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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 469 records · Page 26

Idaho National Laboratory CY 2025 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants Analysis, Methodology, and Results for Radionuclides

This report details calculations of potential dose—at public receptor locations surrounding the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site boundary and INL in-town facilities—from radionuclides reported to be in use and potentially emitted from INL facilities during calendar year (CY) 2025. All calculations were performed in accordance with the requirements of Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 40, “Protection of the Environment,” Part 61, “National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs),” Subpart H, “National Emission Standards for Emissions of Radionuclides Other than Radon from Department of Energy Facilities” (40 CFR 61, Subpart H). Modeling methodology, model-input parameters, and contribution to dose by facility, source, and radionuclide at the maximally exposed individual (MEI) location are also discussed. The information in this report supports the “National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants—Calendar Year 2025 INL Report for Radionuclides” (DOE-ID 2026). During CY 2025, the estimated annual potential dose at the INL Site MEI location was 2.45E-02 mrem/yr, up from the previous year, but remaining far less than the regulatory standard of 10 mrem/yr (CFR 40 Part 61, Subpart H). Approximately 92% of the total dose to the INL Site MEI originated from Materials and Fuels Complex sources. Emissions from INL in-town facilities resulted in an estimated annual potential dose of 4.50E-03 mrem/yr to the MEI, down slightly from the CY 2024 estimated dose. Year-to-year variations in estimated annual dose can be attributed to adjustments in laboratory operations, changes to facility infrastructure, and variation in meteorological conditions.

42 - ENGINEERING↗

Supporting Fusion at the Idaho National Laboratory

The Fusion Safety Program at Idaho National Laboratory has supported efforts to develop magnetic and inertial confinement fusion energy devices for commercial energy power development since 1979. In addition to our DOE less than hazard category 3 tritium handling facility STAR, we also have unique capabilities such as an adaptation of the severe accident code MELCOR developed specifically for fusion, and integrated modeling capabilities using the MOOSE Finite Element Code. In this presentation, we cover our unique experimental capabilities for investigating tritium sorption, solubility and permeation including in molten salts. We also show the application of MELCOR-TMAP to predict thermal hydraulics and tritium migration in normal and accident conditions. Finally, we demonstrate high-fidelity modeling capabilities found within the open-source MOOSE finite element framework as well as fuel-cycle modeling using TMAP8.

70 - PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A graphics processing unit accelerated sparse direct solver and preconditioner with block low rank compression

We present the GPU implementation efforts and challenges of the sparse solver package STRUMPACK. The code is made publicly available on github with a permissive BSD license. STRUMPACK implements an approximate multifrontal solver, a sparse LU factorization which makes use of compression methods to accelerate time to solution and reduce memory usage. Multiple compression schemes based on rank-structured and hierarchical matrix approximations are supported, including hierarchically semi-separable, hierarchically off-diagonal butterfly, and block low rank. Here, in this paper, we present the GPU implementation of the block low rank (BLR) compression method within a multifrontal solver. Our GPU implementation relies on highly optimized vendor libraries such as cuBLAS and cuSOLVER for NVIDIA GPUs, rocBLAS and rocSOLVER for AMD GPUs and the Intel oneAPI Math Kernel Library (oneMKL) for Intel GPUs. Additionally, we rely on external open source libraries such as SLATE (Software for Linear Algebra Targeting Exascale), MAGMA (Matrix Algebra on GPU and Multi-core Architectures), and KBLAS (KAUST BLAS). SLATE is used as a GPU-capable ScaLAPACK replacement. From MAGMA we use variable sized batched dense linear algebra operations such as GEMM, TRSM and LU with partial pivoting. KBLAS provides efficient (batched) low rank matrix compression for NVIDIA GPUs using an adaptive randomized sampling scheme. The resulting sparse solver and preconditioner runs on NVIDIA, AMD and Intel GPUs. Interfaces are available from PETSc, Trilinos and MFEM, or the solver can be used directly in user code. We report results for a range of benchmark applications, using the Perlmutter system from NERSC, Frontier from ORNL, and Aurora from ALCF. For a high frequency wave equation on a regular mesh, using 32 Perlmutter compute nodes, the factorization phase of the exact GPU solver is about 6.5× faster compared to the CPU-only solver. The BLR-enabled GPU solver is about 13.8× faster than the CPU exact solver. For a collection of SuiteSparse matrices, the STRUMPACK exact factorization on a single GPU is on average 1.9× faster than NVIDIA’s cuDSS solver.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Bayesian Optimization for Anything (BOA): An open-source framework for accessible, user-friendly Bayesian optimization

We introduce Bayesian Optimization for Anything (BOA), a high-level Bayesian Optimization (BO) framework and model wrapping toolkit, which presents a novel approach to simplifying BO, with the goal of making it more accessible and user-friendly, particularly for those with limited expertise in the field. BOA addresses common barriers in implementing BO, focusing on ease of use, reducing the need for deep domain knowledge, and cutting down on extensive coding requirements. A notable feature of BOA is its language-agnostic architecture, which facilitates broader application in various fields and to a wider audience. We showcase BOA's application through three examples: a high-dimensional optimization with parameters of the SWAT+ watershed model, a highly parallelized optimization of this intrinsically non-parallel model, and a multi-objective optimization of the FETCH Tree-Crown Hydrodynamics model. Furthermore, these test cases illustrate BOA's effectiveness in addressing complex optimization challenges in diverse scenarios.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Updating and Refining BISON TRISO Assessment

Several advanced reactor concepts consider tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel in their designs. To support the advanced reactor industry, the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is developing modeling and simulation capabilities within the BISON fuel performance code. Assessment of these capabilities against available experi- mental data, such as the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program, is essential in instilling confidence in the code predictions. Associated uncertainties in model inadequacy, experimental measurements, and manufacturing are also of importance. This report discusses the updating and standardization of the existing assessment suite in BISON for TRISO fuel performance analysis. The cases considered the AGR-1, AGR-2, and AGR-3/4 experimental programs. The report also includes a preliminary investigation into the sources of model inadequacy associated with silver (Ag) release fractions using the AGR-2 Compact 2-1-2 as a case study. The results indicate that uncertainties in the operating temperatures supplied to the model and the form of those temperature conditions (spatially averaged versus spatially resolved) both affect Ag release predictions. This suggests that previously observed model inadequacy can be attributed to both physical models and the operating conditions supplied to them. These findings will be leveraged to guide development of assessment cases for additional experiments and refinement of physical models for behaviors that potentially influence Ag release, such as palladium penetration.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Machine learning at the Spallation Neutron Source accelerator and target

We describe the ongoing efforts to apply Machine Learning techniques to improve the performance of our accelerator and target. Specially, we are looking to minimize halo beam losses in the absence of a proper physics model, automatically detect and log anomalies in the target support systems such as cooling, and detect and prevent errant beam pulses in the linac. We also describe the infrastructure we use to acquire and stream data to the GPU cluster for training, our code development cycle, and edge computing for model inference. To minimize halo beam losses, we use a Reinforcement Learning technique tested on a virtual accelerator. The target anomaly detection is trained on archived data using incomplete physics models and is made part of the existing target reporting system. The errant beam prevention analyzes beam current and beam phase waveforms as well as accelerator configuration data to predict errant pulses. We also develop continual learning to adapt to changes in the accelerator.

Accelerator Physics↗

Q2 Report for FY25 Theory and Simulation Performance Target: Development of an integrated modeling framework for fusion reactor design and assessment

This report describes the work and activities carried out towards the completion of each of the following milestones in FY25 Q2: 1. Demonstrate workflow for generating self-consistent CESOL plasma profiles + first wall and divertor loading prediction and generate the CAT plasma and neutron loading needed for further engineering analysis: $\circ$ Run CESOL with BOUT++/Hermes-3 and immersed boundary condition to directly map to wall: • Run BOUT++/Hermes-3 through the IPS workflow to find radial particle and energy diffusivities to match either the Eich or the physics-based scaling of the SOL heat flux width, and • Expand source of first wall heat flux to include charged particles, neutrals, and radiation from the core+edge. 2. Generate medium fidelity parametrized CAD: $\circ$ Develop the TRACER tool to read an existing CAD, regenerate the geometry based on vertex location and connectivity information, define vertex translation and parameters needed for scaling the CAD, and $\circ$ Utilize the FreeGS code to determine CAT PF coil placement, including minimizing the number of coils, coil current, and electromechanical stresses. 3. Utilize plasma loading for engineering analysis: $\circ$ Couple the plasma loading to input for OpenFOAM and demonstrate initial test of thermal analysis of CAT first wall loading with typical DCLL blanket component cooling boundary conditions. 4. Demonstrate nuclear analysis: $\circ$ Apply initial analysis of tritium transport in DCLL blanket by evaluating spatially resolved tritium generation rates, tritium diffusion and convection.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Core performance predictions in projected SPARC first-campaign plasmas with nonlinear CGYRO

This work characterizes the core transport physics of SPARC early-campaign plasmas using the PORTALS-CGYRO framework. Empirical modeling of SPARC plasmas with L-mode confinement indicates an ample window of breakeven (Q > 1) without the need of H-mode operation. Extensive modeling of multi-channel (electron energy, ion energy, and electron particle) flux-matched conditions with the nonlinear CGYRO code for turbulent transport coupled to the macroscopic plasma evolution using PORTALS reveals that the maximum fusion performance to be attained will be highly dependent on the near-edge pressure. Stiff core transport conditions are found, particularly when fusion gain approaches unity, and predicted density peaking is found to be in line with empirical databases of particle source-free H-modes. Impurity optimization is identified as a potential avenue to increase fusion performance while enabling core-edge integration. Extensive validation of the quasilinear TGLF model builds confidence in reduced-model predictions. The implications of projecting L-mode performance to high-performance and burning-plasma devices is discussed, together with the importance of predicting edge conditions.

Rodriguez-Fernandez, P. (ORCID:0000000273611131)↗

Perturbative model for the saturation of energetic-particle-driven modes limited by self-generated zonal modes

We present a simplified energy-conserving approach to incorporate wave–wave nonlinear effects within the framework commonly used to describe wave–particle nonlinearities. In particular, the effects of zonal mode (ZM) generation on the determination of the saturation amplitude of energetic particle (EP)-driven Alfvénic instabilities is studied. The model assumes that the zonal perturbations grow at a rate twice that of the original (pump) wave, consistent with a beat-driven (or force-driven) generation mechanism. The evolution and saturation of the mode amplitude are investigated both analytically and numerically within our reduced model assumptions, in both the collisionless and scattering-dominated regimes. These studies underscore the crucial role of sources and sinks in capturing the impact and the role of beat-driven zonal perturbations on mode evolution. In the realistic case of saturation set by sources and sinks, we discuss the role of a finite amplitude ZM in reducing microturbulent particle scattering, thus limiting the energy source for the resonant mode. We then discuss comparisons between the model’s predictions and simulation results. The model reproduces key features observed in gyrokinetic simulations as the reduction in saturated mode amplitude and the onset of wave–wave nonlinear effects as functions of mode growth rate and amplitude. Thanks to its simplicity, it can be readily implemented into codes based on reduced models, thereby improving their predictive capability for strongly driven instabilities.

Alfvén eigenmodes↗

Development of National New Construction Weighting Factors for the Commercial Building Prototype Analyses (2008-2022)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) tasked Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) with updating commercial building construction weights for the purpose of estimating national and state-by-state energy savings impacts of changes made to various commercial energy codes and standards. A similar activity was last completed by PNNL in 2020 using disaggregate construction volume data acquired from the Dodge Data & Analytics database (formerly McGraw Hill) for the years 2003-2018 (Lei et al, 2020). As time passes, changes in economic and social demand reshape construction volume trends. For the current update, PNNL reviewed the same data source with the latest construction data for the years 2008-2022. For commercial building analyses, PNNL typically uses a suite of 16 prototype buildings simulated in the 19 ASHRAE climate zones with 16 of them present in the United States. The 2008-2022 commercial building weighting factors were derived using the same approach employed to develop the 2003-2018 set (Lei et al, 2020). Applying the construction volume data from the database to the prototypes and climate zones resulted in the following new construction area-based weighting factors. Table ES.1 shows the weighting factors including all building categories found in the database, and Table ES.2 shows the weighting factors normalized to include only buildings represented by the 16 prototypes. Section 3.0 also includes national- and state-level weighting factors by area and building count.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

IK-Frag: Frag data generator for the PHITS simulation with the inverse kinematic reaction producing a focused neutron beam

IK-Frag has been developed for the creation of the nuclear cross-section data format, which is named frag data and can be used in PHITS, a Monte Carlo simulation code. IK-Frag focuses on the inverse kinematic reactions between a lithium or beryllium ion and a proton target. These reactions achieve naturally collimated neutrons and potentially reduce the necessity of radiation shielding. IK-Frag enables PHITS users to conduct simulations for the inverse kinematic reactions. The present software aims to contribute to future development of the neutron source system using the inverse kinematic reactions.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Automated Hybrid Variance Reduction on Advanced Architectures in the Shift Monte Carlo Code

Monte Carlo transport methods are the most accurate schemes for solving problems with complex energy and spatial features, but they come with a high computational cost. Although hybrid methods have enabled the use of Monte Carlo transport for a large class of problems, they still require significant computing resources. Modern multicore CPUs with large numbers of compute cores and graphical processing units (GPUs) provide opportunities to optimize the memory and run-time costs of hybrid Monte Carlo methods. This paper documents the development and analysis of three Monte Carlo transport algorithms that support hybrid transport using the consistent adjoint-driven importance sampling (CADIS) and forward-weighted CADIS methods in the Shift Monte Carlo code: history-based transport using static and dynamic threading on multicore CPUs and event-based transport enabling weight window tracking on GPUs. The results are shown for two challenging hybrid problems on the Frontier supercomputer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility. The results show that all three methods yield good performance and enable solutions of difficult fixed-source transport problems in less than 2 min on 20 nodes of Frontier. Dynamic threading was observed to give up to 20% better scaling behavior than static threading. Moreover, the AMD Instinct 250X GPU was found to give 9 to 11 times greater throughput per graphics compute die than the best CPU performance. In conclusion, additional opportunities for optimization of hybrid transport on GPUs are discussed.

Denovo↗

Erratum: “Tripling the Census of Dwarf AGN Candidates Using DESI Early Data” (2025, ApJ, 982, 10)

We identified an error in the EmFit code, which was employed to estimate the emission-line fluxes and widths used in the published article. Specifically, the error spectrum was not corrected for Galactic reddening before being incorporated into the fitting process. Although this does not affect the measured fluxes or line widths, it led to underestimated uncertainties. Consequently, the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) for individual sources were systematically overestimated, resulting in a larger number of sources satisfying a given SNR threshold.

Pucha, Ragadeepika [University of Utah, Salt Lake ↗

A Bottom-Up Cost Estimation Tool for Nuclear Microreactors

The rising interest in nuclear microreactors has highlighted the need for comprehensive technoeconomic assessments. However, the scarcity of publicly available designs and cost data has posed significant challenges. To address this issue, the Microreactor Optimization Using Simulation and Economics (MOUSE) tool is developed. MOUSE is a tool that integrates nuclear microreactor design with reactor economics. The design calculations encompass core simulations using the OpenMC Monte Carlo Particle Transport Code [romano2015], along with simplified balance of plant calculations. On the economic side, MOUSE provides detailed bottom-up cost estimates, calculating both the total capital cost and the levelized cost of energy for first-of-a-kind and nth-of-a-kind microreactors. The cost estimation correlations are developed using data from the MARVEL project and additional literature sources. MOUSE has released as an open-source tool on GitHub (MOUSE Tool). By combining design calculations with cost equations, MOUSE enables users to evaluate the impact of various technological consideration, advanced moderators, design changes, material/fuel changes, and geometry modifications—as well as economic parameters like interest rates and construction duration. This comprehensive framework can guide stakeholders towards technological solutions that enhance microreactor competitiveness. Additionally, powered by the WATTS toolkit [romano2022], MOUSE supports optimization studies, parametric analyses, and uncertainty calculations/propagation. Currently, preconceptual designs of three microreactor types are included in MOUSE: a liquid metal thermal microreactor (LTMR), gas cooled TRISO-fueled microreactor (GCMR) and heat-pipe TRISO fueled microreactor (HPMR). To showcase its ability, MOUSE was used to conduct detailed bottom-up cost estimates for the first of a kind (FOAK) and Nth of a kind (NOAK) of the following microreactors • A 20MWt LTMR that is built on the ongoing MARVEL demonstration at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) • A 15 MWt GCMR that was designed to be more representative of the typical commercial microreactor • A 7 MWt HPMR that was built on previous work (Choi 2024) The The reader should note that these three designs and corresponding cost estimates are examples to demonstrate the MOUSE capability. The designs are pre-conceptual, the reactor designs were not optimized, and the cost estimates were developed with incomplete information. Additionally, stakeholders might be interested in a variety of designs that may differ from the examples provided in this report. The MOUSE tool can also be used to study how design choices affect economics. To demonstrate its capability, MOUSE was used conduct parametric studies such as examining the economic impact of the reflector's material and thickness, the moderator's booster material and dimensions, fuel composition and enrichment, core size, and power level. Several insights were gained from these parametric studies.

Hanna, Botros↗

Center for Integrated Simulation of Fusion Relevant RF Actuators

This project was part of the “Center for Integrated Simulation of Fusion Relevant RF Actuators” SciDAC-4 project, led by Dr. Paul Bonoli (MIT). Rather than use an acronym (CISFRRFA), the project will be referred to in this document as the “RF-SciDAC4”. The larger SciDAC-4 project goals were to: 1. Develop an integrated simulation of the antenna + sheath + scrape-off-layer + core plasma system which fully utilizes leadership class computing resources to move towards a quantitative predictive capability for the response to RF power. 2. Work closely with the SciDAC-4 Whole Device Modeling (WDM) community to make both our new code development efforts, as well as the established hierarchy of RF tools, available within their environment, and to utilize WDM technologies to implement the couplings below. 3. Validate this predictive capability on appropriately diagnosed experiments including dedicated RF test stands, linear devices, and existing tokamaks. 4. Use these tools to inform design of robust, impurity-mitigating RF heating and current drive sources for future fusion devices.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

SMR Current Status: Development Needs and Global Perspectives

Defined as nuclear reactors with a power output up to 300 megawatts electrical (MWe) by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and targeted for multipurpose applications, small modular reactors (SMRs) have been recognized as a very promising, clean, affordable, and sustainable energy source by many countries. At present, more than 80 SMRs are under design, development, demonstration, deployment, and beyond (4D+) phases worldwide. This study focuses on the current world status of SMRs and focuses on the necessary developments to accelerate the process of adopting SMRs as a major energy source globally. SMRs are not a new concept, but they do represent a new vision for older concepts if the challenges inherent within them are mitigated with strategic and realistic solution approaches. The major challenges for SMRs 4D+ like any new reactors are: (a) qualifying the advanced fuel-to-reactor design; (b) supporting rapid scaled/prototypic experimentations; (c) maintaining local and global codes, standards, and licensing; (d) supply chain issues;(e) effective cradle-to-grave nuclear fuel cycle and fuel material transportation, and (f) mitigating financial and environmental risks. These upfront challenges can be mitigated with a synergistic solution approach among the various stakeholders: industry, academia, research, government, and international entities.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Presentation: SMR Current Status: Development Needs and Global Perspectives

Defined as nuclear reactors with a power output up to 300 megawatts electrical (MWe) by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and targeted for multipurpose applications, small modular reactors (SMRs) have been recognized as a very promising, clean, affordable, and sustainable energy source by many countries. At present, more than 80 SMRs are under design, development, demonstration, deployment, and beyond (4D+) phases worldwide. This paper focuses on the current world status of SMRs and focuses on the necessary developments to accelerate the process of adopting SMRs as a major energy source globally. SMRs are not a new concept, but they do represent a new vision for older concepts if the challenges inherent within them are mitigated with strategic and realistic solution approaches. The major challenges for SMRs 4D+ like any new reactors are: (a) qualifying the advanced fuel-to-reactor design; (b) supporting rapid scaled/prototypic experimentations; (c) maintaining local and global codes, standards, and licensing; (d) supply chain issues; (e) effective cradle-to-grave nuclear fuel cycle and fuel material transportation, and (f) mitigating financial and environmental risks. These upfront challenges can be mitigated with a synergistic solution approach among the various stakeholders: industry, academia, research, government, and international entities.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

SMR Current Status: Development Needs and Global Perspectives

Defined as nuclear reactors with a power output up to 300 megawatts electrical (MWe) by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and targeted for multipurpose applications, small modular reactors (SMRs) have been recognized as a very promising, clean, affordable, and sustainable energy source by many countries. At present, more than 80 SMRs are under design, development, demonstration, deployment, and beyond (4D+) phases worldwide. This study focuses on the current world status of SMRs and focuses on the necessary developments to accelerate the process of adopting SMRs as a major energy source globally. SMRs are not a new concept, but they do represent a new vision for older concepts if the challenges inherent within them are mitigated with strategic and realistic solution approaches. The major challenges for SMRs 4D+ like any new reactors are: (a) qualifying the advanced fuel-to-reactor design; (b) supporting rapid scaled/prototypic experimentations; (c) maintaining local and global codes, standards, and licensing; (d) supply chain issues;(e) effective cradle-to-grave nuclear fuel cycle and fuel material transportation, and (f) mitigating financial and environmental risks. These upfront challenges can be mitigated with a synergistic solution approach among the various stakeholders: industry, academia, research, government, and international entities.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗