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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 73 records · Page 4

Building 100 Groundwater Bioremediation at the Former DOE Pinellas Plant, Florida: Review of Progress and Opportunities

Weapons research, development, and production operations at the former Pinellas Plant, which includes the Building 100 area, released chlorinated organic solvents into the subsurface, contaminating the underlying soil and groundwater. The site was sold to Pinellas County and is now home to a thriving industrial park known as the Young - Rainey Science, Technology, and Research (STAR) Center. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has applied bioremediation at the Building 100 Area as a key technology to clean up the chlorinated volatile organic compound (cVOC) contamination in soil and groundwater. The monitoring data indicate significant progress toward remedial objectives over the past two decades. Starting conditions in the 1980s-1990s included areas containing residual undissolved dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) and the associated presence of an extensive high concentration plume in the groundwater. The original parent cVOCs were primarily tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE). After several informative pilot studies, bioremediation was implemented at the Building 100 Area of the site and relies on reductive biological pathways and the sequential removal of chlorine from the parent cVOCs forming dichloroethane (DCE) and chloroethene (vinyl chloride, VC). As bioremediation sites evolve toward cleanup, the trends in VC concentrations often serve as a critical indicator for progress and remediation timeframe because VC typically has a lower concentration target remedial objective (nominally 1 to 2 μg/L) compared to PCE and TCE (nominally 3 to 5 μg/L).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

$\mathrm{RADICAL}$-Pilot and $\mathrm{PMIx}$/$\mathrm{PRRTE}$: Executing Heterogeneous Workloads at Large Scale on Partitioned $\mathrm{HPC}$ Resources

Execution of heterogeneous workflows on high-performance computing (HPC) platforms present unprecedented resource management and execution coordination challenges for runtime systems. Task heterogeneity increases the complexity of resource and execution management, limiting the scalability and efficiency of workflow execution. Re-source partitioning and distribution of tasks execution over portioned re-sources promises to address those problems but we lack an experimental evaluation of its performance at scale. Here this paper provides a performance evaluation of the Process Management Interface for Exascale (PMIx) and its reference implementation PRRTE on the leadership-class HPC plat-form Summit, when integrated into a pilot-based runtime system called RADICAL-Pilot. We partition resources across multiple PRRTE Distributed Virtual Machine (DVM) environments, responsible for launching tasks via the PMIx interface. We experimentally measure the work-load execution performance in terms of task scheduling/launching rate and distribution of DVM task placement times, DVM startup and termination overheads on the Summit leadership-class HPC platform. Integrated solution with PMIx/PRRTE enables using an abstracted, standardized set of interfaces for orchestrating the launch process, dynamic process management and monitoring capabilities. It extends scaling capabilities allowing to overcome a limitation of other launching mechanisms (e.g., JSM/LSF). Explored different DVM setup configurations provide insights on DVM performance and a layout to leverage it. Our experimental results show that heterogeneous workload of 65,500 tasks on 2048 nodes, and partitioned across 32 DVMs, runs steady with resource utilization not lower than 52%. While having less concurrently executed tasks resource utilization is able to reach up to 85%, based on results of heterogeneous workload of 8200 tasks on 256 nodes and 2 DVMs.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Effect of feed composition on the production of off-gases during vitrification of simulated low-activity nuclear waste

During the vitrification of nuclear waste, hazardous and radioactive emissions are generated from the feed-to-glass conversion reactions, in addition to discharges from forced air bubbling and air inleakage. Although the major gaseous emissions are water vapor, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide, various monitored environmental pollutants are also released, such as nitrogen oxides or sulfur dioxide. In addition, reactions between organics and nitrates in the feed may also form products of incomplete combustion such as carbon monoxide and acetonitrile. Although off-gas emissions are commonly measured during both laboratory- and pilot-scale melter testing, no predictive tool is currently available to a priori estimate the composition of gaseous emissions during nuclear waste vitrification. This work forms a basis for the development of such predictive tool by measuring gas evolution from a broad range of simulated low-activity waste melter feeds using evolved gas analysis data and developing correlations between the feed and off-gas compositions. Using reaction stoichiometry and regression analysis, we demonstrate that next to the content of nitrogen and organic carbon in the feed, the gaseous emissions are affected by the feed reduction-oxidation conditions – the more the feed is reduced, the less nitrogen monoxide, and more carbon monoxide and acetonitrile evolves. In conclusion, the results presented in this work provide a first step towards reducing the amount of expensive physical melter testing and the regression analysis provides a simple tool for rapid optimization of feed composition with respect to off-gas composition.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

A Framework for Effective Science Communication and Outreach Strategies and Dissemination of Research Findings for Marine Energy Projects

Marine energy is an emerging renewable energy industry with the potential to produce 2300 terawatt-hours per year from resources within the United States. As development and testing of marine energy devices advance, regulatory and permitting decision-makers are concerned about the uncertainty surrounding the potential environmental effects resulting from the introduction of these novel devices in coastal and riverine environments. The Triton Initiative researches and provides recommendations for environmental monitoring technologies and methods to inform industry stakeholders with the data necessary to permit the testing of marine energy systems. Effective dissemination of the research findings is essential for improving the accessibility of data to stakeholders who may use the results to inform policy decisions, yet few frameworks for conducting science communications for marine energy projects exist. In this paper, we present tools, channels, and tactics for developing a science communication framework for marine energy projects, or similar areas of study, using the Triton Initiative’s pilot science communication program as a case study. By leveraging existing bodies of work in disciplines such as communications theory, marketing, public relations, and social science, the presented framework includes audience identification and analysis; channel development, including a website, blog, newsletter, social media, and webinars and presentations; and metrics for determining success. Outcomes from one year of Triton’s case study are presented, including the most effective tactics and lessons learned.

communication framework↗

First Ever Polymer Flood Field Pilot to Enhance the Recovery of Heavy Oils on Alaska North Slope – Producer Responses and Operational Lessons Learned

The US Department of Energy and Hilcorp Alaska, LLC are jointly cosponsoring a field pilot project entitled “First Ever Field Pilot on Alaska’s North Slope to Validate the Use of Polymer Floods for Heavy Oil Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR).” The objective of this pilot is to perform a field experiment to validate the use of an advanced polymer flooding technology to unlock the vast heavy oil resources on Alaska North Slope (ANS). Two pairs of horizontal injection and production wells have been deployed in an isolated fault block of the Schrader Bluff heavy oil reservoir at the Milne Point Field to conduct a polymer flood pilot which was designed to acquire field performance data to optimize polymer flood design in the Schrader Bluff heavy oil reservoirs on ANS. Hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) polymer injection started on August 28, 2018 using a custom made polymer mixing and pumping unit. Polymer solution properties such as concentration, viscosity, and filter ratio, have been closely monitored and adjusted as necessary. Operational procedures have been improved to ensure adequate injectivity and polymer propagation through the formation. Oil and water production is tested frequently to monitor water cut performance, and produced water is sampled and analyzed for polymer content. Tracers were pumped pre and post polymer injection startup to compare polymer flood breakthrough timing and sweep efficiency. Polymer injectivity of the horizontal wells drilled in the Schrader Bluff NB sand is found to be sufficient to replace the reservoir production voidage although there were some declines as high viscosity polymer swept the near wellbore region. Production data show significant reduction in water cut and the oil production rate has stabilized. No polymer production has been confirmed from the two horizontal producers after 22 months of polymer injection into the two supporting horizontal injectors. Tracer data show very low sweep efficiencies with waterflood alone, whereas significant improvement has been achieved with polymer flood. Many operational lessons have been learned and improvements have been made regarding polymer mixing, pumping, and onsite quality control, particularly in a challenging Arctic environment. Adequate polymer injection rate can be achieved with diligent monitoring and quality assurance of the properties of the injected polymer solution.

Ning, Samson↗

Application of Advanced Materials Processing to Enable Direct Production of Fast Reactor Fuel Alloys

Argonne National Laboratory (the Contractor), located in Lemont, IL, and Oklo, Inc. (the Participant), headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to integrate advanced electrorefining co-deposition and molten-salt monitoring technologies to produce a uranium-transuranic (U/TRU) alloy within a controlled composition range that can be used as fast reactor fuel for Oklo, Inc.’s advanced reactor technology. Argonne performed the integration of electrorefining and process monitoring technologies, determined operating parameters for producing U/TRU alloys, and developed optimized design and operating parameters for co-deposition of U/TRU alloys. Oklo, Inc. worked with Argonne and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to provide the necessary process documentation to begin implementing pyroprocessing technology in the fast reactor fuel production process. Outcomes of this project included a pilot-scale co-deposition cathode design and technical basis for the operation of the co-deposition electrorefiner to produce U/TRU alloys with controlled composition.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Flame stability analysis of flame spray pyrolysis by artificial intelligence

Flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) is a process used to synthesize nanoparticles through the combustion of an atomized precursor solution; this process has applications in catalysts, battery materials, and pigments. Current limitations revolve around understanding how to consistently achieve a stable flame and the reliable production of nanoparticles. Machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms that detect unstable flame conditions in real time may be a means of streamlining the synthesis process and improving FSP efficiency. In this study, the FSP flame stability is first quantified by analyzing the brightness of the flame's anchor point. This analysis is then used to label data for both unsupervised and supervised machine learning approaches. The unsupervised learning approach allows for autonomous labeling and classification of new data by representing data in a reduced dimensional space and identifying combinations of features that most effectively cluster it. The supervised learning approach, on the other hand, requires human labeling of training and test data but is able to classify multiple objects of interest (such as the burner and pilot flames) within the video feed. The accuracy of each of these techniques is compared against the evaluations of human experts. Both the unsupervised and supervised approaches can track and classify FSP flame conditions in real time to alert users of unstable flame conditions. This research has the potential to autonomously track and manage flame spray pyrolysis as well as other flame technologies by monitoring and classifying the flame stability.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Predicting cutoff L-shells of solar protons using the GPPSn particle dataset

Solar energetic protons (SEPs) arriving at the Earth trigger severe radiation storms in the near-Earth space, directly impacting space missions operating at various altitudes. Therefore, monitoring SEP events and predicting the penetration depths of solar protons are critical for aerospace sectors. Building on previous efforts, here we demonstrate the feasibility of using proton measurements from the Global Prompt Proton Sensor network (GPPSn), enabled by Los Alamos National Laboratory developed combined X-ray dosimeters aboard GPS satellites, to characterize and predict the penetration of solar protons into the geomagnetic field. The inclined medium-Earth-orbits (MEOs) of the global GPS constellation offer a unique advantage of allowing simultaneous measurements of penetrating solar protons inside both open- and closed-field line regions. Therefore, the L-profiles of ∼10s–100 MeV solar protons and their associated cutoff L-shells can be determined from the GPPSn dataset, using predefined threshold proton flux values rather than traditional flux ratios. After examining a list of SEP event intervals across solar cycles 23, 24 and 25—including the 2024 Mother’s Day superstorm, we showcase how the latest GPPSn proton dataset (release v1.10), reprocessed and calibrated, can not only be used to monitor solar proton distributions inside the dynamic geomagnetic field for individual events, but also to derive a new empirical model linking cutoff L-shells with several key space weather parameters. This newly developed SEPCL-MEO model demonstrates high predictive performance; for example, predictions for > 30 MeV solar protons yield a correlation coefficient of 0.85 and performance efficiency of 0.67 when validated against GPPSn observations. Results from this pilot study underscores the scientific and operational value of the GPPSn dataset, and this dataset—when paired with machine-learning techniques—can play a critical role in observing and predicting the effects of future incoming SEP events, including extreme ones.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Advanced Physics-Based Fluid System Performance Monitoring to Support Nuclear Power Plant Operations. Final CRADA report

This project targeted performance monitoring requirements for nuclear power plants with the goal of improving plant economics. We introduced a new and innovative technology to the industry that can reduce operations staffing levels by automating surveillance and can reduce maintenance staffing levels by providing early detection of degrading equipment. A beta-stage release of the PRO-AID power plant equipment fault diagnostic software ready for deployment in nuclear power plants will be delivered and demonstrated in a utility pilot project. To provide for efficient use of DOE funds the aim is to generate a minimum viable product for which we can prove the value of the product. The end state product will be serviceable for use in either a simulator environment or plant environment. The former provides a means for demonstration of the diagnostic capability for faults unlikely to be encountered in day-to-day operations.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Predicting initial trans-membrane pressure across cycles in the ultrafiltration process using random forest

With growing freshwater scarcity, direct potable reuse (DPR) systems that reclaim wastewater for drinking are becoming increasingly important for sustainable water supply. Reliable operation requires minimizing downtime in ultrafiltration (UF) units, where membrane fouling leads to elevated trans-membrane pressure (TMP). This study develops data-driven regression models based on random forest (RF) and autoregressive (AR) approaches to forecast the initial TMP at the start of each UF filtration cycle in a pilot-scale DPR system. The RF model consistently outperforms baseline methods, including historical mean, last observation carried forward, and AR models, across multiple forecast horizons, achieving the lowest root mean square error. To evaluate how different classes of process variables contribute to TMP dynamics over time, we examine the feature importance of independent input variables across multiple forecast horizons. This analysis provides insight into the temporal relevance of operational and sensor-derived features, guiding control and monitoring strategies. Additionally, the impact of hyperparameter tuning on TMP prediction performance is assessed for both direct and recursive RF modelling approaches. The proposed RF framework establishes a robust foundation for predictive monitoring and real-time optimization of UF operations, supporting sustainable and reliable water reuse.

direct potable reuse↗

A Wireless Underground Sensor Network Field Pilot for Agriculture and Ecology: Soil Moisture Mapping Using Signal Attenuation

Wireless Underground Sensor Networks (WUSNs) that collect geospatial in situ sensor data are a backbone of internet-of-things (IoT) applications for agriculture and terrestrial ecology. In this paper, we first show how WUSNs can operate reliably under field conditions year-round and at the same time be used for determining and mapping soil conditions from the buried sensor nodes. We demonstrate the design and deployment of a 23-node WUSN installed at an agricultural field site that covers an area with a 530 m radius. The WUSN has continuously operated since September 2019, enabling real-time monitoring of soil volumetric water content (VWC), soil temperature (ST), and soil electrical conductivity. Secondly, we present data collected over a nine-month period across three seasons. We evaluate the performance of a deep learning algorithm in predicting soil VWC using various combinations of the received signal strength (RSSI) from each buried wireless node, above-ground pathloss, the distance between wireless node and receive antenna (D), ST, air temperature (AT), relative humidity (RH), and precipitation as input parameters to the model. The AT, RH, and precipitation were obtained from a nearby weather station. We find that a model with RSSI, D, AT, ST, and RH as inputs was able to predict soil VWC with an R 2 of 0.82 for test datasets, with a Root Mean Square Error of ±0.012 (m 3 /m 3 ). Hence, a combination of deep learning and other easily available soil and climatic parameters can be a viable candidate for replacing expensive soil VWC sensors in WUSNs.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Predicting Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Performance Using Flow-Cytometry-Derived High and Low Nucleic Acid Content Cells

Having a tool to monitor the microbial abundances rapidly and to utilize the data to predict the reactor performance would facilitate the operation of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). This study aims to achieve the aforementioned scenario by developing a linear regression model that incorporates a time-lagging mode. The model uses low nucleic acid (LNA) cell numbers and the ratio of high nucleic acid (HNA) to LNA cells as an input data set. First, the model was trained using data sets obtained from a 35 L pilot-scale AnMBR. The model was able to predict the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and methane production 3.5 days in advance. Subsequent validation of the model using flow cytometry (FCM)-derived data (at time t – 3.5 days) obtained from another biologically independent reactor did not exhibit any substantial difference between predicted and actual measurements of reactor performance at time t. Further cell sorting, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and correlation analysis partly attributed this accurate prediction to HNA genera (e.g., Anaerovibrio and unclassified Bacteroidales) and LNA genera (e.g., Achromobacter, Ochrobactrum, and unclassified Anaerolineae). In summary, our findings suggest that HNA and LNA cell routine enumeration, along with the trained model, can derive a fast approach to predict the AnMBR performance.

42 ENGINEERING↗

An adaptable technique for comparative image assessment: Application to crosswell electromagnetic survey design for fluid monitoring

Reservoir integrity stewardship accompanying carbon capture and sequestration considers fluid extraction and reinjection as a risk-mitigating method against overpressuring that could lead to caprock damage and ensuing [Formula: see text] leakage. Crosswell electromagnetics offers a technically viable monitoring method with the spatial volume coverage necessary for reservoir-encompassing pressure management. However, a certain logistic dilemma for deep gas sequestration into saline and thus electrically conductive aquifers is that crosswell magnetic-field measurements underperform in the imaging of more resistive plume bodies, further exacerbated when vertical arrays intersect, as opposed to surround, plumes. Furthermore, comparative synthetic-data plume imaging of such scenarios rates the information content of magnetic-field versus electric-field 3D crosswell layouts for reservoir and infrastructure conditions of a representative pilot site in a coastal area in Florida. The image quality of the resulting plume replications can be ranked numerically through a newly proposed semblance qualifier, appraising the model goodness of fit to a given reference. In contrast to common least-squares measures for goodness of fit, the semblance formulation uses classifying logistic function types, thus enabling a better distinction of predefined anomaly features.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Exploiting Kubernetes to Simplify the Deployment and Management of the Multi-purpose CMS Pilot Job Factory

GlideinWMS, a widely utilized workload management system in high-energy physics (HEP) research, serves as the backbone for efficient job provisioning across distributed computing resources. It is utilized by various experiments and organizations, including CMS, OSG, Dune, and FIFE, to create HTCondor pools as large as 600k cores. In particular, a shared factory service historically deployed at UCSD has been configured to interface with more than 500 routes to compute clusters. As part of our team’s initiative to modernize infrastructure and enhance scalability, we undertook the migration of the GlideinWMS factory service into the Kubernetes environment. Leveraging the flexibility and orchestration capabilities of Kubernetes, we successfully deployed the factory service within the OSG Tiger Kubernetes cluster. The major benefits Kubernetes gives us is it streamlines the management and monitoring of the factory infrastructure, and improves fault tolerance through its resilient deployment strategies. Through this case study, we aim to share insights, challenges, and best practices encountered during the migration process. Our experience underscores the benefits of embracing containerization and Kubernetes orchestration for HEP computing infrastructure, paving the way for scalability and resilience in distributed computing environments.

Dost, Jeffrey Michael [UC, San Diego (main)]↗

Data-driven quantum approximate optimization algorithm for power systems

Abstract Quantum technology provides a ground-breaking methodology to tackle challenging computational issues in power systems. It is especially promising for Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) dominant systems that have been widely developed to promote energy sustainability. In those systems, knowing the maximum sections of power and data delivery is essential for monitoring, operation, and control. However, high computational effort is required. By leveraging quantum resources, Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) provides a means to search for these sections efficiently. However, QAOA performance relies heavily on critical parameters, especially for weighted graphs. Here we present a data-driven QAOA, which transfers quasi-optimal parameters between weighted graphs based on the normalized graph density. We verify the strategy with 39,774 expectation value calculations. Without parameter optimization, our data-driven QAOA is comparable with the Goemans-Williamson algorithm. This work advances QAOA and pilots its practical application to power systems in noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices.

Jing, Hang (ORCID:0000000256343489)↗

Self-reported health impacts of do-it-yourself air cleaner use in a smoke-impacted community

Smoke exposure from wildfires or residential wood burning for heat is a public health problem for many communities. Do-It-Yourself (DIY) portable air cleaners (PACs) are promoted as affordable alternatives to commercial PACs, but evidence of their effect on health outcomes is limited. Pilot test an evaluation of the effect of DIY PAC usage on self-reported symptoms, and investigate barriers and facilitators of PAC use, among members of a tribal community that routinely experiences elevated concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) from smoke. We conducted studies in Fall 2021 (“wildfire study”; N = 10) and Winter 2022 (“wood stove study”; N = 17). Each study included four sequential one-to-two-week phases: 1) initial, 2) DIY PAC usage ≥8 h/day, 3) commercial PAC usage ≥8 h/day, and 4) air sensor with visual display and optional PAC use. We continuously monitored PAC usage and indoor/outdoor PM 2.5 concentrations in homes. Concluding each phase, we conducted phone surveys about participants’ symptoms, perceptions, and behaviors. We analyzed symptoms associated with PAC usage and conducted an analysis of indoor PM 2.5 concentrations as a mediating pathway using mixed effects multivariate linear regression. We categorized perceptions related to PACs into barriers and facilitators of use. No association was observed between PAC usage and symptoms, and the mediation analysis did not indicate that small observed trends were attributable to changes in indoor PM 2.5 concentrations. Small sample sizes hindered the ability to draw conclusions regarding the presence or absence of causal associations. DIY PAC usage was low; loud operating noise was a barrier to use. This research is novel in studying health effects of DIY PACs during wildfire and wood smoke exposures. Such research is needed to inform public health guidance. Recommendations for future studies on PAC use during smoke exposure include building flexibility of intervention timing into the study design.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Hydrogen station in situ back-to-back fueling data for design and modeling

Hydrogen technologies are rapidly spreading, with significant attention to the mobility sector requiring a robust and widespread fueling infrastructure. Hydrogen stations are indeed fundamental to transitioning from pilot projects towards large-scale implementation in many countries. Operating under extreme conditions, the new stations need more informed designs and equipment to meet the growing demand and their more frequent utilization. Via a set of experimental research activities and investigated scenarios carried out at the Cal State LA Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility, here this paper shares a novel and comprehensive set of data collected over a period of one year on fueling events frequency and refueling process station behaviors. A performance evaluation of the station is presented under different load scenarios in severe conditions during "back-to-back fuelings", with monitoring of fundamental parameters for infrastructure sizing, including dynamic cooling response, pressure levels, thermodynamics, and the state of charge of the vehicle. The presented data analysis could surely contribute as closer-to-reality inputs for a variety of station performance modeling tools.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Progress of Gas Injection EOR Surveillance in the Bakken Unconventional Play—Technical Review and Machine Learning Study

Although considerable laboratory and modeling activities were performed to investigate the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) mechanisms and potential in unconventional reservoirs, only limited research has been reported to investigate actual EOR implementations and their surveillance in fields. Eleven EOR pilot tests that used CO2, rich gas, surfactant, water, etc., have been conducted in the Bakken unconventional play since 2008. Gas injection was involved in eight of these pilots with huff ‘n’ puff, flooding, and injectivity operations. Surveillance data, including daily production/injection rates, bottomhole injection pressure, gas composition, well logs, and tracer testing, were collected from these tests to generate time-series plots or analytics that can inform operators of downhole conditions. A technical review showed that pressure buildup, conformance issues, and timely gas breakthrough detection were some of the main challenges because of the interconnected fractures between injection and offset wells. The latest operation of co-injecting gas, water, and surfactant through the same injection well showed that these challenges could be mitigated by careful EOR design and continuous reservoir monitoring. Reservoir simulation and machine learning were then conducted for operators to rapidly predict EOR performance and take control actions to improve EOR outcomes in unconventional reservoirs.

Energy & Fuels↗