Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “universal power supply”

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

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

At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Harnessing ionic complexity: A modeling approach for hierarchical ionic circuit design

Since the 1950s, soft ionic devices have evolved from individual components to an expanding library of sensors, actuators, signal transmitters, and processors. However, integrating these components into complex, multifunctional systems remains challenging due to the nonintuitive and nonlinear interactions between ionic elements. In this work, we address these fundamental challenges by developing a lumped element model that enables interrogation of the physics that governs ionic circuits, as well as rapid design and optimization. Our model captures features specific to ionic charge carriers, while preserving the hierarchical design flexibility and computational efficiency of traditional circuit modeling. We demonstrate that our model can not only fit individual device behavior but also accurately predict the behavior of larger circuits formed by combining those devices. Additionally, we show how our tool utilizes the intrinsic nonlinearities of ionic systems to enable extended functionality, revealing how factors such as ion enrichment, ion leakage, and polymer charge density influence performance. Lastly, we present a fully ionic power supply, sensor, control system, and actuator for a soft robot that adapts its motion in response to environmental salt, illustrating the tool’s potential to accelerate advancements in chemical sensing, biointerfacing, biomimetic systems, and adaptive materials.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Enhancing Radionuclide Production Capabilities at the Duke University Medical Center Cyclotron with a Focus on Astatine-211

Radionuclides play an important role in a diverse array of fields including physics, chemistry, agriculture, materials science, national security, medical research and patient care. Establishing a reliable domestic supply of key radionuclides is critical to our national competitiveness in these areas. Regarding medical applications, targeted alpha-particle therapy (TAT) has become of great interest to basic researchers and clinicians alike and is emerging as a valuable and cost-effective approach for cancer treatment. Unfortunately, progress in TAT, particularly with regard to its clinical translation, has been severely hampered by the limited availability of the most promising radionuclides at a reasonable cost, and with appropriate chemical and radiochemical purity. In this project, we have attempted to address this problem by focusing on production of the 7.2-h half-life α-particle emitter, 211 At, which has long been considered to be one of the most promising radionuclides for TAT. We note that he critical importance of improving the supply of 211 At in the United States was noted in the Funding Opportunity Announcement related to this project. At Duke University, we have a CS-30 cyclotron that is one of the few accelerators in the United States that has an alpha-particle beam that has enough energy to make useful quantities of 211 At. With this cyclotron, we have been able to produce more 211 At than anywhere else in the world because of our unique internal cyclotron target system. However, the CS-30 cyclotron is nearly 40 years old and was no longer reliable. In addition, its operation required considerable skill, largely because it had analog control systems, and vital parts including old-fashioned power supplies, were becoming unavailable. For these reasons, the current project was undertaken to evaluate all the subsystems of the CS-30 cyclotron and replace, repair, and update them. With help from our consultant, Ionetix, this has now been accomplished. We believe that because of this work, the CS-30 can reliably supply 211 At for basic research and clinical trials both at Duke and beyond.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Energy storage in combined gas-electric energy transitions models: The case of California

California’s vision for a net-zero future by 2045 relies heavily on variable renewable energy systems. Thus, energy storage - particularly long-duration storage - could play a fundamental role in reliably supplying low-carbon electricity. We study energy storage using the BRIDGES model, a combined gas-electric capacity expansion model for California across multiple investment periods (2025-2045), modeled with progressively decreasing carbon emission targets to a zero emissions by 2045. This least-cost optimization model includes renewable gas production via power-to-gas, long-term storage of energy in gaseous form, electric energy storage such as through batteries and hydrogen storage, and renewable energy generation, all with capacity tracking and investment. Multiple scenarios are evaluated to examine the sensitivity of the optimal storage portfolio to system-level and sector-level parameters. The scenario results show that all electric energy storage systems - which vary in storage duration - are deployed and required in a net-zero California in 2045, amounting to around 75 GW of storage capacity. Lithium ion systems make up approximately 80% of this power capacity and supply most short-run storage needs. Hydrogen storage - in the form of a power-to-gas-to-power system - emerges as a replacement to conventional natural gas storage, comprising most of the total energy storage capacity (~ 4 TWh). This capacity is less than 5% of the current natural gas storage capacity (94 TWh), indicating sufficient room for repurposing part of the gas infrastructure. A demand-side sensitivity analysis proves that higher electricity demand correlates with more builds of Li-ion batteries, while higher industrial heat demand leads to more builds of long-duration storage systems in a net-zero economy. Furthermore, power-to-gas systems satisfy part of the industrial heat demand by locally supplying renewable gas, which overtakes the traditional centralized gas storage and transfers through pipelines, casting significant doubts on the future of the large-scale gas infrastructure.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Basic Energy Sciences Roundtable: Foundational Science to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Innovation

Energy security, availability, and reliability are among the greatest challenges facing the nation and the planet. An abundant potential source of energy resides in the fundamental atomic building blocks of the universe in the form of nuclear fission and fusion reactions. In fact, energy from nuclear fission currently provides the majority of the world’s zero-carbon electricity, and future fusion energy systems offer great promise; carbon-free nuclear energy technologies can be key to the world’s decarbonized energy future. Although contemporary fission systems use well-established technologies to supply safe and efficient baseload power, they could be more fuel efficient and less costly. Moving beyond massive light-water fission reactors to a variety of advanced nuclear systems—which will vary in size and operate in extremes of temperature, corrosivity, and other parameters—will place stringent conditions on materials and chemical systems. New demands will be placed on the coolants and solvents, the materials, and the monitoring tools used in these reactors. Fusion-based nuclear energy will require superior materials to withstand extremely high temperatures, plasma exposure, radiation damage, and implanted gases. The advantages associated with these new fission and fusion technologies will be realized only through continued advancements in the fundamental science underpinning our knowledge of the physics and chemistry of nuclear systems gained via improved experimental and computational methods. In July 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences—in coordination with the Offices of Nuclear Energy, Fusion Energy Sciences, and Advanced Scientific Computing Research—held a virtual roundtable titled “Foundational Science to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Innovation” to discuss the scientific and technical barriers for advanced nuclear energy systems. Five priority research opportunities were identified to address these scientific and technical challenges and to accelerate progress toward the realization of next-generation fusion and fission energy systems. The foundational science gaps inhibiting the advancement of nuclear energy technologies are identified and tackled in five priority research opportunities. These opportunities pave the way to accelerate the development and ultimately the adoption of new nuclear energy systems. They include the fundamental aspects of ion-electron interactions; novel properties of next-generation coolants and solvents; interfacial dynamics, not only in solids, but in other aspects of nuclear reactors; novel operando and in situ monitoring and sensing; and artificial intelligence to accelerate condensed phases discovery. Building on the foundation established by previous Basic Energy Sciences workshops, these opportunities encompass recent advances in fundamental knowledge and focus on the experimental and computational methods needed to resolve major technical challenges for nuclear energy technologies. Through developing fundamental scientific insight as well as pushing the frontiers of modeling complex systems and probing the operation of materials and chemical systems in extreme environments, research motivated by the priorities identified here will further develop the promise, potential, and utilization of nuclear energy for a clean energy future.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Twinac: A Universal Framework for Virtual Accelerator Controls

We propose a universal framework for a system of virtual accelerator controls (Twinac), a standard toolkit for research institutions to design, maintain, and use a real-time, end-to-end "digital twin" of their particle accelerator facility. This virtual counterpart will mirror any physical accelerator to provide (1) predictive maintenance; (2) surveillance of hidden environmental factors, such as seasonal temperature variations, which could impact performance of power supplies, magnets, and other instruments; and (3) a capability to model novel ways to operate the accelerator without risking equipment damage. Twinac is envisioned as accelerator facility agnostic, allowing institutions to share and reuse myriad simulation approaches (analytics-based, A.I.-driven, or combinations of the like) across facilities. The Twinac system lays the groundwork for a collaborative network of institutions to maintain and update this shared virtual accelerator technology.

Miceli, Tia M. [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000265577789)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Oakland University Cybersecurity Center (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

This report summarizes the outcomes of Award DE-CR0000023, “Oakland University Cybersecurity Center,” a 31-month project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). The project addressed cybersecurity risks facing small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) transitioning to Industry 4.0. The project integrated customer discovery, applied research, and cybersecurity training development. A total of 51 cybersecurity assessments identified significant gaps in baseline practices, incident response, and workforce capability. Research efforts produced a scalable mitigation framework tailored to SMM environments, and workforce analysis identified persistent talent gaps. Eight cybersecurity training modules were developed and deployed via Oakland University’s Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) platform. All objectives were completed, with 98.93% federal budget utilization and cost share exceeding requirements. The project establishes a scalable model for strengthening cybersecurity resilience and workforce capacity across U.S. manufacturing supply chains.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Robust Combined Heat and Hybrid Power (CHHP) for High Electrical Efficiency Cogeneration

Georgia Tech (Prime Recipient), the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) investigated a hybrid fuel cell/ gas turbine system concept as a combined heat and hybrid power (CHHP) system for both robust and high power-to-process heat ratio cogeneration. The novelty of the proposed system entailed the distinct, elevated electrical efficiencies it maintains while simultaneously supporting a broad span of heating needs (e.g., supply temperatures) demanded across variable heat loads. The scope included: 1) leveraging a pioneering national lab facility configured for dynamic system operability development of hybrid fuel cell/gas turbine cycles; 2) enabling technology development to adjust and modulate the quality and quantity of thermal supply to bottoming heat loads via novel extreme temperature gas bypass valves. Hybrid fuel cell/gas turbine systems have primarily been reduced-to-practice in a constrained (e.g., initial proof-of-concept) manner and have still demonstrated considerable electrical efficiencies. However, these pre-pilot systems have focused upon electrical efficiencies and electrical power generation as the exclusive energy demand. Such hybrid systems had not been extensively researched or developed for flexible and variable operation consisting of both power and heat demands; however, these variable combined power and heat demands are characteristic of many types of manufacturers such as animal/poultry processing, bakeries and milk/flour/pastry manufacturing, textile mills, and electrochemical processing. Commercially, developing the system into a working combined heat and power system benefits these types of manufacturers by allowing them to meet their power and heat demands at a lower cost, higher efficiency, and/or through onsite generation. Therefore, the technical scope of this project was largely to study and facilitate these hybrid systems as combined heat and hybrid power (CHHP) systems that include dynamic operability for variable heat and power loads and/or grid dynamics for various types of manufacturers. Simulation results were used to predict the performance of the CHHP system and conceptually develop it to achieve desired dynamic operability. Experimentally, the primary goal was to design, manufacture, and experiment upon a high-temperature bypass valve. Experimental data included air mass flow rates through the valve orifice when the valve was changed to variable extent between fully closed and fully open. The experimental data was then used to create a semi-empirical computational model of the bypass valve. Concluded simulation goals for the research included developing computational heat exchanger models for the hybrid system inclusive of the bottoming heat exchanger and the recuperative heat exchanger, and then combining the computational recuperator model with the computational valve model. Afterwards, the computational models were then integrated to predict the dynamic operation of hybrid fuel cell/gas turbine cycles throughout a design space and reporting such. The scope stated in the preceding paragraph was packaged into five specific goals: 1) enabling the simulation of dynamic combined heat and power through the creation of computational, modular heat exchanger models; 2) simulation and exploration of the CHHP system’s performance by integrating the heat exchanger models with the national lab’s pre-existing hybrid system (computational) simulation, but without the recuperator bypass valve concept in order to initially determine how the (baseline) system behaves and can be controlled in order to meet variable heat and power demands; 3) development and initial deployment of the high-temperature recuperator bypass valve technology in order to confirm and characterize the approach; 4) usage of the experimental data for the valve to create a semi-empirical computational model for the bypass valve which could then be combined with the heat exchanger computational models; 5) repeat of the second task of simulating and exploring the system’s performance, but this time including the bypass valve to resolve its efficacy. Tasks were successfully completed, and the general notion of flexibly operating, high electrical efficiency CHHP was further corroborated. Supportive details are provided in the report.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Vanderbilt Alumni Hall

This dataset includes processed and raw data from the Vanderbilt Alumni Hall Building (VAH) located on the University of Vanderbilt Campus in Nashville, TN. VAH is a mixed use commercial building (LEED Gold Certified) that consists of classrooms, meeting rooms, office rooms, conference rooms, an exercise room, and others. This dataset spans one year of time-series data from 2019 and includes measurements corresponding to whole building electrical power, thermal power, zone level thermal power, set-point, indoor temperature, humidity, water and air side supply and return temperatures and flow rates as CSV files. In addition to the measurements, a metadata .json file, and a .ttl file to visualize the data as per BRICK schema are also included.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Creation of Multiple Effect Evaporator and Combined Cycle Modelica Modules, and Optimization of Potable Water Generation from Saltwater Sources (Final Technical Report)

Modelica models for a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) and Multiple Effect Evaporator have been developed. These models have been validated against results from literature and from an actual cogeneration system on the campus of NC State University. The models are capable of connecting to other components to create multi-input, multi-output energy systems with storage, also known as integrated energy systems. An existing 35 MW gas turbine model is connected to the HRSG model created for this project to produce 9 bar steam. The high pressure steam feeds a backpressure steam turbine from the library to generate additional electric power. 2 bar steam leaves the turbine to supply an 8 effect MEE to generate water for a community. As part of the effort, three research papers were submitted (two published in ANS Proceedings and one submitted to Applied Energy).

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Optimal Economic Dispatch and Load-Following Strategies for Nuclear Integrated Energy Systems

The need for distributed and adaptable energy resources that can handle the growing unpredictability in both supply and demand is rising as the power system continues to modernize. In order to satisfy those needs and maintain grid resilience, nuclear power plants can dynamically control their output, despite typically being used as baseload generators. By incorporating energy storage and renewable energy sources, nuclear integrated energy systems are designed to satisfy the electrical and thermal demands of different end-user applications while ensuring flexible power operation. These systems generate revenue by participating in both wholesale and ancillary services electricity markets, as well as commodity markets for various byproducts generated from coupled industrial processes. This study addresses the economic dispatch efficiency of a tightly coupled nuclear integrated energy system comprising a gigawatt-scale light water reactor, commercialized in the U.S., a high-temperature steam electrolysis unit, a district heating network, and specified electrical loads. To demonstrate the nuclear power plant’s flexibility within the day-ahead unit commitment and economic dispatch framework, while maintaining equilibrium even during periods of refueling outages, this paper develops a mixed-integer linear programming framework that models the subsystems and components of its nuclear steam supply system. A systematic comparative analysis of flexible versus baseload nuclear power plant operation under varying levels of renewable energy integration indicates that flexible operation enhances system profitability by more than 18% while also increasing energy storage utilization, improving reactor responsiveness to load fluctuations, and allowing for greater participation across numerous electricity markets.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

The TRANSCEND University Consortium: An Overview - 20106

The UK government is committed to nuclear energy having an important role in delivering a secure, low-carbon and affordable energy future. Projections indicate that between now and 2035, ∼14 GW of new nuclear generating capacity may be built. Successful delivery of this strategy recognises the need for research and development, skills development and international collaboration as key enablers. One key area is the decommissioning and clean-up of all civil nuclear licensed sites and the implementation of geological disposal of highly active wastes, with a central component being a joined-up approach to nuclear R and D across government, industry and academia which benefits the UK economy and ensures the security of supply. Essential to public acceptance of this strategy remains a demonstrable ability to safely manage and dispose of waste, with acceptance directly linked to having scientifically robust routes for its safe clean-up and disposal. There therefore remains an ongoing need for further research in the areas of decommissioning, immobilisation and management of nuclear waste, and there is significant government and stakeholder support for such research. Given the needs of both new nuclear power generation and legacy wastes, there is a requirement to develop innovative approaches to waste management and decommissioning. Following on from earlier, highly successful projects supported by UK Research and Innovation's Energy Programme, the work of the TRANSCEND (Transformative Science and Engineering for Nuclear Decommissioning) consortium is part of the response to these needs, providing support to a strong and internationally leading group of researchers in this key technology area. The consortium is a collaboration between 11 universities, supported by 8 key industry partners, with a total funding of UK Pounds 9.5 M from the UK Engineering and Physical Research Council, the universities and key project partners. The research being carried out is multidisciplinary and covers both fundamental and applied topics, with 40 research projects clustered in four technical themes: integrated waste management; site decommissioning and remediation; spent fuels; and nuclear materials. Key aims of the consortium are to extend and further develop a relevant academic skill base in the UK associated with the needs of nuclear waste management and decommissioning, to train the next generation of UK researchers, equipping them with skills and experiences relevant to nuclear waste management and decommissioning issues, and to carry out cutting-edge research that has the potential to provide new and innovative pathways to better management of both legacy and future nuclear wastes. (authors)

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

PowerAmerica (Final Technical Report)

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (predecessor to AMMTO) established PowerAmerica in December 2014 to develop and accelerate the adoption of wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor chips and power electronics in manufacturing. The objective was to spark early commercialization of energy efficient products; educate and train the workforce; create high-tech jobs; and nurture the growth of the U.S. WBG semiconductor manufacturing industry. PowerAmerica isled by North Carolina State University by way of a five-year, $140M cooperative agreement with DoE. This private-public partnership with DoE includes member companies ranging from startups and small-medium enterprises to large system integrators, world-class universities, and national labs. The WBG power electronic ecosystem formed by our diverse membership is focused on using advanced manufacturing to 1) lower the cost of silicon carbide and gallium nitride semiconductor devices to be comparable to silicon devices; 2) demonstrate the system benefits and energy efficiency advantages of WBG semiconductor power electronics through system demonstrations that validate their effectiveness; and 3) build an education pipeline for a skilled workforce to meet the future demand for emerging WBG semiconductor markets — and enhance U.S. economic competitiveness globally. PowerAmerica was initially funded in six budget periods, each lasting 12 to 18 months. By the end of Budget Period 6 (August 2023), PowerAmerica had achieved its major objectives in technology development, semiconductor device cost reduction, ecosystem growth and engagement, and education and workforce development. Through strategic foundry investments, we helped to establish the first U.S. SiC foundry (X-FAB) and supported a lab (Microchip) to start SiC volume production. We’ve helped bring together companies from different parts of the supply chain, resulting in several successful new partnerships and business relationships. Through projects with some of the largest manufacturers of energy-intensive equipment in the U.S. — John Deere, GE, United Technologies, Raytheon, Carrier, Toshiba, and others — we have successfully demonstrated the energy and system benefits of WBG technology. We have also harnessed the unique capabilities and facilities of national labs — the Naval Research Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory — to help solve challenging technical problems for industry. Thanks to our many webinars, tutorials, annual events, and presence at major energy and electronics conferences around the world, the PowerAmerica name has become synonymous with WBG technology advancement. The commercial interest in WBG technology is higher than ever; companies and governments around the world have announced hundreds of millions of dollarsin future investment to build capacity — and compete with silicon in many markets and applications. We have trained hundreds of engineering students, from universities across the U.S., through hands-on projects and WBG coursework. Working professionals have also benefited through the years from our many targeted short courses, tutorials, and technical webinars. In short, PowerAmerica has made great strides in each of our key objectives, and the organization has been operating without government or NC State

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Identification of opportunities for integrating chemical processes for carbon (dioxide) utilization to nuclear power plants

The energy and industrial sectors are responsible for more than 75% of global carbon dioxide emissions, which are primary contributors to climate change. Decarbonization strategies to reduce overall carbon dioxide emissions are urgently needed. Among the numerous decarbonization strategies that are being defined and implemented, a particular strategy of interest for the present work is “the Re-X or zero waste” strategy, which involves recycling, reuse, repurposing, and remanufacturing of industrial emissions, by-products, and waste in general. A circular value chain or Circular Economy is embedded within this strategy. In a circular carbon economy, efficient reuse of emitted carbon dioxide is considered. However, the stability of carbon dioxide implies the requirement of significant amounts of energy for its transformation into value-added chemicals or products, which must be supplied by low carbon emitting energy sources. Nuclear power plants are low carbon energy sources that, additionally to electricity, could also supply heat and radiation for chemical transformations. This work identifies the opportunities and challenges for the development of integrated energy systems to upgrade and transform carbon dioxide, involving chemical and nuclear energy. The analysis encompasses possible use of the different forms of energy that can be obtain from nuclear reactors (i.e., radiation, electricity, and heat), by reviewing the published literature on potential routes for its conversion. Overall, our review indicates that an universal technology of the one-fits-all solution-type is an utopic dream. Instead, a suite of (contaminants tolerant) technologies for processing various concentrations CO 2 and producing a variety of products is currently needed.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

eMosaic: Electrification Mosaic Platform for Grid Informed Smart Charging Management (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

ABB (Prime Contractor), in collaboration with its partners at the Utah State University (USU), Idaho National Laboratory, Rocky Mountain Power (RMP), and Electric Power Engineers (EPE), have performed research, development, and wide scale demonstration of a scalable and resilient Electrification Mosaic (eMosaic) platform for Smart Charge Management (SCM) for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure. Work was completed under DE EE0009194, titled “eMosaic Electrification Mosaic Platform for Grid Informed Smart Charging Management”, funded by the US Department of Energy. The project members developed algorithms that provide localized and bulk grid services and that reduce and stabilize costs all the way down the supply chain to the PEV owner through SCM. This platform aggregates telemetry from multiple data sources as pieces of the larger picture including personal, private fleet or transportation EVs, fast chargers and other supply equipment, weather service information, and geographically distributed charging sites such as public lots, garage and retail, and private or shared usage depots. ABB and the project team designed, tested, and improved a charging management system at local/edge and cloud levels. The ultimate objective of the project was to convincingly demonstrate that the developed secure eMosaic plat-form can be readily and favorably adopted by diverse utilities and site owners at scale. This was achieved through a demonstration plan with field deployment at several physical sites across 4 states and additional scalable simulation from high fidelity charging models.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Phase 1 NuScale SMR FOAK Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

The overarching objective of the Phase 1 NuScale SMR First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project was to enhance competitiveness of the U.S. nuclear industry by enabling timely deployment of the NuScale small modular reactor (SMR). The scope of this Phase 1 project continued to advance the licensing and design maturity, particularly in those areas related to supporting customer readiness, supply chain integration, cost competitiveness, and cost confidence. This investment provided by the Government has accelerated development of these designs and technologies so that the existing domestic fleet of nuclear power plants remains viable and the most mature in the nuclear industry. The intent is to have the new, advanced U.S. designs be deployed as early 2026, and be globally competitive. As a part of the First-of-a-Kind Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project, NuScale has been developing an advanced reactor design, leading the path for other development projects or complex technology advancements for existing plants that have significant technical and licensing risk. The NuScale Power team (NuScale) is advancing licensing, engineering, supply chain development, testing, and other required activities to enhance the innovation and competitiveness of the U.S. nuclear industry by enabling timely deployment of the NuScale SMR. Specifically, NuScale is performing the following activities in Phase 1. Fully supporting the NRC review of the NuScale DCA to ensure approval of a final safety evaluation report by the end of 2020. Improving plant cost confidence and cost competitiveness through design and supply chain advancement, incorporation of constructability best practices, and margin recovery to increase plant power output. Accelerating design maturity, technology development, and operational program readiness to support a customer commitment for plant deployment. The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), a unit of the Office of Science, fulfills agency-wide responsibilities to collect, preserve, and disseminate both unclassified and classified scientific and technical information (STI) emanating from DOE-funded research and development (R&D) activities at DOE national laboratories and facilities and at universities and other institutions nationwide. This scientific and technical report provides summaries of the analyses and research that was performed by NuScale under this project that achieves the objective of disseminating information to the nuclear industry to ensure the innovations realized are shared for the benefit of the industry at large.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advanced Design for the WIQ Magnet With Steering Corrector Function

The Facility for Rare Isotopes Beams (FRIB) delivers heavy-ion primary beams at energies of up to 300 MeV/u at 10 kW of beam power to generate rare isotope beams for experiments and will eventually operate at beam power of 400 kW. The preseprator of the Advanced Rare Isotope Separator (ARIS) is equipped with six warm-iron quadrupole (WIQ) singlets and two dipoles integrated right after the production target. They have a compact structure and operate in a high radiation vacuum environment within a hot cell having remote handling capabilities for installation and maintenance. Due to asymmetry with respect to the quadrupole poles, nested sextupole excitations in WIQs induce vertical dipoles that offset the centroid trajectory; Magnet misalignments also result in trajectory offsets. Such offsets degrade separator performance but can be minimized by changing the current distribution on sextupole and octupole coils. In this work, we show how modifications to the WIQ coil design can allow superimposed dipole fields to be included to the octupole and sextupole windings, as well as addition of dipole components by splitting coil currents over groups with separator power supplies. Adjusting the group currents can cancel the sextupole-induced vertical dipole component which can be as high as 0.012 Tm. Octupole coil changes may superimpose a horizontal dipole integrated strength as high as 0.0332 Tm. Unwanted higher harmonics induced as a side effect of the new design are kept to a minimum such that separator performance is preserved as much as possible.

Accelerator magnets↗
DOE OSTI2025

Design and Commission of Solid State Switch Driver in SLAC Subbooster Modulator

The LINAC sub-booster modulator is a pulsed power supply to provide a 30kV pulse to drive a klystron in SLAC LINAC. It has utilized vacuum tetrode as pulse switch for more than 60 years. With the vacuum tetrode availability becoming less and its cost surging, a natural choice is to use solid state switch in this pulsed power modulator. To commission solid state switch in LINAC sub-booster modulator, a driver board is designed to drive a BEHLKE HTS-LC2 series MOSFET based switches. The design concept and some concerns in design will be presented. The driver board is universal for all HTS-LC2 series switches because they share the same driver signals and connections. After the driver is commissioned, two AI systems are introduced to design one core part of the driver, the results are presented here. During the commission of the driver board in the LINAC sub-booster modulators, some problems happened and were addressed.

AI Circuit Design↗
DOE OSTI2026

Flashlamp drive system for a high-energy 10–100 kHz pulse-burst Nd:YAG laser

We present the design of the flashlamp drive system for the NG100 laser, a 1 J/pulse, 10–100 kHz, pulse-burst Nd:YAG laser system being developed for application in a Thomson scattering plasma diagnostic. This flashlamp drive system is under active development, with a prototype now being constructed. The flashlamp drive system is modular, with each module capable of driving a series pair of linear flashlamps. Each drive module contains and is controlled by a dedicated Analog Regulator Controller. Thus each module is independently operable and controllable. This modular approach imposes no intrinsic limit to the number of modules that may be applied to drive the flashlamp pairs in a laser system. Each flashlamp drive module has a switch-regulated topology. An 1800 V main capacitor bank provides 25 kJ of energy storage, while a lower voltage output capacitor bank provides filtering and the initial energy delivered to the flashlamps at the start of the drive pulse. The main bank is recharged after each flashlamp drive pulse. As energy is drawn from the output bank by the flashlamps, an IGBT switching regulator feeds current from the main bank through an inductor to replenish the output capacitor bank. The rate of replenishment is feedback-controlled to maintain a regulated supply of power to the flashlamp load, with a setpoint range of 0.07 to 1.65 MW. An Analog Regulator Controller produces two-state variable pulse width feedback switching of the regulator IGBT. The switching frequency is ≤ 20 kHz, dynamically adjusted to limit ripple of the flashlamp power to ±3% statistical standard deviation of mean. For development or troubleshooting, each module is operable independent of the laser digital control system (microcontroller and FPGA).

Plasma diagnostics - interferometry↗