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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 OSTI2023

Cryogenic System Preliminary Design for a 0.5m-Long, Conduction-Cooled Nb3Sn Undulator Magnet Prototype

There are several NbTi superconducting undulator (SCU) magnets currently in operation at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The development on Nb3Sn-based superconducting undulator magnets at APS is underway due to the potential to further enhance the performance of the SCUs. Superconducting undulator magnets need to keep temperature gradients minimized in order to retain thermal and operating current margin. We have designed the thermal links for efficient heat conduction using 3D finite element analysis (FEA) simulation in COMSOL Multiphysics software, which was later used for the calculation of the temperature distribution across a 0.5 m long, conduction-cooled, Nb3Sn undulator magnet prototype that includes both conductive heat transfer and radiative heating components. We have modelled the evolution of the thermal properties of the magnet winding as well as other cold parts during cool-down from ambient temperature with the operation of a SHI RDK-415D cryocooler to examine the estimated time that is needed for the cooldown as well as the baseline temperature we could achieve. A key result was that a maximum coil delta T = 0.11 K along the designed thermal links and a temperature range of 3.42 K-3.53 K for the winding were predicted at steady state. A pair of G10 support rods for carrying the magnet as well as a pair of current leads made of metals were also designed and optimized for the testing system, targeting for an operation temperature of 4 K and a coil current of 950 A DC.

Zhang, Danlu↗
DOE OSTI2026

Review of ECCS Acceptance Criteria and Experimental Basis Evolution Toward Fuel Fragmentation, Relocation, and Dispersal Studies

The U.S. nuclear industry is pursuing extensions of light water reactor (LWR) fuel burnup and enrichment limits to approximately 75 GWd/t and 10 wt.% 235 U to achieve economic and operational benefits. A central safety consideration in this effort is the behavior of high burnup (HBu) fuel during loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs), particularly fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal (FFRD). Here, this work provides a historical and technical review of U.S. LOCA regulation and experimentation, clarifying how the evolution of Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) acceptance criteria in 10 CFR 50.46 has shaped both testing approaches and interpretations of fuel safety. The study revisits the original intent of the ECCS criteria, showing that the peak cladding temperature and equivalent cladding reacted limits were developed as surrogates to preserve a coolable geometry. The explicit inclusion of the coolable geometry criterion in the regulation was intended to emphasize the underlying safety philosophy and as a safeguard against unforeseen failure modes, an intent that remains directly relevant to modern concerns regarding FFRD. The review traces the lineage of HBu LOCA experiments to the Argonne National Laboratory furnace tests, from which subsequent programs at Studsvik, Halden, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory were derived. These tests employed a 5 °C/s heating rate inherited from early embrittlement studies, a stylized temperature history that does not represent actual LWR LOCA thermal-hydraulics. Comparison of these test conditions to pressurized water reactor large break LOCAs and separate effects data indicates that the existing HBu LOCA database may not be fully applicable to all LWR LOCA scenarios, from which a qualitative framework for applicability is proposed.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

A New Superconducting Undulator Cryostat for the APS Upgrade

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) is in the midst of a major facility upgrade including both a new electron storage ring (SR) and many new insertion devices ( IDs) providing x-ray photon beams to a new suite of experimental end stations. Included among the new IDs are four 4.8-meter superconducting undulator (SCU) cryostats, each containing two 1.8-meter planar undulator magnets operating at 4.2 K in either a phase shifted or canted configuration. We describe a new, compact cryocooler-based cryostat design which supports the magnets and associated subsystems and also fits the space constraints of the SR ID straight sections. The design is an evolution of earlier single-magnet 2-meter cryostats, retaining some subsystem commonality while incorporating lessons learned and several features unique to the challenge of supporting two independently operable undulator magnets in a single device.

Anliker, E.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Semi-analytical modeling of the NIO1 source

NIO1 is a compact and versatile negative ion source, with a total current of 130 mA accelerated to 60 keV. Negative ions are created inside the plasma, which is inductively coupled to an external rf cylindrical coil operating in the range of 2 ± 0.2 MHz. The plasma is confined in the source chamber (a 50 mm radius cylinder) by a multipole magnetic field and the ions are extracted through a 3x3 matrix of apertures. The use of cesium, to enhance the negative ion production by H{sub 0} bombardment of the surfaces, is foreseen in a second stage of the operation, so that at present time the source is operating in pure volume configuration. This paper presents a model aimed to describe the main physical phenomena occurring in the source, focusing on the rf coupling with the plasma and the evolution of plasma parameters in the source. With respect to more sophisticated models of negative ion sources here we aimed to develop a fast tool capable of qualitatively describing the response of the system to variations in the basic operating parameters. The findings of this models is finally compared with the first experimental results of NIO1.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Evolution of spatial resolution in breast CT at UC Davis

Purpose: Dedicated breast computed tomography (bCT) technology for the purpose of breast cancer screening has been a focus of research at UC Davis since the late 1990s. Previous studies have shown that improvement in spatial resolution characteristics of this modality correlates with greater microcalcification detection, a factor considered a potential limitation of bCT. The aim of this study is to improve spatial resolution as characterized by the modulation transfer function (MTF) via changes in the scanner hardware components and operational schema. Methods: Four prototypes of pendant-geometry, cone-beam breast CT scanners were designed and developed spanning three generations of design evolution. To improve the system MTF in each bCT generation, modifications were made to the imaging components (x-ray tube and flat-panel detector), system geometry (source-to-isocenter and detector distance), and image acquisition parameters (technique factors, number of projections, system synchronization scheme, and gantry rotational speed). Results: Characterization of different generations of bCT systems shows these modifications resulted in a 188% improvement of the limiting MTF properties from the first to second generation and an additional 110% from the second to third. The intrinsic resolution degradation in the azimuthal direction observed in the first generation was corrected by changing the acquisition from continuous to pulsed x-ray acquisition. Utilizing a high resolution detector in the third generation, along with modifications made in system geometry and scan protocol, resulted in a 125% improvement in limiting resolution. An additional 39% improvement was obtained by changing the detector binning mode from 2 × 2 to 1 × 1. Conclusions: These results underscore the advancement in spatial resolution characteristics of breast CT technology. The combined use of a pulsed x-ray system, higher resolution flat-panel detector and changing the scanner geometry and image acquisition logic resulted in a significant fourfold improvement in MTF.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

2023 Annual Report of Available Drawdowns for Each Oil Storage Cavern in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

DOE maintains an up-to-date documentation of the number of available full drawdowns of each of the caverns at the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). This information is important for assessing the SPR’s ability to deliver oil to domestic oil companies expeditiously if national or world events dictate a rapid sale and deployment of the oil reserves. Sandia was directed to develop and implement a process to continuously assess and report the evolution of drawdown capacity, the subject of this report. This report covers impacts on drawdown availability due to SPR operations during Calendar Year 2022. A cavern has an available drawdown if, after that drawdown, the long-term stability of the cavern, the cavern field, or the oil quality are not compromised. Thus, determining the number of available drawdowns requires the consideration of several factors regarding cavern and wellbore integrity and stability, including stress states caused by cavern geometry and operations, salt damage caused by dilatant and tensile stresses, the effect of enhanced creep on wellbore integrity, and the sympathetic stress effect of operations on neighboring caverns. Finite-element geomechanical models have been used to determine the stress states in the pillars following successive drawdowns. By computing the tensile and dilatant stresses in the salt, areas of potential structural instability can be identified that may represent red flags for additional drawdowns. These analyses have found that many caverns will maintain structural integrity even when grown via drawdowns to dimensions resulting in a pillar-to-diameter ratio of less than 1.0. The analyses have also confirmed that certain caverns should only be completely drawn down one time. As the SPR caverns are utilized and partial drawdowns are performed to remove oil from the caverns (e.g., for oil sales, purchases, or exchanges authorized by the Congress or the President), the changes to the cavern caused by these procedures must be tracked and accounted for so that an ongoing assessment of the cavern’s drawdown capacity may be continued. A methodology for assessing and tracking the available drawdowns for each cavern is reiterated. This report is the latest in a series of annual reports, and it includes the baseline available drawdowns for each cavern, and the most recent assessment of the evolution of drawdown expenditures. A total of 222 million barrels of oil were released in calendar-year 2022. A nearly-equal amount of raw water was injected, resulting in an estimated 34 million barrels of cavern leaching. Twenty caverns have now expended a full drawdown. Cavern BC 18 has expended all its baseline available drawdowns, and has no drawdowns remaining. Cavern BM 103 has expended one of its two baseline drawdowns, and is now a single-drawdown cavern. All other caverns with an expenditure went from at-least-5 to at-least-4 remaining drawdowns.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2016

An eccentric binary millisecond pulsar with a helium white dwarf companion in the galactic field

Low-mass white dwarfs (LMWDs) are believed to be exclusive products of binary evolution, as the universe is not old enough to produce them from single stars. Because of the strong tidal forces operating during the binary interaction phase, the remnant systems observed today are expected to have negligible eccentricities. Here, we report on the first unambiguous identification of an LMWD in an eccentric (e = 0.13) orbit around the millisecond pulsar PSR J2234+0511, which directly contradicts this picture. We use our spectra and radio-timing solution (derived elsewhere) to infer the WD temperature (T{sub eff}=8600±190 K), and peculiar systemic velocity relative to the local standard of rest (≃31 km s{sup −1}). We also place model-independent constraints on the WD radius (R{sub WD}=0.024{sub −0.002}{sup +0.004} R{sub ⊙}) and surface gravity (log g=7.11{sub −0.16}{sup +0.08} dex). The WD and kinematic properties are consistent with the expectations for low-mass X-ray binary evolution and disfavor a dynamic three-body formation channel. In the case of the high eccentricity being the result of a spontaneous phase transition, we infer a mass of ∼1.60 M {sub ⊙} for the pulsar progenitor, which is too low for the quark-nova mechanism proposed by Jiang et al., and too high for the scenario of Freire and Tauris, in which a WD collapses into a neutron star via a rotationally delayed accretion-induced collapse. We find that eccentricity pumping via interaction with a circumbinary disk is consistent with our inferred parameters. Finally, we report tentative evidence for pulsations that, if confirmed, would transform the star into an unprecedented laboratory for WD physics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Predictive-Maintenance Practices: For Operational Safety of Battery Energy Storage Systems

Changes in the Demand Profile and a growing role for renewable and distributed generation are leading to rapid evolution in the electric grid. These changes are beginning to considerably strain the transmission and distribution infrastructure. Utilities are increasingly recognizing that the integration of energy storage in the grid infrastructure will help manage intermittency and improve grid reliability. This recognition, coupled with the proliferation of state-level renewable portfolio standards and rapidly declining lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery costs, has led to a surge in the deployment of battery energy storage systems (BESSs). Additionally, although BESSs represented less than 1% of grid-scale energy storage in the United States in 2019, they are the preferred technology to meet growing demand because they are modular, scalable, and easy to deploy across diverse use cases and geographic locations.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Hydrogeologic Setting and Groundwater Contaminant Conceptual Model, Los Alamos National Laboratory - 18681

Our understanding of the complex hydrogeologic setting at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has evolved significantly over the previous decade. The semi-arid, high-desert setting consists of generally dry drainages in canyons that head either in uplands to the west of the Laboratory or on the high mountain-front plateau where the Laboratory is spread across approximately 40 square miles. Some canyon drainages have spatially limited reaches with perennial surface water from natural runoff and spring sources and/or from permitted effluent sources. The Rio Grande rift basin-fill stratigraphy includes primary volcanic deposits from pyroclastic eruptions and intermediate composition lava flows, and fluvial and alluvial fan deposits. Highly complex and spatially variable stratigraphy governs the occurrences of three groundwater zones: shallow 'alluvial groundwater', deep perched groundwater, and a thick 'regional' aquifer that is the water supply for the community of Los Alamos and the Laboratory. The current understanding of the hydrogeologic framework was greatly expanded as part of a site hydrogeologic characterization program completed in 2005. Higher resolution information exists in area where more detailed groundwater characterization has been conducted to support specific project objectives. A conceptual model for occurrences of contaminants in each of the three groundwater zones is governed by four factors: contaminant solubility/mobility, the mass of historical release, presence of a continuous hydraulic driver, and 'breakthrough' geology, defined as geology conducive to infiltration of shallow groundwater to deeper groundwater zones. The Laboratory's operations were historically somewhat spatially partitioned. Most of the radionuclide work (and historical releases) was conducted in the northern portion of the Laboratory, high explosives work has taken place exclusively in the southwestern portion, and treated sanitary effluent was released at a limited number of outfalls. Historical material disposal areas (MDAs) are dispersed throughout the Laboratory, and active MDAs are all located on a single dry mesa at the eastern part of the Laboratory. Evidence exists of transport of anthropogenic constituents to the regional aquifer. However, years of groundwater characterization have identified only two cases for which all the key factors were present and a complete contaminant pathway to the regional aquifer has resulted in contamination at levels above an applicable standard. Hexavalent chromium contamination associated with historical use as a corrosion inhibitor in a power plant is present beneath Mortandad Canyon, and RDX contamination associated with high-explosives machining is present beneath Canon de Valle. Each of those project areas have refined conceptual and numerical models that address contaminant migration pathways, spatial extent of perched-intermediate groundwater, mass balance, and fate and transport within the regional aquifer. No known contamination is present in the regional aquifer associated with MDAs, and interestingly, much of the Laboratory's groundwater background dataset is from wells located beneath active MDAs. A comprehensive groundwater monitoring program is in place to track the evolution of chromium and RDX contamination, and to identify any other constituents that may be attributable to historical LANL operations. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2026

YOLO11 to SAM2 pipeline for feature extraction from nuclear test films

The response to the effects of nuclear detonations is supported by models that describe the evolution of the nuclear fireball and cloud and the associated transport of active debris. Validation of those descriptions relies on data from the nuclear test operations. Video records of those events offer a rich source of information that was exploited to a limited extent in historic analyses. Computer vision and machine learning techniques are powerful tools that can be used to increase the number of measurements that can be obtained from those films. In this work, we apply computer vision techniques to automatically track the temporal evolution of the nuclear fireball. In particular, we apply You Only Look Once 11 (YOLO11) and Segment Anything Model 2 (SAM2) in combination with minimal human intervention to digitized versions of the original nuclear test films. As part of the proposed workflow, the YOLO11 model is applied to films to determine bounding boxes for the fireball within each frame. These are then used as inputs to SAM2, which uses image segmentation to determine the fireball boundaries and their temporal evolution. We assess the accuracy of our approach by using it to determine the energy released during the Trinity nuclear test and comparing the results with previous analyses based on manual measurements.

Van Exel, Kimberly [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000877463894)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Influence of post deposition annealing on the microstructural evolution and tensile behavior of austenitic stainless-steel alloy 709 made by laser powder bed fusion

Structural materials used in the next generation nuclear reactors or other advanced energy systems are often required to withstand higher operating temperatures for a longer service life. Alloy 709 (A709), a Nb-containing and N-stabilized Fe-25Ni-20Cr austenitic stainless steel, has been recommended for high-temperature reactor constructions due to the better performance over the baseline Type 316H stainless steel. Here, in the current manuscript, for the first time, the microstructure evolution and tensile behavior of an A709 made by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is discussed. The as deposited and heat treated LPBF alloys are compared with a reference wrought alloy. Owing to the chemical segregation and a higher number of dislocations, the LPBF materials show a significantly higher density of precipitates formed during high temperature treatments when compared to the wrought samples. This is reflected when looking at the tensile properties, both at room and elevated temperatures, where LPBF samples show higher strengths compared to wrought materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Microstructure evolution in ion-irradiated of UO{sub 2}

Uranium dioxide (UO{sub 2}) is today's most widely used nuclear fuel in commercial light water reactors. The cumulative radiation damage during the fission process causes severe degradation in the thermophysical properties of UO{sub 2} fuels, which limits their lifetime and increases their operational cost. There are four main sources for decreasing the thermal conductivity during reactor-irradiation: i) irradiation induced defects, ii) solid fission products, iii) fission gas and volatile fission products, and iv) fission gas precipitation and porosity evolution. Therefore, investigating the defect production and evolution, and fission product transport under irradiation, and revealing their physical mechanisms is of great importance in understanding the degradation of thermophysical properties of UO{sub 2} fuels. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Neutronics analyses for the conceptual design of the SNS Second Target Station

The Spallation Neutron Source, in operation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 2006, was designed to allow the addition of a second target station and an upgrade of the accelerator proton power. Both upgrades are now underway. Here we describe the evolution of the design of the target of the second target station with the emphasis on the effects of the proton beam footprint on the energy deposition in the target, stresses induced by the pulsed operation, and the importance of the residual heat. The moderator configurations and their optimization are discussed. With the utilization of pure parahydrogen moderators, small neutron beam cross-sections, and the specific optimization, neutron beams of the second target station will achieve exceptionally high peak brightness and time-averaged brightness.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

New Insights into Structural Evolution of LiNiO 2 Revealed by Operando Neutron Diffraction

LiNiO 2 (LNO) represents the end member in the compositional space of the LiNi 1-x-y Mn x Co y O 2 (as x and y approach zero) cathode system. Despite its high theoretical specific capacity (275 mAh/g), LNO suffers from phase transitions with large volume change and unfavorable reactions upon electrochemical cycling, which restricts its practical use in the application of lithium-ion batteries. While the contributing factor to the structural instability is commonly linked to the undesired volume collapse associated with the H2-H3 phase transition, detailed analysis of structural evolution following the entire route of phase transitions (H1-M-H2-H3) in real time under battery operating conditions remains a challenging task. In this work, we employ operando neutron diffraction to study the structural changes (crystal lattice, Li/Ni–O bond length, O–Ni–O bond angles, and LiO 2 /NiO 2 layer thickness) of LNO cathode in a home-built Li x NiO 2 || graphite full cell during Li + de-/intercalation. In particular, the anomalous increase(decrease) of Ni–O(Li–O) bond length at high SOC (>~85 %) in the H3 phase is discussed in the context of O 2- (2p)→Ni 4+ (3d) negative charge transfer.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

MX precipitate behavior in an irradiated advanced Fe-9Cr steel: Self-ion irradiation effects on phase stability

In an effort to optimize Fe-9Cr reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels and to inform the design and operation of fusion reactors, this work represents the first in a series of cohesive studies dedicated to the evolution of MX-TiC precipitates under accelerated single and dual ion irradiations. This study investigates CNA9, a simplified Fe-9Cr RAFM steel featuring initial MX-TiC precipitate densities of (2.3±0.3)×10²¹ m⁻³. This material was subjected to single self-ion irradiation at damage levels ranging from 1 to 100 displacements per atom (dpa) over a temperature range of 300 to 600°C, with a nominal dose rate of 7×10⁻⁴ dpa/s. Irradiation-induced coarsening was observed, as evidenced by statistically significant increases in mean diameter sizes, at 15 dpa at both 500°C and 600°C, whereas no coarsening was noted at 300°C or 400°C. Further, complete dissolution of precipitates occurred at damage levels of 50 and 100 dpa across the two temperatures tested (300°C and 500°C) while no significant changes were observed at any doses below 15 dpa at 500°C. Experimentally parameterized recoil resolution modeling suggests that the observed radiation stability of MX-TiC precipitates is intricately linked to diffusional changes of solutes resulting from the co-evolution of microstructural features within the experiments. The findings align with current theoretical perspectives on radiation-induced precipitate stability in complex alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Microstructural changes in NiO–ScSZ composite following reduction processes in pure and diluted hydrogen

A Ni–ScSZ cermet is widely used as the anode in a solid oxide fuel cell because it possesses the appropriate electrochemical properties. However, it is susceptible to degradation during operation. Samples of a NiO–ScSZ composite were reduced in pure and diluted hydrogen to determine the microstructural evolution and the degradation behavior of the material. The resulting changes in microstructure were investigated using scanning transmission electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The resulting data revealed that the various conditions during the reduction processes had a significant effect on the microstructures. The high porosity of the reduced nickel phase and cracking between the Ni and the ZrO{sub 2} phases after reduction resulted in a reduction in the strength of the anode material. - Highlights: • Structure of NiO/Ni strongly depends on the concentration of reduction atmosphere • Scandium rich precipitations are visible in YSZ phase after reduction process • Nanopores and nanograins are formed in reduced Ni phase.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

QCD analysis of Δ S = 0 hadronic parity violation

We present a QCD analysis of the effective weak Hamiltonian at hadronic energy scales for strangeness-nonchanging (ΔS = 0) hadronic processes. Performing a leading-order renormalization group analysis in QCD from the W to the O(2 GeV) energy scale, we derive the pertinent effective Hamiltonian for hadronic parity violation, including the effects of both neutral and charged weak currents. We compute the complete renormalization group evolution of all isosectors and the evolution through heavy-flavor thresholds for the first time. We show that the additional four-quark operators that enter below the W mass scale from QCD operator mixing effects form a closed set, and they result in a 12 x 12 anomalous dimension matrix. Computing the resulting effective Hamiltonian and comparing to earlier results, we affirm the importance of operator mixing effects and find, as an example, that the parity-violating pion-nucleon coupling constant, using the factorization Ansatz and an assessment of the pertinent quark charge of the nucleon in lattice QCD at the 2 GeV scale, is in better agreement with recent experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Effect of electron-to-ion mass ratio on radial electric field generation in tokamak

Generation of coherent radial electric fields in plasma by drift-wave turbulence driven by plasma inhomogeneities is ab initio studied using gyro-kinetic particle simulation for conditions of operational tokamaks. In particular, the effect of the electron-to-ion mass ratio epsilon on the entire evolution of the plasma is considered. In conclusion, it is found that the electric field can be increased, and the turbulence-induced particle transport reduced, by making epsilon smaller, in agreement with many existing experimental observations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗