Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Operations Research & Management Science”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Radiation Monitoring for Volatilized Zinc Contamination Using Gamma-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy

Gamma-ray imaging is a tool that has grown in importance in the applications of non-destructive assay (NDA) for radioactive survey and analysis of nuclear facilities. Imaging techniques have shown great promise in providing valuable information involving radioactive waste management and contamination prevention. For the application studied in this work, 65 Zn has been identified as a radioactive contaminant during tritium extraction. Due to the volatile nature of 65 Zn under the pressure and temperature changes during extraction operations, 65 Zn can easily travel through components of the extraction system as vapor, making it difficult to trap. Previous research involving the development of a filtration system showed that the 65 Zn can be trapped, mitigating product contamination. However, during the extraction process, direct analysis of the equipment to confirm that zinc contamination is trapped in the filter and has not spread to other components is impractical. Here, in this situation, the need to assay the location of the contamination with little-to-no interference with operations is vital. In this work, we demonstrate the use of a commercialized 3D position-sensitive CdZnTe (CZT) gamma-ray imaging spectrometer to provide analysis of the 65 Zn contamination. Onsite measurements during an extraction process are studied to assess the location and migration of the 65 Zn. The results obtained from real-time glovebox monitoring demonstrate the feasibility of gamma-ray imaging for localizing the contamination and providing a preliminary qualitative assessment that is intended to be used in future work quantifying the contamination build-up and activity over time.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI1993

Nuclear Safety [Vol. 34, No. 1, January-March 1993]

Nuclear Safety is a review journal that covers significant developments in the field of nuclear safety. Its scope includes the analysis and control of hazards associated with nuclear energy, operations involving fissionable materials, and the products of nuclear fission and their effects on the environment. Primary emphasis is on safety in reactor design, construction, and operation; however, the safety aspects of the entire fuel cycle, including fuel fabrication, spent-fuel processing, nuclear waste disposal, handling of radioisotopes, and environmental effects of these operations, are also treated. Table of Contents for this issue follows. GENERAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS: 1 An Integrated Regional Approach To Risk Management of Industrial Systems, S. Chakraborty and R. Stratton; 9 Annual Technical Meeting of the NRC Cooperative Severe Accident Research Program, E. G. Silver; ACCIDENT ANALYSIS: 13 Deterministic Severe Accident Criteria as Severe Accident Design Criteria and Policy for the New Production Reactor-Heavy Water Reactor, P. T. Rhoads; 20 Proposed Deterministic Severe Accident Criteria for the Heavy Water Reactor-New Production Reactor Containment, K. D. Bergeron, S. E. Slezak, and C. E. Leach; 33 Quasi-Static Core Liquid Level Depression and Long-Term Core Uncovery During a PWR LOCA, Y. Kukita, R. R. Schultz, H. Nakamura, and J. Katayama; 49 LIRA: An Advanced Containment System to Minimize the Accidental Radioactivity Releases, A. Turricchia; 63 Errata to “A Review of Hydrogen Production During Melt/Water Interaction in LWRs,” Vol. 33, No. 4; CONTROL AND INSTRUMENTATION: 64 The Nuplex 80+™ Advanced Control Complex from ABB Combustion Engineering, F. Ridolfo, D. Harmon, and K. Scarola; DESIGN FEATURES: 76 A Scheme for Passive Isolation of the Containment of a Reactor, A. K. Ghosh, V. V. Raj, and K. Kakodkar; 84 Utility Requirements for Safety in the Passive Advanced Light-Water Reactor, T. U. Marston, W. H. Layman, and G. Bockhold, Jr.; WASTE AND SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT: 91 Activities Related to Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Compiled by M. D. Muhlheim and E. G. Silver; OPERATING EXPERIENCES: 103 Testing Deficiencies in Auxiliary Systems Feedwater Systems, J. D. Kueck; 110 Reactor Shutdown Experience, Compiled by J. W. Cletcher; 113 Selected Safety-Related Events, Compiled by G. A. Murphy; 115 Operating U.S. Power Reactors, Compiled by M. D. Muhlheim and E. G. Silver; RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: 133 General Administrative Activities, Compiled by M. D. Muhlheim and E. G. Silver; 145 Reports, Standards, and Safety Guides, D. S. Queener; 150 Proposed Rule Changes as of Sept. 30, 1992; ANNOUNCEMENTS: 75 Harvard Short Course on Risk: Science, Assessment, and Management; 102 International Conference on Reactor Physics and Reactor Computations; 102 The Fourth International Conference on Nuclear Waste Reprocessing and Waste Management [RECOD ’94]; 132 International Symposium on the Radiological Exposure of the Population of the European Community from Radioactivity in the Mediterranean Sea [MARINA-MED]; 162 International High-Level Radioactive Waste Conference ‘Technology Integration—Above and Below”; 154 The Authors; 158 Indexes to Nuclear Safety, Volume 33.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Preliminary Workforce Development and Environmental and Co-use Management Plans for a Floating Offshore Wind Platform - CRADA 609 (Final Report)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) provided technical assistance to Glosten, Inc. and its affiliate, PelaStar, LLC to advance the development of their floating offshore wind (FOSW) platform. PNNL provided guidance and assessment in two areas that are important to address in the development of FOSW platforms: (1) workforce development and (2) environmental impacts and ocean co-use considerations. This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) through Phase 2 of the FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize. It should be noted that the Plans presented in this report are specific to the PelaStar tension-leg platform (TLP) and may not be applicable to all FOSW platforms. Workforce development and environmental/co-use impacts are highly dependent on the geographical region in which activities take place. At the request of PelaStar, PNNL focused on two regions where development may take place: the Gulf of Maine and Northern California. PNNL generated a preliminary Workforce Development Plan for PelaStar, which includes estimated job numbers and skillsets required to establish a workforce to manufacture, install, and operate their platform as part of FOSW projects. The Plan offers methods to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion practices when developing a new workforce and includes colleges and training centers for potential recruitment. Both positive and negative impacts to communities are evaluated, with potential mitigation strategies for reducing negative impacts. The structure of Community Benefit Agreements and Project Labor Agreements are discussed, noting the limitations of the role of a platform manufacturer versus the offshore wind developer. PNNL also drafted a preliminary Environmental and Co-Use Management Plan that serves as a guide to preparing an environmental assessment related to the installation and operation of PelaStar’s unique TLP design, including its potential ecological, socioeconomic, and emissions impacts. The Plan summarizes information on relevant regulatory requirements, potential impact producing factors, monitoring and mitigation measures, and physical and biological resources in the Gulf of Maine and Northern California. One of the primary perceived benefits of the PelaStar TLP is its reduced footprint due to its tensioned tendons versus catenary or taut moorings, but more research must be done as there are no studies on PelaStar’s TLP system to-date. The section also highlights ocean co-use considerations for PelaStar’s TLP system, specifically for fisheries, including existing perspectives, methods, examples, and limitations. The PNNL team established through this preliminary work and review of available literature and resources that there is not yet much research or planning around FOSW. With FOSW being a new industry, many of the findings and planning are adapted from fixed bottom offshore wind, which itself is only just taking off in the United States. More research is needed to establish best practices for workforce development and to assess environmental and ocean co-use impacts and mitigation approaches.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

A U.S. scientific community review of carbon cycle science gaps and opportunities to better support earth system science and carbon management

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue to grow, while natural carbon reservoirs are becoming increasingly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures, climate extremes, and disturbance. These changes are impacting humans, ecosystems, and natural resources worldwide. Tracking and mitigating GHG emissions require a pivot to operational monitoring of regional carbon flux and stock changes. The current GHG observing system is addressing needs at two distinct scales: 1) Local scale (< 1 km), related to anthropogenic point source emissions, and 2) global scales (> 1000 km), related to land and ocean carbon sinks. More focus on intermediate (10–1000 km) scales is needed to more effectively monitor progress in reducing carbon emissions, enhancing removals, and maintaining sinks. Representatives from carbon cycle biomass and flux communities across United States government agencies and academic institutions met in September 2024 to discuss the rationale and scientific context for more effectively implementing an operational system for GHG monitoring in support of urban and national carbon management needs. To guide development of this system, we propose a multi-tiered global spaceborne observing framework for carbon flux and stock, prioritizing: 1) frequent GHG partial columns for carbon emissions and removals; 2) continuous time series and data fusion of biomass from Lidar and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for carbon stocks, and 3) expanded coverage of tropical, high latitude, and oceanic regions to monitor carbon cycle tipping points and feedbacks. This system should be complemented by expanded surface and airborne networks for oceanic and terrestrial/aquatic ecosystems for calibration, ground truthing, and study of under-sampled regions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Time-Lapse Electromagnetic Methods for Monitoring Plume Development in a Carbon Storage Reservoir

Conference presentation at International Meeting for Applied Geoscience & Energy (IMAGE), Houston, Texas, August 25–28, 2025. The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) is leading applied research on electromagnetic (EM) monitoring methods at an active carbon storage site in North Dakota. Injection operations at the site began in February 2024, with a permitted injection rate of up to 2.7 million tonnes of CO 2 annually using six injection wells. CO 2 is captured on-site and injected into the Broom Creek Formation, a predominantly sandstone reservoir and saline aquifer located at a depth of approximately 1800 meters. The EERC led acquisition of multiple active- and passive-source EM techniques between August and October of 2024 to provide a thorough understanding of the resistivity profile at the site.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ensuring continued operation of INSPIRE as a cornerstone of the HEP information infrastructure

The INSPIRE platform — the most widely-used discovery service specifically tailored to the needs of researchers in High Energy Physics (HEP) — has become a central component of the information infrastructure for the discipline. Despite this, INSPIRE's continued sustainability is frequently endangered by resource constraints, recently made more acute by the loss of support from historical funders changing their research priorities. If the European particle physics community wishes to ensure INSPIRE's long-term sustainability, the community should secure international support and ensure appropriate funding.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ecological acclimation: A framework to integrate fast and slow responses to climate change

Ecological responses to climate change occur across vastly different time-scales, from minutes for physiological plasticity to decades or centuries for community turnover and evolutionary adaptation. Accurately predicting the range of ecosystem trajectories will require models that incorporate both fast processes that may keep pace with climate change and slower ones likely to lag behind and generate disequilibrium dynamics. However, the knowledge necessary for this integration is currently fragmented across disciplines. We develop ‘ecological acclimation’ as a unifying framework to emphasize the similarity of dynamics driven by processes operating on dramatically different time-scales and levels of biological organization. The framework focuses on ecoclimate sensitivities, measured as the change in an ecological response variable per unit of climate change. Acclimation processes acting at different time-scales cause these sensitivities to shift in magnitude and even direction over time. We highlight shifting ecoclimate sensitivities in case studies from diverse ecosystems, including terrestrial plant communities, coral reefs and soil microbiomes. Models predicting future ecosystem states inevitably make assumptions about acclimation processes; these assumptions must be explicit for users to evaluate whether a model is appropriate for a given forecast horizon. Similarly, decision frameworks that clearly account for multiple acclimation processes and their distinct time-scales will help natural resource managers plan for ecological impacts of climate change from years to many decades into the future. We outline a synthetic research programme focused on the time-scales of ecological acclimation to reduce uncertainty in ecological forecasts.

climate adaptation↗
DOE OSTI2026

Results from the last DD and DT JET campaigns in the framework of the EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation Work Package activity

JET, the only tokamak capable of operating with deuterium–tritium (D–T) fuel (since TFTR was shutdown in 1999), has provided essential experimental data to support ITER and DEMO design and operation. Within the EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation Work Package, JET completed its final campaigns (2022–2023), culminating in the third D–T campaign (DTE3). These experiments addressed key challenges in plasma scenarios, exhaust control, and tritium management under reactor-relevant conditions. Significant progress was achieved in demonstrating ITER-like integrated scenarios with impurity seeding, achieving partial divertor detachment and high confinement ($H_{98}(y,2)$ ≈ 0.85) at 3 MA in D–T plasmas. Advanced exhaust regimes such as quasi-continuous exhaust (QCE) and X-point radiator (XPR) were successfully achieved first in D–D and then extended to D–T operation, confirming their relevance for mixed isotope operation. Operational milestones included a new world record of 69 MJ fusion energy in tritium-rich hybrid plasmas and long-pulse H-mode operation up to 60 s, contributing with unique data to the CICLOP database. Physics studies focused on peeling-limited pedestals in support of ITER and improved understanding of edge stability and impurity screening in metallic environments. Extensive usage of the shattered pellet injector (SPI) on JET provided critical information for the design of the ITER disruption mitigation system (DMS). Real-time control systems for D/T ratio control and plasma exhaust were deployed and demonstrated in D–D and D–T, while energetic particle physics investigations unfolded the role of fast ions in turbulence suppression mechanisms. Comprehensive tritium retention studies using gas balance method, post-mortem analysis, and ITER-relevant laser induced desorption spectroscopy (LIDS) diagnostics provided essential input for tritium accountancy strategies. These results are validating the ITER operational concepts, inform DEMO design, and deliver critical experience in nuclear operation and scenario integration.

disruptions↗
DOE OSTI2026

Project 2.8: Biological Specimen Repository for the Mayak Project

Curation of the existing specimens, including Standard Operating Procedures: The Southern Urals Biophysics Institute (SUBI) will continue to manage the day-to-day operations of the biorepository, but will have to assume the financial costs of maintaining and purchasing equipment such as freezers; Standard Operating Procedures are already in place for all aspects of the operations, and the Georgetown University team will be available on a voluntary and ad hoc basis to answer any technical questions in the future. Acquisition and tracking of new specimens: SUBI will decide on the collection of new tissues and blood samples in the future, and on what scale, depending on available resources and research needs. The Georgetown University team is willing to provide advice on a voluntary and ad hoc basis. Procedures for receiving and approving specimen requests from users: SUBI can take over this function; Chris Loffredo and other qualified research scientists at Georgetown University would be willing to serve as Tissue Review Committee members on a voluntary and ad hoc basis. Biospecimens remaining at Georgetown University: pursuant to the original terms of the Biospecimen Transfer Agreement between SUBI and Georgetown University, all unused portions of specimens (FFPE blocks, slides, and frozen tissues) will be returned to SUBI at the conclusion of the approved scientific research for which they were transferred. It was anticipated that the return shipment of biospecimens would occur in the fall of 2023. However, at this time, due to international developments, there are no shipping companies who can provide such deliveries to Russia. For now, the biospecimens can remain at Georgetown University where they are stored at the Genomics and Epigenomics Shared Resource. There have not been any storage costs to date, but this could change in the future.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Overview of the KSTAR experiments and future plan

The Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device has recently entered a new phase of operation following the installation of a tungsten mono-block divertor, providing a unique platform to investigate high-performance, long-pulse plasma scenarios for future reactors. The 2023–2024 experimental campaigns demonstrated significant progress in commissioning the tungsten divertor, developing plasma operation scenarios, and achieving real-time control. Comparative studies revealed increased core radiation losses and associated performance degradation relative to the carbon divertor environment. Alleviation strategies, such as optimized neutral beam injection timing, boron powder seeding, and impurity control through gas puffing, were shown to reduce tungsten accumulation and extend high-performance phases, including record H-mode operation exceeding 100 s. International collaboration enabled the first demonstration of high poloidal beta scenarios with an internal transport barrier on KSTAR. Advances in control included upgraded real-time resonant magnetic perturbation schemes and disruption forecasting. Furthermore, divertor detachment control using a new surrogate-model-based approach with real-time radiation imaging demonstrated active impurity and heat flux management. Supported by enhanced heating, current drive, and diagnostic systems, these achievements offer valuable insights into tungsten impurity behavior, transport physics, and control strategies for future reactors including ITER. Planned upgrades toward a full-tungsten wall and ITER-aligned real-time plasma control will further establish KSTAR as a leading experimental platform for developing operational scenarios required to achieve steady-state, burning plasma conditions.

KSTAR↗
DOE OSTI2024

Considerations for Introducing Artificial Intelligence into Nuclear Power Plants

Advanced computational tools and techniques such as artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) can transform the nuclear power industry. This is necessary given that the economic viability of the existing fleet is in jeopardy and its labor-centric approach to operations and maintenance. Currently, AI/ML research is being undertaken for reactor system design and analysis including fault and accident prognosis, nuclear risk analysis such as plant safety and security evaluation, and plant operations and maintenance including predictive maintenance. Applications include both existing and advanced reactor technologies with the aim of improving operational and business efficiencies. Most every aspect of the organization can benefit, from instrumentation and control, to work planning, to human-machine interactions and business management. AI/ML in nuclear can simplify complex problems and produce more effective decision-making. Nonetheless, careful consideration must be given to the implementation of an AI/ML initiative. The aims of this research are to 1) review barriers to AI/ML adoption within the nuclear power industry, and 2) suggest potential solutions. These barriers are organized along five distinct categories (Figure 1) that are interconnected. The first are historical barriers that track the industry’s development over the decades including worldwide nuclear events that shaped public perceptions. The resulting federal scrutiny and intense safety culture that emerged are discussed. Technical barriers to AI/ML adoption are considerable, and include data privacy concerns, data governance, and the current lack of AI/ML expert knowledge at the plants. The main business case barrier remains cost, but an absence of an industry-wide vision and wide-scale adoption also produces reluctance. Stakeholder readiness is reviewed with special attention given to regulatory readiness. The 5-year strategic plan for AI readiness recently published by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is highlighted. Last, adoption barriers at the user level are addressed including the importance of user experience and explainable AI. The AI adoption barriers described here are inter-related and ideally should be addressed in a holistic fashion.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Building 100 Groundwater Bioremediation at the Former DOE Pinellas Plant, Florida: Review of Progress and Opportunities

Weapons research, development, and production operations at the former Pinellas Plant, which includes the Building 100 area, released chlorinated organic solvents into the subsurface, contaminating the underlying soil and groundwater. The site was sold to Pinellas County and is now home to a thriving industrial park known as the Young - Rainey Science, Technology, and Research (STAR) Center. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has applied bioremediation at the Building 100 Area as a key technology to clean up the chlorinated volatile organic compound (cVOC) contamination in soil and groundwater. The monitoring data indicate significant progress toward remedial objectives over the past two decades. Starting conditions in the 1980s-1990s included areas containing residual undissolved dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) and the associated presence of an extensive high concentration plume in the groundwater. The original parent cVOCs were primarily tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE). After several informative pilot studies, bioremediation was implemented at the Building 100 Area of the site and relies on reductive biological pathways and the sequential removal of chlorine from the parent cVOCs forming dichloroethane (DCE) and chloroethene (vinyl chloride, VC). As bioremediation sites evolve toward cleanup, the trends in VC concentrations often serve as a critical indicator for progress and remediation timeframe because VC typically has a lower concentration target remedial objective (nominally 1 to 2 μg/L) compared to PCE and TCE (nominally 3 to 5 μg/L).

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

Evaluating the Impact of Tritium Permeation Membrane Performance and Direct Internal Recycling on Fusion Fuel Cycle Efficiency Using TMAP8

An efficient fuel cycle is vital to sustainable and cost-effective energy generation in fusion systems. Since tritium is not widely available, fusion systems must breed their own tritium for sustainable fusion deuterium-tritium reactions. An inefficient fuel cycle increases the tritium inventory needed for operations, which increases costs, constraints on tritium management systems, and safety concerns. A fuel cycle model is a powerful tool for understanding tritium inventories and flow rates across all systems in the fuel cycle. By simplifying the technical details into time-dependent tritium flow rates and inventories, the model can simulate the entire fuel cycle with high computational efficiency, even for technologies that are still under development. It can therefore quantify the impact of new tritium management technologies on fuel cycle efficiency. To evaluate the impact of key components on reducing tritium inventory, we are using and expanding an existing fuel cycle models based on latest advancements in fuel cycle research. The new model integrates Tritium Permeation Membrane (TPM) and Direct Internal Recycling (DIR) to enhance tritium transport from blanket breeders and plasma exhaust. These fuel cycle models are implemented in TMAP8 (Tritium Migration Analysis Program, version 8), a MOOSE-based open-source application designed to provide cutting-edge capabilities for tritium transport and fuel cycle modeling. The study aims to demonstrate the extensibility of existing fuel cycle modeling capability in TMAP8 and to offer a proof-of-principle design for future fusion plant systems. The presentation will cover the performance of fuel cycle modeling capabilities available in TMAP8, highlight advancements in fuel cycle research, and present a sensitivity analysis of these models. The results underline potential approaches and technology solutions to lower tritium inventory requirements, highlighting their role in shaping the future of fusion energy.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advances in high-pressure and high-temperature heat exchangers: Innovations via additive manufacturing and their applications

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of technological developments and applications for high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) heat exchangers produced through additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. As the demand for high-efficiency energy systems has been rising, the role of heat exchangers for thermal management and transport is becoming increasingly crucial. In this context, AM has emerged as a promising manufacturing solution to address the challenges posed by higher operating temperatures and/or pressures. This paper delves into three primary areas: the exploration of HPHT regimes supported by conventional heat exchangers, the impact of AM processes on thermal transport devices, and the discussion focused on HPHT heat exchangers produced via AM. The study examines the traditional manufacturing processes, materials, structures and geometries, and limitations of the commonly used heat exchangers for HPHT applications. Furthermore, it highlights the potential of AM in optimizing HPHT heat exchanger design, by reviewing studies that enable uniform flow distribution, minimization of fouling, and thermo-hydraulic performance augmentation without compromising structural stability. While addressing the limitations of cost, size, and other constraints, this study offers insights into the possibilities of AM in revolutionizing HPHT heat exchanger technology. The goal has been to fill the gap in literature by summarizing key studies, findings, and limitations, presenting a detailed examination, and proposing new areas for research. In conclusion, this review contributes to a deeper understanding of AM’s role in advancing HPHT heat exchangers for future energy systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Deep Learning for Fish Identification from Sonar Data (CRADA 481 Final Report)

In eastern regions of the United States, the American eel is a species of management and regulatory concern because of significant population declines, despite the species’ previous abundance in all tributaries of rivers flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. The American eel is also a candidate for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. While hydropower construction and operation are only one of several factors contributing to this population decline, such a listing could impose additional regulatory challenges for a large number of hydropower projects. In this CRADA project, we improved technologies for identifying migrating eels with the goal of reducing the cost and time required for future American eel hydropower impact assessment and mitigation studies, while maintaining accuracy. We built on results from a previous FOA project (FOA# DE-FOA-0001662), led by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), which developed a highly accurate, deep-learning method for identifying migrating eels from imaging sonar data. The current study aimed to further optimize this deep-learning model, originally designed for image classification, and to develop an object detection software capable of identifying fish from sonar videos in real time, enabling the detection of events like fish migrations and specific species, such as the American eel, at hydropower dams. The data conversion algorithms were packaged as software with a graphical user interface, and the software is evaluated by external collaborators. We focused on the American eel in this project and explored the transferability of the developed deep learning models to the sea lamprey, given the similar body shape and swimming behavior between the two species.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development of Transformative Preparation Methods to Push up High Q&G Performance of FRIB Spare HWR Cryomodule Cavities

The FRIB accelerator project construction, a top priority of US nuclear science, was completed in January 2022, and is now moving to user operation. The stable and reliable operation of the accelerating cryomodules is essential in achieving/fulfilling DOE and user expectations. So far, FRIB cryomodules meet all FRIB specifications for cavity performance. However, during the lifetime of machine operation, degradation of cryomodule performance is possible, as reported in similar operating facilities (CEBAF, SNS). If cryomodule degradation is observed at FRIB, the under-performing cryomodule will require replacement/maintenance. In effort to manage operational reliability, FRIB plans to construct a 0.53 half-wave cryomodule to serve as an active spare. In a parallel effort, FRIB will also work toward increasing operational Q and gradient of spare cryomodule cavities to gain an overall performance margin to support future operational reliability. The current FRIB cavity designs have a potential to operate at gradients higher than 8 MV/m, but are currently limited by field emission (FE) and/or high field Q slope (HFQS); known issue in buffered chemical polished (BCP) treated cavities. The proposal looks to develop transformative surface preparation treatments to improve the operational gradient of spare cryomodules higher than 10 MV/m while maintaining high Q. Thus, increasing operational margin by 30 - 50%. With the goal to improve operational reliability set, the proposal will investigate multiple objectives as possible paths forward to achieve an overall increase in cavity performance and gain a better understanding of SRF limiting mechanisms. The proposal will study the application of different chemical surface treatments to 0.53 half-wave cavities, with the addition of low temperature bakes (LTB), and measure their effects on accelerating performance. Proposed chemical treatments to be explored in this proposal include conventional EP acid mixtures, as well as innovated EP and BCP acid mixtures designed to simplify processing paths in migrating FE and HFQS. The proposed transformative treatment wet N-doping also has the potential to replicate recent advancements in SRF technology relating to nitrogen doping and high Q operation without the requirement for an ultra-high vacuum annealing furnace; currently being developed at FNAL and JLAB. In parallel, high Q performance relating to flux trapping will be investigated with the installation of a second layer of magnetic shielding in the vertical test Dewar. The research objectives presented in the proposal, and their corresponding effects on cavity performance, will provide essential knowledge and future guidance to the SRF community and provide possible paths for future SRF based projects and applications.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Study on the Impact of Temperature-Dependent Ferroelectric Switching Behavior in 3D Memory Architecture

The flourishing development of neural networks that require exponentially growing amounts of data has presented an elevated demand for memory footprint. To address this, researchers have been exploring hardware accelerators with innovative memory architectures like 3D memory. These 3D memory architectures offer enhanced storage capacity and processing capabilities, at a cost of rising on-chip temperature during operation. Hafnium Zirconium Oxide (HZO) based Ferroelectric Random Access Memory (FeRAM) is a promising nonvolatile memory candidate in neural network hardware accelerators for its outstanding write performance and reliability. However, its implementation in the architecture regarding the temperature-dependent ferroelectric switching behavior has not been well studied. In this work, we study the thermal impacts on polarization switching through experimental devices and simulation results. We conduct the circuit and architecture-level simulations to showcase that one can exploit this temperature rise to reduce FeRAM's write voltage and write energy due to its unique temperature-activated polarization switching mechanisms. As the on-chip temperature increases to 351K (ambient temperature at 300K) due to neural network workloads, the access energy per bit can be reduced by 27.6% when a dynamic write voltage is applied.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

NewLife Nuclear - An Environmentally and Economically Minded Solution for Fusion Energy Waste Handling

Energy demand is rising as a result of innovative and increasingly more energy intensive processes coming to fruition, particularly through the recent interest in the development of AI data centers as well as manufacturing with the push towards increasing domestic manufacturing interest. Fusion energy can provide virtually limitless energy to support this increase in energy demand. Fusion energy concepts, largely classified as magnetic fusion energy (MFE) and inertial fusion energy (IFE) are being pursued, each having unique challenges to overcome before the successful deployment of electricity to the grid. Achieving fusion ignition on the National Ignition Facility, first in December 2022, and eight times since, has demonstrated the scientific viability of the IFE approach. Meanwhile, MFE test stands continue to improve confinement times, making meaningful strides in progressing towards experimental scientific viability. In each of these approaches, an emphasis is placed on generating more power out of the system than what is required to power the system. An under-researched area applicable to both IFE and MFE is handling activated waste coming out of fusion energy systems, both in the course of normal daily operations, as well as in intermittent periods as structural materials may need to be replaced. In the context of an IFE plant system, commonly discussed plant designs suggest targets are ignited within a chamber at a rate of up to one million targets per day. Between each shot, the chamber housing the ignition event will clear a portion of the chamber – resulting in a mixture of vaporized target gas, target debris, and other materials being expelled from the chamber [source]. Additionally, IFE system concepts typically discuss the modularization of plant designs, which are expected to be replaced periodically as the components degrade over time. This would result in the irradiated chamber structure materials, likely metals and alloys, needing to be removed and safely stored. In MFE plant systems, while targets are not ignited at a repetition rate with the frequent chamber clearing as is expected in IFE plant systems, it is anticipated that portions of the confinement area interfacing with the hot plasma will need to be replaced periodically. In each system, without additional investment and research into alternative processing and recycling methods, the result is storing irradiated materials, and other elements in a safe containment area until they are no longer activated. – resulting in significant waste both economic and environmental.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗