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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 883 records · Page 49
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Autonomous Radiation Mapping and Quantification using an Unmanned Ground Vehicle. Part I - Environment Mapping

When characterizing facilities, advanced autonomous systems are safe, efficient, and cost-effective tools, which can safely deploy state-of-the-art instrumentation without exposing workers to radiation risks. One main focus of the research is the visual mapping of the environment.This paper presents a framework for the mapping aspect that utilizes lidar and SLAM technologies coupled with a monocular camera to create a point cloud of the environment. Upon completion, the present research work aims to provide an autonomous mobile robot the capability to localize itself and aid the user with visualizing the radiation data. Challenges: C++ node needs to properly synchronize image and point cloud data. 3D lidar has resolution of ± 3 cm. Proper camera calibration needed. Transforms need to be precise for proper alignment of image and point-cloud. Results: Voxelated point clouds. Accurate colors from calibrated cameras including details smaller than lidar resolution. Developed Robotics Operating System (ROS) package for ease of transfer to other robot platforms.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2012

Application of Biodegradable Oils (VOS{sup TM}) for Treatment of Chlorinated Ethenes in the Vadose Zone - 12085

Few active remediation alternatives are available to treat residual chlorinated volatile organic compounds (cVOCs) within the vadose zone. Soil vapor extraction (SVE) can be very effective at removing cVOCs in permeable soils; however, recoveries decline substantially in low permeability zones where mass transfer is diffusion-limited. Entrapped cVOCs in these zones represent a slow but continuous source of contamination to underlying groundwater. An ongoing field study was initiated at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS) to evaluate an in situ biological treatment technology to address cVOC contamination in the vadose zone. Developed by Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), VOS{sup TM} is a thixotropic (shear thinning) formulation of biodegradable oil, water, nutrients, buffers, and de-chlorinating bacteria (Dehalococcoides sp.) that is designed to sequester and biodegrade slow-diffusing cVOCs from unsaturated, low permeable soils. Injection of 871 L (230 gal) of VOS{sup TM} resulted in a rapid and significant decrease in cVOC gas concentration, generation of cVOC daughter products, a decrease in oxygen concentration, and an increase in carbon dioxide and methane production. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2013

Recent Developments in the Management of Cameco Corporation's Fuel Services Division Waste - 13144

Cameco Corporation is a world leader in uranium production. Headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan our operations provide 16% of the world uranium mine production and we have approximately 435 million pounds of proven and probable uranium reserves. Cameco mining operations are located in Saskatchewan, Wyoming, Nebraska and Kazakhstan. Cameco is also a major supplier of uranium processing services required to produce fuel for the generation of clean energy. These operations are based in Blind River, Cobourg and Port Hope, Ontario and are collectively referred to as the Fuel Services Division. The Fuel Services Division produces uranium trioxide from uranium ore concentrate at the Blind River Refinery. Cameco produces uranium hexafluoride and uranium dioxide at the Port Hope Conversion Facility. Cameco operates a fuel manufacturing facility in Port Hope, Ontario and a metal fabrication facility located in Cobourg, Ontario. The company manufactures fuel bundles utilized in the Candu reactors. Cameco's Fuel Services Division produces several types of low-level radioactively contaminated wastes. Internal processing capabilities at both the Blind River Refinery and Port Hope Conversion Facility are extensive and allow for the recycling of several types of waste. Notwithstanding these capabilities there are certain wastes that are not amenable to the internal processing capabilities and must be disposed of appropriately. Disposal options for low-level radioactively contaminated wastes in Canada are limited primarily due to cost considerations. In recent years, Cameco has started to ship marginally contaminated wastes (<500 ppm uranium) to the United States for disposal in an appropriate landfill. The landfill is owned by US Ecology Incorporated and is located near Grand View, Idaho 70 miles southeast of Boise in the Owyhee Desert. The facility treats and disposes hazardous waste, non-hazardous industrial waste and low-activity radioactive material. The site's arid climate, deep groundwater and favourable geology help ensure permanent waste isolation. Combined with a state of the art multi-layer landfill liner system, the Grand View facility represents an ideal choice to minimize environmental liability. Marginally contaminated wastes from operations within the Fuel Services Division are typically loaded into PacTec IP-2 rated Intermediary Bulk Containers and then transported by road to a nearby rail siding. The Intermediary Bulk Containers are then loaded in US Ecology owned gondola rail-cars. The gondolas are then transported via Canadian Pacific and Union Pacific railroads to the US Ecology Rail Transfer facility located in Mayfield, Idaho. The Intermediary Bulk Containers are unloaded into trucks for transport to the disposal facility located approximately 32 miles away. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Simulations of Water Flow in Relation to a Steady Criticality in an Unsaturated Alluvial Repository

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is examining the conditions under which a criticality event could be ruled out for large packages placed in an unsaturated alluvial repository. This work specifically examines the water level in a stylized waste package that is assumed (1) to fail on the top, and (2) to empty as water is driven away—not by boiling—but by fluid flow phenomena driven by thermal gradients. This analysis uses the PFLOTRAN code package. Specifically, this year’s work includes examination of the heat rate at which water is driven away for various percolation rates using the same assumptions listed in the 2022 annual report. The STANDARDS (formerly UNF-ST&DARDS) package has predicted dual-purpose canister (DPC) neutron multiplication factors (k-effectives) ranging above 1.1 (unitless) with failed components. The DPC designs were not created with the intent to use for disposal purposes. Emplacing such packages may be worth consideration if it can be shown that criticality is either extremely unlikely or of very low consequence to the repository’s safety case. This work aims to help establish hydrologic boundary conditions for a highly hypothetical, highly stylized subsurface criticality event. The approach to critical is assumed to be slow, producing steady heating rates under a few kilowatts. For a DPC containing capillary media, the simulated power required for dry-out was proportional to the percolation rate but was unaffected by the size of a large breech on top of the DPC. Results for single cases with no capillary media in the DPC suggest that higher infiltration rates may be required in those cases to cause flooding. Bounding mechanisms and assumptions must be identified and characterized further by performing additional perturbations to various input parameters to demonstrate robustness of the results. This might be accomplished by examining responses to power pulses to determine the system transfer function required to enable a reduced order feedback model.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

Concoction and Appraisal of Radiation Hardened Polyurethane Foams for DOE Decontamination and Decommissioning (D and D) Operations

Since World War 2, a number of nuclear facilities have been relocating their nuclear waste to long term storage, or final disposition. These facilities face monumental challenges in cleaning up the fixated transferrable radioactive waste that is left in these facilities after initial cleaning operations have ended. SRNL has identified a solution that is utilizing two-part epoxy foams with heavy metal additives for fixating and shielding transferable radioactive material that has accumulated in non uniform volumes. The purpose of this experiment is to make a library of data of physical characteristics of each foam and additive combination that will have data concerning how the material cures and performs in different environments with varying temperatures and how it will act and perform after being irradiated. Materials Being Tested: - Foam iT 7FR, Foam iT 23FR, 3M Fire Barrier foam, and Hilti CP620 foam; - Additives Bi, Bi2O{sub 3}, Na{sub 2}WO{sub 3}, and WO{sub 3} at 12.5% and 25%. What's being investigated: - Expansion data from each foam; - Radiation shielding data for each foam combination; - Peak temperatures for each foam. Utilized a FLIR thermal camera to find peak temperature and time it took the foam to reach it. No noticeable difference in volume or weight after blank foam samples sat in the environmental chamber for 24 hours except the 3M foam at the extreme relative humidity of 90% highlighted above. The more additives used in the foam, the more they were able to shield. The foams begin to saturate around 100% wt% where more additive used will not increase the shielding capability of the foam. Similar thermal dispersion in blanks and in samples with Bi additive. Time taken to peak temperature is very similar between the two. Similar peak temperatures in blanks and in Bi samples. Hilti had slightly elevated temperatures. All foams maintained their physical properties post environmental chamber except the 3M foam. With the increased sponginess from the high relative humidity's, 3M may be disqualified for further testing if its mechanical properties also suffer. While curing all foams had their peak temperature occur between 40 deg. C and 70 deg. C except the Hilti which occurred above 90 deg. C with and without additive. With this information, no foams would be disqualified. After radiation shielding studies, it was found that IT 14 with Bismuth and Bismuth Oxide Additives provided the best shielding of Co-60 with over 9% attenuation.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

C–H Functionalization of Polyolefins to Access Reprocessable Polyolefin Thermosets

Upcycling plastic waste into reprocessable materials with performance-advantaged properties would contribute to the development of a circular plastics economy. Here, we modify branched polyolefins and postconsumer polyethylene through a versatile C–H functionalization approach using thiosulfonates as a privileged radical group transfer functionality. Cross-linking the functionalized polyolefins with polytopic amines provided dynamically cross-linked polyolefin networks enabled by associative bond exchange of diketoenamine functionality. A combination of resonant soft X-ray scattering and grazing incidence X-ray scattering revealed hierarchical phase morphology in which diketoenamine-rich microdomains phase-separate within amorphous regions between polyolefin crystallites. The combination of dynamic covalent cross-links and microphase separation results in useful and improved mechanical properties, including a ~4.5-fold increase in toughness, a reduction in creep deformation at temperatures relevant to use, and high-temperature structural stability compared to the parent polyolefin. The dynamic nature of diketoenamine cross-links provides stress relaxation at elevated temperatures, which enabled iterative reprocessing of the dynamic covalent polymer network with little cycle-to-cycle property fade. Finally, the ability to convert polyolefin waste into a reprocessable thermoformable material with attractive thermomechanical properties provides additional optionality for upcycling to enable future circularity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Interim salt disposition program macrobatch 6 tank 21H qualification monosodium titanate and cesium mass transfer tests

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) performed experiments on qualification material for use in the Interim Salt Disposition Program (ISDP) Batch 6 processing. This qualification material was a set of six samples from Tank 21H in October 2012. This sample was used as a real waste demonstration of the Actinide Removal Process (ARP) and the Extraction-Scrub-Strip (ESS) tests process. The Tank 21H sample was contacted with a reduced amount (0.2 g/L) of MST and characterized for strontium and actinide removal at 0 and 8 hour time intervals in this salt batch. 237 Np and 243 Am were both observed to be below detection limits in the source material, and so these results are not reported in this report. The plutonium and uranium samples had decontamination factor (DF) values that were on par or slightly better than we expected from Batch 5. The strontium DF values are slightly lower than expected but still in an acceptable range. The Extraction, Scrub, and Strip (ESS) testing demonstrated cesium removal, stripping and scrubbing within the acceptable range. Overall, the testing indicated that cesium removal is comparable to prior batches at MCU.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2014

Laboratory Evaporation Testing Of Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Low Activity Waste Off-Gas Condensate Simulant

The Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Low Activity Waste (LAW) vitrification facility will generate an aqueous condensate recycle stream, LAW Off-Gas Condensate, from the off-gas system. The baseline plan for disposition of this stream is to send it to the WTP Pretreatment Facility, where it will be blended with LAW, concentrated by evaporation and recycled to the LAW vitrification facility again. Alternate disposition of this stream would eliminate recycling of problematic components, and would enable de-coupled operation of the LAW melter and the Pretreatment Facilities. Eliminating this stream from recycling within WTP would also decrease the LAW vitrification mission duration and quantity of canistered glass waste forms. This LAW Off-Gas Condensate stream contains components that are volatile at melter temperatures and are problematic for the glass waste form. Because this stream recycles within WTP, these components accumulate in the Condensate stream, exacerbating their impact on the number of LAW glass containers that must be produced. Approximately 32% of the sodium in Supplemental LAW comes from glass formers used to make the extra glass to dilute the halides to be within acceptable concentration ranges in the LAW glass. Diverting the stream reduces the halides in the recycled Condensate and is a key outcome of this work. Additionally, under possible scenarios where the LAW vitrification facility commences operation prior to the WTP Pretreatment facility, identifying a disposition path becomes vitally important. This task examines the impact of potential future disposition of this stream in the Hanford tank farms, and investigates auxiliary evaporation to enable another disposition path. Unless an auxiliary evaporator is used, returning the stream to the tank farms would require evaporation in the 242-A evaporator. This stream is expected to be unusual because it will be very high in corrosive species that are volatile in the melter (chloride, fluoride, sulfur), will have high ammonia, and will contain carryover particulates of glass-former chemicals. These species have potential to cause corrosion of tanks and equipment, precipitation of solids, release of ammonia gas vapors, and scale in the tank farm evaporator. Routing this stream to the tank farms does not permanently divert it from recycling into the WTP, only temporarily stores it prior to reprocessing. Testing is normally performed to demonstrate acceptable conditions and limits for these compounds in wastes sent to the tank farms. The primary parameter of this phase of the test program was measuring the formation of solids during evaporation in order to assess the compatibility of the stream with the evaporator and transfer and storage equipment. The origin of this LAW Off-Gas Condensate stream will be the liquids from the Submerged Bed Scrubber (SBS) and the Wet Electrostatic Precipitator (WESP) from the LAW facility melter offgas system. The stream is expected to be a dilute salt solution with near neutral pH, and will likely contain some insoluble solids from melter carryover. The soluble components are expected to be mostly sodium and ammonium salts of nitrate, chloride, and fluoride. This stream has not been generated yet, and, thus, the composition will not be available until the WTP begins operation, but a simulant has been produced based on models, calculations, and comparison with pilot-scale tests. This report discusses results of evaporation testing of the simulant. Two conditions were tested, one with the simulant at near neutral pH, and a second at alkaline pH. The neutral pH test is comparable to the conditions in the Hanford Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) evaporator, although that evaporator operates at near atmospheric pressure and tests were done under vacuum. For the alkaline test, the target pH was based on the tank farm corrosion control program requirements, and the test protocol and equipment was comparable to that used for routine evaluation of feed compatibility studies for the 242-A evaporator. One of the radionuclides that is volatile in the melter and expected to be in high concentration in this LAW Off-Gas Condensate stream is Technetium-99 (99Tc). Technetium will not be removed from the aqueous waste in the Hanford WTP, and will primarily end up immobilized in the LAW glass by repeated recycle of the off-gas condensate into the LAW melter. Other radionuclides that are also expected to be in appreciable concentrations in the LAW Off-Gas Condensate are 129I, 90Sr, 137Cs, and 241Am. The concentrations of these radionuclides in this stream will be much lower than in the LAW, but they will still be higher than limits for some of the other disposition pathways currently available. At this time, these scoping tests did not evaluate the partitioning of the radionuclides to the evaporator condensate, since ample data are available separately from other experience in the DOE complex. Results from the evaporation testing show that the neutral SBS simulant first forms turbidity at ~7.5X concentration, while the alkaline-adjusted simulant became turbid at ~3X concentration. The major solid in both cases was Kogarkoite, Na3FSO4. Sodium and lithium fluorides were also detected. Minimal solids were formed in the evaporator bottoms until a substantial fraction of liquid was removed, indicating that evaporation could minimize storage volume issues. Achievable concentration factors without significant insoluble solids were 17X at alkaline pH, and 23X at neutral pH. In both runs, significant ammonia carried over and was captured in the condenser with the water condensate. Results also indicate that with low insoluble solids formation in the initial testing at neutral pH, the use of Reverse Osmosis is a potential alternate method for concentrating the solution, although an evaluation is needed to identify equipment that can tolerate insoluble solids. Most of the ammonia remains in the evaporator bottoms during the neutral pH evaporation, but partitions to the condensate during alkaline evaporation. Disposition of both streams needs to consider the management of ammonia vapor and its release. Since this is an initial phase of testing, additional tasks related to evaporation methods are expected to be identified for development. These tasks likely include evaluation and testing of composition variability testing and evaluations, corrosion and erosion testing, slurry storage and immobilization investigations, and evaporator condensate disposition.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2012

Closure Report for the 92-Acre Area and Corrective Action Unit 111: Area 5 WMD Retired Mixed Waste Pits, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

This Closure Report (CR) presents information supporting closure of the 92-Acre Area, which includes Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 111, 'Area 5 WMD Retired Mixed Waste Pits.' This CR provides documentation supporting the completed corrective actions and confirmation that the closure objectives were met. This CR complies with the requirements of the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) (FFACO, 1996 [as amended March 2010]). Closure activities began in January 2011 and were completed in January 2012. Closure activities were conducted according to Revision 1 of the Corrective Action Decision Document/Corrective Action Plan (CADD/CAP) for the 92-Acre Area and CAU 111 (U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office [NNSA/NSO], 2010). The following closure activities were performed: (1) Construct an engineered evapotranspiration cover over the boreholes, trenches, and pits in the 92-Acre Area; (2) Install use restriction (UR) warning signs, concrete monuments, and subsidence survey monuments; and (3) Establish vegetation on the covers. UR documentation is included as Appendix C of this report. The post-closure plan is presented in detail in Revision 1 of the CADD/CAP for the 92-Acre Area and CAU 111, and the requirements are summarized in Section 5.2 of this document. When the next request for modification of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Permit NEV HW0101 is submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), the requirements for post-closure monitoring of the 92-Acre Area will be included. NNSA/NSO requests the following: (1) A Notice of Completion from NDEP to NNSA/NSO for closure of CAU 111; and (2) The transfer of CAU 111 from Appendix III to Appendix IV, Closed Corrective Action Units, of the FFACO.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

A study of transfer of UNF from non-disposable canisters - 15388

A study was performed by AREVA and URS for the Department of Energy (DOE) [1] to establish optimal methods for the opening of dry storage canisters (DSC) and the subsequent repackaging of used nuclear fuel (UNF) from the DSCs into generic standard transportation, aging, and disposal canisters (STADs) in wet or dry environments at reactor, consolidated storage, or repository sites. Eight dry and wet cutting technologies were evaluated: (1) skiving; (2) milling; (3) arc gouging/plasma torch; (4) cutting wheel; (5) diamond cable cutting; (6) laser cutting; (7) sawing; and (8) electrical discharge machining. The evaluated UNF repackaging technologies options included: (1) wet transfer in a pool; (2) dry transfer in a dry transfer system (DTS); (3) dry transfer in a fixed hot cell (FHC); (4) dry transfer in a mobile hot cell (MHC), and (5) a hybrid approach utilizing wet transfer in a pool and dry transfer in a FHC. A systems engineering evaluation was utilized for ranking the eight viable cutting options and the five different repackaging approaches for each of the sites. The systems engineering evaluation took into account six criteria (i.e., life cycle costs, worker dose, operational efficiency, technical maturity, ease of licensing, and waste generation) and performed a qualitative pairwise ranking of their relative importance to one another. Then quantitative or qualitative factors associated with each criterion (e.g., cost in millions of dollars, relative ease of licensing, etc.) for each option at each location (reactor, consolidated storage facility [CSF], repository) were developed based on historical experience, existing design studies, current 'state-of-the art', and/or engineering judgment. Using this input, the systems engineering evaluation identified dry skiving as the preferred cutting technology, with the wheel cutting technology in either a dry or wet environment identified as a promising technology that, with some RD and D, could mature to a better option (depending also on the disposition of the used DSC). For a reactor and a CSF/repository site, the systems engineering evaluation ranked the repackaging option using the skiving dry cutting technique and wet transfer of UNF in a pool as the highest option. However for a CSF and a repository site, the team recommended the hybrid option using the skiving dry cutting technique and both dry and wet transfer of UNF in a pool and FHC as a potentially better option (providing specific benefits such as higher throughput and more flexibility in operation). (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1994

Advanced Life Support Systems: Opportunities for Technology Transfer

NASA's future missions to explore the solar system will be of long-duration possibly lasting years at a time. Human life support systems will have to operate with very high reliability for these long periods with essentially no resupply from Earth. Such life support systems will make extensive use of higher plants, microorganisms, and physicochemical processes for recycling air and water, processing wastes, and producing food. Development of regenerative life support systems will be a pivotal capability for NASA's future human missions. A fully functional closed loop human life support system currently does not exist and thus represents a major technical challenge for space exploration. Technologies where all life support consumables are recycled have many potential terrestrial applications as well. Potential applications include providing human habitation in hostile environments such as the polar regions or the desert in such a way as to minimize energy expenditures and to minimize negative impacts on those often ecologically-sensitive areas. Other potential applications include production of food and ornamental crops without damaging the environment from fertilizers that contaminate water supplies; removal of trace gas contaminants from tightly sealed, energy-efficient buildings (the so-called sick building syndrome); and even the potential of gaining insight into the dynamics of the Earth's biosphere such that we can better manage our global environment. Two specific advanced life support technologies being developed by NASA, with potential terrestrial application, are the zeoponic plant growth system and the Hybrid Regenerative Water Recovery System (HRWRS). The potential applications for these candidate dual use technologies are quite different as are the mechanisms for transfer. In the case of zeoponics, a variety of commercial applications has been suggested which represent potentially lucrative markets. Also, the patented nature of this product offers opportunities for licensing to commercial entities. In the case of the HRWRS, commercial markets with broad applications have not been identified but some terrestrial applications are being explored where this approach has advantages over other methods of waste water processing. Although these potential applications do not appear to have the same broad attraction from the standpoint of rapid commercialization, they represent niches where commercialization possibilities as well as social benefits could be realized.

Fields, B.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Rheology and Flow Evaluation of Neutralized Sodium Reactor Experiment Fuel with Manganous Nitrate

H-Canyon is preparing the Sodium Reactor Experiment (SRE) solutions in Tanks 16.3 and 16.4 for discard to the Savannah River Site (SRS) High Level Waste (HLW) Tanks into Sludge Batch (SB) 10. To meet HLW's criticality requirements, manganese will be added to the SRE solutions. The addition of manganese to the existing thorium and uranium in the SRE solution raised concerns with the flow of this neutralized material as it is discharged from H-Canyon through the gravity drain system to the H-Area Pump Pit (HPP). A neutralized Mn adjusted SRE stream will produce primarily Mn, Th, and U solids that can deter transfer. A 2012 rheology study was completed as part of the flowsheet development.1 However, the initial rheology study did not include the addition of manganous nitrate as a poison. Therefore, H-Canyon Engineering requested Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to determine if the neutralized, Mn-adjusted SRE solutions will flow through the waste header to the HPP. The H-Canyon Technical Task Request (TTR) specified a target of 80 to 1 to bound the uncertainty in Mn target. Parallel studies were being performed to ensure that freshly precipitated Mn did not have a solubility that would result in challenging the DWPF WAC requirements of 70 to 1. This task was requested via a TTR and is governed by a Task Technical and Quality Assurance Plan (TTQAP).

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Use of generic and site-specific underground research laboratories to support siting, design, and safety assessment - 15417

Under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), nationally developed underground research laboratories (URLs) and associated research institutions are being offered for use by other nations. These facilities form an Underground Research Facilities (URF) Network for training in and demonstration of waste disposal technologies and the sharing of knowledge and experience related to geologic repository development, research, and engineering. In order to achieve its objectives, the URF Network regularly sponsors workshops and training events related to the knowledge base that is transferable between existing URL programs and to nations with an interest in developing a new URL. Toward that end, a three-day workshop was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico in October 2014 to identify and compare the understanding of URF Network members on the place and role of generic and site-specific URLs in the overall, iterative geological disposal development process, including repository siting, design, and post-closure safety assessment. Attention was also given to the need for URLs in salt host rock, since there is currently no such facility in operation in the world. This paper describes some of the outcomes of the workshop in the context of the general timeline for repository development and the evolving role of research, development, and demonstration (RD and D) activities in URLs. Of particular interest is the relationship between technology maturity, as measured by technology readiness level (TRL), and the stages or milestones in the repository development timeline. The long history of RD and D in worldwide URLs (> 40 years) can be argued to be the primary reason that nuclear waste disposal systems are currently at a high level of maturity. One of the key recommendations from the workshop was that an international, easily accessible knowledge base should soon be established to avoid the loss of important experiences and information obtained from existing and closed URLs. It was also recognized that a new generic URL in salt host rock would provide a number of benefits, but one should not be initiated until a national program specifically decides to site its repository in salt. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2011

Estimation of transport parameters of phenolic compounds and inorganic contaminants through composite landfill liners using one-dimensional mass transport model

Highlights: > We conduct 1D advection-dispersion modeling to estimate transport parameters. > We examine fourteen phenolic compounds and three inorganic contaminants. > 2-MP, 2,4-DCP, 2,6-DCP, 2,4,5-TCP, 2,3,4,6-TeCP have the highest coefficients. > Dispersion coefficients of Cu are determined to be higher than Zn and Fe. > Transport of phenolics can be prevented by zeolite and bentonite in landfill liners. - Abstract: One-dimensional (1D) advection-dispersion transport modeling was conducted as a conceptual approach for the estimation of the transport parameters of fourteen different phenolic compounds (phenol, 2-CP, 2-MP, 3-MP, 4-MP, 2-NP, 4-NP, 2,4-DNP, 2,4-DCP, 2,6-DCP, 2,4,5-TCP, 2,4,6-TCP, 2,3,4,6-TeCP, PCP) and three different inorganic contaminants (Cu, Zn, Fe) migrating downward through the several liner systems. Four identical pilot-scale landfill reactors (0.25 m{sup 3}) with different composite liners (R1: 0.10 + 0.10 m of compacted clay liner (CCL), L{sub e} = 0.20 m, k{sub e} = 1 x 10{sup -8} m/s, R2: 0.002-m-thick damaged high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane overlying 0.10 + 0.10 m of CCL, L{sub e} = 0.20 m, k{sub e} = 1 x 10{sup -8} m/s, R3: 0.002-m-thick damaged HDPE geomembrane overlying a 0.02-m-thick bentonite layer encapsulated between 0.10 + 0.10 m CCL, L{sub e} = 0.22 m, k{sub e} = 1 x 10{sup -8} m/s, R4: 0.002-m-thick damaged HDPE geomembrane overlying a 0.02-m-thick zeolite layer encapsulated between 0.10 + 0.10 m CCL, L{sub e} = 0.22 m, k{sub e} = 4.24 x 10{sup -7} m/s) were simultaneously run for a period of about 540 days to investigate the nature of diffusive and advective transport of the selected organic and inorganic contaminants. The results of 1D transport model showed that the highest molecular diffusion coefficients, ranging from 4.77 x 10{sup -10} to 10.67 x 10{sup -10} m{sup 2}/s, were estimated for phenol (R4), 2-MP (R1), 2,4-DNP (R2), 2,4-DCP (R1), 2,6-DCP (R2), 2,4,5-TCP (R2) and 2,3,4,6-TeCP (R1). For all reactors, dispersion coefficients of Cu, ranging from 3.47 x 10{sup -6} m{sup 2}/s to 5.37 x 10{sup -2} m{sup 2}/s, was determined to be higher than others obtained for Zn and Fe. Average molecular diffusion coefficients of phenolic compounds were estimated to be about 5.64 x 10{sup -10} m{sup 2}/s, 5.37 x 10{sup -10} m{sup 2}/s, 2.69 x 10{sup -10} m{sup 2}/s and 3.29 x 10{sup -10} m{sup 2}/s for R1, R2, R3 and R4 systems, respectively. The findings of this study clearly indicated that about 35-50% of transport of phenolic compounds to the groundwater is believed to be prevented with the use of zeolite and bentonite materials in landfill liner systems.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Polyalkenamers as Drop-In Additives for Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization: A Promising Upcycling Paradigm

Here we report a distinct strategy to upcycle waste polyalkenamers such as polybutadiene into new, performance-advantaged materials by using them as drop-in additives for ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The polyalkenamers serve as competent chain-transfer agents in ROMPs of common classes of cyclic olefin monomers, facilitating good molecular weight control, allowing low Ru catalyst loadings, and enabling efficient incorporation of the polyalkenamer into the synthesized polymeric material. We successfully demonstrate ROMP using model polyalkenamers and translate these learnings to leverage commercial polybutadiene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) as chain transfer agents for ROMP copolymerizations. Critically, our strategy is shown to be highly efficient and operationally simple, quantitatively incorporating the polyalkenamer and inheriting aspects of its thermomechanical performance. Our results highlight a promising pathway for the upcycling of polyalkenamers and provide an alternative to existing deconstruction and functional upcycling strategies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Cementitious Barriers Partnership FY2013 End-Year Report

In FY2013, the Cementitious Barriers Partnership (CBP) demonstrated continued tangible progress toward fulfilling the objective of developing a set of software tools to improve understanding and prediction of the long-term structural, hydraulic and chemical performance of cementitious barriers used in nuclear applications. In November 2012, the CBP released “Version 1.0” of the CBP Software Toolbox, a suite of software for simulating reactive transport in cementitious materials and important degradation phenomena. In addition, the CBP completed development of new software for the “Version 2.0” Toolbox to be released in early FY2014 and demonstrated use of the Version 1.0 Toolbox on DOE applications. The current primary software components in both Versions 1.0 and 2.0 are LeachXS/ORCHESTRA, STADIUM, and a GoldSim interface for probabilistic analysis of selected degradation scenarios. The CBP Software Toolbox Version 1.0 supports analysis of external sulfate attack (including damage mechanics), carbonation, and primary constituent leaching. Version 2.0 includes the additional analysis of chloride attack and dual regime flow and contaminant migration in fractured and non-fractured cementitious material. The LeachXS component embodies an extensive material property measurements database along with chemical speciation and reactive mass transport simulation cases with emphasis on leaching of major, trace and radionuclide constituents from cementitious materials used in DOE facilities, such as Saltstone (Savannah River) and Cast Stone (Hanford), tank closure grouts, and barrier concretes. STADIUM focuses on the physical and structural service life of materials and components based on chemical speciation and reactive mass transport of major cement constituents and aggressive species (e.g., chloride, sulfate, etc.). THAMES is a planned future CBP Toolbox component focused on simulation of the microstructure of cementitious materials and calculation of resultant hydraulic and constituent mass transfer parameters needed in modeling. Two CBP software demonstrations were conducted in FY2013, one to support the Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF) at SRS and the other on a representative Hanford high-level waste tank. The CBP Toolbox demonstration on the SDF provided analysis on the most probable degradation mechanisms to the cementitious vault enclosure caused by sulfate and carbonation ingress. This analysis was documented and resulted in the issuance of a SDF Performance Assessment Special Analysis by Liquid Waste Operations this fiscal year. The two new software tools supporting chloride attack and dual-regime flow will provide additional degradation tools to better evaluate performance of DOE and commercial cementitious barriers. The CBP SRNL experimental program produced two patent applications and field data that will be used in the development and calibration of CBP software tools being developed in FY2014. The CBP software and simulation tools varies from other efforts in that all the tools are based upon specific and relevant experimental research of cementitious materials utilized in DOE applications. The CBP FY2013 program involved continuing research to improve and enhance the simulation tools as well as developing new tools that model other key degradation phenomena not addressed in Version 1.0. Also efforts to continue to verify the various simulation tools through laboratory experiments and analysis of field specimens are ongoing and will continue into FY2014 to quantify and reduce the uncertainty associated with performance assessments. This end-year report summarizes FY2013 software development efforts and the various experimental programs that are providing data for calibration and validation of the CBP developed software.

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DOE OSTI2013

Post-Closure Inspection and Monitoring Report for Corrective Action Unit 417: Central Nevada Test Area Surface, Hot Creek Valley, Nevada-March 2012

This report presents data collected during the annual post-closure site inspection conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) at the Central Nevada Test Area (CNTA) surface Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 417. This report has been prepared in accordance with the Post-Closure Monitoring Plan contained in the CAU 417 Closure Report (NNSA/NV 2001) and Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) (FFACO 1996). Responsibility for environmental site restoration of the CNTA was transferred from the DOE Office of Environmental Management to LM on October 1, 2006.

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NASA NTRS1976

Brayton-cycle heat exchanger technology program

The following five tasks designed to advance this development of heat exchanger systems for close loop Brayton cycle power systems are presented: (1) heat transfer and pressure drop data for a finned tubular heat transfer matrix. The tubes are arranged in a triangular array with copper stainless steel laminate strips helically wound on the tubes to form a disk fin geometry; (2) the development of a modularized waste heat exchanger. Means to provide verified double containment are described; (3) the design, fabrication, and test of compact plate fin heat exchangers representative of full scale Brayton cycle recuperators; (4) the analysis and design of bellows suitable for operation at 1600 F and 200 psia for 1,000 cycles and 50,000 hours creep life; and (5) screening tests used to select a low cost braze alloy with the desirable attributes of a gold base alloy. A total of 22 different alloys were investigated; the final selection was Nicrobraz 30.

Killackey, J. J.↗