Results for “TECHNICAL DETAILS” — Page 36

DOE OSTI2020

Modernization of Technical Requirements for Licensing of Advanced Non-Light Water Reactors: Selection and Evaluation of Licensing Basis Events

This report, “Modernization of Technical Requirements for Licensing of Advanced Non-Light Water Reactors: Selection and Evaluation of Licensing Basis Events,” represents a key element in the development of a methodology for the efficient licensing of advanced non-light water reactors (non-LWRs). It is the result of a Licensing Modernization Project (LMP) led by Southern Company and cost-shared by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The LMP will result in detailed proposals for establishing licensing technical requirements to facilitate risk-informed and performance-based design and licensing of advanced non-LWRs. Such a methodology acknowledges enhancements in safety achievable with advanced designs and reflects more recent states of knowledge regarding safety and design innovation, creating an opportunity for reduced regulatory complexity with increased levels of safety. The project builds on best practices as well as previous activities through DOE and industry-sponsored advanced reactor licensing initiatives.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2012

Resolution of Qualification Issues for Existing Structural Materials

This report gives a detailed assessment of several key technical issues that needs resolution for the existing structural materials with emphasis on application in liquid metal reactors (LMRs), in particular, sodium cooled fast reactors. The work is a combined effort between Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) with ANL as the technical lead, as part of Advanced Structural Materials Program for the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) Reactor Campaign. The report is the second deliverable in FY09 (M2505050201) under the work package “Advanced Materials Code Qualification”. The overall objective of the Advanced Materials Code Qualification project is to evaluate the key technical requirements for the qualification of currently available and future advanced materials for application in sodium reactor systems and the resolution of issues that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has raised in the past on structural materials in support of the design and licensing of the LMR. Advanced materials are a critical element in the development of sodium reactor technologies. Enhanced materials performance not only improves safety margins and provides design flexibility, but also is essential for the economics of future advanced sodium reactors. Qualification and licensing of advanced materials are prominent needs for developing and implementing advanced sodium reactor technologies. However, the development of sufficient database and qualification of these materials for application in LMRs require considerable amount of time and resources. In the meantime, the currently available materials will be used in the early development of fast reactors. Nuclear structural component designs in the U.S. comply with the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section III (Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components) and the NRC grants licensing. As the LMR will operate at higher temperatures than the current light water reactors (LWRs), the design of elevated-temperature components must comply with ASME Section III Subsection NH (Class 1 Components in Elevated Temperature Service). Assessment of materials performance issues and high temperature design methodology issues pertinent to the LMR were presented in an earlier report (Natesan et al. 2008). In a subsequent report (Majumdar et al. 2009), we addressed the needs in high temperature methodologies for design of various high temperature components in sodium cooled fast reactor. The present report addresses several key technical issues for the currently available structural materials such as Type 304 and 316 austenitic stainless steels and ferritic steels such as 2.25Cr-1Mo and modified 9Cr-1Mo. The 60-year design life for the LMR presents a significant challenge to the development of database, extrapolation/prediction of long-term performance, and high temperature structural design methodology. The current Subsection NH is applicable to the design life only up to 34 years. No experimental data contain test durations of 525,000 hours, and it is impractical to conduct such long-term tests in any types of testing. So far the longest creep tests for Grade 91 and Grade 92 steels have run up to 100,000 hours. It has been noted that there is a large drop in creep rupture strength in long-term tests for these high-Cr creep-resistant steels, which may result in overestimation of the long-term creep strength and allowable stress. The report addresses in detail the need for a mechanistic understanding of the structural materials, from the standpoint of the effects of thermal aging, creep deformation, creep fracture, fatigue and creep-fatigue, creep-fatigue predictive models, fatigue and creep crack growth, and fracture toughness. Based on an in-depth assessment of the available data and mechanistic understanding, key technical issues are identified and discussed for each of the property areas. Furthermore, we have proposed viable approaches to resolve the issues and prioritized our recommendations.

Natesan, K.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Challenges of Integrating NASAs Space Communication Networks

The transition to new technology, innovative ideas, and resistance to change is something that every industry experiences. Recent examples of this shift are changing to using robots in the assembly line construction of automobiles or the increasing use of robotics for medical procedures. Most often this is done with cost-reduction in mind, though ease of use for the customer is also a driver. All industries experience the push to increase efficiency of their systems; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the commercial space industry are no different. NASA space communication services are provided by three separately designed, developed, maintained, and operated communications networks known as the Deep Space Network (DSN), Near Earth Network (NEN) and Space Network (SN). The Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program is pursuing integration of these networks and has performed a variety of architecture trade studies to determine what integration options would be the most effective in achieving a unified user mission support organization, and increase the use of common operational equipment and processes. The integration of multiple, legacy organizations and existing systems has challenges ranging from technical to cultural. The existing networks are the progeny of the very first communication and tracking capabilities implemented by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) more than 50 years ago and have been customized to the needs of their respective user mission base. The technical challenges to integrating the networks are many, though not impossible to overcome. The three distinct networks provide the same types of services, with customizable data rates, bandwidth, frequencies, and so forth. The differences across the networks have occurred in effort to satisfy their user missions' needs. Each new requirement has made the networks more unique and harder to integrate. The cultural challenges, however, have proven to be a significant obstacle for integration. Over the past few decades of use, user missions and network personnel alike have grown accustomed to the processes by which services are provided by the NASA communications and navigation networks. The culture established by each network has created several challenges that need to be overcome in order to effectively integrate the networks. As with any change, there has been resistance, an apprehension to explore automation of existing processes, and a working environment that attempts to indirectly influence change without mandating compliance. Overcoming technical and cultural challenges is essential to successfully integrating the networks and although the challenges are numerous, the integration of the networks promises a more efficient space communications network for NASA and its customers, as well as potential long-term cost savings to the agency. This paper, Challenges of Integrating NASA Legacy Communications Networks, will provide a brief overview of the current NASA space communications networks as well as the an overview of the process implemented while performing the SCaN Trade Studies and an introduction to the requirements driving integration of the SCaN Networks. This paper will describe in detail the challenges experienced, both technical and cultural, while working with NASA space communications network-specific personnel. The paper will also cover lessons learned during the performance of architecture trade studies and provide recommendations for ways to improve the process.

Reinert, Jessica M.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Challenges of Integrating NASA's Space Communications Networks

The transition to new technology, innovative ideas, and resistance to change is something that every industry experiences. Recent examples of this shift are changing to using robots in the assembly line construction of automobiles or the increasing use of robotics for medical procedures. Most often this is done with cost-reduction in mind, though ease of use for the customer is also a driver. All industries experience the push to increase efficiency of their systems; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the commercial space industry are no different. NASA space communication services are provided by three separately designed, developed, maintained, and operated communications networks known as the Deep Space Network (DSN), Near Earth Network (NEN) and Space Network (SN). The Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program is pursuing integration of these networks and has performed a variety of architecture trade studies to determine what integration options would be the most effective in achieving a unified user mission support organization, and increase the use of common operational equipment and processes. The integration of multiple, legacy organizations and existing systems has challenges ranging from technical to cultural. The existing networks are the progeny of the very first communication and tracking capabilities implemented by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) more than 50 years ago and have been customized to the needs of their respective user mission base. The technical challenges to integrating the networks are many, though not impossible to overcome. The three distinct networks provide the same types of services, with customizable data rates, bandwidth, frequencies, and so forth. The differences across the networks have occurred in effort to satisfy their user missions' needs. Each new requirement has made the networks more unique and harder to integrate. The cultural challenges, however, have proven to be a significant obstacle for integration. Over the past few decades of use, user missions and network personnel alike have grown accustomed to the processes by which services are provided by the NASA communications and navigation networks. The culture established by each network has created several challenges that need to be overcome in order to effectively integrate the networks. As with any change, there has been resistance, an apprehension to explore automation of existing processes, and a working environment that attempts to indirectly influence change without mandating compliance. Overcoming technical and cultural challenges is essential to successfully integrating the networks and although the challenges are numerous, the integration of the networks promises a more efficient space communications network for NASA and its customers, as well as potential long-term cost savings to the agency. This paper, Challenges of Integrating NASA Legacy Communications Networks, will provide a brief overview of the current NASA space communications networks as well as the an overview of the process implemented while performing the SCaN Trade Studies and an introduction to the requirements driving integration of the SCaN Networks. This paper will describe in detail the challenges experienced, both technical and cultural, while working with NASA space communications network-specific personnel. The paper will also cover lessons learned during the performance of architecture trade studies and provide recommendations for ways to improve the process.

Systems Integration↗

NASA NTRS1992

Technical needs and research opportunities provided by projected aeronautical and space systems

The overall goal of the present task is to identify the enabling and supporting technologies for projected aeronautical and space systems. A detailed examination was made of the technical needs in the structures, dynamics and materials areas required for the realization of these systems. Also, the level of integration required with other disciplines was identified. The aeronautical systems considered cover the broad spectrum of rotorcraft; subsonic, supersonic and hypersonic aircraft; extremely high-altitude aircraft; and transatmospheric vehicles. The space systems considered include space transportation systems; spacecrafts for near-earth observation; spacecrafts for planetary and solar exploration; and large space systems. A monograph is being compiled which summarizes the results of this study. The different chapters of the monograph are being written by leading experts from governmental laboratories, industry and universities.

Noor, Ahmed K.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Dark Matter and Track Triggering with the CMS Experiment (Final Report)

This report summarizes the progress from DOE Early Career Award entitled “Dark Matter and Track Triggering with the CMS Experiment”. The first major goal of the project was to establish a sensitive Dark Matter (DM) search program for the CMS experiment in Run-2 of the LHC. Two related strategies were developed to accomplish this goal. First, we designed and executed searches for DM produced in association with heavy flavor quark pairs, top/anti-top (ttbar) and bottom/anti-bottom (bbbar). In addition, we sought to maximize the power of Run-2 DM searches through the development of a statistical combination of all major search channels within a consistent theoretical framework. The results of these aspects of the project are detailed in Section 1. The second major goal of the project was to develop a real-time “Level-1” tracking trigger system for the high-luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) CMS upgrade. Charged particle tracking in the first stage of the CMS trigger will be crucial for surviving the high-pileup environment expected at the HL-LHC. The L1 tracking trigger must process all front-end hit data sent from the inner Tracker and will have just 4us to output track primitives to the downstream L1 trigger without data loss. Our development of the CMS tracking trigger is described in Section 2. The team supported by the award is given in Section 3. The project resulted in 10 peer reviewed publications, a graduate student thesis, and contributions to the CMS Phase-2 Tracker Technical Design Report, as is detailed in Section 4. Our development work for the CMS tracking trigger has been integrated in the backend system architecture for the Tracker upgrade.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NASA NTRS2005

Electric Propulsion System Modeling for the Proposed Prometheus 1 Mission

The proposed Prometheus 1 spacecraft would utilize nuclear electric propulsion to propel the spacecraft to its ultimate destination where it would perform its primary mission. As part of the Prometheus 1 Phase A studies, system models were developed for each of the spacecraft subsystems that were integrated into one overarching system model. The Electric Propulsion System (EPS) model was developed using data from the Prometheus 1 electric propulsion technology development efforts. This EPS model was then used to provide both performance and mass information to the Prometheus 1 system model for total system trades. Development of the EPS model is described, detailing both the performance calculations as well as its evolution over the course of Phase A through three technical baselines. Model outputs are also presented, detailing the performance of the model and its direct relationship to the Prometheus 1 technology development efforts. These EP system model outputs are also analyzed chronologically showing the response of the model development to the four technical baselines during Prometheus 1 Phase A.

Fiehler, Douglas↗

NASA NTRS2022

Low-Speed Performance Enhancement using Localized Active Flow Control: Program Overview and Summary (1/4)

The Boeing team executed a NASA task order, titled “Low Speed Performance Enhancement using Localized Active Flow Control”, under the BAART framework NNL16AA04B, contract number 80LARC20F0082. The project was executed from Sept. 2020 through April 2022 with the objective to explore localized active flow control (AFC) concepts on a representative commercial aircraft. A detailed literature review solidified the choice of AFC concepts to be explored, including AFC over a deflected aileron, in the leading edge region of the wing, and in the nacelle/pylon/wing region. All three concepts were investigated with numerical tools. The results were used in an integration study to assess the net benefits over the lifetime of a commercial aircraft. The aerodynamic studies concluded that AFC applied over a deflected aileron yields significant net L/D improvements (incl. the penalty of AFC system requirements) of up to potentially 5% L/D. Depending on the configuration, AFC applied in the leading edge region showed improvements in L/D of up to ~1.5%, as well as opportunities for maximum lift and increased lift at fixed angle of attack. AFC applied to the nacelle/pylon/wing region delivered 1.5% increase in L/D during take-off and ~4% increase in CLmax during landing. After considering assumed onboard sources, aspects of system integration and weight penalties, these aerodynamic improvements translate to: ~ 0.5% block fuel reduction potential for AFC over the aileron ~ 0.1% block fuel reduction potential for AFC in the LE slat region ~ 0.2% block fuel reduction potential for AFC in the nacelle/pylon/wing region considering take-off scenarios (potentially larger benefit may be realized considering the landing scenarios which haven’t been fully analyzed yet) The final report is comprised of four separate documents. The current document provides an overview and technical background. The second document details the numerical studies and the third document summarizes the integration and aircraft performance assessment. The fourth document focuses on the Common Research Model, specifically how AFC performs over a deflected aileron and how the NASA 10% scale wind tunnel model may be modified to implement an AFC equipped aileron. Each report offers significantly more detailed summaries and suggestions for future work.

Active flow control↗

DOE OSTI2021

Incorporating adaptation and resilience into an integrated watershed and coral reef management plan

Changing environmental conditions are forcing natural resource managers and communities to adapt their strategies to account for global shifts in precipitation, temperature, sea level and more, all of which are occurring in addition to local human impacts. Adapting to threats from climate change requires a fundamental shift in the practice of natural resource management through the development of forward-looking “climate-smart” goals and strategies. Here we present a proof-of-concept application of a decision-support tool to help design climate-smart management actions for the watershed and coral reef management plan for Guánica Bay watershed in southwest Puerto Rico. We also explore the connection between adaptation planning and coral reef resilience, using a recently developed Puerto Rico-wide reef resilience assessment. In the first phase of the study, we used the publicly available Adaptation Design Tool to draft initial climate-smart versions of twelve proposed management actions. In the second phase, two actions (dirt road management on steep slopes, and coral reef restoration) were further refined through consultations with local experts to make more detailed design adjustments; this included the option to use information from the coral reef resilience assessment to inform design improvements. The first phase resulted in moderately detailed assessments that broadly accounted for anticipated direct and indirect effects of climate change on the planned management actions. The second phase resulted in more site-specific technical assessments and additional important design details. The expert panel charged with discussing climate-smart reef restoration around Guánica used the reef resilience assessment to guide discussion of reef restoration, highlighting the importance of having such information available for adaptation planning. This study demonstrates how climate change impacts can be effectively incorporated into a management plan at the most granular level of planning and how a structured, formalized process can be as valuable as the resulting adaptation information.

Gibbs, David A. (ORCID:0000000173898569)↗

DOE OSTI2022

High-Octane Gasoline from Lignocellulosic Biomass via Syngas and Methanol/Dimethyl Ether Intermediates (2021 State of Technology)

The 2021 state of technology (SOT) assessment for the indirect liquefaction (IDL) of lignocellulosic biomass to high-octane gasoline (HOG) via methanol and dimethyl ether (DME) intermediates details the techno-economic analysis (TEA) results and technical progress of the pathway since the 2020 SOT report. A detailed process description and collection of underlying assumptions is given the 2015 design report. In 2021, research efforts rigorously quantified the selectivity of DME to aromatic compounds. As a result, the overall carbon selectivity to hydrocarbon products was updated based upon new findings. Additionally, research conducted over the past few years resulted in successful lower temperature regeneration of NREL's Cu/BEA catalyst with favorable implications on catalyst longevity. Discussions with an engineering firm resulted in an update to the excess air requirement for process combustors (including the char combustor, tar reformer combustor, and catalyst regenerator) in which excess air was reduced from 20% excess to 10%. The cumulative effect of the above efforts was used to calculate a minimum fuel selling price for the modeled pathway. Sensitivity cases examining federal carbon tax credits from CO 2 capture, product selectivity and yield, catalyst lifetime, and other key financial and process parameters were also considered in this assessment.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2012

Evolution of the Distributed Computing Model of the CMS experiment at the LHC

The Computing Model of the CMS experiment was prepared in 2005 and described in detail in the CMS Computing Technical Design Report. With the experience of the first years of LHC data taking and with the evolution of the available technologies, the CMS Collaboration identified areas where improvements were desirable. In this work we describe the most important modifications that have been, or are being implemented in the Distributed Computing Model of CMS. The Worldwide LHC computing Grid (WLCG) project acknowledged that the whole distributed computing infrastructure is impacted by this kind of changes that are happening in most LHC experiments and decided to create several Technical Evolution Groups (TEG) aiming at assessing the situation and at developing a strategy for the future. In this work we describe the CMS view on the TEG activities as well.

Grandi, C.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Black-Starting Microgrids Using Inverter-Based Distributed Energy Resources

Recent trends in power systems show increasing deployment of inverter-based distributed energy resources (DERs) at the distribution level. Efforts have also been made to use inverter-based DERs for system restoration of critical sections of distribution feeders. In the past few years, there has been active consideration of using local grid-forming (GFM) DERs, which can form their own voltage and frequency, to black-start microgrids instead of waiting for the bulk system for supply restoration. However, using current-limited inverter-based DERs for black-start operations with high inrush currents can pose some technical challenges. This paper presents detailed electromagnetic transient studies on a digital real-time simulator to assess the operational feasibility of using local inverter-based GFM DERs for microgrid black-start operations as a bottom-up approach instead of a top-down approach where the substation is used to restore critical sections of the feeder. The paper presents key modeling details for distribution system components for studying GFM DER-based microgrid black-start operations. The paper presents simulation results comparing different black-start approaches using GFM DERs for two test systems: i) a simple test microgrid and ii) a real-world utility microgrid currently being designed and deployed by Holy Cross Energy in Colorado.

black start↗

DOE OSTI2015

Paint and Click: Unified Interactions for Image Boundaries

Image boundaries are a fundamental component of many interactive digital photography techniques, enabling applications such as segmentation, panoramas, and seamless image composition. Interactions for image boundaries often rely on two complementary but separate approaches: editing via painting or clicking constraints. In this work, we provide a novel, unified approach for interactive editing of pairwise image boundaries that combines the ease of painting with the direct control of constraints. Rather than a sequential coupling, this new formulation allows full use of both interactions simultaneously, giving users unprecedented flexibility for fast boundary editing. To enable this new approach, we provide technical advancements. In particular, we detail a reformulation of image boundaries as a problem of finding cycles, expanding and correcting limitations of the previous work. Our new formulation provides boundary solutions for painted regions with performance on par with state-of-the-art specialized, paint-only techniques. In addition, we provide instantaneous exploration of the boundary solution space with user constraints. Finally, we provide examples of common graphics applications impacted by our new approach.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2016

Magnetoreflection spectroscopy of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide semiconductors in pulsed magnetic fields

The authors describe recent experimental efforts to perform polarization-resolved optical spectroscopy of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide semiconductors in very large pulsed magnetic fields to 65 T. The experimental setup and technical challenges are discussed in detail, and temperature-dependent magnetoreflection spectra from atomically thin tungsten disulphide are presented. The data clearly reveal not only the valley Zeeman effect in these two-dimensional semiconductors but also the small quadratic exciton diamagnetic shift from which the very small exciton size can be directly inferred. Lastly, the authors present model calculations that demonstrate how the measured diamagnetic shifts can be used to constrain estimates of the exciton binding energy in this new family of monolayer semiconductors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2011

Accelerated Gibbs Sampling for Infinite Sparse Factor Analysis

The Indian Buffet Process (IBP) gives a probabilistic model of sparse binary matrices with an unbounded number of columns. This construct can be used, for example, to model a fixed numer of observed data points (rows) associated with an unknown number of latent features (columns). Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods are often used for IBP inference, and in this technical note, we provide a detailed review of the derivations of collapsed and accelerated Gibbs samplers for the linear-Gaussian infinite latent feature model. We also discuss and explain update equations for hyperparameter resampling in a 'full Bayesian' treatment and present a novel slice sampler capable of extending the accelerated Gibbs sampler to the case of infinite sparse factor analysis by allowing the use of real-valued latent features.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2012

Enhancing Safeguards Analysts’ Geospatial Usage

This report is the final summation of Sandia‘s Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project #151316, "Open Source Information Verification" (OSIV) which ran from FY11 through FY12. The aim of OSIV was to research, develop, and evaluate relevant geospatial analysis capabilities that address open-source information needs for international safeguards. OSIV generated a number of technical, programmatic, and cultural advances, detailed in this report. There were new methodological insights and research that resulted in ten publications and presentations; this report concludes with an abstract-annotated listing of all materials. OSIV generated a substantial prototype, GeoSafeguards, that not only achieved its intended goal of testing our hypothesis, but which also served as a vehicle for customer education and program development. OSIV, as intended, has catalyzed future work in this domain; by the end of two years, it has already brought considerable attention to this work both domestically and with our international partners. Finally, the OSIV project knit together previously disparate research staff and user expertise in a fashion that not only addressed our immediate research goals, which has created cross- understanding, in service of Sandia‘s national security responsibilities in safeguards and nonproliferation.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2016

Widening the Scope of R-matrix Methods

A Consultant’s Meeting was held at the IAEA Headquarters, from 7 to 9 December 2015, to discuss the status of R-matrix codes currently used in calculations of charged-particle induced reaction cross sections at low energies. The ultimate goal was to initiate an international effort, coordinated by the IAEA, to evaluate charged-particle induced reactions in the resolved-resonance region. Participants reviewed the capabilities of the codes, the different implementations of R-matrix theory and translatability of the R-matrix parameters, the evaluation methods and suitable data formats for broader dissemination. The details of the presentations and technical discussions, as well as the actions that were proposed to achieve the goal of the meeting are summarized in this report.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

R-Matrix Codes for Charged-particle Induced Reactionsin the Resolved Resonance Region

A Consultant’s Meeting was held at the IAEA Headquarters, from 5 to 7 December 2016, to discuss the status of R-matrix codes currently used in calculations of charged-particle induced reaction cross sections at low energies. The meeting was a follow-up to the R-matrix Codes meeting held in December 2015, and served the purpose of monitoring progress in: the development of a translation code to enable exchange of input/output parameters between the various codes in different formats, fitting procedures and treatment of uncertainties, the evaluation methodology, and finally dissemination. The details of the presentations and technical discussions, as well as additional actions that were proposed to achieve all the goals of the meeting are summarized in this report.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗