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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Sandia National Laboratories Early Career University Faculty Mentoring Program in International Safeguards

An international safeguards mentoring program was established by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for early career university faculty. The inaugural year of the program focused on course material development and connecting faculty to experts at national laboratories. Two faculty members were selected for participation; one developed a safeguards-by-design course, and the other created lecture material related to unmanned robotic systems in safeguards for integration in existing courses. Faculty members were paired with SNL subject matter experts based on the topic of their individual projects. The program also included a two week visit to SNL. The structure of this program not only supported the development of new course material, but also provided junior faculty members with an opportunity to make connections and build collaborations in the field of international safeguards. Programs like this are important for professional development of faculty members and to help strengthen connections between universities and the national laboratories.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2024

Supercharge NY

The Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) Supercharge NY enabled The Clean Fight to execute an inaugural accelerator program focused on enabling world-class, growth-stage energy storage companies to successfully scale deployments and establish domestic manufacturing pathways in New York State. The Clean Fight has developed and tested a successful accelerator model designed to reduce the barriers growth-stage climate tech companies face by collapsing the sales cycle to scaling solutions at speed. The Clean Fight’s Supercharge NY project allowed for the exploration into the understanding of New York-focused energy storage opportunities, challenges, and methods for enabling successful projects. The Clean Fight’s Supercharge NY project enabled high-touch matchmaking with industry leading customer and capital partners, technical assistance to facilitate scaling supply chain and manufacturing capacity, and access to non-dilutive funding for first-of-a-kind or demonstration projects in New York State. The results of the program provide a public benefit by accelerating deployments of energy storage to provide value-added energy services and sustainability benefits to communities while boosting economic opportunity and job creation for all.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Guidance for Integrating Energy Justice and Equity in Building Technology Deployment Programs: Tracking, Reporting, and Maximizing the Flow of Benefits from Building System Technology Deployment Activities to Disadvantaged Communities and Target Sectors

The Federal Justice40 Initiative directs at least 40% of the overall benefits of certain clean energy investments to flow to disadvantaged communities and requires that all federal programs covered by Justice40 consult stakeholders to determine the program benefits, and that the flow of benefits to disadvantaged communities is tracked and reported. Unequal distribution of benefits, in terms of access to clean energy research, design, development, and deployment, can disproportionately benefit or burden certain communities. This can result in higher rates of pollution, negative health effects, and increased energy burdens and insecurities in disadvantaged communities. Programs focused on decarbonizing the built environment can enhance health, quality of life, and economic opportunities for impacted communities. This guidance document, developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office, provides best practices and approaches for incorporating energy justice and equity principles into building technology deployment activities. It provides best practices and recommendations for communicating with and involving disadvantaged communities and target building sectors in program activities, along with methods to monitor and report the distribution of benefits to these sectors. This document lays out a set of strategies, metrics, and best practices that can be implemented over time to apply energy justice and equity approaches, whether the program is just starting out or ongoing. Although this guidance was designed for Building Technologies Office technology deployment programs, the best practices, recommendations, and methods can be valuable to any program concerned with the equitable deployment of clean energy technologies. The goal of this project is to enable the equitable development, deployment, and adoption of clean energy technologies and practices.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Test of Point-Source Helicity Injection for Non-Solenoidal Startup in NSTX

This grant supported research activity focused on the development of Local Helicity Injection (LHI) as a technique for initiation and growth of spherical tokamak plasmas without the use of a traditional ohmic solenoid for magnetic induction. The LHI technique consists of injection of high-density current streams into a vacuum magnetic field consisting of toroidal and vertical fields. Under appropriate conditions, these streams become unstable and support magnetic reconnection to allow the system to reconfigure itself into a tokamak-like plasma magnetic configuration. This research program focused on three aspects of this plasma startup technique: 1) development and tests of appropriate electron current sources that provide sufficiently high injection currents into the near-plasma edge without strongly contaminating the resultant tokamak plasma with impurities; 2) development and validation of a 0-D power balance model to describe the evolution of the plasma current I p (t) during this startup process; and 3) initial estimates of I p levels achievable with this technique in NSTX-U scale plasmas. The 0-D model development included extremely low aspect ratio corrections to analytical formulae for the plasma inductances that produce voltages due to rapid changes in plasma size and location. Applications of this model to sample plasmas in the Pegasus ultra-low aspect ratio tokamak confirms the expectation that I p (t) is dominated by these induced voltages when injection occurs from the outer low-field side of the plasma. Conversly, I p (t) is dominated by an effective toroidal loop voltage arising from helicity conservation when injectors are placed in the inner high-field side divertor region. The activities pursued here, combined with more general research on LHI followed by the Pegasus experiment group, provide the tools needed for initial consideration of a MA-level plasma startup capability for the NSTX-U experiment. Simplified modeling for LHI on NSTX-U indicates that no showstoppers exist, and ~ 0.8MA appears accessible using a moderate current injection facility. However, many issues remain to be resolved to address extrapolating this technique to the larger sizes and magnetic field strengths of NSTX-U and larger fusion-grade tokamaks. These include, among others: I p scaling with helicity drive input; extending current injector technology; understanding electron confinement and the resulting helicity dissipation processes that determine the achievable I p ; the role of plasma stability in controlling the current evolution; and controlling plasma-material interactions and impurity content. These open issues will be further explored in a future experiment dedicated to integrated studies of non-solenoidal startup at higher magnetic fields and plasma currents.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Robust RF Photocathodes (Phase II Final Report)

This program addressed requirements for photocathodes with high quantum efficiency (QE) and long lifetimes. Currently, photocathodes with QEs above 1% exhibit lifetimes measured in a few hours. This is unacceptable for commercial devices using photocathodes as the electron source. This includes accelerators for industrial, medical, defense, and educational applications as well as emerging applications, such as time resolved electron microscopy. Calabazas Creek Research, Inc. (CCR) and the University of Maryland (UMD) attempted to develop reservoir photocathodes that dramatically increased lifetime and increased the ability to recover from contaminating events, such as loss of system vacuum. The Phase I program demonstrated the viability of the reservoir approach for higher QE cathodes. The Phase II program focused on design, fabrication, and delivery. This included increasing understanding of photocathode physics, investigating design options, addressing performance issues, and developing fabrication and packaging techniques leading to commercial products. The initial task identified specific photocathode materials that provide high QE and are compatible with the reservoir approach. The goal was that these photocathodes be manufacturable in a production environment, understanding that the “environment” is highly specialized. The photocathode geometry was modified to address several photogun performance issues related primarily to emittance. A goal was to reduce or eliminate thermal emittance issues arising from the reservoir heater. The program developed fabrication, handling, and transport techniques and facilities to allow commercial photocathode production for certain materials. Not only was complex chemistry involved, but practical issues of transporting and installing the cathodes into user systems were addressed. A critical goal was demonstration of reservoir photocathodes in operating RF guns, where performance could be directly measured. Success depended on clear demonstration that the cathodes could be produced, delivered, installed, and provide the required performance. The principal effort in this program was to develop reservoir cesium antimonide photocathodes. Cesium antimonide cathodes provide a work function in excess of the 1% goal, while the current generation exhibits lifetimes measured in hours. The reservoir in CCRs’ controlled porosity reservoir (CPR) cathodes provides a mechanism for replacing cesium evaporating from the surface by transporting replacement cesium from the reservoir. This is accomplished by gently heating the reservoir to induce cesium diffusion through micron-scale pores in the reservoir cap and photocathode emitter. Experiments at the UMD determined that cesium diffused from the reservoir would only react with antimony on the surface if the temperature exceeded 300C. At this temperature, however, the surface cesium evaporated faster than it could be replenished from the reservoir. Consequently, the QE decreased each time recessiation was attempted. This appears to be a fundamental problem with this approach. The sections below provide information on accomplishments for each task in the program. Once the issue with cesium antimonide cathodes was identified, CCR refocused the program to begin investigation of graphene coated photocathodes in collaboration with SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC). The photocathode test chamber developed in the program was transferred to SLAC for use in the graphene research. This is described below in a task added to the program.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The international research reactor conversion effort and its contribution to the validation of reactor physics and thermal-hydraulics codes

Full text of publication follows. With about 200 reactors in operation, civilian Research and Test Reactors (RTRs) represent approximately a third of the global nuclear fleet. RTRs make use of core designs that are drastically different from commercial power plants to perform a wide variety of non-power applications that greatly benefit society. Because they often rely on high neutron fluxes, RTRs are designed with relatively compact cores and as a result, prior to the 1980's, were often deployed using Highly Enriched Uranium fuel (HEU, {sup 235}U/U = 20 wt. %). Due to proliferation concerns, the international community aims at eliminating the use of HEU in civilian facilities and favor instead the use of Low Enriched Uranium fuel (LEU, {sup 235}U/U < 20 wt. %). A program to support conversion of the world's RTRs to LEU fuel has been initiated in 1978 by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This program is still alive today and has achieved more than 103 conversion metrics. Today, the program focuses heavily on the conversion of so-called high-performance RTRs, which are far more challenging than previous conversions as they require new fuel element designs and the use of new, higher density LEU fuel forms. Development and qualification of new LEU fuel elements is ongoing and requires extensive engineering analysis and testing. Both activities require the development and validation of codes and methods for reactor physics, thermal-hydraulics, and multi-physics, which in turn rely on experiments performed in RTRs or other experimental facilities. This talk will present the collection of RTR experimental data and benchmark analyses from the international conversion program that contribute to the validation of computer codes and methods.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Mesoscale convective systems over the Amazon basin: The GoAmazon2014/5 program

The Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) scientific program focused on the influence of aerosols and surface fluxes on tropical cloud formation. This major research effort gathered high-quality environmental data over the central Amazon basin during 2014 and 2015. The present work is a contribution to the GoAmazon2014/5 investigations with an emphasis on the behaviour of the most important mechanism of precipitation over the tropics: mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). To provide a background, MCSs' tracks obtained from infrared satellite images over the entire Amazon basin in 2014–2015 are compared with climatological values. We report the number of MCSs and precipitation in the basin is about 50% lower than compared to the climatology for 2000–2013. We argue that the below average occurrence of MCSs during the GoAmazon2014/5 program can be explained, at least in part, by the effects of positive anomalies in sea surface temperature over the equatorial Pacific Ocean, negative moisture transport toward the Amazon basin, and by the anticyclonic phase of the mode of interannual and intraseasonal variability over South America. Special attention is given to the 99 MCSs that occurred over the GoAmazon2014/5 site. The impact of MCSs on the meteorological variables over the GoAmazon2014/5 sites is examined, and the contribution of MCSs to rainfall over that region is estimated to be about 70% of the total. Finally, the synoptic and thermodynamic conditions related to the MCSs' genesis and dissipation are discussed. It is suggested that in days with reduced MCS genesis over the GoAmazon2014/5 region, the ventilation over the continent by easterly winds from the relative cold South Atlantic Ocean favours convection at locations near the ocean as compared to those inland.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Effect of Size on Postrelease Survival of Head-Started Mojave Desert Tortoises

Abstract Captive-rearing conservation programs focus primarily on maximizing postrelease survival. Survival increases with size in a variety of taxa, often leading to the use of enhanced size as a means to minimize postrelease losses. Head-starting is a specific captive-rearing approach used to accelerate growth in captivity prior to release in the wild. We explored the effect of size at release, among other potential factors, on postrelease survival in head-started Mojave desert tortoises Gopherus agassizii. Juvenile tortoises were reared for different durations of captivity (2–7 y) and under varying husbandry protocols, resulting in a wide range of juvenile sizes (68–145 mm midline carapace length) at release. We released all animals (n = 78) in the Mojave National Preserve, California, United States, on 25 September 2018. Release size and surface activity were the only significant predictors of fate during the first year postrelease. Larger sized head-starts had higher predicted survival rates when compared with smaller individuals. This trend was also observed in animals of the same age but reared under different protocols, suggesting that accelerating the growth of head-started tortoises may increase efficiency of head-starting programs without decreasing postrelease success. Excluding five missing animals, released head-starts had 82.2% survival in their first year postrelease (September 2018–September 2019), with all mortalities resulting from predation. No animals with >90-mm midline carapace length were predated by ravens. Our findings suggest the utility of head-starting may be substantially improved by incorporating indoor rearing to accelerate growth. Target release size for head-started chelonians will vary among head-start programs based on release site conditions and project-specific constraints.

Biodiversity & Conservation↗
DOE OSTI2017

Review of Tools for Identifying, Planning, and Implementing Habitat Restoration for Pacific Salmon and Steelhead

Abstract A key challenge in watershed restoration is identifying the appropriate assessments, data, and analyses needed to identify disrupted natural processes, lost and degraded habitats, and limiting factors to ultimately identify and design successful restoration projects. This has proven particularly challenging for large restoration programs focused on recovery of threatened and endangered salmon and trout where numerous tools, models, and other assessments have been developed to assist with habitat restoration at the watershed, reach, and project scale. Unfortunately, it is often unclear which step in the restoration process these various assessment tools will actually address. To assist with identifying the appropriate assessment tool (e.g., model, data collection, analysis, and survey), we reviewed major categories of watershed restoration assessment tools to determine their goals, inputs, outputs, and their utility in helping plan, prioritize, and implement restoration actions. The major categories of assessment tools reviewed were: (1) life cycle and fish–habitat models, (2) watershed assessment methods and techniques, (3) reach assessments, (4) prioritization tools, and (5) common monitoring methods to identify, prioritize, and plan river and watershed restoration projects. We specifically indicated whether these assessment tools directly or indirectly assisted with the key steps in the restoration process that are required to develop successful restoration plans and projects. These steps involve assessing watershed conditions, identifying limiting habitats and life stages, identifying problems and restoration actions, selecting restoration techniques, prioritizing restoration actions, or designing actual restoration projects. It is important to recognize that no single assessment tool will address all the steps in the restoration process. Selecting appropriate assessment tools requires a clear understanding of the goals of the restoration program and which step in the restoration process will be addressed by a particular tool. We provide recommendations for how restoration practitioners and managers can use our review to help select the appropriate assessment tools needed for their watershed.

Roni, Philip↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Michigan New Technology Training and Research (MNTR) Translational Program in Nuclear Medicine (Final Report)

The Michigan New Technology Training and Research (MNTR) Translational Program in Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging This project established the Michigan New Technology Training and Research (MNTR) translational program, focused on the acceleration of new clinical molecular imaging methods. Molecular imaging approaches to imaging are a very flexible and powerful development, with many recent examples advancing the diagnosis and guiding the management of human disease. These methods depend on the design, synthesis and testing of new radiotracers (molecules designed to target specific cells or tissues in the body), labeled with short-lived radioactive atoms (positron emitters). The new radiotracers are imaged in the human body using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. The University of Michigan PET Center has considerable experience in the discovery, development, refinement and initial human applications of new PET radiotracers. An emerging impediment to efficient availability of new PET radiotracers, however, involves the regulatory environment at multiple levels. Many potentially successful ideas are delayed or even prevented from entering human use by these barriers. In the current grant, we provided hands-on experience for the next generation of young scientists working in molecular imaging so that they are equipped to effectively move new ideas and radiotracers from the research laboratory to the nuclear medicine clinic (bench-to-bedside). For new radiotracer development, oversight by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and local institutional committees and reviews are required. These aspects of translation from laboratory to clinic are often omitted from the formal training of new scientists, but were provided to three trainees via direct mentorship in the MNTR program. The MNTR training program built on the translational successes of the University of Michigan Division of Nuclear Medicine and capitalized on our strengths (facilities, faculty, a wide-ranging selection of projects, and the experience and commitment to bring new radiotracers into human studies) to systematically train three fellows in radiochemistry and nuclear medicine. Integrated training in development, validation and clinical translation of new PET radiotracers occurred through practical involvement in multiple research projects, each at a different stage along the pathway from bench-to-bedside. Each trainee obtained experience of the entire process over about 2 years. Projects involved development of new radiotracers for neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Alzheimer disease), movement disorders (e.g. Parkinson disease, progressive supranuclear palsy) and neurodevelopmental syndromes (e.g. Tourette syndrome) as well as new radiochemistry methods for synthesizing radiotracers. Each project was pursued in a close collaboration between the fellow trainee and both the clinical and basic science faculty at the University of Michigan PET Center, and provided an unprecedented opportunity for the highest-level training in academic radiochemistry and nuclear medicine research. The project has resulted in 17 peer-reviewed publications to date, and at least 4 more are in preparation. Additionally, 1 book chapter and 26 conference presentations have resulted from this grant. Upon completion of the MNTR Program, the trainees have emerged as translational scientists wielding the necessary skill-set (practical research experience, multidisciplinary training, regulatory know-how) to embark on successful careers in translational molecular imaging, bringing continued advances in the field to bear on important human disorders. As a metric of the Program’s success, one fellow has already secured employment in the field, while the other two are finishing writing papers; they wish to also stay in the radiochemistry and nuclear medicine community, and are currently applying for jobs.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2025

Age at release affects developmental physiology and sex-specific phenotypic diversity of hatchery steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Most steelhead trout hatcheries increase growth rate during rearing to produce and release yearling smolts for harvest augmentation, but natural steelhead exhibit variable age of smoltification, so this common rearing practice may not be ideal for programs focused on recovering imperiled wild stocks; therefore, it is important to investigate and compare alternative hatchery rearing methods that promote life history diversity. Over six consecutive years, the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery on the Methow River, WA reared and released paired groups of age-1 (S1) and age-2 (S2) steelhead smolts. To understand how the two rearing methods affected developmental ontogeny and life-history, fish were sampled prior to hatchery release for factors associated with smoltification (size, gill Na+/K+ ATPase activity, and a qualitative smolt phenotype) and sexual maturation (sex, pituitary and testis mRNA transcripts, gonadosomatic index, and plasma 11-ketotestosterone). Our objectives were to quantify levels of smoltification and male maturation during hatchery rearing, combine metrics to estimate residualism (failure to migrate upon release), and compare the treatments by sex. Overall, S2 rearing produced 7.8% more smolts and 44-fold (4.4 vs. 0.1%) more precociously mature males than S1 rearing. Conversely, S1 rearing produced 31.6% more residuals than S2 rearing. While the proportion of total male residuals was comparable between treatments, the S1 treatment produced approximately five-fold more female residuals (20.6 vs. 4.2%). Because residuals contribute minimally to adult returns and the number of returning adult females is critical to the success of salmonid supplementation efforts, developing rearing techniques that maximize migration in females is a management priority. Physiological assessments are useful for characterizing and quantifying the effects and risks of different hatchery rearing regimes on steelhead life-history, in addition to providing sex-specific guidance to inform and optimize conservation management goals in supplementation programs.

Middleton, Mollie A. (ORCID:0009000905577865)↗
DOE OSTI2018

Radiology and Enterprise Medical Imaging Extensions (REMIX)

Radiology and Enterprise Medical Imaging Extensions (REMIX) is a platform originally designed to both support the medical imaging-driven clinical and clinical research operational needs of Department of Radiology of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. REMIX accommodates the storage and handling of “big imaging data,” as needed for large multi-disciplinary cancer-focused programs. The evolving REMIX platform contains an array of integrated tools/software packages for the following: (1) server and storage management; (2) image reconstruction; (3) digital pathology; (4) de-identification; (5) business intelligence; (6) texture analysis; and (7) artificial intelligence. These capabilities, along with documentation and guidance, explaining how to interact with a commercial system (e.g., PACS, EHR, commercial database) that currently exists in clinical environments, are to be made freely available.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Computational Simulation of an Additively Manufactured Marine Component

Early work in finite-element analysis of additive manufacturing (AM) components was not able to include distortion and residual stress of the entire build, yielding uncertainty in the computational model predictions. To address this, current versions of recently developed computational tools are being used to understand their role in validation at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, for laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) AM. A 316L stainless steel L-PBF build containing multiple parts, which exhibited the same local part failure over multiple AM fabrication runs, was selected for computational analysis. Single-part simulations analyzed optimization of computational speed and prediction accuracy. Full-build simulations exposed the smallest re-coater tolerances early in part fabrication as a result of part shrinkage and subsequent cupping. This cupping was predicted to change the powder spreading and result in the non-consolidation of the support structures, which paralleled the failures seen in the physical builds. Part redesign of the conventionally produced part to align with AM fabrication requirements was recommended to alleviate the build failures. This project is part of a larger program focused on validation of the computational tools to determine best practices for insertion of AM simulation into the greater Naval enterprise.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Building analytics and monitoring-based commissioning: industry practice, costs, and savings

As building energy and system-level monitoring becomes more common, facility teams are faced with an overwhelming amount of data. This data does not typically lead to insights, corrective actions, and energy savings unless it is stored, organized, analyzed, and prioritized in automated ways. The Smart Energy Analytics Campaign is a public-private sector partnership program focused on supporting commercially available energy management and information systems (EMIS) technology use and monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) practices. MBCx is an ongoing commissioning process with focus on analyzing large amounts of data on a continuous basis. EMIS tools are used in the MBCx process to organize, present, visualize, and analyze the data. With campaign data from over 400 million square feet (sq. ft.) of installed space, this paper presents the results achieved by owners that are implementing EMIS, along with associated technology costs. The study’s EMIS users that reported savings achieved the median cost savings of $0.19/sq. ft. and 7% annually, with savings shown to increase over time. For 35 portfolio owners, the median base cost to install an EMIS was $0.03/sq. ft., with an annual recurring software cost of $0.02/sq. ft. and an estimated annual labor cost of $0.03/sq. ft. Two types of EMIS systems -- energy information systems and fault detection and diagnostic systems -- are defined in the body of the paper. Of the two, we find that fault detection and diagnostic systems have both higher savings and higher costs. The paper offers a characterization of EMIS products, MBCx services, and trends in the industry.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

PS3: The Pheno-Synthesis software suite for integration and analysis of multi-scale, multi-platform phenological data

Phenology is the study of recurring plant and animal life-cycle stages which can be observed across spatial and temporal scales that span orders of magnitude (e.g., organisms to landscapes). The variety of scales at which phenological processes operate is reflected in the range of methods for collecting phenologically relevant data, and the programs focused on these collections. Consideration of the scale at which phenological observations are made, and the platform used for observation, is critical for the interpretation of phenological data and the application of these data to both research questions and land management objectives. However, there is currently little capacity to facilitate access, integration and analysis of cross-scale, multi-platform phenological data. This paper reports on a new suite of software and analysis tools – the “Pheno-Synthesis Software Suite,” or PS3 – to facilitate integration and analysis of phenological and ancillary data, enabling investigation and interpretation of phenological processes at scales ranging from organisms to landscapes and from days to decades. We use PS3 to investigate phenological processes in a semi-aride, mixed shrub-grass ecosystem, and find that the apparent importance of seasonal precipitation to vegetation activity (i.e., “greenness”) is affected by the scale and platform of observation. We end by describing potential applications of PS3 to phenological modeling and forecasting, understanding patterns and drivers of phenological activity in real-world ecosystems, and supporting agricultural and natural resource management and decision-making.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

MAPPER – A NOVEL CAPABILITY TO SUPPORT NUCLEAR MODEL VALIDATION AND MAPPING OF BIASES AND UNCERTAINTIES

This paper overviews the initial results of a new project at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory -- supported via an internal seed funding program -- focused on the development of a novel computational capability, called MAPPER, to support model validation. The MAPPER development aims to eliminate the need for empirical criteria, such as similarity indices, often employed to identify applicable experiments for given application conditions. To achieve that, MAPPER employs an information-theoretic-based approach, based on the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence principle, to combine responses of available or to-be-built experiments with application responses of interest using a training set of samples generated using randomized execution of the experiments and the application high fidelity analysis models. These samples are condensed using reduced order modeling techniques in the form of a joint probability distribution function (PDF) connecting each application response of interest with a new effective experimental response. The initial focus of the MAPPER capability will be to support the confirmatory analysis required for criticality safety analysis of storage facilities which require k-eff biases to be known for safe operation. This paper reports some of the initial results obtained with MAPPER as applied to a set of critical experiments for which existing similarity-based methods have been shown to provide inaccurate estimates of the biases.

Mertyurek, Ugur↗
DOE OSTI2025

The CanBikeCO Full Pilot: Long-Term Results and Analysis From an E-Bike Program in Colorado, USA

Personal micromobility devices like bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters are low- or zero-energy alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles. However, a lack of data has led to a dearth of data-driven research on personally owned e-bike usage. We present longitudinal findings from the CanBikeCO program, focused on e-bike adoption and use across demographics, trip characteristics, and geographies in the state of Colorado. CanBikeCO recorded travel survey data from low-income individuals provided with personal e-bikes by the Colorado Energy Office in six communities across Colorado from July 2021 to December 2022. The data were collected using a custom instance of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory OpenPATH platform, which combines passive data collection with semantic information such as trip mode and purpose labels. To our knowledge, there are no prior travel survey data on personally owned e-bikes with this range and scope. Insights from this unique dataset include: (i) work trips were 17% more likely than average trips to be taken on an e-bike, (ii) e-bikes were most often reported to replace cars (34% of e-bike trips) and other personal micromobility devices (22%), and (iii) participants favored walking for trips less than 1 mile, e-bikes for trips of 1-3 miles, and e-bikes, cars, or shared rides for trips of 3-20 miles. The data used to generate these results have been made available in the Transportation Secure Data Center. We find e-bike use is appealing across age groups and may be related to characteristics of land use, urban form, occupation, income, and car ownership. We conclude for this population that the energy demand added by e-bike use (induced demand and replacing non-motorized modes) is outweighed by the reduction in energy demand from replacement of single-occupancy vehicle trips with e-bike trips. Our findings suggest considerable potential for energy savings from personal e-bike ownership.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cosmology at high redshift — a probe of fundamental physics

An observational program focused on the high redshift (2<z<6) Universe has the opportunity to dramatically improve over upcoming LSS and CMB surveys on measurements of both the standard cosmological model and its extensions. Using a Fisher matrix formalism that builds upon recent advances in Lagrangian perturbation theory, we forecast constraints for future spectroscopic and 21-cm surveys on the standard cosmological model, curvature, neutrino mass, relativistic species, primordial features, primordial non-Gaussianity, dynamical dark energy, and gravitational slip. We compare these constraints with those achievable by current or near-future surveys such as DESI and Euclid, all under the same forecasting formalism, and compare our formalism with traditional linear methods. Here, our Python code FishLSS — used to calculate the Fisher information of the full shape power spectrum, CMB lensing, the cross-correlation of CMB lensing with galaxies, and combinations thereof — is publicly available.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗