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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power (CCHP) System: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-14-570

NREL and Be Power Tech, Inc. (Be Power) will jointly develop a new combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system that uses desiccants in combination with evaporative cooling and fuel cells. The combined system will have better economics and business case than a separate desiccant enhanced air conditioner and fuel cell system. The overall system is expected to become a net revenue generator by delivering power and air conditioning to a building while inputting natural gas and water. This development effort will revolve around adapting NREL's desiccant cooling technology to work with Be Power's proprietary system integration design for CCHP systems. The objective of the CRADA is to develop, then commercialize this CCHP system by jointly developing the system integration design, testing methods, and hardware for this system. The commercial name given to the CCHP system is BeCool.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2018

Executive Summary to PDCI Oscillation Damping Controller Software Documentation

This report serves as the executive summary to the comprehensive document that describes the software, control logic, and operational functions of the Pacific DC Intertie (PDCI) Oscillation Damping Controller. The purpose of the damping controller (DCON) is to mitigate inter-area oscillations in the Western Interconnection (WI) by active improvement of oscillatory mode damping using phasor measurement unit (PMU) feedback to modulate power flow in the PDCI. This report provides the high level descriptions, diagrams, and charts to receive a basic understanding of the organization and structure of the DCON software. This report complements the much longer comprehensive software document, and it does not include any proprietary information as the more comprehensive report does. The level of detail provided by the comprehensive report on the software documentation is intended to assist with the process needed to obtain compliance for North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC-CIP) as a Bulk energy system Cyber Asset (BCA) device. That report organizes, summarizes, and presents the charts, figures, and flow diagrams that detail the organization and function of the damping controller software. The PDCI Wide-Area Damping Controller is the result of a collaboration between Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Montana Tech University (MTU), and the Department of Energy (DOE).

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Limited-view 3D Imaging Technology or “LV 3D Imaging” Technology Assessment

Limited View 3D or “LV 3D” imaging is important because it addresses a tech nology gap that has life, time, radiation dose and monetary-saving impacts. It provides something that currently does not exist and its potential products open a variety of technology domains in which SRNL could become competitive in. It can become a low cost, safer and alternative approach to conducting what is commonly referred to as computer tomographic imaging. This project develops a bucket list of technologies that will be needed to develop a portable system for conducting LV 3D imaging.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Materials and Device Architectures for Organic Solar Cell Applications: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-09-355

The Centre for Organic Photonics & Electronics (COPE) at UQ has been successful in acquiring funding from the Australian Center for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP), which is the Australian partner of the Australia-US Institute for Advanced Photovoltaics (AUSIAPV). NREL is a key partner in AUSIAPV (along with other US research institutions (ASU, Sandia NL, LBNL, Stanford, Georgia Tech and UCSB). NREL will collaborate with COPE to advance the science and technology of organic materials for solar cell applications. COPE has significant programs in the development and understanding of new materials for organic optoelectronic applications and, in particular, for thin film bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells and Organic Photodiodes (OPDs). NREL has significant established research programs in all aspects of organic photovoltaic technology and has well-developed expertise in the area of materials characterization, photocarrier transport measurements as well as device fabrication, scale-up and stability. This collaboration will combine the expertise of the two institutions to work towards demonstrating the scalability of organic materials for BHJ and OPD applications by measuring the fundamental properties of the materials as a function of processing and evaluating their performance and stability in photovoltaic devices under simulated illumination conditions. Currently, both NREL and UQ have individual organic material development and processing efforts and have independently demonstrated several prototype materials and device architectures as promising candidates for organic solar cells and OPDs. This CRADA will align these efforts building upon strengths of the two institutions to further design and demonstrate materials and device architectures to advance organic BHJ solar cells and OPDs. It should also be clearly noted that we foreshadow possible expansion of collaborative research activities between COPE and NREL, which currently lie outside the scope of the current statement of work, which will be amended as required by mutually executed written modifications to this CRADA.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Pentalum SpiDAR Deployment at the SWiFT Facility FY19

The Texas Tech University (TTU) research group is actively studying wind turbine wake development, as part of developing innovative wake control strategies to improve the performance of wind farms. The team has a set of eight ground lidars to perform field measurements at the Sandia National Laboratories SWiFT site. This document describes tests details including configurations, timeframe, hardware, and the required collaboration from the Sandia team. This test plan will facilitate the coordination between both TTU and the Sandia team in terms of site accessibility, staff training, and data sharing to meet the specific objectives of the tests.

Pol, Suhas↗
DOE OSTI2018

Modular Controllable Transformers (MCT)

Large Power Transformers (LPTs) are at the heart of the electricity infrastructure and are critical pieces in today’s grid. Aging assets, long turn-around times, transportation delays and dependence on foreign manufacturing for these components have created conditions for points of failure across the system. Moreover, there is no available dynamic control on these passive sections of the grid. For all the automation embedded on the low voltage side of the low voltage side of the system there is absolutely no flexibility on the high voltage side. Changes in power flow patterns are brought about by altering dispatch patterns for generators which requires a coordinated effort and is often time consuming. Traditional FACTS based approaches such as UPFC or HVDC light involve massive modifications to the existing infrastructure. Recent instances of physical attacks on LPTs and the slow recovery process associated with fixing or replacing these damaged units has created an increased awareness for this issue. LPT designs are highly customized owing to specific field requirements. Long lead times coupled with transportation delays make procuring and installing LPTs a lengthy process. In an attempt to minimize the recovery time following an LPT failure, transformer manufacturers have developed mobile transformer units. These units typically consist of either a single-phase or three-phase transformer mounted on a truck and characterized by compact form factors. By reducing the assembly time and transport time these units offer a fast and temporary solution to LPT failures. Several efforts led by DOE, Edison Electric Company (EEI) and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) have led to the RecX program. RecX transformers consist of single phase transformers transported on specialized assemblies to enable fast restoration and minimal installation time. NERC and EEI have instituted transformer sharing programs like Spare Equipment Database (SED) as well as Spare Transformer Equipment Database (STEP) which encourage utilities to maintain and share a fleet of LPTs. Mobile transformers are typically limited to less than 100 MVA to enable transportation on a trailer. Also, the efficiency of mobile transformer units and RecX transformers is lower since they are temporary solutions. The ideal replacement solution would be one that could utilize a set of standardized transformers while incorporating flexibility to influence metrics like power flow, apparent impedance and voltage profiles. In view of these issues the team at Georgia Tech proposed a concept called Modular Controllable Transformers (MCTs). This project was commissioned as a part of DOE’s Transformer Resiliency and Advance Component (TRAC) program. The approach consists of splitting one large unit rated upwards of 100 MVA with smaller modular, standardized units. Each of these smaller units are augmented with a converter to add power flow, voltage and impedance control. Splitting the power level into multiple units has two important implications. By making smaller units, the transportation times can be reduced drastically. Moreover, even though these units have very specific impedance and other parameters, the augmented converters can make it emulate the unit being replaced. Thus, faster replacement times and added controls are achieved making this an extremely resilient approach. In the event of one modular units failure, the other two controllable units can operate in the most resilient fashion keeping the net system overloads to a minimum. Moreover, for the same probability of failure only a fraction of the system capacity is lost. The converter is augmented on to the tertiary winding of the transformer making it retrofittable in the field without massive modifications to the system. The material proposed in this report highlights design considerations to minimize recovery time as well as results displaying overall improvement in resiliency. The cost analysis of this approach shows significant savings compared to UPFC and HVDC lite based approaches. Extensive analysis was conducted on numerous aspects of this project over the course of this project. Simulation studies were conducted to prove the 5MVA converter design. Challenging BIL constraints and transient issues were addressed over the course of this project. Simulations on EMTP platform presented in consequent sections were used to finely tune the control for the same. A final design for a back-to-back 5MVA neutral-point-clamped (NPC) converter was completed in this project. Furthermore, switching components like high power IGBTs from IXYS Westcode Press-Pack series and ABB Stackpack series were identified for this application. These devices exhibit a blocking voltage of 6.5 kV and a nominal collector current of 900 A. Potential housing options as well as existing commercial option were identified for this converter design. A 56 MVA modular transformer unit was designed with Delta Star Inc. with consultation and inputs from all project members. The transformer cooling systems were chosen to be Oil Natural Air Forced (ONAF) to optimize ease of transport. A full Product Requirement Document (PRD) for the converter and the transformer was generated. The team also investigated key aspects of resiliency and how to quantify the same. A metric was developed to analyze resiliency and numerous simulation cases were presented. Increased (N-1) resiliency and outage resistance was showcased through simulation on the Texas Large scale power system. Dynamic control capabilities were also showcased on numerous system level simulations. An IEEE 30 bus system was used to show the ability of the MCT approach to reduce line congestion. Power flow control; a part of the MCTs abilities, showcased a 29% reduction in transformer loading on the same system. Full control over tie line flows was demonstrated on a modified IEEE 13 bus system. Dynamic LTC capabilities were shown through simulation and were compared to traditional LTCs. Furthermore, the ability of the MCTs to alter apparent transformer impedance was simulated to promote standardization of modular transformer units while retaining the ability to emulate a varied range of impedance characteristics. Thus granular control over power flow, voltages, impedances and was presented. Regulatory analysis conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) further bolstered the efficacy of the MCT approach and verified the added resiliency achieved due to this approach. As a conclusion, it was proved that the resilience improvement obtained from using the MCT approach is justified by just one failure in a 30-year period. This means that the benefits obtained from using the MCT approach far outweigh the cost of setting this approach up. As a part of the future efforts, the team is proposing building a (12.47-24) kV/400 kVA scaled down unit to control 5MVA of power flows. Emphasis would be laid on using commercial components to speed up the build of these units. Further the actual transport of the modular transformer unit would be a part of this operation and would provide insight into transportation issues. The approach shows much promise and adds key dynamic control on passive sub transmission and transmission sectors.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Investigation of High Temperature Silica Based Fiber Optic Materials (Final Report)

This report summarizes technical progress during the program “Investigation of High Temperature Silica Based Fiber Optic Materials”, performed by the Center for Photonics Technology of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. The objective of this program was to investigate and characterize the performance of commercially available optical fibers at elevated temperatures in replicated fuel gas streams. It also includes performing a comprehensive study of the interactions with the chemical constituents with respect to structural, optical, and mechanical stability and developing design strategies to assure reliable performance of deployed optical fibers and sensors. In the eight quarters of the project, work was done to complete the database of test results and findings for the creation of an optical fiber selection guide for high temperature applications. It is anticipated that this design tool will provide the scientific community with the information necessary to deploy sensing systems with the most robust and reliable fused silica optical fibers. Standard telecommunications grade germanium doped single and multimode fibers have been shown to perform reliably up to temperatures of 1100°C in non-hydrogen environments and/or properly designed sensor applications. Pure silica core single mode and low OH, large core step index multimode fibers, which have also shown to perform reliability up to temperatures of 1000ºC, are recommended for hydrogen and moist environments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Stable Perovskite Core-Shell Nanocrystals as Down-Converting Phosphors for Solid State Lighting

Colloidal perovskite quantum dots (QDs) or nanocrystals (NCs) with structure of CsPbX 3 (X = Cl, Br, I) are promising materials as down-converting phosphors due to their high quantum yield up to >90%, extremely narrow emission band ~15-30 nm, and tunable emission wavelengths of ~410-700 nm via size or composition control. Compared to other QD materials, the optical and electronic properties of perovskite NCs are much more tolerant to defects so highly efficient light-emitting NCs can be easily prepared without carefully removing surface defects. Also, precision size control is not required for obtaining perovskite NCs with narrow emission <30 nm and can greatly enhance the reproducibility and yield rate during mass production. The challenges in using perovskite NCs as LED phosphors are their hygroscopic nature and self-absorption as observed from other QDs. We propose to synthesize core-shell structure perovskite NCs to improve their stability by over-coating a SiO 2 layer, followed by further sol-gel processing into stable micro-sized glass beads. To increase Stokes shift and avoid self-absorption, core/graded-shell/shell structure such as CsSnBr 3 /CsSn 1-x Pb x Br 3 /CsPbBr 3 NCs will be prepared, similar to a concept we demonstrated before in CdSe/Cd 1-x ZnxSe 1-y S y /ZnS structure with significantly separated absorption and emission bands. These NC materials will be integrated into films and used as remote or on-chip downconverters for high efficiency, high CRI and warm white LED. To achieve this goal, PhosphorTech Corporation (PTC) has teamed with Georgia Tech (GT) to develop this unique perovskite system for pcLEDs that offers the promise of high luminous efficacy over a broad temperature and optical flux range.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Hyper-Velocity Nanoparticle Plasma Jet as Fast Probe for Runaway Electrons in Tokamak Disruptions

The large energy focalized deposition of the runaway electron (RE) beam on the first wall can potentially yield to destructive effects on the reactor vessel during the explosive instability of a major disruption in a large tokamak (e.g. RE beam estimation is multi-MA of ~10 MeV energy in ITER.) Impurity injection is seen as an effective way to suppress REs after thermal quench (TQ). Injected material in solid state is advantageous, but it must be in small size grain form, with large surface-to-mass ratio to facilitate its rapid ablation within plasma. However, the results using shattered pellet injection (SPI), a technique aiming to satisfy these condition, indicated that the relatively unexplored RE evolution phases and RE beam-plasma interaction are far from being properly diagnosed and fully understood. We proposed the idea to probe REs with a pulsed power hyper-velocity large-mass nanoparticle plasma jet (NPPJ). NPPJ provides a high specific surface area and swift injection to core, hence fast increase of three basic parameters: 1) the electron density ne (bound and free through ionization, if the cold post-TQ plasma has a still high enough T e ), 2) the effective charge (Z eff ) which rises both the dynamical friction force and plasma resistivity, and, finally, 3) the value of the (Dreicer and critical) threshold E-field above which electrons are accelerated and become REs. But the fast transient phenomena of RE ”seed” creation, RE ”avalanche” multiplication, and RE beam formation and interaction with the background plasma all take place dominantly in the core plasma, where the induction E-field has its maximum. Thus, the RE probe success requires a rapid (1 - 2 ms) injection of sufficient mass able to penetrate through the strong toroidal magnetic field (2 - 5 T) over a long distance (~1 - 2 m) with a large assimilation fraction in the core plasma. As a RE probe, NPPJ is a unique combination of fast response with trigger-to-delivery time of few milliseconds, large mass-velocity (>75 mg at several km/s) and deep injection into post-TQ central plasma. The Objectives of this Category #1 project (concept development) were as follows: 1: We investigated the essential basic physics aspects of creating a plasma with ~10 15 to 10 16 cm -3 boron nitride (BN) NP density suited for a pulsed power plasma gun acceleration to several km/s. We concluded that, for RE NPPJ probe, BN (diameter Ø10 to 100 nm NPs) are in all respects usable. 2: We advanced solutions to get BN NPPJ by adapting FAR-TECH’s technology for C 60 NPPJ. 3: We developed self-consistent models for RE current density j RE (R; t) evolution in the TQ aftermath, with fast and simultaneous increase of n e (R; t) and Z eff (R; t) > 1 upon the specific injection of C 60 (i.e. C ions) and BN NP (i.e. B and N ions), respectively. We showed that prompt post-TQ injection and high velocity are of essence in RE probe diagnostics and suppression. 4: We used the in-house HEM-2D code to simulate the C$_{60}^{q+}$ NPPJ transverse penetration through tokamak-level B-field (BT ~2 to 5 T) and distance (~1 to 2m), with fragmentation of C$_{60}^{q+}$ and developed the algorithm for BN Q+ NPPJ ablative sublimation of BN Q+ NP by the collisions with post-TQ plasma electrons. HEM-2D results indicated that fragmenting C$_{60}^{1+}$ NPPJ penetrates up to ~60 cm in 100 us when injecting at 1.6 ms after TQ and gradually released C 2 fragments and C ions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Complex Bend II

We present a new optics solution for the Complex Bend, which offers to substantially reduce the device length by removing the dipole poles. The bending is now realized by shifting the quadrupole poles along the horizontal axis. The ring optics can be stable if a specific condition on the relationship between the shifts of focusing and defocusing poles is satisfied. This condition is described in Section 2 of this Tech note. Section 1 describes general analysis of beam transport in a shifted quadrupole. Section 3 presents a set of parameters for such a ring, assuming that a single cell of the Complex Bend consists of 2 Combined Function dipoles. Section 4 describes more realistic model of a single cell constructed with two quadrupoles shifted off their reference trajectory. Section 5 is dedicated to calculations of synchrotron radiation from Complex Bend poles. Throughout this preprint we will call the QF-D-B-D-QD-D-B-D version as Complex Bend I (CBI) and the QF-D-QD-D version as Complex Bend II (CBII).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Self-powered Wireless Dual-mode Langasite Sensor for Pressure/Temperature Monitoring of Nuclear Reactors

Safety issues in nuclear power plants are of extreme importance. Numerous sensors are used within nuclear power plants for sensing and monitoring of its critical operation parameters. As currently implemented, during massive losses of power across the plant in accidents, the backup batteries for the monitoring sensors will ultimately be drained and can cease to operate. The overall objective of this NEUP project is to develop a novel self-powered wireless hybrid sensor which can accurately monitor both pressure and temperature using a single device, even in the extreme harsh environments of severe nuclear accidents, without the requirement of external electricity. At Virginia Tech side, a heat pipe assisted thermoelectric generator (TEG) energy harvester and associated power management and data transmission circuits were developed. The energy harvester can produce electrical power continuously, even in loss of plant and external power situations, providing power for important data transmission for accident diagnosis. The self-powered sensing system could be integrated directly onto key nuclear components including pipes, pump housings, heat exchangers, reactor vessels, and shielding structures inside and outside of the reactor core. Two TEG based energy harvesters which can work in relatively low (50-250 ºC) and high temperature ranges (250-350 ºC) were established and tested. In the prototypes, heat pipes were introduced to reduce the heat resistances of the device at the hot and cold ends. The power output of the heat pipe assisted TEG module is 2.22 W, which is 6 times more than one using an aluminum rod. In-lab tests showed that these devices canmeet the requirement to power the sensors and circuit during normal and off-normal conditions.Amodel was then built to analyze the thermal network in the energy harvester, and was used to optimize its performance and reduce its geometry size. The design and testing of the vibrational energy harvester were completed. The harvester, has shown to effectively increase the vibrational potential of the main coolant pump, though it has been shown that thermal energy has a much higher potential for the powering of sensors. In this project, a self-start charger circuit for the energy harvester was designed to regulate and manage the power. An energy storage element was incorporated into the energy harvesting module for sensors and wireless transceivers in an off-normal situation. The signal conditioning and wireless communication electronic circuits were developed and tested in the lab. An important consideration for an energy harvester within a nuclear power plant is the level of radiation it will encounter during operation. The two main sources of radiation in a nuclear power plant are gamma and neutron radiation. Aradiation experiment was conducted in the Westinghouse Electric Company during which the prototypes were placed in a 106 rad radiation environment to test their ability to operate in the extreme environment. The results showed that this level of radiation had little effect on the performance of the TEGmaterial and heat pipe heat exchanging system. Its influence on the circuit was still under research, however the need for more development on radiation hardened electronics is needed. Pressure measurement based on piezoelectric crystal resonators has advantages over the commercially available methods like capacitive, electromagnetic, optical, potentiometric, and piezo resistive strain gauges. Since the output of piezoelectric based sensors are digital in format, it has a very high resolution, high accuracy, and long-term stability. Quartz is one of the commonly used piezoelectric material in digital pressure sensors design. This material is elastic in nature, providing high stability, high repeatability, high elasticity, repeatable mechanical behavior for many cycles of operation, and is free of hysteresis. The quartz resonator has a high Q, which means that very high vibration can be driven with the very low electric power. Langasite (LGS) is a new promising piezoelectric material that combines the advantageous properties of quartz with a better performance at high temperatures. LGS will not undergo any phase transitions up to its melting temperature of 1473 C, and hence, the application of Langasite in measuring pressure at high temperatures is promising. In this project, the design and fabrication of the piezo oscillator crystal for temperature and pressure measurement has been completed. The entire sensor has been fabricated and tested to see its sensitivity to temperature and pressure changes. The design and optimization of the radiation shielding systems that can effective protect the duel-mode Langasite sensor inside reactor core were demonstrated. To maximize the radiation shielding effectiveness, different types of materials are investigated based upon recent developments of radiation shielding systems including aluminum + Boron carbide and bismuth borosilicate glass B2O3 in addition to tungsten/B4C. New materials based upon metatheses is included as potential shielding to mitigate neutron fluencies. The radiation shielding effectiveness of selected composites are evaluated within a broader neutron spectrum from thermal, epithermal, fast (1 MeV) and 15 MeV neutrons. Performance analysis was also conducted to evaluate the effects of selected composite systems.Aconceptual design was also proposed for the packaging and integration of the radiation shielding system with the sensor, and its applicability within the reactor core was discussed. At end of the project, all components necessary for a complete sensing and monitoring system, including a langasite sensor, electrodes, the TEG harvester, an energy storage device, and power management and transmission electronics were integrated to demonstrate feasibility in powering the sensor. Finally, integration of each component into a full package, and a full demonstration were done.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Integrated Approach to Fluoride High Temperature Reactor Technology and Licensing Challenges (FHR-IRP)

This document constitutes progress made on this project by the Georgia Tech led Integrated Approach to Fluoride High Temperature Reactor Technology and Licensing Challenges (FHR-IRP). This is the first draft of the project final report. Chapter 3 is focused on Tritium management. Tritium management in Fluoride-salt High-temperature Reactors (FHRs) presents a major operational concern and a significant challenge. Tritium is generated via multiple pathways including various interactions in fuel and structural materials, as well as coolant (primarily interaction with lithium and beryllium), leading to a complex evolution and spatial distribution of tritium generation rate. FHR generates orders of magnitude more tritium than in LWRs, and has potential for a significant release, via permeation through structural materials (due to high temperature), and through heat exchanger(s). Therefore, accurate estimate is necessary. For that purpose relevant tritium production pathways were identified. A methodology to obtain space-time dependent tritium generation rate was developed and implemented, employing SCALE and MCNP codes. Detailed models of the reference Advanced High Temperature Reactor (AHTR) design were developed. A multi-parametric metrics was introduced to capture relevant tritium production indicators, including the instantaneous tritium production rate, total tritium production (neglecting subsequent decay), and accumulated tritium production (accounting for the decay). The obtained results will inform tritium management, including the sizing of the components, and to gain insight on the impact of the core design parameters on tritium generation rates. Research effort on Liquid Salt Impurity Removal, Redox and Corrosion Control is discussed in Chapter 4. Section 4.1 is an introduction chapter. Based on the current available knowledge and operation experience on previous MSRs and other types of nuclear reactors, the report identifies the major impurities that are related to either material compatibility, salt properties or radioactive source terms, and the potential contamination sources of these impurities, their transport in the primary coolant loop and available cleanup methodologies for a particular group of impurity. In section 4.2, the available purification methods were discussed, including the liquid/liquid extraction using liquid Bi-Li which has been applied in MSBR and electrochemical purification which is developed based on Pyroprocessing. In this section, the new multi-stage and multi-salt-component was developed and discussed. Section 4.3 discussed the redox potential control for salt chemistry and corrosion mitigation, including the control theory and the soluble/soluble buffer control method. The section also developed method on how to analyze soluble/soluble redox reaction in a molten salt system and designed an electrochemical sensor for redox potential control. Corrosion models were also reported in this section. Section 4.4 focused on how to measure the fundamental properties in a molten salt. As an example, the section focused on La fluoride in the molten salt. The section developed methods on how analyze electrochemical measurement data to obtain the fundamental properties including the redox potential, diffusion coefficient and exchange current density. All these fundamental information is important for salt purification system development. Section 4.5 focused on measurements of corrosion products in the salts. Because of the different behaviors between Cr and La in the salt, new analysis method for Cr fluorides in the salt was developed. Some results for Fe fluoride in the salt and corrosion measurements were also reported. Section 4.6 demonstrated the separation of oxide from the salt. This section also measured the solubility of La 2 O 3 in the salt as function of temperature. Section 4.7 focused on the separation of La and Ce from the molten salt. These two elements were selected because La was found to be separated by using inert electrode, while for separation of Ce, reactive electrode must be selected. Section 4.8 demonstrated the separation iodine ions from the molten salt. Two kinds of working electrode materials (metal W and graphite) were investigated. Section 4.9 focused on the fundamental data of fission products and actinides in liquid Bi. The chapter reviewed the available data, then based a CALPHAD model, the available data were broadened to the concentration-dependent cases.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2019

The Modern Wild West: The Rough-and-Tumble World of Encryption

Encryption is a big deal, but it hasn’t always been so. In the early 90s, it was solidly in the realm of governments, corporations, and what the general public might consider paranoid tech geeks. Encryption was used to protect documents containing classified information, sensitive financial data, trade secrets, or emails between a few people who met at a key-signing party. Today, people have been educated a bit more, and most understand the privacy implications of not using some form of encryption.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Analysis of Structural Options for Bench Measurement of AGU Segment Prototype

Refer to Tech Note TN #257 for an introduction to the mechanics and structure for the proposed prototype of a multi-segment Adaptive-Gap Undulator (AGU). Here we investigate various proposed design options for a magnet structure intended to prototype the upper and lower halves of a single segment: A) Assembly SLS-15.55-004, the historic X9 platen (0.6m long, with integral strongback) and single large centric mechanical feed-through post; B) Initial assembly SR-ID-SAGU-4300 with three pairs of feed-throughs spaced along platen length (0.7m); C) That assembly SR-ID-SAGU-4300 with increased base plate thickness. All options have “base plate” affixed to the same actuated gap-drive system with single driven axis as was on NSLS X9 MGU. As shown in Figure 1, design criteria like Gap Tolerance, Taper Error, and the critical Planarity of the pole plane within the gap are used to evaluate performance. The error in planarity to be minimized is the differential in vertical displacement (Y direction) along the Platen length (beam Z direction). Applied loads are magnetic pressure and gravity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Production of Salable Rare Earths Products from Coal and Coal Byproducts in the U.S. Using Advanced Separation Processes (Final Technical Report)

The entirety of the report that follows this brief Executive Summary Chapter is the product of a Funding Announcement by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Fossil Energy, originally issued 09/28/2016, otherwise known as Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0001627, under the title of “Production of Rare Earth Elements from Domestic U.S. Coal and Coal By-Products” The solicitation was subsequently amended several times ending in amendment 000005. Ultimately a consortium designated “Minerals Refining and Rare Earth Consortium” (to which many of the remaining participants recited in this report joined) filed a proposal on December 8, 2016. On June 9, 2017, the contracting office of the US DOE, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), alerted Dr. Keim, the Authorized Representative of the December 08, 2016, proposal, that the consortium proposal had been selected. In summary, this report presents the results of the efforts in meeting the stated project objectives as outlined in DE-FOA-0001627 to wit: “The main objective of the proposed work is to design and construct a demonstration plant that can extract rare earth elements (REEs) from domestic U.S. coal and coal by-products. The plant will produce salable rare earth elements and intermediates, including at a minimum three individual REEs (preferably heavy rare earths) at 90-99% purities, with output capacities in excess of 10 pounds per day of composite rare earth products (reported as oxides). In addition, the plant will produce high value premium solid fuels, magnetite and other materials to increase the economic viability of the plant and to create jobs. If successful, the proposed work will help develop a domestic supply chain of the critical materials that are essential for the development of renewable energy resources, high-tech industries and a strong national defense.” The principal investigators immediately launched the tasks outlined in the Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO) in accordance to its Project Management Plan (PMP) based on their collective knowledge of the subject matter and the expectations generated by preliminary laboratory results. Events and circumstances related in part to the vagaries of the coal mining, processing, and marketing industry triggered a series of carefully deliberated step-wise transitions from the original Lower Kittanning coal source in West Virginia to an ultimate stopping point with the Fire Clay Seam (Hazard No. 4) rejects from Blue Diamond Coal Company in Kentucky (Operated by Blackhawk Mining LLC). These transitional steps are discussed in substantial detail in the body of this report. Notably, substantial data of potential future significance, both in terms of sample collection, processing, and testing, were collected in the process. Unfortunately, as reported in the Techno-Economic Chapter of this report, none of these efforts resulted in an anticipated economically viable venture. Thus, the principals associated with this project elected not to transition into a “Pilot Plant” operation. A proposal for funding that pilot plant was therefore not requested. The outcome of this initiative under DE-FOA-0001627 notwithstanding, the following portions of this Executive Summary outline the activities of the investigators. That said, the reader is encouraged to examine the main body of this report in which each chapter is assembled as a free-standing product, complete with Table of Contents, for practical and easy reference purposes.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2019

Data Architecture for Security Monitoring (Project Summary)

The research has 2 thrusts: 1. new data architectures and tech-transfer-ready prototype tools that use write optimized data structures (WODS) to track real-world events, provide value to analysts, and support our cyber missions; and 2. algorithm research to address infinite streams of data, including expiration and sustainability.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Piryatinski Mini-Sabbatical Final Report

The objectives of the mini-sabbatical leave were to develop new ideas and possibly establish collaborative interactions between LANL, Durham University (Prof. Monkman group), University of Houston (Prof. Bittner group), G. Tech (Prof. Silva group), and University of St. Andrews (Prof. Keeling group) to address a set of problems in preparing quantum coherent condensed matter systems (based on low-dimensional semiconductor heterostructures, 2D TMD materials, and/or organic molecular assemblies) in photonic and plasmonic cavities, achieve control and ability to manipulate quantum entanglement in such systems, and use polariton states to transfer the entanglement to photon pair states.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Development and Validation of a Conjugate Heat Transfer Model for the Two-Phase CFD Code NEK-2P

A project is underway to develop, verify and validate an advanced two-phase flow modeling capability for the highly-scalable, high-performance CFD code NEK5000. The goal of the project is to develop a new two-phase version of the NEK5000 code, named NEK-2P, to simulate the two-phase flow and heat transfer phenomena that occur in a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) fuel bundle under various operating conditions. The NEK-2P two-phase flow models follow the approach used for the Extended Boiling Framework (EBF) [2-3] previously developed at Argonne, but include more fundamental physical models of boiling phenomena and advanced numerical algorithms for improved computational accuracy, robustness, and computational speed. The development of the NEK-2P two-phase solver and the implementation of the Extended Boiling Framework two-phase models were initially supported by Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) through a Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project during FY2014-2016. The development and validation of the two-phase models through analyses of selected two-phase boiling flow experiments was supported by the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program in FY2017-2019. This report focuses on the FY2019 development and validation of the Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) model for the NEK-2P Two-Phase, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code. The NEK-2P CHT model calculates the coupled behavior of the fluid and solid domains. In the fluid domain NEK-2P calculates the vapor and liquid phase temperatures, velocities and mass fractions. In the solid domain only the temperatures are calculated. The fluid and solid domains are coupled with a heat flux boundary condition at the fluid-solid interface. The heat flux and the wall temperatures at the fluid-solid interface are updated using the NEK-2P wall heat-flux partitioning model. A wall heat flux boundary condition is also applied to the exterior surface of the solid domain. The CHT model validation was illustrated through the analysis of three of the Becker Critical Heat Flux (CHF) tests. Reasonably good agreement with measured data was obtained in predicting the CHF location and post CHF wall temperature behavior illustrating the ability of the NEK-2P CHT model to simulate the CHF phenomena for a wide range of thermal-hydraulic conditions. Apart from the CHT model development and validation, initial simulations were performed for the Virginia Tech. (VT) 3x3 bare rod bundle experiments including both cold and boiling flow simulations.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗