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At least 1,153 records · Page 64

Ceramic matrix composite (CMC) hollow blade and method of forming CMC hollow blade

A ceramic matrix composite (CMC) hollow blade includes a CMC airfoil, which includes at least one airfoil CMC ply, at least one cavity CMC ply, and an insert. The airfoil CMC ply defines the contour of the CMC airfoil including a first edge, a second edge opposite the first edge, a first side extending from the first edge to the second edge, and a second side opposite the first side. The cavity CMC ply defines a cavity within the CMC airfoil. The insert is located between the first edge and the cavity. The insert is wrapped by a CMC ply such that the CMC ply extends along the insert from the first side of the CMC airfoil across the mean camber line of the CMC airfoil and to the second side of the CMC airfoil. The CMC ply terminates on the second side of the CMC airfoil.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

GNF fuel technology update

In 2015, Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF) launched the GNF3 fuel design by inserting lead-use assemblies into two boiling water reactors (BWRs) in the U.S. A lead use assembly is a nuclear fuel assembly which is inserted in a reactor core to confirm its performance. A third set of GNF3 lead-use assemblies are scheduled to be inserted into another reactor in the spring of 2017. GNF3 is a robust next-generation 10*10 fuel design that will improve both fuel cycle and fuel reliability. In addition, GNF3 will be delivered in a fully assembled condition - forgoing the need to insert fuel channels over the bundles at the site. The process of shipping BWR fuel in a channeled configuration is complex and requires an understanding of the potential high-cycle and low-cycle fatigue conditions that can occur during shipping, as characterized by accelerometer data from ship tests. The key component in evaluating channeled fuel shipping is the spacer, and the GNF3 spacer fatigue performance was found to be approximately twice that of GNF2. While fuel reliability has traditionally been related to the avoidance of fuel leakers, for the past 15 years channel - control blade interference has been a close second for concern. To eliminate this problem, GNF3 will come standard with NSF (a zirconium alloy) channels that are effectively resistant to fluence gradient-induced bow and shadow corrosion-induced bow. In addition to the development of GNF3, GNF is evaluating the use of advancing 3D metal printing or additive manufacturing for manufacturing fuel bundle components. Additive manufacture offers the hope of more flexibility in design and shorter manufacturing development cycles. However, since there is little experience with this technology in the nuclear industry, GNF has been evaluating the use of additive manufacture to fabricate small scale components that are easily retrieved from the reactor for testing. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Ultra-compact configurable double-sided manifold micro-channel cold plate

A configurable, double sided, manifold micro-channel cold plate includes a one or more manifold micro-channel cold plate cells. Each cold plate cell includes a manifold body, a manifold insert, a plurality of heat sinks, and a plurality of longitudinal openings configured for fluidic communication with the fluid channels. The manifold body has fluid channels to permit flow of a fluid coolant. The manifold insert has a plurality of manifold insert fluid channels, and is configured for receipt in the one of the modular body recesses. The heat sinks are configured for receipt in the modular body recesses, and include an impingement surface configured for fluidic communication with the manifold insert fluid channels, and a heat transfer surface for thermal communication with one or more heat generating devices.

Zhou, Feng↗

Combining RHF and HFIR Disposition Campaigns - Analysis, Opportunity, and Lessons Learned

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions has tasked its H Canyon facility to prepare for disposition of used Oak Ridge National Laboratory High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) cores. HFIR cores consist of an inner and outer assembly of highly enriched uranium fuel plates. The two elements are annular, nest inside each other, and the fuel is a curved plate held between two collars. The H-Canyon facility has a dissolver insert specifically designed for HFIR cores and has performed this type of campaign before between 1976 and 1988. At H-Canyon, a dissolver is a large stainless steel pot loaded with a nitric acid solution into which uranium-alloy fuel is dissolved. The dissolver uses a device called an insert to feed the fuels to the acid solution in a controlled manner. The mission will be to dissolve a number of HFIR cores, purify the uranium, and down blend it to low enriched uranium suitable for commercial power reactors. HFIR has a sister core. A French high flux research reactor, called Reactor A Haut Flux (RHF), has nearly the same geometry as the outer element of HFIR. The annulus is only slightly smaller and the RHF active fuel height is {approx}97 cm while the HFIR active fuel height is only {approx}51 cm. SRNS is currently storing RHF cores (repatriated through circa 2003) awaiting a path for disposition. There is now an opportunity. RHF cores fit in the HFIR dissolver insert. Dispositioning them concurrent with HIFR avoids a future facility evolution of just to change dissolver inserts again. This work is the result of an initiative to propose appending the RHF cores to the anticipated HFIR campaign. Geometry and chemistry differences are evaluated and criticality safety assessed. The RHF cores were semi-explicitly modeled in various stages of dissolution. Normal and credible abnormal conditions were assessed. RHF was shown to be bounded by the dissolution of a complete HFIR core in both neutron multiplication and dissolver chemistry. Computational modeling was performed using KENOVI in the SCALE 6.1 code package.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Improved Heat Transfer and Volume Scaling through Novel Heater Design

In 2014, the University of California, Berkeley, Nuclear Engineering Thermal Hydraulics Laboratory completed construction of the Compact Integral Effects Test (CIET) facility, a scaled thermal hydraulics scaled integral effects test facility designed to model the Mark-1 pebble-bed fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (Mk1 PB-FHR or simply Mk1). CIET uses an organic simulant fluid, Dowtherm A, to match the Prandtl, Reynolds, Froude, and Grashof numbers of important fluoride salt candidates for molten salt reactors, such as flibe. The FHR reactor core is simulated using a resistively heated tube, which heats the oil flowing through the annulus between the heated tube and a non-heated inner tube. However, the volume fraction of the coolant in the CIET heater was dramatically lower than the volume fraction of the primary coolant in the Mk1 PB-FHR design (3% in CIET vs. 17% in Mk1) because the CIET heater was initially scaled to match an earlier FHR design. Also, the maximum core heater power in CIET is limited by the melting point of Teflon components in CIET, approximately 330 deg. C. For conservatism, the CIET heater power is limited to keep the maximum surface temperature of the heater below 250 deg. C. At the nominal mass flow rate of 0.18 kg/s, this power was about 5 kW. A higher heat transfer coefficient from the heater wall to the oil was needed to increase the effective power delivered to the oil. In order to alleviate these two limitations, a new heater insert was designed and constructed for CIET. This new heater insert uses a twisted tape to augment heat transfer. The twisted tape is supported inside a perforated inner tube that has the same diameter as the original inner tube of the heater, in order to make it compatible with CIET's original heater design. The heat transfer and pressure drop properties of the new heater insert designs were tested in CIET and compared to the previous design in terms of pressure drop and convective heat transfer coefficient. The new heater inserts are intended to increase the range of power levels and mass flow rates that can be tested in CIET in order to augment understanding of FHR thermal hydraulic phenomena. Also, obtaining different data points for CIET response dynamics under different heater coolant residence times will be valuable in evaluating the Mk1 design.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

System and method for enclosing piston cooling gallery

A system includes a piston assembly. The piston assembly includes a crown portion having a crown, an outer wall coupled to the crown, a first inner wall disposed inside of the outer wall, a first fluid chamber disposed radially between the outer wall and the first inner wall, and an angled wall insert. An opening extends into the first fluid chamber in an axially inward direction. The outer wall, the first inner wall, the first fluid chamber, the opening, and the angled wall insert extend circumferentially about a central axis of the piston assembly. The angled wall insert is disposed in the opening, and the first fluid chamber is disposed axially between the crown and the angled wall insert.

Zimmerman, Daniel David↗

Lie group analysis of the point-reactor neutron kinetics equations for various reactivity models

This work applies Lie Group Theory to the nonlinear point-reactor neutron kinetics equations for several reactivity feedback and reactivity insertion models. The goal of this work is to connect known analytical solutions to their corresponding Lie groups as well as to obtain new analytical solutions and the circumstances from which they arise. The reactivity models we consider are the Nordheim-Fuchs Model, an arbitrary-order polynomial reactivity insertion model, and the Fuchs Ramp-Insertion Model. In all three models, we generalize the analysis when possible and obtain analytical solutions in every case. For the first two models, we succeed in finding the Lie groups corresponding to classical solutions and find additional solutions that were otherwise unknown. Finally, for the final model, we obtain a reduced-order nonlinear kinetics equation which is not analytically solvable, but by applying a second-order truncation, we find a novel closed-form solution and demonstrate its validity with a numerical example.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Sequencing and functional validation of the JGI Brachypodium distachyon T-DNA collection

Due to a large and growing collection of genomic and experimental resources, Brachypodium distachyon has emerged as a powerful experimental model for the grasses. To add to these resources we sequenced 21 165 T-DNA lines, 15 569 of which were produced in this study. This increased the number of unique insertion sites in the T-DNA collection by 21 078, bringing the overall total to 26 112. Thirty-seven per cent (9754) of these insertion sites are within genes (including untranslated regions and introns) and 28% (7217) are within 500 bp of a gene. Approximately 31% of the genes in the v.2.1 annotation have been tagged in this population. To demonstrate the utility of this collection, we phenotypically characterized six T-DNA lines with insertions in genes previously shown in other systems to be involved in cellulose biosynthesis, hemicellulose biosynthesis, secondary cell wall development, DNA damage repair, wax biosynthesis and chloroplast synthesis. In all cases, the phenotypes observed supported previous studies, demonstrating the utility of this collection for plant functional genomics. The Brachypodium T-DNA collection can be accessed at http://jgi.doe.gov/our-science/science-programs/plant-genomics/brachypodium/brachypodium-t-dna-collection/.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Atomistic Conversion Reaction Mechanism of WO 3 in Secondary Ion Batteries of Li, Na, and Ca

Abstract Intercalation and conversion are two fundamental chemical processes for battery materials in response to ion insertion. The interplay between these two chemical processes has never been directly seen and understood at atomic scale. Here, using in situ HRTEM, we captured the atomistic conversion reaction processes during Li, Na, Ca insertion into a WO 3 single crystal model electrode. An intercalation step prior to conversion is explicitly revealed at atomic scale for the first time for Li, Na, Ca. Nanoscale diffraction and ab initio molecular dynamic simulations revealed that after intercalation, the inserted ion–oxygen bond formation destabilizes the transition‐metal framework which gradually shrinks, distorts and finally collapses to an amorphous W and M x O (M=Li, Na, Ca) composite structure. This study provides a full atomistic picture of the transition from intercalation to conversion, which is of essential importance for both secondary ion batteries and electrochromic devices.

He, Yang↗

Functionalization of Carbon Monoxide and tert ‐Butyl Nitrile by Intramolecular Proton Transfer in a Bis(Phosphido) Thorium Complex

Abstract We report intramolecular proton transfer reactions to functionalize carbon monoxide and tert ‐butyl nitrile from a bis(phosphido) thorium complex. The reaction of (C 5 Me 5 ) 2 Th[PH(Mes)] 2 , Mes=2,4,6‐Me 3 C 6 H 2 , with 1 atm of CO yields (C 5 Me 5 ) 2 Th( κ 2 ‐(O,O)‐OCH 2 PMes‐C(O)PMes), in which one CO molecule is inserted into each thorium–phosphorus bond. Concomitant transfer of two protons, formerly coordinated to phosphorus, are now bound to one of the carbon atoms from one of the inserted CO molecules. DFT calculations were employed to determine the lowest energy pathway. With tert ‐butyl nitrile, t BuCN, only one nitrile inserts into a thorium–phosphorus bond, but the proton is transferred to nitrogen with one phosphido remaining unperturbed affording (C 5 Me 5 ) 2 Th[PH(Mes)][ κ 2 ‐(P,N)‐N(H)C(CMe 3 )P(Mes)]. Surprisingly, reaction of this compound with KN(SiMe 3 ) 2 removes the proton bound to nitrogen, not phosphorus.

Vilanova, Sean P.↗

The Arabidopsis T‐DNA mutant SALK_008491 carries a 14‐kb deletion on chromosome 3 that provides rare insights into the plant response to dynamic light stress

Abstract In nature, plants experience rapid changes in light intensity and quality throughout the day. To maximize growth, they have established molecular mechanisms to optimize photosynthetic output while protecting components of the light‐dependent reaction and CO 2 fixation pathways. Plant phenotyping of mutant collections has become a powerful tool to unveil the genetic loci involved in environmental acclimation. Here, we describe the phenotyping of the transfer‐DNA (T‐DNA) insertion mutant line SALK_008491, previously known as nhd1‐1 . Growth in a fluctuating light regime caused a loss in growth rate accompanied by a spike in photosystem (PS) II damage and increased non‐photochemical quenching (NPQ). Interestingly, an independent nhd1 null allele did not recapitulate the NPQ phenotype. Through bulk sequencing of a backcrossed segregating F 2 pool, we identified an ~14‐kb large deletion on chromosome 3 (Chr3) in SALK_008491 affecting five genes upstream of NHD1 . Besides NHD1 , which encodes for a putative plastid Na + /H + antiporter, the stromal NAD‐dependent D‐3‐phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase 3 ( PGDH3 ) locus was eradicated. Although some changes in the SALK_008491 mutant's photosynthesis can be assigned to the loss of PGDH3, our follow‐up studies employing respective single mutants and complementation with overlapping transformation‐competent artificial chromosome (TAC) vectors reveal that the exacerbated fluctuating light sensitivity in SALK_008491 mutants result from the simultaneous loss of PGDH3 and NHD1. Altogether, the data obtained from this large deletion‐carrying mutant provide new and unintuitive insights into the molecular mechanisms that function to protect the photosynthetic machinery. Moreover, our study renews calls for caution when setting up reverse genetic studies using T‐DNA lines. Although second‐site insertions, indels, and SNPs have been reported before, large deletion surrounding the insertion site causes yet another problem. Nevertheless, as shown through this research, such unpredictable genetic events following T‐DNA mutagenesis can provide unintuitive insights that allow for understanding complex phenomena such as the plant acclimation to dynamic high light stress.

Lopez, Laura S.↗

Color-kinematics dual representations of one-loop matrix elements in the open-superstring effective action

Abstract Theα ′ -expansion of string theory provides a rich set of higher-dimension operators, indexed byζvalues, which can be used to study color-kinematics duality and the double copy. These two powerful properties, actually first noticed in tree-level string amplitudes, simplify the construction of both gauge and gravity amplitudes. However, their applicability and limitations are not fully understood. We attempt to construct a set of color-kinematics dual numerators at one loop and four points for insertions of operator combinations corresponding to the lowest fourζ 2 -free operator insertions from the open superstring:ζ 3 ,ζ 5 ,$$ {\zeta}_3^2 $$ ζ 3 2 , andζ 7 . We succeed in finding a representation for the first three in terms of box, triangle, and bubble numerators. In the case ofζ 7 we find an obstruction to a fully color-dual representation related to the bubble-on-external-leg type diagrams. We discuss two paths around this obstruction, both of which signal an incompatability between color-kinematics duality and manifesting certain desired properties. Using the constructed color-dual numerators, we find two different Bern-Carrasco-Johansson double copies that produce candidate closed-string-insertion numerators. Both approaches to the double copy match the kinematics of the cuts, with relative normalization set by either summing over both double copies including degeneracy or by including an explicit prefactor on the double-copy numerator definitions.

Physics↗

Giant Wilson loops and AdS 2 /dCFT 1

The 1/2-BPS Wilson loop in N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory is an important and well-studied example of conformal defect. In particular, much work has been done for the correlation functions of operator insertions on the Wilson loop in the fundamental representation. In this paper, we extend such analyses to Wilson loops in the large-rank symmetric and antisymmetric representations, which correspond to probe D3 and D5 branes with AdS 2 × S 2 and AdS 2 × S 4 worldvolume geometries, ending at the AdS 5 boundary along a one-dimensional contour. We first compute the correlation functions of protected scalar insertions from supersymmetric localization, and obtain a representation in terms of multiple integrals that are similar to the eigenvalue integrals of the random matrix, but with important differences. Using ideas from the Fermi Gas formalism and the Clustering method, we evaluate their large N limit exactly as a function of the ’t Hooft coupling. The results are given by simple integrals of polynomials that resemble the Q-functions of the Quantum Spectral Curve, with integration measures depending on the number of insertions. Next, we study the correlation functions of fluctuations on the probe D3 and D5 branes in AdS. We compute a selection of three- and four-point functions from perturbation theory on the D-branes, and show that they agree with the results of localization when restricted to supersymmetric kinematics. We also explain how the difference of the internal geometries of the D3 and D5 branes manifests itself in the localization computation.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR) Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Registry

Purpose: The British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR) Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Registry was produced to provide an audit of current United Kingdom (UK) practice regarding placement and retrieval of IVC filters to address concerns regarding their safety. Methods: The IVC filter registry is a web-based registry, launched by the BSIR on behalf of its membership in October 2007. This report is based on prospectively collected data from October 2007 to March 2011. This report contains analysis of data on 1,434 IVC filter placements and 400 attempted retrievals performed at 68 UK centers. Data collected included patient demographics, insertion and retrieval data, and patient follow-up. Results: IVC filter use in the majority of patients in the UK follows accepted CIRSE guidelines. Filter placement is usually a low-risk procedure, with a low major complication rate (<0.5 %). Cook Gunther Tulip (560 filters: 39 %) and Celect (359 filters: 25 %) filters constituted the majority of IVC filters inserted, with Bard G2, Recovery filters, Cordis Trapease, and OptEase constituting most of the remainder (445 filters: 31 %). More than 96 % of IVC filters deployed as intended. Operator inexperience (<25 procedure) was significantly associated with complications (p < 0.001). Of the IVC filters initially intended for temporary placement, retrieval was attempted in 78 %. Of these retrieval was technically successful in 83 %. Successful retrieval was significantly reduced for implants left in situ for >9 weeks versus those with a shorter dwell time. New lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or IVC thrombosis was reported in 88 patients following filter placement, there was no significant difference of incidence between filter types. Conclusions: This registry report provides interventional radiologists and clinicians with an improved understanding of the technical aspects of IVC filter placement to help improve practice, and the potential consequences of IVC filter placement so that we are better able to advise patients. There is a significant learning curve associated with IVC filter insertion, and when a filter is placed with the intention of removal, procedures should be in place to avoid the patient being lost to follow-up.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Stenting of the Cystic Duct in Benign Disease: A Definitive Treatment for the Elderly and Unwell

PurposeThere have been few case reports describing cystic duct stent insertion in the management of acute cholecystitis secondary to benign disease with no case series published to date. We present our series demonstrating the role of cystic duct stents in managing benign gallbladder disease in those patients unfit for surgery.Materials and MethodsThirty three patients unfit for surgery in our institution underwent cystic duct stent insertion for the management of acute cholecystitis in the period June 2008 to June 2013. Patients underwent a mixture of transperitoneal and transhepatic gallbladder puncture. The cystic duct was cannulated with a hydrophilic guidewire which was subsequently passed through the common bile duct and into the duodenum. An 8Fr 12-cm double-pigtail stent was placed with the distal end lying within the duodenum and the proximal end within the gallbladder.ResultsTen patients presented with gallbladder perforation, 21 patients with acute cholecystitis, 1 with acute cholangitis and 1 with necrotising pancreatitis. The technical success rate was 91 %. We experienced a 13 % complication rate with 3 % mortality rate at 30 days.ConclusionCystic duct stent insertion can be successfully used to manage acute cholecystitis, gallbladder empyema or gallbladder perforations in those unfit for surgery and should be considered alongside external gallbladder drainage as a definitive mid-term treatment option.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

CT-Guided Superior Vena Cava Puncture: A Solution to Re-Establishing Access in Haemodialysis-Related Central Venous Occlusion Refractory to Conventional Endovascular Techniques

PurposeThe purpose of this technical note is to demonstrate the novel use of CT-guided superior vena cava (SVC) puncture and subsequent tunnelled haemodialysis (HD) line placement in end-stage renal failure (ESRF) patients with central venous obstruction refractory to conventional percutaneous venoplasty (PTV) and wire transgression, thereby allowing resumption of HD.MethodsThree successive ESRF patients underwent CT-guided SVC puncture with subsequent tract recanalisation. Ultrasound-guided puncture of the right internal jugular vein was performed, the needle advanced to the patent SVC under CT guidance, with subsequent insertion of a stabilisation guidewire. Following appropriate tract angioplasty, twin-tunnelled HD catheters were inserted and HD resumed.ResultsNo immediate complications were identified. There was resumption of HD in all three patients with a 100 % success rate. One patient’s HD catheter remained in use for 2 years post-procedure, and another remains functional 1 year to the present day. One patient died 2 weeks after the procedure due to pancreatitis-related abdominal sepsis unrelated to the Tesio lines.ConclusionCT-guided SVC puncture and tunnelled HD line insertion in HD-related central venous occlusion (CVO) refractory to conventional recanalisation options can be performed safely, requires no extra equipment and lies within the skill set and resources of most interventional radiology departments involved in the management of HD patients.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

CT Fluoroscopy-Guided Transsacral Intervertebral Drainage for Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis at the Lumbosacral Junction

PurposeTo retrospectively describe the feasibility and efficacy of CT fluoroscopy-guided transsacral intervertebral drainage for pyogenic spondylodiscitis at the lumbosacral junction with a combination of two interventional radiological techniques—CT-guided bone biopsy and abscess drainage.Materials and methodsThree patients with pyogenic spondylodiscitis at the lumbosacral junction were enrolled in this study between July 2013 and December 2015. The procedure of CT fluoroscopy-guided transsacral intervertebral drainage for pyogenic spondylodiscitis at the lumbosacral junction was as follows: the sacrum at S1 pedicle was penetrated with an 11-gauge (G) bone biopsy needle to create a path for an 8-French (F) pigtail drainage catheter. The bone biopsy needle was withdrawn, and an 18-G needle was inserted into the intervertebral space of the lumbosacral junction. Then, a 0.038-inch guidewire was inserted into the intervertebral space. Finally, the 8-F pigtail drainage catheter was inserted over the guidewire until its tip reached the intervertebral space. All patients received six-week antibiotics treatment.ResultsSuccessful placement of the drainage catheter was achieved for each patient without procedural complications. The duration of drainage was 17–33 days. For two patients, specific organisms were isolated; thus, definitive medical therapy was possible. All patients responded well to the treatment.ConclusionsCT fluoroscopy-guided transsacral intervertebral drainage for pyogenic spondylodiscitis at the lumbosacral junction is feasible and can be effective with a combination of two interventional techniques—CT fluoroscopy-guided bone biopsy and abscess drainage.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗