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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Large-area borophene sheets on sacrificial Cu(111) films promoted by recrystallization from subsurface boron

Borophene, an atomically thin covalently bonded boron sheet, has attracted great attention as a novel quantum material because of its structural tunability and potential utilization in flexible and transparent electronics. So far, borophene has been synthesized on silver or copper single crystals, but these substrates are small, very expensive, and unsuitable for study of transport properties or electronics applications. Here, we report synthesis of borophene on nanometer-scale thick Cu(111) films grown on sapphire. We have developed a process of enlarging faceted borophene islands, by repeated submersion of boron into copper at high temperature and resurfacing and re-crystallization at lower temperature. This discovery was enabled by real-time feedback from low-energy electron microscopy and diffraction. We demonstrate synthesis of borophene as faceted micrometer-size monocrystal islands or as full-monolayer sheets. The process is scalable to wafer size; moreover, Cu films could be sacrificed and sapphire reused. Our work opens the door for new experiments and brings applications one step closer.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Collisions of deformable cells lead to collective migration

Collective migration of eukaryotic cells plays a fundamental role in tissue growth, wound healing and immune response. The motion, arising spontaneously or in response to chemical and mechanical stimuli, is also important for understanding life-threatening pathologies, such as cancer and metastasis formation. We present a phase-field model to describe the movement of many self-organized, interacting cells. The model takes into account the main mechanisms of cell motility – acto-myosin dynamics, as well as substrate-mediated and cell-cell adhesion. It predicts that collective cell migration emerges spontaneously as a result of inelastic collisions between neighboring cells: collisions lead to a mutual alignment of the cell velocities and to the formation of coherently-moving multi-cellular clusters. Small cell-to-cell adhesion, in turn, reduces the propensity for large-scale collective migration, while higher adhesion leads to the formation of moving bands. Our study provides valuable insight into biological processes associated with collective cell motility.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Highly conductive p-type amorphous oxides from low-temperature solution processing

We report solution-processed, highly conductive (resistivity 1.3-3.8 m{Omega} cm), p-type amorphous A-B-O (A = Bi, Pb; B = Ru, Ir), processable at temperatures (down to 240 Degree-Sign C) that are compatible with plastic substrates. The film surfaces are smooth on the atomic scale. Bi-Ru-O was analyzed in detail. A small optical bandgap (0.2 eV) with a valence band maximum (VBM) below but very close to the Fermi level (binding energy E{sub VBM} = 0.04 eV) explains the high conductivity and suggests that they are degenerated semiconductors. The conductivity changes from three-dimensional to two-dimensional with decreasing temperature across 25 K.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

The latest developments and outlook for hydrogen liquefaction technology

Liquefied hydrogen is presently mainly used for space applications and the semiconductor industry. While clean energy applications, for e.g. the automotive sector, currently contribute to this demand with a small share only, their demand may see a significant boost in the next years with the need for large scale liquefaction plants exceeding the current plant sizes by far. Hydrogen liquefaction for small scale plants with a maximum capacity of 3 tons per day (tpd) is accomplished with a Brayton refrigeration cycle using helium as refrigerant. This technology is characterized by low investment costs but lower process efficiency and hence higher operating costs. For larger plants, a hydrogen Claude cycle is used, characterized by higher investment but lower operating costs. However, liquefaction plants meeting the potentially high demand in the clean energy sector will need further optimization with regard to energy efficiency and hence operating costs. The present paper gives an overview of the currently applied technologies, including their thermodynamic and technical background. Areas of improvement are identified to derive process concepts for future large scale hydrogen liquefaction plants meeting the needs of clean energy applications with optimized energy efficiency and hence minimized operating costs. Compared to studies in this field, this paper focuses on application of new technology and innovative concepts which are either readily available or will require short qualification procedures. They will hence allow implementation in plants in the close future.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Impact of laser anneal on NiPt silicide texture and chemical composition

We have combined synchrotron X-ray pole figure measurements and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) nano-beam diffraction to study the impact of millisecond laser anneal on the texture and microstructure of NiPt silicide thin films. The powerful use of nano-beam diffraction in plan-view geometry allows here for both a mapping of grain orientation and intra-grain measurements even if these crystalline grains become very small. With this unique combination of local and large-scale probes, we find that silicide formation on n and p doped substrates using laser annealing results in smaller grains compared with the films processed using standard rapid thermal annealing. The laser annealed samples also result in grains that are more epitaxially oriented with respect to the Si substrate. For n-type substrate, the film is dominated by (020) and (013) oriented fibers with significant levels of intra-grain bending (transrotation) observed in both types of grains. For p-type substrates, mostly epitaxially aligned grains are detected. TEM coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis was also used to study the elemental distribution in the silicide samples. Furthermore, we confirm that laser anneal leads to a larger accumulation of platinum at the silicide-substrate interface and modifies the distribution of dopants throughout the film.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spectroscopy-guided discovery of three-dimensional structures of disordered materials with diffusion models

Spectroscopy techniques such as x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) provide valuable insights into the atomic structures of materials, yet the inverse prediction of precise structures from spectroscopic data remains a formidable challenge. In this study, we introduce a framework that combines generative artificial intelligence models with XANES spectroscopy to predict three-dimensional atomic structures of disordered systems, using amorphous carbon (a-C) as a model system. In this work, we introduce a new framework based on the diffusion model, a recent generative machine learning method, to predict 3D structures of disordered materials from a target property. For demonstration, we apply the model to identify the atomic structures of a-C as a representative material system from the target XANES spectra. We show that conditional generation guided by XANES spectra reproduces key features of the target structures. Furthermore, we show that our model can steer the generative process to tailor atomic arrangements for a specific XANES spectrum. Finally, our generative model exhibits a remarkable scale-agnostic property, thereby enabling generation of realistic, large-scale structures through learning from a small-scale dataset (i.e. with small unit cells). Our work represents a significant stride in bridging the gap between materials characterization and atomic structure determination; in addition, it can be leveraged for materials discovery in exploring various material properties as targeted.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Walking the ‘design–build–test–learn’ cycle: flux analysis and genetic engineering reveal the pliability of plant central metabolism

Oilseeds are of great economic importance for food and animal feed and their contribution to renewable energy production. Soybean seeds (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) contain c. 40% protein, 20% oil, and 30% carbohydrate (Song et al., 2023). Due to the massive scale of soybean production worldwide, even small improvements in seed protein and oil content make economic sense (Song et al., 2023). Successful manipulation of seed composition largely depends on a thorough understanding of the processes and pathways involved in the biosynthesis of fatty acids and amino acids, which are the building blocks of lipids and proteins. Rational engineering of the synthesis of storage reserves, that is, the rerouting of metabolic flux in central metabolism, is difficult to accomplish due to the complexity of the central metabolic network, the intricate regulation of its enzymes at multiple levels, and the often-unpredictable effects of genetic manipulation (Sweetlove et al., 2017). Therefore, the advancement of our understanding of central metabolism and its control of carbon partitioning requires following an iterative ‘design–build–test–learn’ (DBTL) cycle (Lin & Eudes, 2020) where metabolic flux analysis and hypothesis testing by transgenic approaches are important components. Previous metabolic studies on soybeans using isotopic tracers and metabolic flux analysis have provided insight into how lipid and protein biosynthesis occurs simultaneously during seed development (Allen et al., 2009; Allen & Young, 2013; Kambhampati et al., 2021). In an article published in this issue of New Phytologist, Morley et al. (2023; 1834–1851) put the insights they have gained into the delivery of metabolic precursors and energy cofactors to oil synthesis to the test and arrive at a successful metabolic engineering design. They show that an increase in seed oil content in soybeans can be achieved by overexpression of malic enzyme (ME) during seed development. Malic enzyme refers to a class of decarboxylating malate dehydrogenase enzymes that oxidize malate with NAD + or NADP + as redox cofactor while generating pyruvate and CO 2 . Like higher plants in general, soybean has distinct NADH- or NADPH-producing ME isoforms localized to the cytosol, plastid, or mitochondria (Gerrard Wheeler et al., 2016). As Morley et al. show, an increase in seed oil can be achieved in particular when a NADP+-dependent enzyme isoform (EC 1.1.1.40) is overexpressed in the plastid. Given the complex compartmentalization of pyruvate, malate, and redox metabolism (Fig. 1), increased oil production appears to depend on additional pyruvate and reducing equivalents being produced in the same compartment where de novo fatty acid biosynthesis occurs: the plastid.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1981

Opportunities for structural improvements for an advanced supersonic transport vehicle

The superplastically formed diffusion-bonded (SPF/DB) program has developed successfully and far enough to recommend that a major structural program to validate the weight and cost of SPF/DB sandwich titanium structure should be initiated. The NASA Langley study of wing and fuselage SPF/DB sandwich panels shows that this process is potentially structurally efficient. The Douglas SPF/DB expanded sandwich process that utilizes a welded core sheet that expands to face sheets proves to be very efficient. The theoretical weight optimization design charts for the wing and fuselage concepts were validated by small-scale tests. Mnay design applications were fabricated. Projecting the results of an SPF/DB sandwich airframe structure to a MDC AST design shows significant weight and cost savings. A 6 percent lower direct operating cost was calculated. A growth AST utilizing composites, metal matrices, and SPF/DB sandwich shows future promise for a post-1990 technology readiness. Titanium SPF/DB sandwich, compared to presently available aluminum structure, is superior for application to a Mach 2.2 supersonic transport.

Fischler, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Tone-excited jet: Theory and experiments

A detailed study to understand the phenomenon of broadband jet-noise amplification produced by upstream discrete-tone sound excitation has been carried out. This has been achieved by simultaneous acquisition of the acoustic, mean velocity, turbulence intensities, and instability-wave pressure data. A 5.08 cm diameter jet has been tested for this purpose under static and also flight-simulation conditions. An open-jet wind tunnel has been used to simulate the flight effects. Limited data on heated jets have also been obtained. To improve the physical understanding of the flow modifications brought about by the upstream discrete-tone excitation, ensemble-averaged schlieren photographs of the jets have also been taken. Parallel to the experimental study, a mathematical model of the processes that lead to broadband-noise amplification by upstream tones has been developed. Excitation of large-scale turbulence by upstream tones is first calculated. A model to predict the changes in small-scale turbulence is then developed. By numerically integrating the resultant set of equations, the enhanced small-scale turbulence distribution in a jet under various excitation conditions is obtained. The resulting changes in small-scale turbulence have been attributed to broadband amplification of jet noise. Excellent agreement has been found between the theory and the experiments. It has also shown that the relative velocity effects are the same for the excited and the unexcited jets.

Ahuja, K. K.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A summary of research on mesoscale energetics of severe storm environments

The goals of this research were to better understand interactions between areas of intense convection and their surrounding mesoscale environments by using diagnostic budgets of kinetic (KE) and available potential energy (APE). Three cases of intense convection were examined in detail. 1) Atmospheric Variability Experiments (AVE) carried out on 24 to 25 April 1975 were studied. Synoptic scale data at 3 to 6 hour intervals, contained two mesoscale convective complexes (MCCs). Analyses included total KE budgets and budgets of divergent and rotational components of KE. 2) AVE-Severe Environmental Storms and Mesoscale Experiments (SESAME)-4 carried out on 10 to 11 April 1979 were studied. Synotpic and meso alpha-scale data (250 km spacing, 3 hour intervals), contained the Red River Valley tornado outbreak. Analyses included total KE budgets (separate synoptic and mesoscale version), budgets for the divergent and rotational components, and the generation of APE by diabatic processes. 3) AVE-SESAME 5 studies were carried out on 20 to 31 May 1979. Synoptic and meso beta-scale data (75 km spacing, 1 1/2 to 3 hour intervals), contained a small MCC. Analyses include separate KE budgets for the synotic and meso beta-scales and a water vapor budget. Major findings of these investigations are: (1) The synoptic scale storm environment contains energy conversions and transports that are comparable to those of mature midlatitude cyclones. (2) Energetic in the mesoscale storm environment are often an order of magnitude larger than those in an undisturbed region. (3) Mesoscale wind maxima form in the upper troposphere on the poleward sides of convective areas, whereas speeds decrease south of storm regions.

Fuelberg, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Radiation-induced insulator discharge pulses in the CRRES internal discharge monitor satellite experiment

The Internal Discharge Monitor (IDM) was designed to observe electrical pulses from common electrical insulators in space service. The sixteen insulator samples included twelve planar printed circuit boards and four cables. The samples were fully enclosed, mutually isolated, and space radiation penetrated 0.02 cm of aluminum before striking the samples. Pulsing began on the seventh orbit, the maximum pulse rate occurred on the seventeenth orbit when 13 pulses occurred, and the pulses slowly diminished to about one per 3 orbits six months later. After 8 months, the radiation belts abruptly increased and the pulse rates attained a new high. These pulse rates were in agreement with laboratory experience on shorter time scales. Several of the samples never pulsed. If the pulses were not confined within IDM, the physical processes could spread to become a full spacecraft anomaly. The IDM results indicate the rate at which small insulator pulses occur. Small pulses are the seeds of larger satellite electrical anomalies. The pulse rates are compared with space radiation intensities, L shell location, and spectral distributions from the radiation spectrometers on the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite.

Frederickson, A. R.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Compact Fuel Element Environment Test

Deep space missions with large payloads require high specific impulse (I(sub sp)) and relatively high thrust to achieve mission goals in reasonable time frames. Conventional, storable propellants produce average I(sub sp). Nuclear thermal rockets (NTRs) capable of high I(sub sp) thrust have been proposed. NTR employs heat produced by fission reaction to heat and therefore accelerate hydrogen, which is then forced through a rocket nozzle providing thrust. Fuel element temperatures are very high (up to 3,000 K) and hydrogen is highly reactive with most materials at high temperatures. Data covering the effects of high-temperature hydrogen exposure on fuel elements are limited. The primary concern is the mechanical failure of fuel elements that employ high melting point metals, ceramics, or a combination (cermet) as a structural matrix into which the nuclear fuel is distributed. It is not necessary to include fissile material in test samples intended to explore high-temperature hydrogen exposure of the structural support matrices. A small-scale test bed designed to heat fuel element samples via noncontact radio frequency heating and expose samples to hydrogen for typical mission durations has been developed to assist in optimal material and manufacturing process selection without employing fissile material. This Technical Memorandum details the test bed design and results of testing conducted to date.

Bradley, D. E.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Sterile neutrinos with secret interactions — lasting friendship with cosmology

Sterile neutrinos with mass ≃1 eV and order 10% mixing with active neutrinos have been proposed as a solution to anomalies in neutrino oscillation data, but are tightly constrained by cosmological limits. It was recently shown that these constraints are avoided if sterile neutrinos couple to a new MeV-scale gauge boson A{sup ′}. However, even this scenario is restricted by structure formation constraints when A{sup ′}-mediated collisional processes lead to efficient active-to-sterile neutrino conversion after neutrinos have decoupled. In view of this, we reevaluate in this paper the viability of sterile neutrinos with such “secret” interactions. We carefully dissect their evolution in the early Universe, including the various production channels and the expected modifications to large scale structure formation. We argue that there are two regions in parameter space — one at very small A{sup ′} coupling, one at relatively large A{sup ′} coupling — where all constraints from big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), cosmic microwave background (CMB), and large scale structure (LSS) data are satisfied. Interestingly, the large A{sup ′} coupling region is precisely the region that was previously shown to have potentially important consequences for the small scale structure of dark matter halos if the A{sup ′} boson couples also to the dark matter in the Universe.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1988

Small scale structure and mixing at the edge of the Antarctic vortex

Small scale correlations and patterns in the chemical tracers measured from the NASA ER-2 aircraft in the 1987 AAOE campaign can be used to investigate the structure of the edge of the polar vortex and the chemically perturbed region within it. Examples of several types of transport processes can be found in the data. Since ClO and O3 have similar vertical gradients and opposite horizontal gradients near the chemically perturbed region, the correlation between ClO and O3 can be used to study the extent of horizontal transport at the edge of the chemically perturbed region. Horizontal transport dominates the correlation for a latitude band up to 4 degrees on each side of the boundary. This implies a transition zone containing a substantial fraction of the mass of the total polar vortex. Similar horizontal transport can be seen in other tracers as well. It has not been possible to distinguish reversible transport from irreversible mixing. One manifestation of the horizontal transport is that the edge of the chemically perturbed region is often layered rather than a vertical curtain. This can be seen from the frequent reversed vertical gradients of NO2, caused by air with high NO2 overlapping layers with lower mixing ratios. Water and NO2 are positively correlated within the chemically perturbed region. This is the opposite sign to the correlation in the unperturbed stratosphere. The extent of the positive correlation is too great to be attributed solely to horizontal mixing. Instead, it is hypothesized that dehydration and descent are closely connected on a small scale, possibly due to radiative cooling of the clouds that also cause ice to fall to lower altitudes.

Murphy, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

NASA GPM GV Science Requirements

An important scientific objective of the NASA portion of the GPM Mission is to generate quantitatively-based error characterization information along with the rainrate retrievals emanating from the GPM constellation of satellites. These data must serve four main purposes: (1) they must be of sufficient quality, uniformity, and timeliness to govern the observation weighting schemes used in the data assimilation modules of numerical weather prediction models; (2) they must extend over that portion of the globe accessible by the GPM core satellite to which the NASA GV program is focused - (approx.65 degree inclination); (3) they must have sufficient specificity to enable detection of physically-formulated microphysical and meteorological weaknesses in the standard physical level 2 rainrate algorithms to be used in the GPM Precipitation Processing System (PPS), i.e., algorithms which will have evolved from the TRMM standard physical level 2 algorithms; and (4) they must support the use of physical error modeling as a primary validation tool and as the eventual replacement of the conventional GV approach of statistically intercomparing surface rainrates fiom ground and satellite measurements. This approach to ground validation research represents a paradigm shift vis-&-vis the program developed for the TRMM mission, which conducted ground validation largely as a statistical intercomparison process between raingauge-derived or radar-derived rainrates and the TRMM satellite rainrate retrievals -- long after the original satellite retrievals were archived. This approach has been able to quantify averaged rainrate differences between the satellite algorithms and the ground instruments, but has not been able to explain causes of algorithm failures or produce error information directly compatible with the cost functions of data assimilation schemes. These schemes require periodic and near-realtime bias uncertainty (i.e., global space-time distributed conditional accuracy of the retrieved rainrates) and local error covariance structure (i.e., global space-time distributed error correlation information for the local 4-dimensional space-time domain -- or in simpler terms, the matrix form of precision error). This can only be accomplished by establishing a network of high quality-heavily instrumented supersites selectively distributed at a few oceanic, continental, and coastal sites. Economics and pragmatics dictate that the network must be made up of a relatively small number of sites (6-8) created through international cooperation. This presentation will address some of the details of the methodology behind the error characterization approach, some proposed solutions for expanding site-developed error properties to regional scales, a data processing and communications concept that would enable rapid implementation of algorithm improvement by the algorithm developers, and the likely available options for developing the supersite network.

Smith, E.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cloud microphysical response to entrainment and mixing is locally inhomogeneous and globally homogeneous: Evidence from the lab

Entrainment of dry air into clouds strongly influences cloud optical and precipitation properties and the response of clouds to aerosol perturbations. The response of cloud droplet size distributions to entrainment–mixing is examined in the Pi convection-cloud chamber that creates a turbulent, steady-state cloud. The experiments are conducted by injecting dry air with temperature (T e ) and flow rate (Q e ) through a flange in the top boundary, into the otherwise well-mixed cloud, to mimic the entrainment–mixing process. Due to the large-scale circulation, the downwind region is directly affected by entrained dry air, whereas the upwind region is representative of the background conditions. Droplet concentration (Cn) and liquid water content (L) decrease in the downwind region, but the difference in the mean diameter of droplets (D m ) is small. The shape of cloud droplet size distributions relative to the injection point is unchanged, to within statistical uncertainty, resulting in a signature of inhomogeneous mixing, as expected for droplet evaporation times small compared to mixing time scales. As T e and Q e of entrained air increase, however, Cn, L, and D m of the whole cloud system decrease, resulting in a signature of homogeneous mixing. The apparent contradiction is understood as the cloud microphysical responses to entrainment and mixing differing on local and global scales: locally inhomogeneous and globally homogeneous. This implies that global versus local sampling of clouds can lead to seemingly contradictory results for mixing, which informs the long-standing debate about the microphysical response to entrainment and the parameterization of this process for coarse-resolution models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Experimental evaluation of a semi-open membrane-based absorption heat pump system utilizing ionic liquids

While the use of energy efficient absorption heat pumps has been typically limited to the high capacity commercial and industrial applications, the use of a semi-open absorption heat pump for water heating has been demonstrated to be an energy efficient alternative for residential scale applications. A semi-open absorption system uses ambient water vapor as the refrigerant in the absorber where its heat of phase change is transferred to the process water, cooling the solution in the absorber. The solution is pumped to the desorber, where by adding heat, the water vapor is released from the solution and condensed in the condenser. The heat of phase change of water vapor is transferred to process water again in the condenser. This cycle when implemented with a membrane-based absorber in a plate and frame form of heat exchanger using ionic liquids can overcome the challenges related to the system architecture of conventional absorption heat pumps like the lower efficiency at small scale, crystallization/corrosion issues with the desiccants and the high cost of hermetically sealed components. The cycle COP for such a system was previously demonstrated by Chugh et al. for high humidity conditions. In this experimental study, design improvements were made that expand the system’s applicability to more practical and standardized test conditions. With these improvements, the performance of the system was evaluated. The results presented in this study demonstrate the improved system’s viability as a heat pump water heater conforming to standard water heater test conditions. Performance was measured at a cycle thermal COP of 1.2 with a hot water delivery water temperature of 56 °C and ambient air at 19 °C and 49% RH.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

The Little Engine That Could: No Project is too Small for Sustainable Remediation Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Removal Project - 16427

Executive Order 13693, 'Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade', mandates the reduction of energy use and cost and greenhouse gas emissions, and the search for renewable or alternative energy solutions. DOE EM manages the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project in Utah that involves relocating a 16-million-ton uranium mill tailings pile and associated contaminated materials at the former Atlas mill site to a permanent disposal cell constructed near Crescent Junction, Utah, predominantly by rail. Project personnel strive to support the Executive Order in making preparations for the impacts of climate change. Meeting the goals of the Executive Order in light of the remote location and limited resources of the Project sites often requires an innovative approach and perseverance. The Moab Project is a 'Small Site' within EM and has a comparatively short-term completion date. As a result, large-scale sustainability projects, such as retrofits or remodels, do not offer a cost benefit over this period. Instead, less dramatic process changes are achievable. The Project purchases renewable wind energy through the local power provider to reduce Scope 2 (purchased electricity) greenhouse gas emissions. Toward its ambitious goal of achieving zero landfill waste, the Project has diverted over 50 percent of its nonhazardous solid waste from the local landfill through composting and recycling efforts. In particular, electronics must meet various sustainable criteria prior to purchase, and be recycled through donations and certified recyclers, diverting it from the waste stream. The Project has received multiple Green Buy Awards from DOE by reaching leadership goals for purchasing energy-efficient, water-efficient, bio-based, and recycled-content products. In fiscal year 2014, in response to President Obama's June 2014 memorandum, 'Sustainable Practices for Designed Landscapes and Supporting Pollinators on Federal Landscapes', the Project decided to take a proactive approach and work with a local pollinator group, hosting two beehives in a revegetation area on the Moab site. An increase in plant growth and blossoming plants in the revegetation area has been observed and is believed to be related to the added pollinators. The Project has previously seeded disturbed areas mainly with native drought-resistant species to reduce water usage. Storm water collected in sediment basins at the Crescent Junction site is used for dust control and compaction of mill tailings in the disposal cell. The Project worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to gain support for re-contouring a remediated area adjacent to the Colorado River, which borders the Moab site on the east, to allow the area to flood at a lower river stage. This re-contouring promotes more varied vegetation growth and river water that tops the west bank brings soil nutrients to inundated areas of the site. Ponded floodwater has been pumped into revegetation plots for irrigation, reducing freshwater usage. Innovation in sustainable practices comes in many different fashions. The Moab Project demonstrates that no project is too small to implement sustainable practices. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗