analysis, and (3) reliable power and communications. This report examines the evolution, equipment deployed, status, and opportunities/challenges of remote data transmission moving forward.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

FY24 accomplishments in preparation for startup of Activated Materials Laboratory (AML)

The Activated Materials Laboratory (AML) will be a new radiological facility at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) in Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), adjacent to the high-energy x-ray microscopy (HEXM) beamline in the long beamline building (LBB) constructed under the APS-upgrade (APS-U) project. The AML is a centralized facility to facilitate the safe conduct of experiments on activated materials at the APS. This report provides an overview of the status of the AML as a Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) partner user facility in preparation for the general user access in 2025 upon the commissioning of the APS-U beamlines. The AML's scope, functionality and components are detailed. The NSUF partner beamlines’ commissioning status in the post-APS-U era is provided, along with the AML’s operational updates and operational plan.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Snowmass Neutrino Frontier: Neutrino Interaction Cross Sections (NF06) Topical Group Report

A thorough understanding of neutrino cross sections in a wide range of energies is crucial for the successful execution of the entire neutrino physics program. In order to extract neutrino properties, long-baseline experiments need an accurate determination of neutrino cross sections within their detector(s). Since very few of the needed neutrino cross sections across the energy spectrum are directly measured, we emphasize the need for theoretical input and indirect measurements such as electron scattering, which would complement direct measurements. In this report we briefly summarize the current status of our knowledge of the neutrino cross sections and articulate needs of the experiments, ongoing and planned, at energies ranging from CEvNS and supernova neutrino energies to the DUNE and atmospheric neutrino energies.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Brine Availability Test in Salt (BATS) FY21 Update

This report summarizes the 2021 fiscal year (FY21) status of ongoing borehole heater tests in salt funded by the disposal research and development (R&D) program of the Office of Spent Fuel & Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) of the US Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy’s (DOE-NE) Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition (SFWD). This report satisfies SFWST milestone M2SF- 21SN010303052 by summarizing test activities and data collected during FY21. The Brine Availability Test in Salt (BATS) is fielded in a pair of similar arrays of horizontal boreholes in an experimental area at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). One array is heated, the other unheated. Each array consists of 14 boreholes, including a central borehole with gas circulation to measure water production, a cement seal exposure test, thermocouples to measure temperature, electrodes to infer resistivity, a packer-isolated borehole to add tracers, fiber optics to measure temperature and strain, and piezoelectric transducers to measure acoustic emissions. The key new data collected during FY21 include a series of gas tracer tests (BATS phase 1b), a pair of liquid tracer tests (BATS phase 1c), and data collected under ambient conditions (including a period with limited access due to the ongoing pandemic) since BATS phase 1a in 2020. A comparison of heated and unheated gas tracer test results clearly shows a decrease in permeability of the salt upon heating (i.e., thermal expansion closes fractures, which reduces permeability).

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Status Update for the Canister Deposition Field Demonstration

This report updates the high-level test plan for evaluating surface deposition on three commercial 32PTH2 spent nuclear fuel (SNF) canisters inside NUTECH Horizontal Modular Storage (NUHOMS) Advanced Horizontal Storage Modules (AHSM) from Orano (formerly Transnuclear Inc.) and provides a description of the surface characterization activities that have been conducted to date. The details contained in this report represent the best designs and approaches explored for testing as of this publication. Given the rapidly developing nature of this test program, some of these plans may change to accommodate new objectives or requirements. The goal of the testing is to collect highly defensible and detailed surface deposition measurements from the surface of dry storage canisters in a marine coastal environment to guide chloride-induced stress corrosion crack (CISCC) research. To facilitate surface sampling, the otherwise highly prototypic dry storage systems will not contain SNF but rather will be electrically heated to mimic the thermal-hydraulic-environment. Instrumentation throughout the canister, storage module, and environment will provide an extensive amount of information for the use of model validation. Manual sampling over a comprehensive portion of the canister surface at regular time intervals will offer a high-fidelity quantification of the conditions experienced in a harsh yet realistic environment.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Status Update for the Canister Deposition Field Demonstration

This report updates the high-level test plan for evaluating surface deposition on three commercial 32PTH2 spent nuclear fuel (SNF) canisters inside NUTECH Horizontal Modular Storage (NUHOMS) Advanced Horizontal Storage Modules (AHSMs) from Orano (formerly Transnuclear Inc.) and provides a description of the surface characterization activities that have been conducted to date. The details contained in this report represent the best designs and approaches explored for testing as of this publication. Given the rapidly developing nature of this test program, some of these plans may change to accommodate new objectives or requirements. The goal of the testing is to collect highly defensible and detailed dust deposition measurements from the surface of dry storage canisters in a marine coastal environment to guide chloride-induced stress corrosion crack (CISCC) research. To facilitate surface sampling, the otherwise highly prototypic dry storage systems will not contain SNF but rather will be electrically heated to mimic the decay heat and thermal hydraulic environment. Test and heater design is supported by detailed computational fluid dynamics modeling. Instrumentation throughout the canister, storage module, and environment will provide extensive information about thermal-hydraulic behavior. Manual sampling over a comprehensive portion of the canister surface at regular time intervals will offer a high-fidelity quantification of the conditions experienced in a harsh yet realistic environment. Functional testing of the finalized heater assemblies and test apparatus is set to begin in December 2022. The proposed delivery of the canisters to the host test site is June/July 2023, which is well ahead of when the AHSM installations would be completed.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Even lighter particle dark matter

We report on recent progress in the search for dark matter particles with masses from 1 Mev c ^{-2} − 2 to 1 Gev c ^{-2} − 2 . Several dark matter candidates in this mass range are expected to generate measurable electronic-recoil signals in direct-detection experiments. We focus on dark matter particles scattering with electrons in semiconductor detectors since they have fundamentally the highest sensitivity due to their low ionization threshold. Charge-coupled device (CCD) silicon detectors are the leading technology, with significant progress expected in the coming years. We present the status of the CCD program and briefly report on other efforts.

Chavarria, Alvaro E.↗

The Yucatan Peninsula Energy Assessment: Pathways for a Clean and Sustainable Power System

This report begins with an overview of the status of the power sector in Mexico's Yucatán peninsula, including key challenges, followed by policy and program solutions that pave the way for a cleaner, more sustainable power sector in the Yucatan. This work is intended to provide information to the states of the Yucatán peninsula - Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo - for prioritization and future technical assistance from the 21st Century Power Partnership (21CPP) program, in Mexico including data gathering, capacity building, modelling and analysis, program and policy setting to help the states and the region overall best utilize its resources to meet its electricity needs while implementing energy efficiency measures towards a more sustainable, clean, reliable system with lower prices. This report is also available in Spanish: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy21osti/81142.pdf.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗