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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Estimation of Performance of an Active Well Coincidence Counter Equipped with Boron-Coated Straw Neutron Detectors - 13401

He-3, a very rare isotope of natural helium gas, has ideal properties for the detection of thermal neutrons. As such it has become the standard material for neutron detectors and sees ubiquitous use within many radiometric applications that require neutron sensitivity. Until recently, there has been a fairly abundant supply of He-3. However, with the reduction in nuclear weapons, production of tritium ceased decades ago and the stockpile has largely decayed away, reducing the available He-3 supply to a small fraction of that needed for neutron detection. A suitable and rapidly-deployable replacement technology for neutron detectors must be found. Many potential replacement technologies are under active investigation and development. One broad class of technologies utilizes B-10 as a neutron capture medium in coatings on the internal surfaces of proportional detectors. A particular implementation of this sort of technology is the boron-coated 'straw' (BCS) detectors under development by Proportional Technologies, Inc. (PTi). This technology employs a coating of B-10 enriched boron carbide (B{sub 4}C) on the inside of narrow tubes, roughly 4 mm in diameter. A neutron counter (e.g. a slab, a well counter, or a large assay counter designed to accommodate 200 liter drums) could be constructed by distributing these narrow tubes throughout the polyethylene body of the counter. One type of neutron counter that is of particular importance to safeguards applications is the Active Well Coincidence Counter (AWCC), which is a Los Alamos design that traditionally employs 42 He-3 detectors. This is a very flexible design which can accurately assay small samples of uranium- and plutonium-bearing materials. Utilizing the MCNPX code and benchmarking against measurements where possible, the standard AWCC has been redesigned to utilize the BCS technology. Particular aspects of the counter performance include the single-neutron ('singles') detection efficiency and the time constant for the decrease in neutron population in the counter following a fission event (a.k.a. the die-away time). Results of the modeling and optimization are presented. (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Utilizing Additive Manufacturing for Biomimetic Designs

Chronic kidney disease effects 15% of adult Americans. Current technology utilizes polymer membranes for separation of toxins and waste from the blood. Yet there still is room for development of new materials to improve anti-biofouling characteristics and able to filter a range of molecular weights. This short review describes nano-porous membranes for molecular separation as well as limitations with current membrane designs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Fuel Testing for Sylvatex: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-16-636

Sylvatex is a green nano-chemistry company that has developed a platform technology utilizing renewable, non-toxic inputs to create a stable nanoparticle that can be used in multiple applications. Their mission is to increase the use of renewables globally, to empower a cleaner and healthier future. The main application is a fuel technology product - MicroX - that utilizes proprietary knowledge to scale low-cost, cleaner-burning renewable diesel fuel and additives by using a co-location commercial model. The aspects of this project will include testing of two Sylvatex MicroX fuels on an engine dynamometer platform. Industry standard ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) B3 fuel and a ULSD B20 will both be used for comparison of the Sylvatex fuels (U.S. standard diesel fuel at the pump contains an average of approximately 3% biodiesel; this is why B3 would be used as a baseline comparison). Sylvatex is currently using a prototype formulation (MicroX 1) that applies a high cost surfactant. An experimental formulation (MicroX 2) that uses lower cost materials is under development. The MicroX 1 will be blended at a 10% level into the B3 ULSD fuel and the MicroX 2 will be blended at a 10% level into both the B3 and the B20 ULSD fuels for study on the engine dynamometer test platform. All fuel blends will be tested over the FTP transient engine test cycle and a steady state ramped modal engine test cycle. Each test cycle will be performed a minimum of 3 times for each fuel. Tailpipe and/or engine out gaseous exhaust emissions (CO2, CO, NOx, THC, O2,), engine out PM emissions, and brake-specific fuel consumption rates will be evaluated for all test cycles.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Advancing Commercialization of Algal Biofuels Through Increased Biomass Productivity and Technology Integration

Cellana is a leading developer of algae-based bioproducts, and its pre-commercial production of marine microalgae takes place at Cellana?s Kona Demonstration Facility (KDF) in Hawaii. KDF is housing more than 70 high-performing algal strains for different bioproducts, of which over 30 have been grown outside at scale. So far, Cellana has produced more than 10 metric tons of algal biomass for the development of biofuels, animal feed, and high-value nutraceuticals. Cellana?s ALDUO algal cultivation technology allows Cellana to grow non-extremophile algal strains at large scale with no contamination disruptions. Cellana?s research and production at KDF have addressed three major areas that are crucial for the commercialization of algal biofuels: yield improvement, cost reduction, and the overall economics. Commercially acceptable solutions have been developed and tested for major factors limiting areal productivity of algal biomass and lipids based on years of R&D work conducted at KDF. Improved biomass and lipid productivity were achieved through strain improvement, culture management strategies (e.g., alleviation of self-shading, de-oxygenation, and efficient CO2 delivery), and technical advancement in downstream harvesting technology. Cost reduction was achieved through optimized CO2 delivery system, flue gas utilization technology, and energy-efficient harvesting technology. Improved overall economics was achieved through a holistic approach by integration of high-value co-products in the process, in addition to yield improvements and cost reductions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Aluminization Coatings and Glass Seals for High Temperature Systems - CRADA 536 (Final Report)

The objective of this project was to demonstrate the suitability of PNNL’s Reactive Air Aluminization (RAA) coatings (US Patent Numbers 10,577,694, 10,378,094, and 9,481,923) for use in high-temperature systems. In particular, PNNL and Utility Global undertook a collaborative effort to explore the applicability of these coatings in Utility Global’s high-temperature hydrogen reactors where they would be used to prepare the sealing surfaces of the reactor technology. Utility Global instructed PNNL regarding their needs relating to further development of glass seal technologies suitable for use in their systems. This effort entailed alkaline earth-based silicate glass development and characterization; evaluation and characterization of reliability and compatibility of the coatings with glass seals, working environments, and substrates; performance demonstrations of representative cells and intermediate cells sealed using the glass seals and/or coatings of interest; and incorporation of the aluminization coatings and glass seals into Utility Global reactors for testing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Aluminization Coatings and Glass Seals for High Temperature System: CRADA 536 [Abstract Only]

The proposed work will demonstrate the suitability of PNNL Reactive Air Aluminization (RAA) coatings (US Patent Numbers 10,577,694, 10,378,094, and 9,481,923) for use in high-temperature systems. In particular, the Participant and Contractor will explore applicability of these coatings in Participant’s high-temperature hydrogen reactors where they would be used to prepare the sealing surfaces of the reactor technology. Utility Global will also instruct PNNL regarding their needs relating to the further development of glass seal technologies that are suitable for use in their systems. This effort will entail alkaline earth-based silicate glass development and characterization; evaluation and characterization of reliability and compatibility of the coatings with glass seals, working environments, and substrates; performance demonstrations of representative cells and intermediate cells sealed using the glass seals and/or coatings of interest; and incorporation of the aluminization coatings and glass seals into the reactor for full-scale testing.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2012

Life extension program for the modular caustic side solvent extraction unit at Savannah River Site

Caustic Side Solvent Extraction (CSSX) is currently used at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) for removal of cesium from the high-level salt-wastes stored in underground tanks. At SRS, the CSSX process is deployed in the Modular CSSX Unit (MCU). The CSSX technology utilizes a multi-component organic solvent and annular centrifugal contactors to extract cesium from alkaline salt waste. Coalescers and decanters process the Decontaminated Salt Solution (DSS) and Strip Effluent (SE) streams to allow recovery and reuse of the organic solvent and to limit the quantity of solvent transferred to the downstream facilities. MCU is operated in series with the Actinide Removal Process (ARP) which removes strontium and actinides from salt waste utilizing monosodium titanate. ARP and MCU were developed and implemented as interim salt processing until future processing technology, the CSSX-based Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF), is operational. SWPF is slated to come on-line in October 2014. The three year design life of the ARP/MCU process, however, was reached in April 2011. Nevertheless, most of the individual process components are capable of operating longer. An evaluation determined ARP/MCU can operate until 2015 before major equipment failure is expected. The three year design life of the ARP/MCU Life Extension (ARP/MCU LE) program will bridge the gap between current ARP/MCU operations and the start of SWPF operation. The ARP/MCU LE program introduces no new technologies. As a portion of this program, a Next Generation Solvent (NGS) and corresponding flowsheet are being developed to provide a major performance enhancement at MCU. This paper discusses all the modifications performed in the facility to support the ARP/MCU Life Extension. It will also discuss the next generation chemistry, including NGS and new stripping chemistry, which will increase cesium removal efficiency in MCU. Possible implementation of the NGS chemistry in MCU accomplishes two objectives. MCU serves as a demonstration facility for improved flowsheet deployment at SWPF; operating with NGS and boric acid validates improved cesium removal performance and increased throughput as well as confirms Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) ability to vitrify waste streams containing boron. NGS implementation at MCU also aids the ARP/MCU LE operation, mitigating the impacts of delays and sustaining operations until other technology is able to come on-line.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

Final Report for the Advanced Outage Control Center Dashboard with Predictive Tools

The “Advanced Outage Control Center” (AOCC) pilot project was part of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program and was a multi-year effort targeted at NPP outage improvement. The primary purpose of this pilot project was to improve management of NPP outages through the development of AOCC features and facilities designed specifically to maximize the usefulness of communication and collaboration technologies for outage coordination and problem resolution activities. Later stages of the project focused more on tools that utilize technology to improve the outage manager’s understanding of the true outage status. The primary tool that resulted from this research was an innovative outage information dashboard with built-in data analysis and predictive capabilities. In its present form, the dashboard specifically takes advantage of visualization techniques that allow users to view and understand the status of the outage at a glance, without the need to drill down to find detail information. The dashboard also incorporates historical performance data to help evaluate current performance. The key innovation in this dashboard concept is not only its ability to avoid the complexity of raw data presentation, but also to predict the completion of the current outage using data analysis of the current schedule and historical performance of the plant. Through the LWRS program, a relationship between Idaho National Laboratory and Arizona Public Service (APS) was established to investigate the application of specialized techniques to analyze and visualize complex outage information. APS has supported efforts to implement advanced methods to improve the management of outages at the three units of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS). The project has produced the basic principles and methodology for the development of sophisticated outage information analysis and presentation tools.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A curved edge diffraction-utilized displacement sensor for spindle metrology

This paper presents a new dimensional metrological sensing principle for a curved surface based on curved edge diffraction. Spindle error measurement technology utilizes a cylindrical or spherical target artifact attached to the spindle with non-contact sensors, typically a capacitive sensor (CS) or an eddy current sensor, pointed at the artifact. However, these sensors are designed for flat surface measurement. Therefore, measuring a target with a curved surface causes error. This is due to electric fields behaving differently between a flat and curved surface than between two flat surfaces. In this study, a laser is positioned incident to the cylindrical surface of the spindle, and a photodetector collects the total field produced by the diffraction around the target surface. The proposed sensor was compared with a CS within a range of 500 μm. The discrepancy between the proposed sensor and CS was 0.017% of the full range. Its sensing performance showed a resolution of 14 nm and a drift of less than 10 nm for 7 min of operation. This sensor was also used to measure dynamic characteristics of the spindle system (natural frequency 181.8 Hz, damping ratio 0.042) and spindle runout (22.0 μm at 2000 rpm). The combined standard uncertainty was estimated as 85.9 nm under current experiment conditions. It is anticipated that this measurement technique allows for in situ health monitoring of a precision spindle system in an accurate, convenient, and low cost manner.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2018

3D Reconstruction, Augmented Reality, and Telerobotic Operation - 18297

For nuclear facility decommissioning and waste cleanup, it is necessary to deploy simple and robust robots in remote sites performing precise and dexterous manipulation under teleoperation. To meet the challenge, this paper presents a new remote operation method based on augmented reality for intuitive and efficient teleoperation. The enhanced teleoperation system incorporates three technology components - 3D sensing and reconstruction, augmented reality, and teleoperation. The 3D reconstruction technology utilizes 3D cameras and constructs a 3D geometric model of the environment. Compared to the state-of-the- art technology, the presented 3D reconstruction has greater spatial precision and dynamic object tracking capability, which enhances the precision of manipulation tasks in a dynamic environment. The augmented reality technology entails generation of virtual surfaces of various geometries and dynamic characteristics, as well as consistent perceptual overlay in camera, robot and operator hand control spaces. Teleoperation is demonstrated with a dual-arm robot system operated under Robot Operating System (ROS). (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Abstract for CRADA between National Energy Technology Laboratory and Mattiq, Inc.

To decarbonize the chemicals and fuels industry, we require new and innovative technologies that can leverage renewable feedstocks including renewable electricity and renewable carbon sources, such as CO 2 . State-of-the-art (SOTA) CO 2 utilization technologies that can produce renewable chemicals and fuels, such as the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 , are still significantly lacking in efficiency, and are therefore not cost-competitive with existing infrastructure. The key bottleneck to cost-competitive chemicals and fuels sourced from CO 2 and renewable electricity is the lack of any efficient catalyst material. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Mattiq will collaborate in the development of an efficient catalyst material that can effectively convert CO 2 into products of interest. Specifically, NETL will utilize high-performance computing to greatly reduce the number of potential materials to be investigated by Mattiq ultrahigh-throughput experimental catalyst discovery framework. This work is poised to rapidly accelerate the development of novel and efficient CO 2 reduction electrocatalysts that can bring CO 2 utilization closer to commercial viability.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Report on the Use and Function of the Integrated Operations Capability Analysis Platform (ICAP) and the LWRS Innovation Portal (IP)

The commercial nuclear power industry has achieved excellent safety and reliability performance but is struggling to survive in an electricity market that is increasingly dominated by subsidized renewables and cheap natural gas. These challenges have forced utilities to explore previously uncharted avenues to drastically reduce the operations and maintenance costs of their plants which are the primary drivers of the total cost to produce electricity. The petrochemical industry faced similar challenges some years ago as the costs of extraction and processing were rising while their reservoirs were being depleted along with a drop-in commodity prices that resulted in unsustainable operations. In this challenging climate, they developed a business model called Integrated Operations (IO) that sought to utilize technology to enable news ways of working through the integration of people, technology, process and governance changes. The Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program, working with IFE have developed an operating model via transferable learnings from the North Sea O&G industry. This framework is termed “Integrated Operations for Nuclear” (ION). ION is a transformation model that integrates the benefits and features of four principal factors: People, Technology, Process and Governance. The purpose of this report is to describe how to generate an ION business process analysis and utilize this information to reduce O&M costs. In order to make this job easier, DOE LWRS has created a suite of tools that will allow a person who is involved in a transformation effort at their company to build a solid documented business case for embarking on a major transformation effort. These tools, the Integrated Operations Capability Analysis Model (ICAP) and the LWRS Innovation Portal (IP) are described herein with instructions on their use. Instructions on how the interface with the EPRI Business Case Analysis Method (BCAM) are also provided.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

REIMAGINING HEAT EXCHANGERS FOR NEXT GENERATION ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

Air-to-refrigerant heat exchangers (HXs) are essential components in space conditioning, refrigeration, and power systems, and recent efforts have focused on making these devices more compact, reducing refrigerant charge and lowering manufacturing costs. Historically, HX innovation has been limited by available computational resources, design tools, and manufacturing constraints. The best available technologies utilize tube-fin and micro- or macro-channel tubes with fins, which are not necessarily the optimal designs achievable with current technology. In this paper, we highlight the latest advancements in air-to-refrigerant HXs, specifically emphasizing innovations achieved through shape and topology optimization. A multi-scale design optimization approach is introduced, alongside similar methods in literature, which enable highly sophisticated shape-optimized tube designs with more than 50% reduction in size and 25% reduction in refrigerant charge, essential for A3 refrigerant charge limit compliance. The frameworks integrate traditional heat and mass transfer science with state-of-the-art machine learning, genetic algorithms, and adjoint algorithms to create novel designs. While many of these innovative designs may not be manufacturable using conventional methods, they allow us explore the boundaries of what is possible. These novel air-to-refrigerant HXs are key enablers for ultra-low-refrigerant charge heat pump and refrigeration systems.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

EV Champion Training Webinar 1: ZEV and EV Charging Fundamentals [Slides]

The Electric Vehicle (EV) Champion Training Series, hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is tailored for fleet managers, facility managers, and other stakeholders involved in the deployment of EVs and charging stations. This series equips participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to become subject matter experts in EV implementation. This is the first training in a four-part series and serves as an introductory training. This training covers fundamental topics such as EV and charging technology, utility basics, and financial considerations for EVs. Additionally, this session introduces the Federal Fleet ZEV Ready Center framework, a one-stop location for federal fleet electrification resources. Participants will gain a solid foundation to support the effective deployment and management of EVs and their infrastructure. Visit the Federal Fleet ZEV Ready Center website to learn more about the ZEV Ready Center process. EV Champion Training Webinar 1: ZEV and EV Charging Fundamentals will enable attendees to: Identify EV and EV charging technology fundamentals; Recognize EV market and GSA Schedule options; Identify utility basics, incentives, and rates as they relate to EV charging; and Identify methods to calculate life cycle costs for EVs and gasoline vehicles.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Understanding Advanced Vehicle Technology Adoption Potential in Commercial Fleets Across Major Trucking Sectors

Adopting advanced vehicle technologies, such as battery-electric, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, can be an effective strategy for reducing fleet owners' operating costs. However, different trucking sectors, such as private and for-hire carriers and short- or long-haul operations, may face unique challenges in adopting those vehicle technologies due to their own operational needs and budget constraints. Current studies on fleet-wide vehicle technology projections frequently overlook such sectoral differences and fail to capture variation in adoption potential across sectors. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the disparities in the total cost of ownership (TCO) and payback period (PBP) among a large and heterogeneous sample of fleet owners. It aims to understand the sectoral differences in the long-term potential for adopting advanced vehicle technologies. Utilizing the 2021 US Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (US VIUS), which offers data on various commercial vehicle sectors, their operational patterns, and current vehicle assets, this research estimates the TCO and PBP for individual trucks over multiple future years. The results reveal variation in the cost-effectiveness of different vehicle technologies across trucking sectors, as well as the potential technology landscape in both the short and long term. The findings from this study can inform policymakers and practitioners on how to prioritize sectors with lower barriers for advanced vehicle technology adoption and support industries that face challenges in switching to advanced vehicles.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2017

Microalgae Feedstocks for Aviation Fuels

There is significant global interest in developing, testing, and using alternative jet fuels for both commercial and military use in an effort to create a sustainable and stable fuel supply while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, the aviation industry is entirely dependent on a finite-supply of petroleum based fuel sourced in part by politically and economically unstable regions of the world. Commercial jet fuel use within the contiguous United States (CONUS) was 17.8 billion gallons per year (BGY) in 2009, while jet fuel use in 2010 by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), Navy, and Army was 1.5 BGY, 0.6 BGY, and 0.8 BGY, respectively (Carter et al., 2011). U.S. commercial and military aviation sectors have set ambitious near-term alternative fuel and environmental performance targets. This includes a tentative Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) goal of 1 BGY alternative fuel use by commercial aircraft by 2018. The USAF has set a target of 50% for USAF domestic aviation via alternative fuels by 2016 (0.73 BGY), and 50% of the Navy’s total energy consumption afloat (0.3 BGY) will come from alternative fuels by 2020 (Carter et al., 2011). If these targets become policy, at least 2 BGY of domestically-produced alternative jet fuel will be required by 2020. The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 established production requirements for domestic alternative fuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). For example, 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel must be produced by 2022, of which 21 billion gallons shall be advanced biofuels. EISA defines advanced biofuels as non-corn starch derived biofuels having lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions 50% lower than gasoline. There a number of potential fuel pathways for meeting the RFS. One of these is biomass-based diesel, including jet fuel (Schnepf and Yacobucci, 2013). The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has a stated goal in its 2013 Multi-Year Program Plan (USDOE, 2013) to support the RFS through development of “…commercially viable biomass utilization technologies to encourage the creation of a new domestic bioenergy industry…”. BETO has also recognized the potential for aviation biofuels to support the bioenergy industry, seeing drop-in bio-based jet fuels one of the viable alternatives for the aviation industry and the military to meet their ambitious near-term GHG reduction targets (USDOE, 2014). One of the important Multi-year Program Plan Targets (USDOE, 2013) is to establish feedstock resource assessment models to evaluate the geographic, economic, quality and environmental criteria for which 20 million metric tons of ash free dry weight (AFDW) algal biomass can be produced by 2022. Toward meeting the EISA requirements, algal biofuels may offer a number of advantages. They can produce a range of biofuel feedstocks suitable for diesel and aviation fuels. Microalgae, on a strain-specific basis, can be cultivated using impaired water including saline, and/or brackish pumped groundwater or seawater, treated industrial wastewater, municipal sewage effluent, and produced water generated from oil and gas drilling operations. Additionally, microalgae require nitrogen and phosphates as essential nutrients and could provide water treatment co-benefits to municipalities, industry, and the environment.

algae↗
DOE OSTI2017

Enhanced micro-pocket fission detector for high temperature reactor evaluations - 259

A collaboration between the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the Kansas State University (KSU), and the French Atomic Energy Agency, Commissariat a l'energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, (CEA), has been initiated by the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (ASI) program for developing and testing High Temperature Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors (HT MPFD), which are compact fission chambers capable of simultaneously measuring thermal neutron flux, fast neutron flux and temperature within a single package for temperatures up to 800 deg. C. The MPFD technology utilizes small, multi-purpose, robust, in-core fission chambers and can be configured with a thermocouple. The small size, variable sensitivity, and increased accuracy of the MPFD technology represent a revolutionary improvement over current methods used to support irradiations in US Material Test Reactors (MTRs). Previous research conducted through NEET ASI has shown that the MPFD technology could be made robust and was successfully tested in a reactor core. In addition, the accomplishments of this project have attracted independent funding from other Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs for MTR irradiations of the MPFD technology. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2016

NEET Enhanced Micro-Pocket Fission Detector for High Temperature Reactors - FY16 Status Report

A collaboration between the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the Kansas State University (KSU), and the French Atomic Energy Agency, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, (CEA), has been initiated by the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (ASI) program for developing and testing High Temperature Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors (HT MPFD), which are compact fission chambers capable of simultaneously measuring thermal neutron flux, fast neutron flux and temperature within a single package for temperatures up to 800 °C. The MPFD technology utilizes a small, multi-purpose, robust, in-core fission chambers and thermocouple. As discussed within this report, the small size, variable sensitivity, and increased accuracy of the MPFD technology represent a revolutionary improvement over current methods used to support irradiations in US Material Test Reactors (MTRs). Previous research conducted through NEET ASI1-3 has shown that the MPFD technology could be made robust and was successfully tested in a reactor core. This new project will further the MPFD technology for higher temperature regimes and other reactor applications by developing a HT MPFD suitable for temperatures up to 800 °C. This report summarizes the research progress for year two of this three year project. Highlights from research accomplishments include: • Continuation of a joint collaboration between INL, KSU, and CEA. Note that CEA is participating at their own expense because of interest in this unique new sensor. • An updated parallel wire HT MPFD design was developed. • Program support for HT MPFD deployments was given to Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) and Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) irradiation test programs. • Quality approved materials for HT MPFD construction were procured by irradiation test programs for upcoming deployments. • KSU improved and performed electrical contact and fissile material plating. • KSU delivered fissile HT MPFD parts to INL for final construction of HT MPFD prototype. • A prototype HT MPFD was constructed and analyzed at INL. • The HT MPFD has been modeled in MCNP to optimize the amount of fissile material deposition. • The HT MPFD has been modeled in MCNP to optimize the sensor location in the irradiation test. • The fissile material deposition is undergoing independent verifications. • Detector amplifier electronics have been revised and tested by KSU. • Several project meetings were held at INL and KSU to discuss the roles and responsibilities between INL, KSU, and CEA for development and deployment of the HT MPFDs. As documented in this report, FY16 funding has allowed the project to meet year two planned accomplishments to develop a HT MPFD. In addition, the accomplishments of this project have attracted independent funding from other Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs for MTR irradiations of the MPFD technology. These are significant opportunities for this NEET Enhanced Micro-Pocket Fission Detector for High Temperature Reactors project because the irradiation expense of these experiments could not be included in the original project scope.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗