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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 1,099 records · Page 61
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Evaluation of Side Stream Filtration Technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

This technology evaluation was performed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory on behalf of the Federal Energy Management Program. The objective was to quantify the benefits side stream filtration provides to a cooling tower system. The evaluation assessed the performance of an existing side stream filtration system at a cooling tower system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source research facility. This location was selected because it offered the opportunity for a side-by-side comparison of a system featuring side stream filtration and an unfiltered system.

side stream filtration↗
DOE OSTI2025

New NDA Methods for Thorium Fuel Cycle Safeguards (Final Report)

This project developed portable Neutron Resonance Transmission Analysis (pNRTA) as a new non-destructive assay (NDA) method for thorium fuel cycles safeguards and other applications where multiple isotopes must be measured when present together. pNRTA leverages epithermal neutron resonances to assay multiple safeguards-relevant isotopes (e.g., 233 U and 235 U) when they are present together in a sample. Existing techniques are challenged by this task, driving the need for new active interrogation methods. With selected detectors, pNRTA works in high gamma-ray backgrounds from fission and activation products and 232 U progeny expected in thorium fuel cycle samples. This project leveraged a pNRTA system developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The system uses a commercially available deuterium-tritium (DT) neutron generator at short standoff (2 m). Key achievements in this project included: first-of-a-kind pNRTA quantitative measurements of 233 U oxide samples, an assessment of neutron detector technologies suitable for pNRTA in high gamma-ray background environments, experimentally demonstrating quantitative assay of samples containing 233 U and 235 U, and modeling studies showing the applicability of pNRTA to a wide range of material forms. Further, a custom algorithm was developed at MIT, which provided mean bias of 9% and relative standard deviation of 36% in assaying 233 U, 235 U, 238 U, and 232 Th content in eight measured samples. These outcomes form a solid technical basis for pNRTA as a new promising capability for international safeguards verification that is portable, non-destructive, quantitative, and isotopic specific.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Minimizing Transuranic Waste Generated in Hot Cells at Oak Ridge National Laboratory Through Use of a Non-Destructive CO{sub 2} Pellet Cleaning System - 19577

Wastes generated in shielded hot cells containing materials contaminated with transuranic (TRU) waste present unique problems in waste disposal at Department of Energy (DOE) sites. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) routinely processes materials contaminated with TRU waste from the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and from other sources (both on and off-site) in their hot cell facilities, generating wastes that require eventual disposal. The waste streams generated by these processes are often high activity and exhibit high dose rates, driving them into the remote-handled (RH) category at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Reduction of the TRU waste footprint is desirable from a disposal cost perspective due to constraints with RH waste processing and a lack of space availability at the WIPP. Historically TRU waste generated at ORNL has been processed by the TRU Waste Processing Center (TWPC), which belongs to the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM). Now that Oak Ridge legacy TRU waste is reaching its final stage, DOE-EM has turned over the mission of processing newly-generated TRU waste streams to the DOE Office of Science at ORNL. To reduce the volume of potential TRU waste occupying valuable space in the ORNL Hot Cells, a non-destructive CO{sub 2} pellet cleaning system will be used to capture particulate contaminants removed from the surfaces of waste inside the ORNL Non-Reactor Nuclear Facilities (NNFD) Hot Cells at the Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratories (IFEL). The particulate will be segregated by particle size and captured for disposal later. This action will separate some of the TRU isotopes (particulate) from the larger waste volume (debris waste items), resulting in both lower waste disposal costs and reduced TRU waste volumes. This will be accomplished through a specialized cyclone separator. Secondary wastes are usually generated through other methods of decontamination, such as water jets and abrasive agents. These secondary wastes are absent with the CO{sub 2} pelletized system, due to sublimation of the dry ice upon impact. This is an important consideration with IFEL, a facility whose primary mission is to perform a series of R and D testing on nuclear fuel rods. Liquid is not a feasible method of decontamination as the IFEL's drains in the Hot Cells were plugged years ago due to Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations. Constraints at IFEL, such as criticality safety concerns with use of hydrogenous materials, are also alleviated with the non-destructive CO{sub 2} pellet cleaning system. These are a couple of the considerations why this method of decontamination is preferred. Due to concerns with oxidizers at WIPP grouting will be performed on the contaminated particulate produced during the trapping by the cyclone separation phase. This method will comply with mitigating oxidizing properties in TRU waste, required by the recently published Basis of Knowledge (BoK) document as part of Acceptable Knowledge (AK) by WIPP. (authors)

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

The Initial Development of a Computerized Operator Support System

A computerized operator support system (COSS) is a collection of resilient software technologies to assist operators in monitoring overall nuclear power plant performance and making timely, informed decisions on appropriate control actions for the projected plant condition. The COSS provides rapid assessments, computations, and recommendations to reduce workload and augment operator judgment and decision-making during fast- moving, complex events. A prototype COSS for a chemical volume control system at a nuclear power plant has been developed in order to demonstrate the concept and provide a test bed for further research. The development process identified four underlying elements necessary for the prototype, which consist of a digital alarm system, computer-based procedures, piping and instrumentation diagram system representations, and a recommender module for mitigation actions. An operational prototype resides at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) using the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Human Systems Simulation Laboratory (HSSL). Several human-machine interface (HMI) considerations are identified and incorporated in the prototype during this initial round of development.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2025

SAM Two-Phase Flow Model Development and Applications for Operational Transients in Advanced Reactors

As advanced nuclear technologies continue to develop, the need for the flexible operation and generation of these advanced reactors becomes necessary to maximize economic potential. As large-scale experiments are not always feasible, modeling and simulations of advanced reactors play a crucial role in design optimization and analysis. The SAM (System Analysis Module) code developed at Argonne National Laboratory is a state-of-the-art system-level thermal-hydraulic code aimed at simulating advanced reactor systems. Recent code developments have implemented two-phase flow modeling using the homogeneous equilibrium model, and a new steam generator component has been developed to utilize the two-phase flow implementation. In addition to verification tests, a load-following simulation was performed to model a realistic load-following transient in a proposed integrated system consisting of a conceptual advanced reactor known as the Advanced Burner Test Reactor (ABTR) and thermal energy storage (TES) tanks. The integrated system model uses two large TES tanks designed for sodium and a model helical coil steam generator to simulate the operational load-following transient. The flow rates of the feedwater and secondary loops are regulated to meet a prescribed steam generator load consistent with the electricity demand over a 24-h period. In conclusion, the results found the ABTR system was able to maintain stable reactor conditions and primary- and secondary-side characteristics over the course of the load-following transient.

Advanced Burner Test Reactor (ABTR)↗
DOE OSTI2017

Development of a multidimensional gamma-spectrometer

A high-sensitivity multidimensional gamma-spectrometer is being developed within the shallow underground laboratory at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL, USA). The system consists of two Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors, inside a low-background lead and copper shield, fitted with a cosmic veto background reduction system. The detector has advanced functionality, including operation in single or combined detector mode, with reductions in the cosmic background by 49.6% and Compton suppression of 6.5%. For selected radionuclides this provides an overall MDA improvement of 52.7%. Utilizing both detectors for simultaneous measurements of thermally irradiated highly enriched uranium (HEU) increased peak identification and reduced uncertainty by 27.6%. The design uses commercially off-the-shelf (COTS) components, for which the configuration is described, to provide a practical and powerful solution for low-level nuclear measurements.

Compton suppression↗
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↗
DOE OSTI2022

Scale-up of microwave-assisted, continuous flow, liquid phase reactors: Application to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural production

Microwave (MW) technology can be powerful for the electrification and intensification of chemical manufacturing. However, very few examples of scaled MW processes exist. In this work, we build a scaled, MW-assisted, continuous flow reactor for the processing of liquid phase chemistries with specific application to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) production. Here, we demonstrate a corresponding computational fluid dynamics model to simulate the reactor’s temperature profile and performance, both of which are in good agreement with experiments. We construct a surrogate model to relate operating parameters to performance for guiding experiments, without demanding simulations, via active learning. Heat recirculation is demonstrated in this scaled reactor, further extending its scale and reducing the energy demand. An HMF yield of ~55 % and a productivity of 0.1 kg/hr, 8x higher than any other reactor, at a flowrate >20x than prior work, are demonstrated while maintaining energy efficiency of >98 %. A basic economic analysis estimates a $1.85/kg cost of HMF from fructose and >60 % reduction in CO 2 emissions than a conventional system without considering the impact of green electricity. We demonstrate that MW technology is well-applied to systems larger than the laboratory scale, and strategies to further reduction in cost and CO 2 are discussed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Field Demonstration of an Active Reservoir Pressure Management through Fluid Injection and Displaced Fluid Extraction at the Rock Springs Uplift a Priority Geologic CO 2 Storage Site for Wyoming

Here, the University of Wyoming is partnered with Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Battelle, and Water system Specialists Inc. to carry out a DOE funded brine extraction storage test (BEST) project at the Rock Springs Uplift (RSU), southwest Wyoming. The BEST projects are envisioned using a two-phased approach. The initial phase is to predict and monitor the differential pressure and injected fluid movement, and manage changes in formation pressure, and to develop a test-bed for deploying treatment technologies for extracted brines.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

BoxScore - A real-time beam-diagnosis program for the CAEN digitizer x730 series

BoxScore is a real-time beam diagnosis and monitoring program for the CAEN x730 series digitizer, developed for the ATLAS in-flight system at Argonne National Laboratory. The CAEN x730 series digitizer, with built-in Digital Pulse Processing for the Pulse-Height-Analysis, digitizes the input signal in real-time and processes it using a trapezoidal filter. BoxScore reads the digitizer’s buffer directly, builds and saves events to local files, plots histograms for particle identification, and outputs the rates of selected isotopes every second. Implementation of BoxScore has shortened the time needed for in-flight beam-tuning and has potential applications for other nuclear physics experiments.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Performance of AGR-1 high-temperature reactor fuel during post-irradiation heating tests

The fission product retention of irradiated low-enriched uranium oxide/uranium carbide tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel compacts from the Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor 1 (AGR-1) experiment has been evaluated at temperatures of 1600–1800 °C during post-irradiation safety tests. Fourteen compacts (a total of ~58,000 particles) with a burnup ranging from 13.4% to 19.1% fissions per initial metal atom (FIMA) have been tested using dedicated furnace systems at Idaho National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The release of fission products 110mAg, 134Cs, 137Cs, 154Eu, 155Eu, 90Sr, and 85Kr was monitored while heating the fuel specimens in flowing helium. The behavior of silver, europium, and strontium appears to be dominated by inventory that was originally released through intact SiC coating layers during irradiation, but was retained in the compact at the end of irradiation and subsequently released during the safety tests. However, at a test temperature of 1800 °C, the data suggest that release of these elements through intact coatings may become significant after ~100 h. Cesium was very well retained by intact SiC layers, with a fractional release <5 × 10–6 after 300 h at 1600 °C or 100 h at 1800 °C. However, it was rapidly released from individual particles if the SiC layer failed, and therefore the overall cesium release fraction was dominated by the SiC defect and failure fractions in the fuel compacts. No complete TRISO coating layer failures were observed after 300 h at 1600 or 1700 °C, and 85 Kr release was very low during the tests (particles with failed SiC, but intact outer pyrocarbon, retained most of their krypton). Krypton release from TRISO failures was only observed after ~210 h at 1800 °C in one compact. As a result, post-safety-test examination of fuel compacts and particles has focused on identifying specific particles from each compact with notable fission product release and detailed analysis of the coating layers to understand particle behavior.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

From biowaste to BioPave: Biological pathways for sequestration of anthropogenic CO 2 and enhancing durability of roadway infrastructures

Biomass-derived bio-oils are emerging as sustainable, low-carbon alternatives for construction materials, particularly in innovative pavement applications, 'BioPave'. Here, this study evaluates bio-oils from various sources, including algae and wastewater biomass, revealing variations in carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur contents, along with viscosity. We focused on their application in outdoor construction, assessing their resistance to thermal and solar radiation, and moisture. The study also examines their interaction with siliceous surfaces and their influence on asphalt adhesion in BioPave systems under moisture conditions. Laboratory experiments and computational modeling demonstrated molecular composition significantly influenced bio-oils' responses to thermal and UV exposure. Bio-oils rich in polar groups showed hardening upon thermal treatment, while those with higher concentrations of saturated aliphatics remained more stable. Furthermore, our findings highlight the significance of dosage control in maximizing beneficial effects of bio-oils in intermolecular interactions at bitumen-aggregate interface in BioPave applications. These findings offer insights into the potential of bio-oils in sustainable construction and the need for dosage control to optimize pavement performance.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Global Impacts of Marine Methanethiol Emissions and Chemistry in the Atmosphere

Oceanic emissions of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) have long been known to influence aerosol particle composition, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration, and Earth’s radiative budget. However, the impact of oceanic emissions of methanethiol (MeSH), a sulfur compound produced by the same oceanic precursor as DMS, has been relatively less explored. The gas-phase oxidation of MeSH has a higher effective yield of SO 2 and a shorter oxidative lifetime compared to DMS, highlighting the relevance of this pathway for the modeled representation of particle formation, growth, and CCN abundance in the marine atmosphere. Here, we use the global chemical transport model GEOS-Chem to explore possible scenarios representative of specific environmental conditions and MeSH emission schemes based on previous experimental studies. We further implement and test previously reported chemical mechanisms for MeSH oxidation, along with additional improvements, highlighting key uncertainties and sensitivities for regional and global sulfur budgets. We place our results in the context of recent modeling updates to DMS chemistry and cloud processing, which further impact SO 2 production in the marine atmosphere in parallel with MeSH oxidation. Within the overall marine sulfur budget, our findings highlight that MeSH plays a significant role in SO 2 production in the marine atmosphere, contributing to regional surface layer concentration increases of up to 40–60%. These results point to the importance of MeSH for efforts aimed at improving the modeled representation of sulfur spatiotemporal patterns relevant to air quality predictions and climate impact assessments.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Wave-particle energy exchange directly observed in a kinetic Alfvén-branch wave

Alfvén waves are fundamental plasma wave modes that permeate the universe. At small kinetic scales, they provide a critical mechanism for the transfer of energy between electromagnetic fields and charged particles. These waves are important not only in planetary magnetospheres, heliospheres and astrophysical systems but also in laboratory plasma experiments and fusion reactors. Through measurement of charged particles and electromagnetic fields with NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we utilize Earth’s magnetosphere as a plasma physics laboratory. Here we confirm the conservative energy exchange between the electromagnetic field fluctuations and the charged particles that comprise an undamped kinetic Alfvén wave. Electrons confined between adjacent wave peaks may have contributed to saturation of damping effects via nonlinear particle trapping. As a result, the investigation of these detailed wave dynamics has been unexplored territory in experimental plasma physics and is only recently enabled by high-resolution MMS observations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

CHAPTER 9. Bijels the Easy Way

Spinodal decomposition is not the only way to make a bijel. Indeed, while spinodal decomposition produces structures with a potentially useful morphology, it can be challenging to make bijels using this method and the resulting systems can be hard to process and manipulate. Furthermore, exploiting the functional properties of the assembled particle monolayer is extremely challenging. Here, we show how the assembly of nanoparticle surfactants at the liquid–liquid interface can be used to kinetically trap liquids into a wealth of complex structures without using spinodal decomposition. We apply liquid three-dimensional printing and moulding methods, along with patterned substrates with controllable wetting properties, to build all-liquid devices with applications in chemical synthesis, separation, and purification. The functional properties of the assembled nanomaterials can be exploited to produce interfacially structured liquids that are plasmonically and magnetically responsive. Finally, we conclude by arguing that, while the field shows great promise, efforts need to be made to translate liquid bicontinuous systems out of the laboratory and into meaningful, real-world applications, as well applications in more ‘exotic’ disciplines, such as synthetic biology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Lignin depolymerization by fungal secretomes and a microbial sink

In Nature, powerful oxidative enzymes secreted by white rot fungi and some bacteria catalyze lignin depolymerization and some microbes are able to catabolize the resulting aromatic compounds as carbon and energy sources. Taken together, these two processes offer a potential route for microbial valorization of lignin. However, many challenges remain in realizing this concept, including that oxidative enzymes responsible for lignin depolymerization also catalyze polymerization of low molecular weight (LMW) lignin. Here, multiple basidiomycete secretomes were screened for ligninolytic enzyme activities in the presence of a residual lignin solid stream from a corn stover biorefinery, dubbed DMR-EH (Deacetylation, Mechanical Refining, and Enzymatic Hydrolysis) lignin. Two selected fungal secretomes, with high levels of laccases and peroxidases, were utilized for DMR-EH lignin depolymerization assays. The secretome from Pleurotus eryngii, which exhibited the highest laccase activity, reduced the lignin average molecular weight by 63% and 75% at pH 7 compared to the Mw of the control treated at the same conditions and the initial DMR-EH lignin, respectively, and was applied in further depolymerization assays as a function of time. As repolymerization was observed after 3 days of incubation, an aromatic-catabolic microbe (Pseudomonas putida KT2440) was incubated with the fungal secretome and DMR-EH lignin. These experiments demonstrated that the presence of the bacterium enhances lignin depolymerization, likely due to bacterial catabolism of LMW lignin, which may partially prevent repolymerization. In addition, proteomics was also applied to the P. eryngii secretome to identify the enzymes present in the fungal cocktail utilized for the depolymerization assays, which highlighted a significant number of glucose/ methanol/choline (GMC) oxidoreductases and laccases. Overall, this study demonstrates that ligninolytic enzymes can be used to partially depolymerize a solid, high lignin content biorefinery stream and that the presence of an aromatic-catabolic bacterium as a “microbial sink” improves the extent of enzymatic lignin depolymerization.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗