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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 955 records · Page 53
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Ingested microplastic as a two-way transporter for PBDEs in Talitrus saltator

Highlights: • Ingestion of contaminated MP by T. saltator moves organic pollutants to its tissues. • Uncontaminated MP ingested by contaminated T. saltator removes organic pollutants. • MP double role as carrier and scavenger of chemicals is demonstrated. The presence and accumulation of plastic waste into the marine environment are well known environmental issues. Microplastics (MPs) end up in sea waters and, due to their hydrophobicity and high surface/volume ratio, POPs tend to sorb and accumulate to their surface. The supralittoral amphipod Talitrus saltator (T. saltator) was selected to study the role of MPs in the transfer of organic pollutants and to investigate if ingested MPs could either transfer contaminants to biota or clean it adsorbing pollutants taken from the diet. T. saltator is an established POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) biomonitor in coastal environments and it is able to swallow microplastics in natural condition. Two laboratory experiments were performed and T. saltator was exposed to a labelled polybrominated diphenyl ether ({sup 13}C-labelled BDE-47) to investigate the opposite gradient role of MPs. X Ray Micro-CT (Micro-Computed Tomography) analyses were also performed on sandhopper samples to evaluate the uptake of MPs via digestive tract. The results showed that MPs ingestion could whether transfer and remove contaminants from T. saltator, indicating a partial balance among positive and negative effects. This study has underlined MP potential double role demonstrating that MP can act both as a carrier and scavenger for the bioaccumulation of organic pollutants (i.e. PBDEs), suggesting that chemicals leaching from MPs could have a limited impact to biota.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Enhanced Isomer Population via Direct Irradiation of Solid-Density Targets Using a Compact Laser-Plasma Accelerator

Excitation of long-lived states in bromine nuclei using a tabletop laser-plasma accelerator providing pulsed (<100 fs) electron beams provided a sensitive probe of γ strength and level densities in the nuclear quasicontinuum and may indicate angular momentum coupling through electron-nuclear interactions. Solid-density active $LaBr_{3}$ targets absorb real and virtual photons up to 35 ± 2.5 MeV and deexcite through γ cascade into different states. Here, a factor of 4.354 ± 0.932 enhancement of the $^{80}Br^{m}/^{80}Br^{g}$ isomeric ratio was observed following electron irradiation, as compared to bremsstrahlung. Additional angular momentum transfer could possibly occur through nuclear-plasma or electron-nuclear interactions enabled by the ultrashort electron beam. Further investigation of these mechanisms could have far-reaching impact including decreased storage of long-term nuclear waste and an improved understanding of heavy element formation in astrophysical settings.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Wireless microwave acoustic sensor system for condition monitoring in power plant environments

This project successfully demonstrated novel wireless microwave acoustic temperature and pressure sensors that can be embedded into equipment and structures located in fossil fuel power plant environments to monitor the condition of components such as steam headers, re-heat lines, water walls, burner tubes, and power turbines. The wireless microwave acoustic sensor technology researched and developed through a collaborative partnership between the University of Maine and Environetix Technologies Corporation can provide a revolutionary impact in the power industry since it is anticipated that the wireless sensors will deliver reliable real-time sensing information in harsh power plant conditions that involve temperatures up to 1100oC and pressures up to 750 psi. The work involved the research and development of novel high temperature harsh environment thin film electrodes, piezoelectric smart microwave acoustic sensing elements, sensor encapsulation materials that were engineered to function over long times up to 1100oC, and a radio-frequency (RF) wireless interrogation electronics unit that are located both inside and outside the high temperature harsh environment. The UMaine / Environetix team have interacted with diverse power plant facilities, and identified as a testbed a local power generation facility, which burns municipal solid waste (MSW), the Penobscot Energy Recovery Company (PERC), Orrington, Maine. In this facility Environetix / UMaine successfully implemented and tested multiple wireless temperature sensor systems within the harsh-environment of the economizer chamber and at the boiler tubes, transferring the developed technology to the power plant environment to perform real-time sensor monitoring experiments under typical operating conditions, as initially targeted in the project. The wireless microwave acoustic sensor technology developed under this project for power plant applications offers several significant advantages including wireless, battery-free, maintenance-free operation, and operation in the harsh-environment of power plant equipment up to about 1100 oC. Their small size and configuration allows flexible sensor placement and embedding of multiple sensor arrays into a variety of components within power systems that can be interrogated by a single RF unit. The outcomes of this project and technological transfer respond to a DOE analysis need, which indicated that if one percent efficiency in coal burning is achieved, an additional 2 gigawatt-hours of energy per year is generated and the resulting coal cost savings is $300 million per year, also accompanied by a reduction of more than 10 million metric tons of CO2 per year emitted into the atmosphere. Therefore, the developed harsh environment wireless microwave acoustic sensor technology and the technological transfer achievements that resulted from the execution of this project have significant impact for power plant equipment and systems and are well-positioned to contribute to the cost reduction in power generation, the increase in power plant efficiency, the improvement in maintenance, the reduction in down-time, and the decrease in environmental pollution. The technology is also in a position to be extended to address other types of high-temperature harsh-environment power plant and energy sector sensing needs.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1972

A 10,000-gpm liquid hydrogen transfer system for the Saturn/Apollo program.

Brief description of the design and operation of the liquid hydrogen transfer system used to service the Saturn V launch vehicle. The cryogenic loading of the huge booster begins eight hours before the scheduled liftoff. The first three hours of fueling are spent in cold hydrogen gas conditioning of the fuel tank. The cold hydrogen gas is provided by vaporizing liquid hydrogen from the storage tank and routing the resultant gas through the fill system. Boil-off losses after loading are continuously replaced through control valves which are driven by a computer system. The liquid hydrogen transfer system is made up of a number of subsystems including the 850,000 gal storage tank whose boil-off losses amount to only 200 gal/day, the pressurization system, the burn pond for controlled disposal of hydrogen waste gas, the storage tank fill manifold, and the hazardous gas monitoring system. Some of the subsystems and components are redundant to provide a high degree of reliability.

Wybranowski, E., Jr.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Drying Wet Stored and Corroded Magnox Fuel for Interim Dry Storage - 20187

To investigate the feasibility of drying corroded Magnesium alloy clad nuclear fuel, the corrosion products of inactive and unirradiated Magnox simulant dry corrosion product and dried corroded Magnox sludge were characterised by X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. XRD identified brucite in the dried corrosion product and both brucite and hydromagnesite in the sludge. TGA identified mass loss on dehydration of ∼9.1% up to 250 deg. C and 27.9% from dehydroxylation up to 440 deg. C, with total mass loss of 41.9% up to 800 deg. C for the dried corrosion product. The sludge TGA showed 8.3% mass loss up to 250 deg. C from dehydration, 7.5% up to 330 deg. C from dehydroxylation and 31.4% mass loss up to 47.2% for decarbonation, with total mass loss of 49.2% up to 800 deg. C. Water removal up to 1.8 g was performed by cold vacuum drying (40 deg. C-120 deg. C) on a ≅14.8 g (wet) corroded Magnox sample. The process was monitored by observing pressure, dew point, temperature and gas flow changes supported by measuring the sample mass loss as water is removed. From these tests, it was observed that the dried corroded Magnox displayed some hygroscopic capacity which has implications for water retention following vacuum drying and the length of exposure required to achieve the desired dryness. Whilst at higher temperatures the water was removed faster, the increased temperature also risks the fuel cladding undergoing unwanted chemical reactions with the residual water during the process. However, at lower temperatures the achievable levels of dryness were reduced. Therefore, from these observations this work has identified that there is a temperature balance that may be necessary to optimise the drying process with respect to allowing the greatest level of dryness whilst restricting unwanted chemical reactions. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Thermal Dehydration of Aluminum (Oxy)hydroxides on Fuel Cladding Material - 20200

The aluminum cladding of research-reactor fuel undergoes general corrosion with resulting formation of adherent aluminum (oxy)hydroxide films during in-reactor and post-discharge exposure to water under various conditions and temperatures. These (oxy)hydroxides contain chemically-bound water that poses challenges for extended dry storage due to the risk of thermal or radiolytic decomposition releasing free water and/or hydrogen and oxygen gases. This study comprised laboratory experiments of thermal drying behavior of aluminum (oxy)hydroxides to identify approaches for reducing bound water on fuel cladding prior to sealed dry storage. Effective drying strategies for adherent (oxy)hydroxides on fuel cladding will improve the safety of dry storage by mitigating potential avenues for additional corrosion and/or generation of flammable gases inside the storage canister. This work is part of a broader investigation to address knowledge gaps and technical data needs for dry storage of aluminum-clad spent nuclear fuel (ASNF), which included investigation of (oxy)hydroxide formation on aluminum alloy substrates immersed in water, characterization of service-grown films from ASNF, and radiolytic yield of hydrogen from (oxy)hydroxide powders and films. The current work comprises experimental thermal dehydration of aluminum trihydroxides (bayerite and gibbsite) characteristic of low-temperature (<80 deg. C) corrosion in water and aluminum oxyhydroxide (boehmite) characteristic of high temperature (>80 deg. C) corrosion in water. First, commercially produced (oxy)hydroxide powders (boehmite and gibbsite) were tested via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The effort aimed to identify or confirm key temperature ranges/thresholds for the thermal decomposition reactions, as well as impacts of ramp rate and hold times, for drying of isolated, high-surface-area (oxy)hydroxides. The information gleaned from powder tests was used to guide subsequent drying tests on adherent (oxy)hydroxide films grown on aluminum alloy substrates. TGA was used to analyze small samples of the aluminum coupons with adherent (oxy)hydroxide films. Specimens were characterized both pre- and post-drying using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine the film composition and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine its morphology. Drying of adherent (oxy)hydroxide films was anticipated to pose additional complications relative to drying of (oxy)hydroxide powders. Anticipated challenges include achieving sufficient drying of the (oxy)hydroxide at low-enough temperature to avoid melting or other undesirable phase changes in the aluminum substrate and overcoming transport limitations of water through the thickness of a dense film or through a tortuous pore structure to reach the outer surface of the film. Inn addition, dehydration of (oxy)hydroxides significantly changes the film density, which may lead to substantial alterations in the morphology, including potential cracking and spalling of the film. TGA/DSC tests of gibbsite powders resulted in successful conversion to boehmite or alumina, depending on the maximum temperature reached. At low ramp rates (≤5 deg. C/min), the conversion to boehmite occurred around 300 deg. C (210-340 deg. C). XRD confirmed that boehmite was the only phase detected after tests reaching 450 deg. C. The transition to alumina occurred around 510 deg. C (470-550 deg. C), with XRD detecting only alumina after tests reaching at least 600 deg. C. Boehmite powders dehydrated to alumina at about 400 deg. C (330-460 deg. C) for coarse (77-μm particle diameter) powder and about 490 deg. C (420-520 deg. C) for fine (0.7-μm particle diameter) powder. For all powders tested, the maximum percent mass loss after drying to high temperature slightly exceeded the theoretical mass loss for complete dehydration of the stoichiometric (oxy)hydroxide to alumina, which is likely attributable to physisorbed water in the powder. Drying of a thick (∼8.6 μm), predominantly bayerite adherent film displayed a dramatic change in film morphology, with the initially continuous trihydroxide film cracking into sections on the order of 50 μm square and partially delaminating. The outermost layer of the film completely faked of in some regions. The layer exposed under the spalled oxide also displayed prominent cracking, with spacing on the order of 10 μm, but this surface layer appeared to remain completely adhered to the aluminum substrate. TGA showed mass losses per unit surface area up to ∼1.0 mg/cm{sup 2}. XRD characterization of the remaining oxide was inconclusive, with no crystalline phases detected. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Aging of Concrete for the Evaluation of Repair Materials to Protect the Walls of the HCAEX Tunnel at Savannah River - 20301

H-Canyon, located in the Savannah River site, is a unique facility for chemical reprocessing of plutonium, highly-enriched uranium, and other radioactive materials. The exhaust gases of the H-Canyon are sent through the H-Canyon Exhaust (HCAEX) tunnel for contamination removal. Robotic inspections of the tunnel revealed significant degradation of the reinforced concrete structure that was associated with acid attack, and could compromise the structural stability of the tunnel. Thus, the identification and evaluation of potential repair materials that could be applied on the degraded walls to mitigate and prevent further degradation is of significant interest to the Department of Energy and the Savannah River representatives. This research effort has been divided into two phases: 1) Development and evaluation of aged concrete under accelerated aging conditions (which is the focus of this paper) and 2) Evaluation of potential repair materials applied on aged and non-aged concrete under simulated aggressive conditions. In order to develop and evaluate concrete samples exposed to accelerated aging conditions in simulated aggressive environments, a literature review of the HCAEX tunnel was conducted that included 1) characterization and extent of the concrete damage, 2) environmental conditions inside the tunnel and 3) primary deterioration mechanisms. In addition, potential coatings and/or repair materials for degraded concrete surfaces exposed to aggressive environments (primarily acidic) were selected from the literature review and the most common testing and measurements for evaluating acid attack phenomena, erosion, etc. were reviewed. From the literature review findings, a preliminary bench-scale test plan for the concrete aging was developed, including accelerated aging tests with aggressive conditions (acid fumes, humidity, etc.). Concrete samples were exposed to the aging accelerated conditions (e.g. immersion in acid solutions) and visual inspection, mass loss and pH change (acid solution) were recorded over time. Correlations between the visual inspection, mass loss and pH changes results and the aging time or the aging conditions were developed. Specimens submitted to the highest acid concentration showed the fastest and most intense degradation. The type of coarse aggregate (limestone) used for the concrete seemed to be the cause of the fastest aging observed, compared to the cement paste. The research findings created the foundation for the ongoing investigation, in which new concrete samples with a mix design similar to the HCAEX tunnel will be tested and will serve as the substrate for testing the selected coatings and /or repair materials. In this paper, the literature review and preliminary results from the aging tests are provided. (authors)

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

HTO and selenate diffusion through compacted Na-, Na–Ca-, and Ca-montmorillonite

Radionuclide transport in smectite clay barrier systems used for nuclear waste disposal is controlled by diffusion, with adsorption significantly retarding transport rates. While a relatively minor component of spent nuclear fuel, 79 Se is a major driver of the safety case for spent fuel disposal due to its long half-life (3.3×10 5 yr) and its low adsorption to clay (K D < 10 L/kg), thus a thorough understanding of Se diffusion through clay is critical for understanding the long-term safety of spent fuel disposal systems. Through-diffusion experiments with tritiated water (HTO, conservative tracer) and Se(VI) were conducted with a well-characterized, purified montmorillonite source clay (SWy-2) under a constant ionic strength (0.1 M) and three different electrolyte compositions: Na + , Ca 2+ , and a Na + -Ca 2+ mixture at pH 6.5 in order to probe the effects of electrolyte composition and interlayer cation composition on clay microstructure, Se(VI) aqueous speciation, and ultimately diffusion. Further, the results were modeled using a reactive transport modeling approach to determine values of porosity (ε), D e (effective diffusion coefficient), and K D (distribution coefficient for adsorption). HTO diffusive flux was higher in Ca-montmorillonite (D e =1.68×10 -10 m 2 s -1 ) compared to Na-montmorillonite (De=7.83×10 -11 m 2 s -1 ). This increase in flux is likely due to a greater degree of clay layer stacking in the presence of Ca 2+ compared to Na + , which leads to larger inter-particle pores. Overall, the Se(VI) flux was much lower than the HTO flux due to anion exclusion, with Se(VI) flux following the order Ca (D e = 1.03×10 -11 m 2 s -1 ) > Na–Ca (D e = 2.12×10 -12 m 2 s -1 ) > Na (D e = 1.28×10 -12 m 2 s -1 ). These differences in Se(VI) flux are due to a combination of factors, including (1) larger accessible porosity in Ca-montmorillonite due to clay layer stacking and smaller electrostatic effects compared to Na-montmorillonite, (2) larger accessible porosity for neutral-charge CaSeO4 species which makes up 32% of aqueous Se(VI) in the pure Ca system, and (3) possibly higher Se(VI) adsorption for Ca-montmorillonite. Through a combination of experimental and modeling work, this study highlights the compounding effects that electrolyte and counterion compositions can have on radionuclide transport through clay. Diffusion models that neglect these effects are not transferable from laboratory experimental conditions to in situ repository conditions.

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

Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Vegetable and Fruit Market Waste in LBR + CSTR Two-Stage Process for Waste Reduction and Biogas Production

Vegetable and fruit waste (VFW) is becoming a heavy burden of municipal waste disposal because of its huge amount, but it is a potentially valuable resource that can be developed into high value products such as methane. Conventional anaerobic digestion processes are not suitable for solving the problem of easy acidification of VFW. Thus, a two-stage laboratory-scale anaerobic digestion system was assembled for waste reduction and biogas production of VFW in the mesophilic temperatures. The biphasic system consists of a 70-L leach bed reactor (LBR) and a 35-L continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Water is sprinkled over the material to enhance the extraction process of acidification phase. The leachate was then transferred to the CSTR for biogas production. Batch digestion was lasted 120 h until no biogas was produced. Leachate with a volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration of 7.6 g/L was obtained within 10 h. The results showed that overall 70.9% of the volatile solids (VS) was removed in the solid-phase system. Over 90% of VFAs were reduced in the methanogenic reactor, and it has been observed that the maximum biogas production rate was 51.26 mL/(d gVS). The maximum methane concentration in the produced biogas was 71%.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Numerical Investigation of Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow within Electrochemical Hydrogen Peroxide Generation Unit

Long-term manned space missions require the onboard production of disinfectants essential for maintaining crew health and supporting life systems. Currently, disinfection aboard the International Space Station (ISS) relies on disposable wetted wipes, which are regularly resupplied from Earth. This approach imposes a significant burden on resupply logistics, storage, and waste management. To address these challenges and support future missions, efforts are underway to develop an in-situ solution that electrochemically generates hydrogen peroxide disinfectant using onboard resources. In collaboration with NASA, Faraday Technology, Inc. has advanced this concept through a series of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects, resulting in the development of a Peroxide Generation Unit (PGU). The PGU can produce up to 3 wt.% hydrogen peroxide on-demand at a rate of 1 liter per day, providing a sustainable alternative to Earth-dependent supplies. The resulting aqueous hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is an effective disinfectant, safe for crew use, compatible with spacecraft systems, and free from volatiles, off-gassing, or residues. This innovation offers a reliable, efficient solution for onboard disinfection, reducing dependence on Earth-based resupply while ensuring the health and safety of space crews. Generating hydrogen peroxide at the required rate needs high voltages and currents, exceeding 20V and 2A respectively, which leads to significant heat generation from Joule heating. This temperature rise poses a risk to sensitive system components, especially critical and expensive membranes that can degrade under thermal stress. To mitigate this risk, the thermal, fluid, and electrical flows within the system are modeled computationally using the commercial software COMSOL. The numerical simulations are validated against experimental data from both sub-scale and alpha-scale systems. Once verified, the model is employed to identify thermal hotspots, investigate their underlying causes, and explore solutions to prevent them.

Life Support Systems (LSS)↗
DOE OSTI2012

Waste Heat Recovery from the Advanced Test Reactor Secondary Coolant Loop

This study investigated the feasibility of using a waste heat recovery system (WHRS) to recover heat from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) secondary coolant system (SCS). This heat would be used to preheat air for space heating of the reactor building, thus reducing energy consumption, carbon footprint, and energy costs. Currently, the waste heat from the reactor is rejected to the atmosphere via a four-cell, induced-draft cooling tower. Potential energy and cost savings are 929 kW and $285K/yr. The WHRS would extract a tertiary coolant stream from the SCS loop and pump it to a new plate and frame heat exchanger, from which the heat would be transferred to a glycol loop for preheating outdoor air supplied to the heating and ventilation system. The use of glycol was proposed to avoid the freezing issues that plagued and ultimately caused the failure of a WHRS installed at the ATR in the 1980s. This study assessed the potential installation of a new WHRS for technical, logistical, and economic feasibility.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Algae Derived Biofuel

One of the most promising fuel alternatives is algae biodiesel. Algae reproduce quickly, produce oils more efficiently than crop plants, and require relatively few nutrients for growth. These nutrients can potentially be derived from inexpensive waste sources such as flue gas and wastewater, providing a mutual benefit of helping to mitigate carbon dioxide waste. Algae can also be grown on land unsuitable for agricultural purposes, eliminating competition with food sources. This project focused on cultivating select algae species under various environmental conditions to optimize oil yield. Membrane studies were also conducted to transfer carbon di-oxide more efficiently. An LCA study was also conducted to investigate the energy intensive steps in algae cultivation.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS2017

Design and testing of high-performance mini-channel graphite heat exchangers in thermoelectric energy recovery systems

Recent national energy usage studies by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2015 [1] show that there is approximately 59 Quads (1015 Btu’s) of waste thermal energy throughout various industrial, residential, power generation, and transportation sectors of the U.S. economy. Thermoelectric energy recovery is one important technology for recovering this waste thermal energy in high-temperature industrial, transportation and military energy systems. Thermoelectric generator (TEG) systems in these applications require high performance hot-side and cold-side heat exchangers to provide the critical temperature differential and transfer the required thermal energy. High performance hot-side heat exchangers in these systems are often metal-based due to requirements for high-temperature operation, strength at temperature, corrosion resistance, and chemical stability. However, the generally selected metal-based hot-side heat exchangers (i.e., Inconels, Stainless Steels) suffer from low thermal conductivity, high thermal expansion, and high density, which degrades their thermal performance, leads to high thermal-expansion-driven stresses, and creates relatively high mass/high volume (i.e., low power density) TEG systems that are then difficult to fabricate and integrate into viable energy recovery systems. This paper describes the design and testing of a new, high-temperature minichannel graphite heat exchanger designed for operation up to 500C that is a critical element of a high-power-density TEG power system for aircraft energy recovery. This high-performance graphite heat exchanger represents a new state-of-the-art standard in high-temperature heat exchangers for TEG systems, which provides higher thermal transport, less thermal expansion at operation, lower system level stresses on TE components, and a lighter weight TEG system. This new heat exchanger creates a new design paradigm in TEG system design for terrestrial energy recovery and potential NASA technology infusion into terrestrial energy system applications. This paper will present and discuss the key heat transfer, pressure drop, pumping power analyses and design tradeoffs that created this unique design. Heat transfer and pressure drop modeling was performed with both empirical models based on known heat transfer and friction factor correlations and COMSOL thermal/fluid dynamic modeling of the graphite heat exchanger structure. We will also discuss resulting thermal transport and heat fluxes predicted at the TEG interface level. Heat exchanger performance testing was performed under simulated operating conditions and correlation with test data at the anticipated operating temperature conditions will be presented and discussed.

Shevade, Abhijit↗
DOE OSTI2012

Remote Handled Transuranic Sludge Retrieval Transfer And Storage System At Hanford

This paper describes the systems developed for processing and interim storage of the sludge managed as remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU). An experienced, integrated CH2M HILL/AFS team was formed to design and build systems to retrieve, interim store, and treat for disposal the K West Basin sludge, namely the Sludge Treatment Project (STP). A system has been designed and is being constructed for retrieval and interim storage, namely the Engineered Container Retrieval, Transfer and Storage System (ECRTS).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

D and D of a Large Waste Treatment Plant in Germany - 18458

With its 40 years of nuclear experience, GNS, the world leading supplier of casks for spent fuel, ILW and HLW, also offers services for conditioning and management of all types of radioactive waste, especially for the German NPP. Since 1985, GNS treats and packages ILW and LLW from the operations and phase-out of German NPP in its Duisburg plant. To enable its permanent safe final disposal, solid wastes are compacted and dried before being shipped to an interim storage facility or - later - the Konrad repository. The total premises cover 20.000 m{sup 2} (215.000 sq ft), of which 9000 m{sup 2} (97.000 sq ft) is controlled area. The Duisburg Plant has three large industrial warehouses (each 25 m x 136 m or 82 ft x 446 ft) with a total capacity of 10.200 m{sup 2} or 110.000 sqft. For the treatment of open contaminated waste, six enclosures were built. These enclosures have a special ventilation system including a specific filtration plant. In one enclosure a high compaction plant was used, in another enclosures a drying facility for drums was in operation. During peak periods, more than 900 tonne of waste were treated annually. One enclosure was mainly used for maintenance, restoration and extension of mobile facilities, which were normally used for campaigns in NPP. Due to the decreasing amount of operational waste during the nuclear phase out in Germany, GNS has decided to close the Duisburg Plant. In the first half-year of 2017, the last waste packages were treated but around 80 20'-containers are still located on site. The D and D started in January 2017. The presentation will show the first experience of decommission processes of the first three enclosures. The following steps including the techniques used will be explained in detail: - Dismantling and removal of the high compaction facility; - Dismantling and removal of the drying facility; - Cleaning and wipe tests of the empty enclosures; - Removal of the stainless steel plates of the floor; - Investigations of the lower floor parts for contamination; - Removal of contaminated underground drainpipes; - Decontamination of the concrete floor; - Dismantling of the ventilation system in three enclosures; - Dismantling of the steel constructions. An important aim during the dismantling is to reduce the amount of nuclear waste and maximize the fraction material for free release. Next to the first three enclosures, in one of the enclosure IV - VI, a 150 tons scrap shear had been installed before the construction of the enclosure building. The scrap shear has to be dismantled and handled by heavy duty lifting equipment. Only afterwards is it possible to start the decommissioning of the last three enclosures. Our goal is to transfer this very large controlled area and the whole plant to the site owner, the Duisburg Port company, after 2 years and 5 months and doing so in a way so that the industrial warehouses can be used again for all possible types of industries. (authors)

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

Agricultural approaches of remediation in the outside of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

This paper outlines agricultural approaches of remediation activity done in contaminated areas around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. About the decontamination examination of contaminated areas, we have tried the land scale test of a rice field before and after planting by the use of currently recommended methods. Since farmers would carry out the land preparation by themselves, generation of secondary radioactive waste should be as low as possible through the decontamination works. For the radioactive nuclide migration control of rice by wet rice production, several types of decontamination methods such as zeolite addition and potassium fertilization in the soil have been examined. The results are summarized in the 4 following points. 1) Plowing and water discharge are effective for removing radioactive cesium from rice field. 2) Additional potassium fertilization is effective for reducing cesium radioactivity in the product. 3) No significant difference is observed with or without the zeolite addition. 4) Very low transfer factor of cesium from soil to brown rice has been obtained compared with literature values.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1994

Ilmenite as Dual-Use Material

This paper addresses the subject of dual-use space technology transfer of a novel, non-traditional material termed ilmenite, found in a large percentage in the moon rocks brought back by NASA's APOLLO missions. The paper is somewhat premature in the sense that though the material as a mineral has been known for a long time, very little is known about pure single crystal ilmenite and hence few applications have been demonstrated. Yet, in another sense, it is very timely due to the fact that ilmenite promises to be a very interesting competition to silicon, silicon carbide and other compound semiconductors, especially those that are employed in high power, high temperature and large data storage/retrieval applications. It seems to be an excellent example of a small investment-high return situation. While some of the applications of this material - for production of oxygen, for instance - have been well-known, electronic applications have received relatively little attention. One reason for this was the fact that growth of single crystal ilmenite requires precise process conditions and parameters. We believe for the first time these have been determined in the Center for Electronic Materials, Texas A&M University. The work being done at Texas A&M University and Prairie View A&M University (supported by Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories and the Center for Space Power) indicates the excellent potential this material has in space as well as in terrestrial applications. To mention a few: as a wide band gap semiconductor it has applications in high temperature, high power situations, especially when heat dissipation is a problem such as may occur in the Space Station; the possibility of this material radiating in the blue region, it has immense applications in optoelectronics; as a material with a high density of highly directional d-bands, it lends itself to novel processing conditions and perhaps even to 'tunability' of physical parameters; as a potential scintillating material, it has possible applications as a sensor in waste management; as an oxygen sensor it has possible applications in automotive electronics; and as a radiation resistant material, it has obvious applications in the space environment. Results - experimental and theoretical - obtained so far in our laboratories will be reported with particular emphasis on the transfer of technology involving this fascinating material.

Kumar, A. A.↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Strategic Benefit of Self Shielded Boxes for Storage and Disposal of Metallic Uranic Material-18141

Sellafield Ltd, on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), is responsible for the management of a number of facilities whose inventories include a range of metallic uranic material. Additional fuel and fuel bearing materials exist in the NDA estate, some of which are similar to the Sellafield-managed inventory and others present different management challenges. Whilst UK Government policy directs that some of these materials are assets and are therefore managed with eventual future use in mind, there remains a large quantity of material, principally either out-of-scope for reprocessing or which derives from legacy facilities, which is likely to be disposed of to a future Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). The majority of this material is stored under wet conditions to facilitate dose shielding and heat dissipation and will therefore require removal from wet storage, consolidation and conditioning, prior to transfer to GDF. In order to accelerate high hazard and risk reduction by sooner retrieval of legacy material from wetted storage, one of the legacy storage facilities has led technical work to develop the design of Self Shielded Boxes (SSBs) and to substantiate their use for interim storage of the materials in question. Use of the SSBs would represent a change of strategy on the Sellafield Site: historically, timescales for retrieval of material have been reliant upon a waste treatment and storage/disposal route being available. SSBs provide the opportunity to retrieve uranic materials from aging legacy storage facilities for immediate buffer storage, by decoupling the timing of retrieval from the availability of an onward route. An understanding was required of the scope for defining optimal routes for each metallic uranic fuel and fuel bearing material group for safe transport and storage commensurate with current final disposal assumptions and risks, taking into account international best practice. A study is underway to understand options for transfer of material into SSBs, buffer/interim storage locations, treatment/conditioning processes and transport to the GDF. This work forms the basis of a prioritised road-map for the development of routes for study material groups aligned with ongoing and existing planned technical work, which is a pre-requisite to strategy development. The ultimate output of the study will be identification of full life cycle management strategies for metallic uranic material from an enterprise perspective. The combination of this strategic work and ongoing technical work will underpin a series of decisions to divert sub-groups of uranic material away from currently assumed baseline routes in support of earliest practicable hazard and risk reduction. Hence, each decision will reduce the scope of a placeholder future uranic fuel treatment capability, which will diminish the associated British Pound 1 bn capital cost. To date, a technical case for interim storage of uranic material in SSBs has been substantiated for around two thirds of the study materials. The requirement for a new strategy at Sellafield was driven by technical development of SSBs in response to the needs of one programme, but this prompted the study into the potential utilisation of SSBs in order to derive benefit for the wider enterprise and across the NDA estate. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗