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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 559 records · Page 31

Why Plan for Utility-Scale Solar?

The Solar@Scale project is a DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office-funded collaboration between the American Planning Association and International City/County Management Association (ICMA) to provide best practices and guidance for local communities in planning for large-scale PV development. As a member of the Solar@Scale advisory committee, I have been asked to present on trends and land use projections for large-scale solar to demonstrate why local governments will likely see growing demand for solar energy development. These slides represent an introduction to projections from NREL's Standard Scenarios, Cambium, LBNL's Utility-Scale Solar report, and other data sources on the level of solar energy development that can be expected across the country.

48 EE - Weatherization and Intergovernmental Progr↗

Application of the Licensing Modernization Project Approach to the Authorization of the Versatile Test Reactor

The Licensing Modernization Project (LMP) has created a risk-informed, performance-based process for nonlight water reactor licensing under the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Adoption of the LMP process has been recommended by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) [2] and the NRC has issued a draft regulatory guide [3]. The LMP process utilizes risk information to justify the regulatory treatment of event sequences, the classification of structures, systems, and components (SSCs), and to assist with the evaluation of defense-in-depth (DID). The Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) seeks to leverage the efforts of the LMP to develop a risk-informed, performance-based approach for reactor authorization under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Due to differing rules and regulations between the NRC and DOE, modifications to the LMP process are necessary for the VTR authorization approach. However, the goals regarding risk-informed event categorization, SSC classification, and DID evaluation, remain the same.

Grabaskas, David↗

Molten Salt vs. Liquid Sodium Receiver Selection Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process: Preprint

An international team led by NREL analyzed the favorability of two alternative liquid receiver designs for a 700+ °C receiver under the Gen3 CSP Liquid Pathway project. The competing liquid heat transfer fluids were a ternary chloride salt and liquid-metal sodium. The team applied a facilitated analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to arrive at a recommended alternative and set a path forward for the project. The AHP criteria were formulated, weighted, and scored by the project leadership team and technical advisory committee consisting of energy industry and CSP experts. The six-month process culminated with a two-day workshop where the sodium alternative was deemed to have both a significantly higher benefit (19.3%) and a lower LCOE (11.4%), with only a slightly higher risk (~3%) than the salt alternative. Consequently, a sodium-receiver design was selected for the Liquid Pathway project, where it will be used to charge a two-tank chloride salt thermal energy storage system.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗

Molten Salt vs. Liquid Sodium Receiver Selection Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process

An international team led by NREL analyzed the favorability of two alternative liquid receiver designs for a 700+ degrees C receiver under the Gen3 CSP Liquid Pathway project. The competing liquid heat transfer fluids were a ternary chloride salt and liquid-metal sodium. The team applied a facilitated analytic hierarchy process to arrive at a recommended alternative and set a path forward for the project. The AHP criteria were formulated, weighted, and scored by the project leadership team and technical advisory committee consisting of energy industry and CSP experts. The six-month process culminated with a two-day workshop where the sodium alternative was deemed to have both a significantly higher benefit (19.3%) and a lower LCOE (11.4%), with only a slightly higher risk (~3%) than the salt alternative. Consequently, a sodium-receiver design was selected for the Liquid Pathway project, where it will be used to charge a two-tank chloride salt thermal energy storage system.

central receiver↗

Spectroscopic Investigations of Molecular Symmetry Breakdown

This project addressed precise measurements of the spectra of molecules to address fundamental questions in chemical physics in the realm of nuclear spin symmetries and their breakdown in molecules, and parity non-conservation caused by the weak nuclear force. Nuclear spin symmetry is intimately connected to parity in symmetrical molecules and plays a central role in the physical and chemical properties of symmetric molecules, their collisional relaxation, and the establishment of thermodynamic equilibrium in an ensemble. Such effects are present in every molecular system or process, but their small size means they are often only directly observable under special conditions. However, their measurement is of fundamental, and often practical importance, and strongly relates to the themes of coherence in light and matter in the recent Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC) report “Challenges at the Frontiers of Matter and Energy: Transformative Opportunities for Discovery Science”.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Site-Specific Analyses for Demonstrating Compliance with 10 CFR 61 Performance Objectives - 12179

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its regulations at 10 CFR Part 61 to require low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities to conduct site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives in Subpart C. The amendments would require licensees to conduct site-specific analyses for protection of the public and inadvertent intruders as well as analyses for long-lived waste. The amendments would ensure protection of public health and safety, while providing flexibility to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives, for current and potential future waste streams. NRC staff intends to submit proposed rule language and associated regulatory basis to the Commission for its approval in early 2012. The NRC staff also intends to develop associated guidance to accompany any proposed amendments. The guidance is intended to supplement existing low-level radioactive waste guidance on issues pertinent to conducting site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives. The guidance will facilitate implementation of the proposed amendments by licensees and assist competent regulatory authorities in reviewing the site-specific analyses. Specifically, the guidance provides staff recommendations on general considerations for the site-specific analyses, modeling issues for assessments to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives including the performance assessment, intruder assessment, stability assessment, and analyses for long-lived waste. This paper describes the technical basis for changes to the rule language and the proposed guidance associated with implementation of the rule language. The NRC staff, per Commission direction, intends to propose amendments to 10 CFR Part 61 to require licensees to conduct site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with performance objectives for the protection of public health and the environment. The amendments would require a performance assessment to demonstrate protection of the general population from releases of radioactivity, an assessment to demonstrate protection of a potential inadvertent intruder, and a long-term analysis to assess how the design of the facility considers the potential radiological impacts associated with disposal of long-lived waste streams. Concurrently, the NRC staff intends to propose associated guidance to facilitate the implementation of the requirements to conduct site-specific analyses. In proposing these amendments to the regulation and associated guidance, the NRC staff has conducted extensive public outreach since 2009 including three public meetings and four briefings of the NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. The NRC staff plans to submit the proposed amendments to the regulations to the Commission in early 2012. Subsequently, the proposed amendments and associated guidance would be published in the Federal Register for public comment pending approval of the proposed amendments to the regulations by the Commission. Following the public comment period, NRC staff plans to address public comments and revise, as necessary, the regulations and associated guidance before publishing a final rule, which is anticipated in 2013. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

History and Status of DoE's Standardized Canister - 19657

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for managing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) currently in its possession, as well as SNF that will come into its possession in the future. DOE will rely upon the standardized canister to confine radionuclides and precluding the moderator in order to ensure safe, long-term management and disposition of SNF in its possession. This strategy helps minimize characterization costs (i.e., funds and exposure) and other technical challenges associated with the traditional approach of relying on fuel-specific properties to demonstrate compliance with the regulator. The use of the standardized canister offers the following benefits: - The standardized canister design is complete. It has been tested under a variety of drop and accident scenarios and was subsequently licensed under 10 CFR 72 as a storage system as part of the Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation (FWENC) Facility. It is also part of the license submittal for Yucca Mountain. - There is high confidence that the standardized canister design can be stored within commercially-available storage casks and licensed as part of a transportation-system package. - A robust standardized canister simplifies accident analyses and does not rely on characterization of the contained waste. This simplifies safety analysis, provides a greater level of confidence with stakeholders and reduces cost and risk. - A common design for the associated packaging, closure, and loadout facilities results in significant savings. - The DOE standardized canister would simplify design efforts, procurement, and fabrication. - Standardizing handling activities and associated training, procedures, equipment, and tooling leads to enhanced safety and surety of operations. The standardized canister is the preferred package for these materials. It withstood scrutiny by the Yucca Mountain Repository License Application, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, an American Society of Mechanical Engineers peer review, and the FWENC storage license application. This evaluation summarizes and documents the status of the design and rationale for the DOE standardized canister, and outlines remaining needs before deployment. In addition, it discusses the factors that have the potential to influence storage, transportation, and disposal of DOE SNF. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Planetary exploration through year 2000: An augmented program. Part two of a report by the Solar System Exploration Committee of the NASA Advisory Council

In 1982, the NASA Solar System Exploration Committee (SSEC) published a report on a Core Program of planetary missions, representing the minimum-level program that could be carried out in a cost effective manner, and would yield a continuing return of basic scientific results. This is the second part of the SSEC report, describing missions of the highest scientific merit that lie outside the scope of the previously recommended Core Program because of their cost and technical challenge. These missions include the autonomous operation of a mobile scientific rover on the surface of Mars, the automated collection and return of samples from that planet, the return to Earth of samples from asteroids and comets, projects needed to lay the groundwork for the eventual utilization of near-Earth resources, outer planet missions, observation programs for extra-solar planets, and technological developments essential to make these missions possible.

Source record↗

Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability Using Biomass from Dairy and Beef Animal Production Facilities

The Texas Panhandle is regarded as the 'Cattle Feeding Capital of the World', producing 42% of the fed beef cattle in the United States within a 200-mile radius of Amarillo generating more than 5 million tons of feedlot manure/year. Apart from feedlots, the Bosque River Region in Erath County, just north of Waco, Texas with about 110,000 dairy cattle in over 250 dairies, produces 1.8 million tons of manure biomass (excreted plus bedding) per year.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Renewable energy and environmental sustainability using biomass from dairy and beef animal production

The Texas Panhandle is regarded as the 'Cattle Feeding Capital of the World', producing 42% of the fed beef cattle in the United States within a 200-mile radius of Amarillo generating more than 5 million tons of feedlot manure/year. Apart from feedlots, the Bosque River Region in Erath County, just north of Waco, Texas with about 110,000 dairy cattle in over 250 dairies, produces 1.8 million tons of manure biomass (excreted plus bedding) per year.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Guidance for Developing Principal Design Criteria for Advanced (Non-Light Water) Reactors

In July 2013, the US Department of Energy (DOE) and US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) established a joint initiative to address a key portion of the licensing framework essential to advanced (non-light water) reactor technologies. The initiative addressed the “General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants,” Appendix A to10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 50, which were developed primarily for light water reactors (LWRs), specific to the needs of advanced reactor design and licensing. The need for General Design Criteria (GDC) clarifications in non-LWR applications has been consistently identified as a concern by the industry and varied stakeholders and was acknowledged by the NRC staff in their 2012 Report to Congress1 as an area for enhancement. The initiative to adapt GDC requirements for non-light water advanced reactor applications is being accomplished in two phases. Phase 1, managed by DOE, consisted of reviews, analyses and evaluations resulting in recommendations and deliverables to NRC as input for NRC staff development of regulatory guidance. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) developed this technical report using technical and reactor technology stakeholder inputs coupled with analysis and evaluations provided by a team of knowledgeable DOE national laboratory personnel with input from individual industry licensing consultants. The DOE national laboratory team reviewed six different classes of emerging commercial reactor technologies against 10 CFR 50 Appendix A GDC requirements and proposed guidance for their adapted use in non-LWR applications. The results of the Phase 1 analysis are contained in this report. A set of draft Advanced Reactor Design Criteria (ARDC) has been proposed for consideration by the NRC in the establishment of guidance for use by non-LWR designers and NRC staff. The proposed criteria were developed to preserve the underlying safety bases expressed by the original GDC, and recognizing that advanced reactors may take advantage of various new passive and inherent safety features different from those associated with LWRs.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) Monthly Report March 2015

Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) Formerly: Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) Monthly Report February 2015 Highlights; Jim Cole attended the OECD NEA Expert Group on Innovative Structural Materials meeting in Paris, France; Jim Lane and Doug Copsey of Writers Ink visited PNNL to prepare an article for the NSUF annual report; Brenden Heidrich briefed the Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee-Facilities Subcommittee on the Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Database project and provided them with custom reports for their upcoming visits to Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and University of California-Berkeley Principal Investigator Mehdi Balooch visited PNNL to observe measurements and help finalize plans for completing the desired suite of analyses. His visit was coordinated to coincide with the visit of Jim Lane and Doug Copsey.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Subcommittee (ASCAC) Report: Top Ten Exascale Research Challenges

Exascale computing systems are essential for the scientific fields that will transform the 21st century global economy, including energy, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and materials science. Progress in these fields is predicated on the ability to perform advanced scientific and engineering simulations, and analyze the deluge of data. On July 29, 2013, ASCAC was charged by Patricia Dehmer, the Acting Director of the Office of Science, to assemble a subcommittee to provide advice on exascale computing. This subcommittee was directed to return a list of no more than ten technical approaches (hardware and software) that will enable the development of a system that achieves the Department's goals for exascale computing. Numerous reports over the past few years have documented the technical challenges and the non¬-viability of simply scaling existing computer designs to reach exascale. The technical challenges revolve around energy consumption, memory performance, resilience, extreme concurrency, and big data. Drawing from these reports and more recent experience, this ASCAC subcommittee has identified the top ten computing technology advancements that are critical to making a capable, economically viable, exascale system.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

National Ignition Facility (NIF) FY2015 Facility Use Plan

Major features of the FY2015 NIF Use Plan include: • Performing a record number of layered DT experiments with 28 planned compared with 15 in FY2014. Executing the first plutonium experiments on the NIF in support of the Science Campaigns. • Over 300 targets shots, a 57% increase compared to FY14. This is a stretch goal defined in the 120-Day Study document, and relies upon the success of many shot-rate improvement actions, as well as on the distribution of shot type selected by the users. While the Plan is consistent with this goal, the increased proportion of layered DT experiments described above reduces the margin against this goal. • Commissioning of initial ARC capability, which will support both SSP-HED and SSPICF programs. • Increase in days allocated to Discovery Science to a level that supports an ongoing program for academic use of NIF and an annual solicitation for new proposals. • Six Facility Maintenance and Reconfiguration (FM&R) periods totaling 30 days dedicated to major facility maintenance and modifications. • Utilization of the NIF Facility Advisory Schedule Committee (FASC) to provide stakeholder review and feedback on the NIF schedule. The Use Plan assumes a total FY2015 LLNL NIF Operations funding in MTE 10.7 of $229.465M and in MTE 10.3 of 47.0M. This Use Plan will be revised in the event of significant changes to the FY2015 funding or if NNSA provides FY2016 budget guidance significantly reduced compared to FY2015.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗