How Standard Modular Hydropower Can Enhance the Environmental, Economic, and Social Benefits of New Small Hydropower Development
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Witt, Adam M.↗
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Making Small Hydro Development Affordable and Acceptable
The authors are working on an approach - called standard modular hydropower - intended to standardize the process to develop small hydro in the U.S. and reduce costs across a variety of sites.
13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
Nanoscale membranes that chemically isolate and electronically wire up the abiotic/biotic interface
Abstract By electrochemically coupling microbial and abiotic catalysts, bioelectrochemical systems such as microbial electrolysis cells and microbial electrosynthesis systems synthesize energy-rich chemicals from energy-poor precursors with unmatched efficiency. However, to circumvent chemical incompatibilities between the microbial cells and inorganic materials that result in toxicity, corrosion, fouling, and efficiency-degrading cross-reactions between oxidation and reduction environments, bioelectrochemical systems physically separate the microbial and inorganic catalysts by macroscopic distances, thus introducing ohmic losses, rendering these systems impractical at scale. Here we electrochemically couple an inorganic catalyst, a SnO 2 anode, with a microbial catalyst, Shewanella oneidensis , via a 2-nm-thick silica membrane containing -CN and -NO 2 functionalized p -oligo(phenylene vinylene) molecular wires. This membrane enables electron flow at 0.51 μA cm −2 from microbial catalysts to the inorganic anode, while blocking small molecule transport. Thus the modular architecture avoids chemical incompatibilities without ohmic losses and introduces an immense design space for scale up of bioelectrochemical systems.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Paralogous Radiations of PIN Proteins with Multiple Origins of Noncanonical PIN Structure
The plant hormone auxin is a conserved regulator of development which has been implicated in the generation of morphological novelty. PIN-FORMED1 (PIN) auxin efflux carriers are central to auxin function by regulating its distribution. PIN family members have divergent structures and cellular localizations, but the origin and evolutionary significance of this variation is unresolved. To characterize PIN family evolution, we have undertaken phylogenetic and structural analyses with a massive increase in taxon sampling over previous studies. Our phylogeny shows that following the divergence of the bryophyte and lycophyte lineages, two deep duplication events gave rise to three distinct lineages of PIN proteins in euphyllophytes. Subsequent independent radiations within each of these lineages were taxonomically asymmetric, giving rise to at least 21 clades of PIN proteins, of which 15 are revealed here for the first time. Although most PIN protein clades share a conserved canonical structure with a modular central loop domain, a small number of noncanonical clades dispersed across the phylogeny have highly divergent protein structure. We propose that PIN proteins underwent sub- and neofunctionalization with substantial modification to protein structure throughout plant evolution. Our results have important implications for plant evolution as they suggest that structurally divergent PIN proteins that arose in paralogous radiations contributed to the convergent evolution of organ systems in different land plant lineages.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Case Studies and Parametric Analysis of Heliostat Performance With a Tradeoff-Informed Technoeconomic Analysis Metric
The Heliostat Consortium (HelioCon) was launched in 2021 to advance heliostat technology. Here this work presents a collection of baseline case studies for the technoeconomic analysis (TEA) of candidate heliostat improvements for concentrating solar power (CSP) and concentrated solar thermal (CST) systems that employ central receivers. The case studies we develop include a large-scale CSP plant, a smaller, modular CSP plant, and a small CST plant used for industrial process heat. In this work, we also propose a novel metric for TEA of a plant component technology that recasts relative changes in levelized system costs into component-specific capital cost budgets. This measure, which we refer to as the equivalent breakeven installed cost, is the maximum budget for the technology component that leads to improved levelized costs. Finally, we perform a parametric analysis to show the impact of candidate technologies on the levelized cost of heat and, by extension, equivalent breakeven installed cost.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Small Reactors in Microgrids: Technology Modeling and Selection (Net-Zero Microgrid Program Project Report)
This report demonstrates the capabilities of the net-zero microgrid (NZM) Xendee platform for modeling an SR module with electricity, heat extraction and thermal storage in microgrids configurations. The model effectively captures the most important technical and economic considerations for SR technology specific analysis: cost and operational characteristics of SR technology and financial costs and incentives. The model can analyze multiple scenarios to establish metrics for cost-competitive and zero-carbon microgrids connected to the grid or completely isolated. The model is fully integrated within the Xendee platform for modeling and analysis of clean energy microgrids with storage and generation from renewable energy sources. The model captures the capabilities, constraints, and nuances of SR by incorporating parameters related to plant economics, design efficiency and performance, plant operation and component and fuel lifespan. The cost and operational parameters modeled in the SR module are specific to the technology selected for integration in the microgrid. Cost parameters recognize advanced nuclear technology for modular production and installation based on economies of scale from factory manufacture and related commissioning, and cost reduction through technology maturation—first-of-a-kind (FOAK) and nth-of-a-Kind (NOAK). The cost parameters include installation, operations and maintenance (O&M), fuel refueling cycle, and reactor life. Installation cost reflects economies of scale due to unit sizing at scale and colocation. O&M economies of scale for both fixed- and variable-cost fuel life-cycle costs are incurred at every refueling interval, with separate front- and back-end fuel costs, as well as waste-handling and disposition costs. This report investigates key characteristics of different SR technologies suitable for microgrid applications, including design principles, sizing, coolant properties, temperature ratings, fuel structures, and life-cycle considerations. This also includes fuel technologies applicable to these SR systems, alongside strategies for nuclear-waste and spent-fuel management and approaches to address safety, security, and proliferation challenges. Four primary groups of SR technologies are examined: water-cooled, liquid-metal-cooled, high-temperature gas-cooled, and molten-salt-cooled systems. In this report, an initial guideline for technology selection is established, aligning the characteristics of the technologies with the requirements of microgrids. The selection of technology in a microgrid is influenced by various factors, including financial capacity, location and accessibility, demand type and characteristics, reliability and resilience requirements, area constraints, and the lifespan of the microgrid. The types of electrical and non-electrical applications within the microgrid also play a significant role in technology selection. The characteristics of SRs, such as their smaller size, modularity, transportability, long refueling interval, improved safety features, ability to operate in autonomous or semi-autonomous mode, and provision of high-grade heat, are particularly appealing for microgrids. Furthermore, a list of considerations for implementing SRs in microgrids is outlined. The SR model is created to be continuously improved with the acquisition of actual data on investment and operational costs, experience with supply chains, production at scale, and field deployments. In the near term, performance data on applications in microgrids will become available from lessons learned from laboratory tests, such as those planned for the Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation Project (MARVEL), led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The SR model incorporates scenario data and known SR design specifications, enabling technoeconomic analysis for SR deployment in microgrids. It specifically considers the distinctive attributes of SRs as generators in technoeconomic studies. SRs can be modeled and analyzed with generation from renewable-energy sources, energy storage, and flexible loads over a range of functionality and applications. This offers a comprehensive tool for feasibility studies, scenario development, and sensitivity analysis for “what-if” consideration of any range of assumptions about SRs in microgrids and other aggregations of distributed-energy resources, including virtual power plants.
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
Engineered Biosynthesis of Alkyne-Tagged Polyketides by Type I PKSs
Polyketides produced by modular polyketide synthases (PKSs) are important small molecules widely used as drugs, pesticides, and biological probes. Tagging these polyketides with a clickable functionality enables the visualization, diversification, and mode of action study through bio-orthogonal chemistry. We report the de novo biosynthesis of alkyne-tagged polyketides by modular type I PKSs through starter unit engineering. Specifically, we use JamABC, a terminal alkyne biosynthetic machinery from the jamaicamide B biosynthetic pathway, in combination with representative modular PKSs. We demonstrate that JamABC works as a trans loading system for engineered type I PKSs to produce alkyne-tagged polyketides. In addition, the production efficiency can be improved by enhancing the interactions between the carrier protein (JamC) and PKSs using docking domains and site-directed mutagenesis of JamC. This work thus provides engineering guidelines and strategies that are applicable to additional modular type I PKSs to produce targeted alkyne-tagged metabolites for chemical and biological applications.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Applicability of GALE-86 Codes to Integral Pressurized Water Reactor Designs
This report describes work that Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is doing to assist the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of New Reactors (NRO) staff in their reviews of applications for nuclear power plants using new reactor core designs. These designs include small integral PWRs (IRIS, mPower, and NuScale reactor designs), HTGRs, (pebble-bed and prismatic-block modular reactor designs) and SFRs (4S and PRISM reactor designs). Under this specific task, PNNL will assist the NRC staff in reviewing the current versions of the GALE codes and identify features and limitations that would need to be modified to accommodate the technical review of iPWR and mPower® license applications and recommend specific changes to the code, NUREG-0017, and associated NRC guidance. This contract is necessary to support the licensing of iPWRs with a near-term focus on the B&W mPower® reactor design. While the focus of this review is on the mPower® reactor design, the review of the code and the scope of recommended changes consider a revision of the GALE codes that would make them universally applicable for other types of integral PWR designs. The results of a detailed comparison between PWR and iPWR designs are reported here. Also included is an investigation of the GALE code and its basis and a determination as to the applicability of each of the bases to an iPWR design. The issues investigated come from a list provided by NRC staff, the results of comparing the PWR and iPWR designs, the parameters identified as having a large impact on the code outputs from a recent sensitivity study and the main bases identified in NUREG-0017. This report will provide a summary of the gaps in the GALE codes as they relate to iPWR designs and for each gap will propose what work could be performed to fill that gap and create a version of GALE that is applicable to integral PWR designs.
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
Protective, Modular Wave Power Generation System
The concept of small wave energy conversion modules that can be built into large, scalable arrays, in the same vein as solar panels, has been developed. This innovation lends itself to an organic business and development model, and enables the use of large-run manufacturing technology to reduce system costs. The first prototype module has been built to full-scale, and tested in a laboratory wave channel. The device has been shown to generate electricity and dissipate wave energy. Improvements need to be made to the electrical generator and a demonstration of an array of modules should be made in natural conditions.
16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
HIgh Rate X-ray Fluorescence Detector
The purpose of this project was to develop a compact, modular multi-channel x-ray detector with integrated electronics. This detector, based upon emerging silicon drift detector (SDD) technology, will be capable of high data rate operation superior to the current state of the art offered by high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors, without the need for liquid nitrogen. In addition, by integrating the processing electronics inside the detector housing, the detector performance will be much less affected by the typically noisy electrical environment of a synchrotron hutch, and will also be much more compact than current systems, which can include a detector involving a large LN2 dewar and multiple racks of electronics. The combined detector/processor system is designed to match or exceed the performance and features of currently available detector systems, at a lower cost and with more ease of use due to the small size of the detector. In addition, the detector system is designed to be modular, so a small system might just have one detector module, while a larger system can have many you can start with one detector module, and add more as needs grow and budget allows. The modular nature also serves to simplify repair.
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
A New Era for Modern Bubble Chamber Technology: Cooling and Real-Time Control for the MAMBA Neutrino Bubble Chamber∗
Future neutrino experiments such as DUNE will be limited less by statistics than by how well neutrino--nucleus interactions are understood, and the cleanest way to improve that understanding is to measure interactions with light nuclei such as hydrogen or deuterium. The detector best suited to the job, the bubble chamber, has not been built for a neutrino beam in about fifty years. MAMBA (Modern Adaptive Modular Bubble chamber Archetype) is a small prototype at Fermilab intended to bring the technology back with modern cryogenics and automation, cycling continuously at 1~Hz. This paper summarizes my work on two of its subsystems during a summer internship. A new solid copper thermal link brought the coldhead to 21.3~K in a commissioning cooldown, near the 20~K operating target. An Industrial Shields Raspberry Pi programmable logic controller (PLC) running OpenPLC was characterized at a median round-trip response of 0.64~ms over 20,000 trials, with 0.66\% of trials exceeding 1~ms. Both results support continuous cycling.
Williams, Nicholas [Fermilab; DuPage Coll.]↗
Passive compact molten salt reactor (PCMSR), modular thermal breeder reactor with totally passive safety system
Design Study Passive Compact Molten Salt Reactor (PCMSR) with totally passive safety system has been performed. The term of Compact in the PCMSR name means that the reactor system is designed to have relatively small volume per unit power output by using modular and integral concept. In term of modular, the reactor system consists of three modules, i.e. reactor module, turbine module and fuel management module. The reactor module is an integral design that consists of reactor, primary and intermediate heat exchangers and passive post shutdown cooling system. The turbine module is an integral design of a multi heating, multi cooling, regenerative gas turbine. The fuel management module consists of all equipments related to fuel preparation, fuel reprocessing and radioactive handling. The preliminary calculations show that the PCMSR has negative temperature and void reactivity coefficient, passive shutdown characteristic related to fuel pump failure and possibility of using natural circulation for post shutdown cooling system.
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
Assessing health impacts in complex eco-epidemiological settings in the humid tropics: Modular baseline health surveys
The quantitative assessment of health impacts has been identified as a crucial feature for realising the full potential of health impact assessment (HIA). In settings where demographic and health data are notoriously scarce, but there is a broad range of ascertainable ecological, environmental, epidemiological and socioeconomic information, a diverse toolkit of data collection strategies becomes relevant for the mainly small-area impacts of interest. We present a modular, cross-sectional baseline health survey study design, which has been developed for HIA of industrial development projects in the humid tropics. The modular nature of our toolkit allows our methodology to be readily adapted to the prevailing eco-epidemiological characteristics of a given project setting. Central to our design is a broad set of key performance indicators, covering a multiplicity of health outcomes and determinants at different levels and scales. We present experience and key findings from our modular baseline health survey methodology employed in 14 selected sentinel sites within an iron ore mining project in the Republic of Guinea. We argue that our methodology is a generic example of rapid evidence assembly in difficult-to-reach localities, where improvement of the predictive validity of the assessment and establishment of a benchmark for longitudinal monitoring of project impacts and mitigation efforts is needed.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
A study of improved MHR 50/100 toward a higher level of inherent safety
A new concept of the Mitsubishi small-sized High temperature gas-cooled modular Reactors (MHR-50/100) had been developed and published in papers. The study results of the first design concept show that the MHR-50/100 can achieve the inherent safety level set as a design target in case of water ingress during steam generator tube rupture accident. And more specifically, the reactor was shown to remain stable during long-term station black out (SBO) with protection of only passive devices during a depressurization accident and with additional motion of steam dump system during a water ingress accident. Recently greater requirements for safety of future nuclear plants including the MHR-50/100 have been expected. This study has thus made a key design improvement for the MHR-50/100 in order to secure the inherent safety aspect without reliance on active steam dump system in case of a water ingress accident. The innovative technologies listed below have been created and investigated to achieve the improved MHR-50/100 design; (1) Design improvement of steam generator, (2) Heat balance optimization of steam cycle, (3) Control system design of differential pressure between primary helium gas and water/steam, (4) Study on operation procedure during a water ingress accident. (authors)
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
Conventions and workflows for using Situs
Recent developments of the Situs software suite for multi-scale modeling are reviewed. Typical workflows and conventions encountered during processing of biophysical data from electron microscopy, tomography or small-angle X-ray scattering are described. Situs is a modular program package for the multi-scale modeling of atomic resolution structures and low-resolution biophysical data from electron microscopy, tomography or small-angle X-ray scattering. This article provides an overview of recent developments in the Situs package, with an emphasis on workflows and conventions that are important for practical applications. The modular design of the programs facilitates scripting in the bash shell that allows specific programs to be combined in creative ways that go beyond the original intent of the developers. Several scripting-enabled functionalities, such as flexible transformations of data type, the use of symmetry constraints or the creation of two-dimensional projection images, are described. The processing of low-resolution biophysical maps in such workflows follows not only first principles but often relies on implicit conventions. Situs conventions related to map formats, resolution, correlation functions and feature detection are reviewed and summarized. The compatibility of the Situs workflow with CCP4 conventions and programs is discussed.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Proposed Risk-Informed Regulatory Framework for Approval of Microreactor Transportation Packages
Microreactors are very small nuclear reactors with a power output of about 20 megawatts electric or less that are designed to be factory-built, modular in nature, and highly portable. These compact reactors will be small enough to be transported by truck or even air and could help solve energy challenges in a number of areas, ranging from remote commercial or residential locations to military bases. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is tasked to develop and evaluate transportation licensing options for microreactors. The work is funded by the National Reactor Innovation Center a National Department of Energy program led by Idaho National Laboratory for the Office of Nuclear Energy Research and Development which support demonstration of microreactor technology. Key transportation steps include the (1) initial movement of high-assay low enriched uranium fresh fuel, (2) transportation of an intact, but never-operated microreactor, and (3) transportation of an intact, previously-operated microreactor. The deliverables on the project consists of a documentation of applicable regulations and regulatory authority for transportation. The objective of this report is to propose a risk-informed regulatory framework for the licensing of the transportation of microreactors, including the transportation of irradiated nuclear fuel that is assumed to be an integral component of the microreactor transportation package. The framework lays out a viable regulatory pathway, including decision points for regulatory options and the supporting technical evaluations for those options in phases from near to long term. This report includes discussion of the (1) general microreactor design concepts including representative microreactor source terms, (2) options for regulatory approval of microreactor transportation based on current regulation and historical precedence, (3) regulatory basis for including risk information in microreactor transportation licensing activities, and (4) description of a risk-informed regulatory framework.
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
Proposed Risk-Informed Regulatory Framework for Approval of Microreactor Transportation Packages
Microreactors are very small nuclear reactors with a power output of about 20 megawatts electric or less that are designed to be factory-built, modular in nature, and highly portable. These compact reactors will be small enough to be transported by truck or even air and could help solve energy challenges in a number of areas, ranging from remote commercial or residential locations to military bases. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is tasked to develop and evaluate transportation licensing options for microreactors. The work is funded by the National Reactor Innovation Center a National Department of Energy program led by Idaho National Laboratory for the Office of Nuclear Energy Research and Development which support demonstration of microreactor technology. Key transportation steps include the (1) initial movement of high-assay low enriched uranium fresh fuel, (2) transportation of an intact, but never-operated microreactor, and (3) transportation of an intact, previously-operated microreactor. The deliverables on the project consists of a documentation of applicable regulations and regulatory authority for transportation. The objective of this report is to propose a risk-informed regulatory framework for the licensing of the transportation of microreactors, including the transportation of irradiated nuclear fuel that is assumed to be an integral component of the microreactor transportation package. The framework lays out a viable regulatory pathway, including decision points for regulatory options and the supporting technical evaluations for those options in phases from near to long term. This report includes discussion of the (1) general microreactor design concepts including representative microreactor source terms, (2) options for regulatory approval of microreactor transportation based on current regulation and historical precedence, (3) regulatory basis for including risk information in microreactor transportation licensing activities, and (4) description of a risk-informed regulatory framework.
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
Parametric Study of Factors that Affect Calculated Dose from TRISO Fueled Microreactor Transportation Accident
Microreactors are very small nuclear reactors with a power output up to 50 megawatts electric (MWe) which also meet the standards of an “advanced nuclear reactor.” Microreactors are designed to be factory-built, modular in nature, and may be transportable. These compact small-sized reactors in some design configurations are small enough to be transported by truck which could help solve certain energy challenges. This report refers to these reactors as transportable microreactors or transportable nuclear power plants (TNPPs). Transportable microreactors are being considered for a wide range of independent operation applications.
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗