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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
NASA NTRS2014

Hot Hydrogen Testing of Tungsten-Uranium Dioxide (W-UO2) CERMET Fuel Materials for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

CERMET fuel materials are being developed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for a Nuclear Cryogenic Propulsion Stage. Recent work has resulted in the development and demonstration of a Compact Fuel Element Environmental Test (CFEET) System that is capable of subjecting depleted uranium fuel material samples to hot hydrogen. A critical obstacle to the development of an NCPS engine is the high-cost and safety concerns associated with developmental testing in nuclear environments. The purpose of this testing capability is to enable low-cost screening of candidate materials, fabrication processes, and further validation of concepts. The CERMET samples consist of depleted uranium dioxide (UO2) fuel particles in a tungsten metal matrix, which has been demonstrated on previous programs to provide improved performance and retention of fission products1. Numerous past programs have utilized hot hydrogen furnace testing to develop and evaluate fuel materials. The testing provides a reasonable simulation of temperature and thermal stress effects in a flowing hydrogen environment. Though no information is gained about radiation damage, the furnace testing is extremely valuable for development and verification of fuel element materials and processes. The current work includes testing of subscale W-UO2 slugs to evaluate fuel loss and stability. The materials are then fabricated into samples with seven cooling channels to test a more representative section of a fuel element. Several iterations of testing are being performed to evaluate fuel mass loss impacts from density, microstructure, fuel particle size and shape, chemistry, claddings, particle coatings, and stabilizers. The fuel materials and forms being evaluated on this effort have all been demonstrated to control fuel migration and loss. The objective is to verify performance improvements of the various materials and process options prior to expensive full scale fabrication and testing. Post test analysis will include weight percent fuel loss, microscopy, dimensional tolerance, and fuel stability.

Hickman, Robert↗
DOE OSTI2025

2025 Intern Poster

The Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) at the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) houses the largest U.S. inert atmosphere hot cell for nuclear material research. Key features include the precision gamma scanning (PGS), Fuel Accident Condition Simulator (FACS), Neutron Radiography Reactor (NRAD), and the focus of this project, the Metallograph Loading Cell (MET Cell). The MET Cell performs tests on spent nuclear fuel, such as microhardness testing, microscopy, and neutron radiography. However, the MET Cell’s existing pressure and lighting control systems are outdated and inefficient, with inadequate documentation for system changes over time. This project aims to design a new automated control system for the MET Cell, ensuring longevity (minimum ten years), ease of troubleshooting/repair, and integration into the building monitoring system. The design process addressed challenges such as space restrictions, varied voltages within enclosures, sourcing new components, and security limitations. Compliance with NFPA 70, UL508A, MFC Physical Security, and INL Engineering standards was essential. The project involves repurposing an existing PLC to manage lighting and pressure control using digital and analog signals, simplifying wiring, and ensuring thorough documentation for future reference.

42 - ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2019

SBIR Phase II Final Report - A Robust Wireless Communication System for Harsh Environments Including Nuclear Facilities

This is the Final Report for the DOE Phase II SBIR project “A Robust Wireless Communication System for Harsh Environments Including Nuclear Facilities.” The topics covered herein include technical progress made, progress against the planned milestones and deliverables, project outcomes, and a discussion on future expectations of deployment and impacts of the results of this work. In brief, all planned work for the project was successfully completed, on or ahead of schedule and on budget. The major accomplishment was the successful development of new sensor/communications systems with wideband (WB)/ultra-wideband (UWB) communications based on the software-defined-radio (SDR) technology to improve sensing and control in nuclear power plants and then a broad range of similar sensing applications. The impacts of these disciplines/focuses of this SBIR include: A new multi-frequency SDR-based architecture with WB/UWB communications integrated with sensors was developed, utilizing 310 MHz, 450 MHz, 915 MHz, and 5 GHz frequencies; Secure communications using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm; Sensing possibilities not effectively addressed by previous technologies was addressed; and, The newly developed wireless sensor communications system can adapt its communications parameters to its operational environment for optimal performance. The performance of this system has been evaluated by systematic laboratory and field testing. The field testing was conducted at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Nuclear Test Reactor, and the McClellan Nuclear center at the University of California Davis (UC Davis), as well as at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The success in this project resulted in DSI being awarded “The DOE’s 2018 SBIR/STTR Small Business of the Year”. This technology has attracted interest from The Rolls Royce company with ongoing discussions under NDA for potential strategic partnership between DSI and Rolls Royce in providing wireless sensor communications in nuclear facilities. Furthermore, the success of this project has attracted significant interest from the United Nations International Atomic Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, as well as other DOE and DOD offices. Currently, per request from IAEA, DOE’s office of International Safeguards has funded DSI to develop a WB/UWB wireless communication system for real-time transmission of images from IAEA’s safeguards cameras in various nuclear facilities. DSI also has received a Phase II and Phase II.5 SBIR awards from ARMY and NAVY for wireless communications capability for various DOD aircraft.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2019

Molten salt to supercritical CO2 diffusion-bonded heat exchanger testing to support component certification for advanced nuclear power systems

Commercial utilization of the diffusion-bonded heat exchanger (DBHE) for high-temperature applications has prompted an ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Case development effort to employ these components in Section III (nuclear plant) applications. As part of this effort, a series of DBHE have been fabricated. These heat exchangers will be among the first printed-circuit geometries to be tested for functionality in a molten salt environment. These 15-25kW test specimens will be evaluated under steady-state conditions to compare pressure drop and terminal temperatures measurements with those predicted by existing flow and heat transfer correlations. The test units will then be subjected to thermal transients similar to those expected in Generation IV reactor systems by varying the hot and cold fluid mass flow rates and by changing inlet temperatures. Data collected from these tests will narrow the technical gaps related to two-fluid PCHE and identify special design requirements of compact heat exchangers containing primary reactor coolant. Descriptions of one of two test units and the testing plan are discussed here.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS2013

Heat Pipe Powered Stirling Conversion for the Demonstration Using Flattop Fission (DUFF) Test

Design concepts for small Fission Power Systems (FPS) have shown that heat pipe cooled reactors provide a passive, redundant, and lower mass option to transfer heat from the fuel to the power conversion system, as opposed to pumped loop designs typically associated with larger FPS. Although many systems have been conceptually designed and a few making it to electrically heated testing, none have been coupled to a real nuclear reactor. A demonstration test named DUFF Demonstration Using Flattop Fission, was planned by the Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) to use an existing criticality experiment named Flattop to provide the nuclear heat source. A team from the NASA Glenn Research Center designed, built, and tested a heat pipe and power conversion system to couple to Flattop with the end goal of making electrical power. This paper will focus on the design and testing performed in preparation for the DUFF test.

Fission↗
DOE OSTI2024

Lifetime extension drop-test of real-world corroded 5 Quart Hagan nuclear material storage container

A 5Qt Hagan container with a 20-year history of nuclear material storage was challenged with three successive drop tests at a height of 3.7 meters. The total mass of the test package was 12.1 kg. The 1st and 2nd drop tests (center of gravity over the container bottom corner but 180 degrees apart on the container bottom face) passed the pre- and post- impact helium leak criterion at less than 1.00E-6 atm-cc/sec (ambient cubic centimeters per second). The 3rd and final test (center of gravity over top corner) failed with a post-impact gross leak of 1.1E-1 atmcc/sec. The RRFMC (Respirable Release Fraction Measurement Chamber) is a drop tower test system that is critical for the sustainability of the SAVY-4000™ series and Hagan-type (NFT Inc. Golden CO) nuclear material storage containers. These are the primary in-use nuclear material storage container types at the Los Alamos National Laboratory TA-55 facility. Results are presented to expand the technical knowledge basis for container lifetime, regarding actual exposure to corrosive gas species on the container inner surfaces. The primary source of general corrosion throughout the container is gaseous hydrogen chloride (HCl). This gas is generated by the degradation of the polyvinylchloride (PVC) bag-out bag. Additionally, in most cases, the nuclear material itself also releases HCl gas (due to residual chemical components associated with the material formation). The RRFMC drop tower gives the end-user the ability record and analyze high-speed video and photography and if needed aerosol mass release measurements. In this report the principal issue is the physical deformation of the 5Qt Hagan container. There were no mass release experiments of test aerosol mass in the present study.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

MARVEL Utilization Plan

This report provides a high-level overview of the operational plan for the MARVEL microreactor. The main focus is on discussing testing and application demonstration opportunities that leverage the reactor. With the reactor rapidly progressing towards demonstration, along with the short operational window (2 years), it was deemed critical to start establishing a basis for how stakeholders can engage with the program and leverage the reactor as a testbed. The report discusses potential opportunities for using MARVEL leveraging from data/design access, novel controls testing, novel nuclear-electric applications, to novel nuclear-heat applications. It also provides guidance for interested stakeholders on potential funding opportunities that can be pursued to support tests during the operational lifetime of the reactor. The report also discusses the recommended strategy for outreach and the organization structure to review and down select project. It is important to emphasize that this is intended to be a living document with revisions issued as the MARVEL demonstration timeline evolves. Similarly, the framework for engagement is subject to change as the project nears construction. As such, this first revision to the original test plan highlights the new Microreactor Program-sponsored pathway for engaging with stakeholders via an Expression of Interest and Notice of Opportunity.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Commissioning of a Cask Enabling Characterization of Irradiated Nuclear Fuels with Pulsed Neutrons

Irradiation tests are a key component of nuclear fuel development and identifying typical and atypical regions in the irradiated fuel volume relies on very few characterization techniques. The goal of the effort reported here is to provide complementary measurements adding to the available parameter space for post irradiation examination as well as to inform subsequent hot cell PIE examinations by identifying typical and atypical regions with respect to microstructure, tomographic data, or isotope densities. Pulsed neutrons, enabling diffraction as well as energy-resolved neutron imaging and neutron absorption resonance spectroscopy, offer unique capabilities for this purpose. Time-of-flight neutron diffraction has the potential to offer efficient, non-destructive and non-contact microstructural characterization of irradiated fuel pins with spatial resolution of 1 mm 3 to 1 cm 3 while for energy-resolved neutron imaging (and by extension tomography) a resolution of 100 μm was demonstrated. The potential results include crystallinity vs. amorphous volumes and microstructural information such as phase compositions, lattice strains (indicative of residual stresses or chemistry variations) and textures from the diffraction data as well as distances (e.g. pellet to cladding), cracks, and isotopic distributions of minor actinides, fission products as well as fission gas partial pressures e.g. in the plenum from energy resolved neutron imaging.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Actinide Science for Post Detonation Nuclear Forensic Analyses

Actinide and fission product separations, analyses, and solid material syntheses are key to supporting the development and testing of new nuclear forensic science technologies and for training nuclear emergency responders to effectively respond to nuclear emergency events. In this presentation, nuclear forensic scientist Dr. Mathew Snow will discuss a variety of technologies developed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and around the world for these applications. The presentation will include discussions of new approaches to rapid, high-efficiency chemical separations, sample preparation and analysis techniques for field-deployable actinide analyses, and techniques recently developed at INL for producing solid nuclear fallout simulant materials. An overview of the challenges confronting researchers in these area, along with possible opportunities, will also be provided.

Nuclear Forensics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Shaker Table Test Plan

Currently, spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is stored in onsite independent spent fuel storage facilities (ISFSIs), which is a dry storage facility, at 55 nuclear power plant sites. The majority of SNF in dry storage is in welded metal canisters (2,917 canisters at the end of 2019). The canisters are loaded for storage in storage overpacks (vertical casks or horizontal storage modules) and placed on outdoor concrete pads. Because the SNF will be stored at ISFSIs for an extended period of time, there is growing concern with regards to the behavior of the SNF within these dry storage systems during earthquakes. To address these concerns, the SFWST program is considering conducting an earthquake shaker table test. The goal of this test is to determine the strains and accelerations on fuel assembly hardware and cladding during earthquakes of different magnitudes to better quantify the potential damage an earthquake could inflict on spent nuclear fuel rods. The seismic integrity of the storage system has been addressed in the past by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and is not the focus of this potential test. Instead the DOE would benefit from knowing the condition of the fuel cladding from storage, transportation, to disposal so that it can ascertain repository performance for the fuel and packaging in its final state. A seismic event is part of the possible loading events that the fuel could experience in its lifetime. This report proposes several earthquake shaker table tests with different degrees of complexity. Alternative 1 was defined in the FY20 work scope. Alternatives 2 and 3 were recently developed to take advantage of the NUHOMS 32PTH dry storage canister that may be available in FY21 for this test at a minimum cost to the project. The selection of the alternative(s) will depend on the available budget and the SFWST program priorities for the near future.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Microscopic Theory of Nuclear Fission

Nuclear fission represents the ultimate test for microscopic theories of nuclear structure and reactions. Fission is a large-amplitude, time-dependent phenomenon taking place in a self-bound, strongly interacting many-body system. It should, at least in principle, emerge from the complex interactions of nucleons within the nucleus. The goal of microscopic theories is to build a consistent and predictive theory of nuclear fission by using as only ingredients protons and neutrons, nuclear forces, and quantum many-body methods. Thanks to a constant increase in computing power, such a goal has never seemed more within reach. This chapter gives an overview both of the set of techniques used in microscopic theories to describe the fission process and of some recent successes achieved by this class of methods.

Nuclear physics and radiation physics↗
DOE OSTI2020

14 MeV DT Neutron Test Facility at the Sandia Ion Beam Laboratory

A recently completed LDRD project has provided a new facility at Sandia for testing effects of energetic neutrons on electronic components. 14 MeV neutrons are produced with a deuterium ion beam onto a thin-film tritide target. The goal of the project was to increase the neutron fluence to levels needed for radiation effects testing and qualification. This goal was achieved through two technical advances. First, a new multi-layer target concept was developed to reduce the rate of tritium loss from the target by isotope exchange, thereby reducing tritium usage and increasing target lifetime. The second advance was the construction of a new test chamber designed to maximize neutron flux at test locations. Together, these increased the available neutron fluence by several orders of magnitude. This new capability is being used in tests for Sandia nuclear weapon programs, evaluation of commercial parts such as highly-scaled CMOS SRAM lCs, and tests of new devices under development at Sandia such as lll-V HBTs, gallium nitride high-voltage diodes, and for fundamental studies of physical mechanisms of device failure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

A New Era of Nuclear Criticality Experiments: The First 10 Years of Radiation Test Object Operations at NCERC

The work presented in this paper focuses on the first 10 years (2011–2020) of radiation test object (RTO) operations at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center. RTOs are subcritical configurations of special nuclear material that are built by hand. These configurations are utilized for benchmark experiments, detector testing/characterization, and training. An overview of the types of measurements used in RTO operations is given as well as a history of RTO operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1944–2011.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Morphology and particle size (MaPS) exercise: testing the applications of image analysis and morphology descriptions for nuclear forensics

Image analysis techniques have been applied and shown to be a valuable tool in nuclear forensics analysis. The interlaboratory exercise reported here has tested quantitative and qualitative approaches for characterizing nuclear materials. Particle size, surface features and morphology descriptions were compared by four laboratories on a common image set generated by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Digital Light Microscopy. Quantitative analysis of the image sets through the Morphological Analysis for MAterials software highlighted the strength of image analysis, but also that the application of the software alone can introduce significant bias in the analysis. Qualitative morphology descriptions following the process outlined by Tamasi et al. (J Radioanal Nuclear Chem 307:1611–1619, 2015) were compared with a discussion on the robustness and reproducibility of the results. Finally, future work should continue to focus on proficiency and standardization of image analysis through continued exercises within the extended nuclear forensics community.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

BISON As-run AGR-3/4 Irradiation Test Predictions

BISON, a nuclear fuel performance application built using the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) finite element library, was used to model the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR)-3/4 irradiation test using as-run physics and thermal hydraulics data. The AGR-3/4 test consists of the combined third and fourth planned irradiations of the AGR Fuel Development and Qualification Program. The AGR-3/4 test train consists of twelve separate and independently controlled and monitored capsules. Each capsule contains four compacts filled with both uranium oxycarbide (UCO) unaltered “driver” fuel particles and UCO designed-to-fail (DTF) fuel particles. The DTF fraction was specified to be 1×10-2. This report documents the calculations performed to predict the failure probability of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated driver fuel particles during the AGR-3/4 experiment on a single compact. This report will demonstrate the capabilities of BISON to model the complex AGR-3/4 irradiation test and identify further development needed to capture the fuel particle failure probability and source term on every compact for further comparison from post-irradiation examination (PIE) data. The calculations include the modeling of the AGR-3/4 irradiation that occurred from December 2011 to April 2014 in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) over a total of 10 ATR cycles including seven normal cycles, one low power cycle, one unplanned outage cycle, and one Power Axial Locator Mechanism (PALM) cycle.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS2005

Brayton-Cycle Power-Conversion Unit Tested With Ion Thruster

Nuclear electric propulsion has been identified as an enabling technology for future NASA space science missions, such as the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) now under study. An important element of the nuclear electric propulsion spacecraft is the power conversion system, which converts the reactor heat to electrical power for use by the ion propulsion system and other spacecraft loads. The electrical integration of the power converter and ion thruster represents a key technical challenge in making nuclear electric propulsion technology possible. This technical hurdle was addressed extensively on December 1, 2003, when a closed- Brayton-cycle power-conversion unit was tested with a gridded ion thruster at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The test demonstrated end-to-end power throughput and marked the first-ever coupling of a Brayton turbo alternator and a gridded ion thruster, both of which are candidates for use on JIMO-type missions. The testing was conducted at Glenn's Vacuum Facility 6, where the Brayton unit was installed in the 3-m-diameter vacuum test port and the ion thruster was installed in the 7.6-m-diameter main chamber.

Hervol, David S.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Observation of excited states in 20 Mg sheds light on nuclear forces and shell evolution

The exotic Borromean nucleus 20 Mg with N = 8, located at the proton drip line provides a unique testing ground for nuclear forces and the evolution of shell structure in the neutron-deficient region. We report on the first observation of proton unbound resonances together with bound states in 20 Mg from the 20 Mg (d, d ') reaction performed at TRIUMF. Phenomenological shell-model calculations offer a reasonable description. However, our experimental results present a challenge for current first-principles nuclear structure approaches and point to the need for improved chiral forces and ab initio calculations. Furthermore, the differential cross section of the first excited state is compared with distorted-wave Born approximation calculations to deduce a neutron quadrupole deformation parameter of β$_n$ = 0.46 ± 0.21 . Lastly, this provides the first indication of a possible weakening of the N = 8 shell closure at the proton drip line.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗