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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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DOE OSTI2012

MOCFE-Bone: The 3D-MOC Mini-Application for Exascale Research

MOCFE-Bone is a mini-application that simulates the main procedures in a 3D method of characteristics (MOC) code for numerical solution of the steady state neutron transport equation. 3D MOC was chosen as a specific methodology of interest in exascale computing for nuclear reactor applications because of its heterogeneous geometry capability, high degree of accuracy, and potential for scalability. In developing the mini-app, we focused on emulating the behavior of a production 3D MOC tool without requiring the input overhead associated with such a code. The MOCFE code at Argonne National Laboratory was used to investigate and characterize the behavior of the mini-app; the results of are presented here. Note that the existing MOCFE code resulted from research forays into the potential of 3D-MOC for large scale parallelism and is not a production level tool nor is it optimally implemented. Parts of the mini-app therefore reflect lessons learned and represent how a production-level tool would be written from this point forward rather than simply duplicating MOCFE, which has known scalability issues (i.e. parallelization in energy).

Wolters, E. R.↗
DOE OSTI2013

DOE Robotic and Remote Systems Assistance to the Government of Japan

At the request of the Government of Japan, DOE did a complex wide survey of available remotely operated and robotic systems to assist in the initial assessment of the damage to the Fukushima Daiichi reactors following an earthquake and subsequent tsunami. As a result several radiation hardened cameras and a Talon robot were identified as systems that could immediately assist in the effort and were subsequently sent to Japan. These systems were transferred to the Government of Japan and used to map radiation levels surrounding the damaged facilities. This report describes the equipment, its use, data collected, and lessons learned from the experience.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

International Legal Framework for Denuclearization and Nuclear Disarmament -- Present Situation and Prospects

This thesis is the culminating project for my participation in the OECD NEA International School of Nuclear Law. This paper will begin by providing a historical background to current disarmament and denuclearization treaties. This paper will discuss the current legal framework based on current and historical activities related to denuclearization and nuclear disarmament. Then, it will propose paths forward for the future efforts, and describe the necessary legal considerations. Each treaty or agreement will be examined in respect to its requirements for: 1) limitations and implementation; 2) and verification and monitoring. Then, lessons learned in each of the two areas (limitations and verification) will be used to construct a proposed path forward at the end of this paper.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2013

Report of On-Site Inspection Workshop-20: Debriefing on OSI Build-Up Exercises (BUE) I and II/IV and Preparations for BUE III

OSI Workshop-20, “Debriefing on OSI Build-Up Exercises (BUE) I and II/IV and Preparations for BUE III”, took place on 29 October – 2 November 2012 at the Vienna International Centre. There were a total of 83 participants from both the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) and 19 States Signatories. This workshop is part of the planning and preparation process leading up to the 2014 Integrated Field Exercise (IFE14). The opening plenary session provided an overview of the build-up exercises (BUEs) and the overall planning process for IFE14 and preparations for BUE I and BUE II/IV, and the closing session provided a summary of findings. Other sessions consisted of a summary of the preparations for BUE I (launch phase), review and discussion of the execution of BUE I, review and discussion of BUE II/IV (pre-inspection and post-inspection phases), and review and planning of elements of BUE III (inspection phase) and IFE14. BUE I was conducted in mid-April and BUE II/IV in mid-September 2012. BUE III is planned for 26 May – 7 June 2013 and IFE14 for November-December 2014. The purpose of this workshop was to give the participants who took part in the exercises and participants at the workshop a chance to review the preparation and execution of BUE I and BUE II/IV, assess them as to their value to the exercise build-up process, determine what went well and what did not go well, and provide recommendations to help the planning for BUE III and IFE14. This was accomplished by means of presentations by PTS staff and other participants, discussions following the presentations and separate expert working group discussions. The consensus of the participants was that BUE I and BUE II/IV validated the exercise concept contained in CTBT/PTS/INF.1105 (Concept for Preparation and Conduct of the Next Integrated Field Exercise). The many details dealt with in the launch, pre-inspection and post inspection exercises provided an opportunity to test a host of issues prior to IFE14. The exercises showed that the PTS has made considerable progress in developing capabilities in logistics, administration and planning of an OSI since IFE08, and pointed as well to a number of areas where more attention is needed – most notably in the areas of health and safety and equipment checking at the base of operations. A number of areas for which results from the two initial exercises can be applied to BUE III and IFE14 were identified. Also, the review of plans and preparations for BUE III and IFE14 provided the participants with an excellent baseline of information on these two exercises. Probably the most significant impressions that resulted from this workshop are the significant level of complexity involved with preparing the OSI verification regime, the extent of planning involved in the preparation of exercises, and the great value of these types of BUE for assessing and building OSI capabilities. The recommendations section at the end of this report contains the findings of the workshop, grouped into lessons learned from the first two BUEs, proposals relevant to BUE III and IFE14 and issues for the attention of Working Group B.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2012

International Review of the Development and Implementation of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling Programs

Appliance energy efficiency standards and labeling (S&L) programs have been important policy tools for regulating the efficiency of energy-using products for over 40 years and continue to expand in terms of geographic and product coverage. The most common S&L programs include mandatory minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) that seek to push the market for efficient products, and energy information and endorsement labels that seek to pull the market. This study seeks to review and compare some of the earliest and most well-developed S&L programs in three countries and one region: the U.S. MEPS and ENERGY STAR, Australia MEPS and Energy Label, European Union MEPS and Ecodesign requirements and Energy Label and Japanese Top Runner programs. For each program, key elements of S&L programs are evaluated and comparative analyses across the programs undertaken to identify best practice examples of individual elements as well as cross-cutting factors for success and lessons learned in international S&L program development and implementation. The international review and comparative analysis identified several overarching themes and highlighted some common factors behind successful program elements. First, standard-setting and programmatic implementation can benefit significantly from a legal framework that stipulates a specific timeline or schedule for standard-setting and revision, product coverage and legal sanctions for non-compliance. Second, the different MEPS programs revealed similarities in targeting efficiency gains that are technically feasible and economically justified as the principle for choosing a standard level, in many cases at a level that no product on the current market could reach. Third, detailed survey data such as the U.S. Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) and rigorous analyses provide a strong foundation for standard-setting while incorporating the participation of different groups of stakeholders further strengthen the process. Fourth, sufficient program resources for program implementation and evaluation are critical to the effectiveness of standards and labeling programs and cost-sharing between national and local governments can help ensure adequate resources and uniform implementation. Lastly, check-testing and punitive measures are important forms of enforcement while the cancellation of registration or product sales-based fines have also proven effective in reducing non-compliance. The international comparative analysis also revealed the differing degree to which the level of government decentralization has influenced S&L programs and while no single country has best practices in all elements of standards and labeling development and implementation, national examples of best practices for specific elements do exist. For example, the U.S. has exemplified the use of rigorous analyses for standard-setting and robust data source with the RECS database while Japan's Top Runner standard-setting principle has motivated manufacturers to exceed targets. In terms of standards implementation and enforcement, Australia has demonstrated success with enforcement given its long history of check-testing and enforcement initiatives while mandatory information-sharing between EU jurisdictions on compliance results is another important enforcement mechanism. These examples show that it is important to evaluate not only the drivers of different paths of standards and labeling development, but also the country-specific context for best practice examples in order to understand how and why certain elements of specific S&L programs have been effective.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Investigation of CTBT OSI Radionuclide Techniques at the DILUTED WATERS Nuclear Test Site

Under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), a verification regime that includes the ability to conduct an On-Site Inspection (OSI) will be established. The Treaty allows for an OSI to include many techniques, including the radionuclide techniques of gamma radiation surveying and spectrometry and environmental sampling and analysis. Such radioactivity detection techniques can provide the “smoking gun” evidence that a nuclear test has occurred through the detection and quantification of indicative recent fission products. An OSI faces restrictions in time and manpower, as dictated by the Treaty; not to mention possible logistics difficulties due to the location and climate of the suspected explosion site. It is thus necessary to have a good understanding of the possible source term an OSI will encounter and the proper techniques that will be necessary for an effective OSI regime. One of the challenges during an OSI is to locate radioactive debris that has escaped an underground nuclear explosion (UNE) and settled on the surface near and downwind of ground zero. To support the understanding and selection of sampling and survey techniques for use in an OSI, we are currently designing an experiment, the Particulate Release Experiment (PRex), to simulate a small-scale vent from an underground nuclear explosion. PRex will occur at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The project is conducted under the National Center for Nuclear Security (NCNS) funded by the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA). Prior to the release experiment, scheduled for Spring of 2013, the project scheduled a number of activities at the NNSS to prepare for the release experiment as well as to utilize the nuclear testing past of the NNSS for the development of OSI techniques for CTBT. One such activity—the focus of this report—was a survey and sampling campaign at the site of an old UNE that vented: DILUTED WATERS. Activities at DILUTED WATERS included vehicle-based survey, in situ measurements with high-purity germanium (HPGe) and hand-held LaBr 3 systems, soil sampling with a variety of tools, and laboratory gamma spectrometric analysis of those samples. A further benefit of the measurement campaign was to gain familiarity with the many logistical aspects of performing radiological field work at NNSS ahead of the PRex. Many practical lessons concerning the proper methodologies and logistics of using the surveying and sampling equipment were noted. These Lessons Learned are compiled together in Appendix A. The vehicle-based survey was successful in that it found a previously unknown hotspot (determined to be 232 Th) while it demonstrated that a better method for keeping a serpentine track without staking was needed. Some of the soil sampling equipment was found to be impractical for the application, though core sampling would not be the correct way to take soil samples for a fresh vent deposit (as opposed to an old site like DILUTED WATERS). Due to the site’s age, 137 Cs was the only fission radioisotope identified, though others were searched for. While not enough samples were taken and analyzed to definitively link the 137 Cs to DILUTED WATERS as opposed to other NNSS activities, results were consistent with the historical DILUTED WATERS plume. MDAs were compared for soil sampling and in situ measurements.

CTBT↗
DOE OSTI2013

Security by Design Handbook

This document is a draft Security-by-Design (SeBD) handbook produced to support the Work Plan of the Nuclear Security Summit to share best practices for nuclear security in new facility design. The Work Plan calls on States to “encourage nuclear operators and architect/engineering firms to take into account and incorporate, where appropriate, effective measures of physical protection and security culture into the planning, construction, and operation of civilian nuclear facilities and provide technical assistance, upon request, to other States in doing so.” The materials for this document were generated primarily as part of a bilateral project to produce a SeBD handbook as a collaboration between the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) Nuclear Nonproliferation Science and Technology Center and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), which represented the US Department Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) under a Project Action Sheet PAS-PP04. Input was also derived based on tours of the Savannah River Site (SRS) and Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) Rokkasho Mixed Oxide Fuel fabrication facilities and associated project lessons-learned. For the purposes of the handbook, SeBD will be described as the system-level incorporation of the physical protection system (PPS) into a new nuclear power plant or nuclear facility resulting in a PPS design that minimizes the risk of malicious acts leading to nuclear material theft; nuclear material sabotage; and facility sabotage as much as possible through features inherent in (or intrinsic to) the design of the facility. A four-element strategy is presented to achieve a robust, durable, and responsive security system.

Snell, Mark Kamerer↗
DOE OSTI2013

First Application of Geospatial Semantic Graphs to SAR Image Data (LDRD Final Report)

Modeling geospatial information with semantic graphs enables search for sites of interest based on relationships between features, without requiring strong a priori models of feature shape or other intrinsic properties. Geospatial semantic graphs can be constructed from raw sensor data with suitable preprocessing to obtain a discretized representation. This report describes initial work toward extending geospatial semantic graphs to include temporal information, and initial results applying semantic graph techniques to SAR image data. We describe an efficient graph structure that includes geospatial and temporal information, which is designed to support simultaneous spatial and temporal search queries. We also report a preliminary implementation of feature recognition, semantic graph modeling, and graph search based on input SAR data. The report concludes with lessons learned and suggestions for future improvements.

Brost, Randolph C.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Supporting 64-bit global indices in Epetra and other Trilinos packages :

The Trilinos Project is an effort to facilitate the design, development, integration and ongoing support of mathematical software libraries within an object-oriented framework. It is intended for large-scale, complex multiphysics engineering and scientific applications [2, 4, 3]. Epetra is one of its basic packages. It provides serial and parallel linear algebra capabilities. Before Trilinos version 11.0, released in 2012, Epetra used the C++ int data-type for storing global and local indices for degrees of freedom (DOFs). Since int is typically 32-bit, this limited the largest problem size to be smaller than approximately two billion DOFs. This was true even if a distributed memory machine could handle larger problems. We have added optional support for C++ long long data-type, which is at least 64-bit wide, for global indices. To save memory, maintain the speed of memory-bound operations, and reduce further changes to the code, the local indices are still 32-bit. We document the changes required to achieve this feature and how the new functionality can be used. We also report on the lessons learned in modifying a mature and popular package from various perspectives design goals, backward compatibility, engineering decisions, C++ language features, effects on existing users and other packages, and build integration.

Jhurani, Chetan↗
DOE OSTI2013

NREL Collaborative Improves the Reliability of Wind Turbine Gearboxes [Fact Sheet]

Gearbox failures have a significant impact on the cost of wind farm operations. To help minimize gearbox failures, in 2007 the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) initiated the Gearbox Reliability Collaborative (GRC), which consists of manufacturers, owners, researchers, and consultants. Based on all the lessons learned from the past five years, the GRC has now produced a new and improved design, which is projected to yield an operating lifetime of 12 years, more than triple that of the previous redesigned gearbox. The GRC findings will result in increased gearbox reliability and an overall reduction in the cost of wind energy.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Materials characterization activities for %E2%80%9CTake Our Sons&Daughters to Work Day%E2%80%9D 2013.

We created interactive demonstration activities for Take Our Daughters&Sons to Work Day (TODSTWD) 2013 in order to promote general interest in chemistry and also generate awareness of the type of work our laboratories can perform. %E2%80%9CCurious about Mars Rover Curiosity?%E2%80%9D performed an elemental analysis on rocks brought to our lab using the same technique utilized on the planet Mars by the NASA robotic explorer Curiosity. %E2%80%9CFood is Chemistry?%E2%80%9D utilized a mass spectrometer to measure, in seconds, each participant's breath in order to identify the food item consumed for the activity. A total of over 130 children participated in these activities over a 3 hour block, and feedback was positive. This document reports the materials (including handouts), experimental procedures, and lessons learned so that future demonstrations can benefit from the baseline work performed. We also present example results used to prepare the Food activity and example results collected during the Curiosity demo.

Mowry, Curtis Dale↗
DOE OSTI2013

Enhancements in Glovebox Design Resulting from Laboratory-Conducted FIre Tests

The primary mission of the Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility (PDCF) Project was to disassemble nuclear weapons pits and convert the resulting special nuclear materials to a form suitable for further disposition. Because of the nature of materials involved, the fundamental system which allowed PDCF to perform its mission was a series of integrated and interconnected gloveboxes which provided confinement and containment of the radioactive materials being processed. The high throughput planned for PDCF and the relatively high neutron and gamma radiation levels of the pits required that gloveboxes be shielded to meet worker dose limits. The glovebox shielding material was required to contain high hydrogen concentrations which typically result in these materials being combustible. High combustible loadings created design challenges for the facility fire suppression and ventilation system design. Combustible loading estimates for the PDCF Plutonium (Pu) Processing Building increased significantly due to these shielding requirements. As a result, the estimates of combustible loading substantially exceeded values used to support fire and facility safety analyses. To ensure a valid basis for combustible loading contributed by the glovebox system, the PDCF Project funded a series of fire tests conducted by the Southwest Research Institute on door panels and a representative glovebox containing Water Extended Polyester (WEP) radiological shielding to observe their behavior during a fire event. Improvements to PDCF glovebox designs were implemented based on lessons learned during the fire test. In particular, methods were developed to provide high levels of neutron shielding while maintaining combustible loading in the glovebox shells at low levels. Additionally, the fire test results led to design modifications to mitigate pressure increases observed during the fire test in order to maintain the integrity of the WEP cladding. These changes resulted in significantly reducing the credited combustible loading of the facility. These advances in glovebox design should be considered for application in nuclear facilities within the Department of Energy complex in the future.

Brooks, Kriston P.↗
DOE OSTI2011

IMIGO: An Optimal Adaptive Nonlinear Program for Accelerator Optics Modeling and Other Applications

Model-based electron accelerator control is the maintenance of optimal parameters of an electron beam such as its orbit, size, and shape, as well as machine parameters such as tunes. It works well when the model reflects reality. SLAC pioneered this technique in SPEAR about thirty decades ago. Similar techniques are now employed in particle accelerator and synchrotron laboratories around the world. There is still an inherently complex problem related to the employment of such techniques to manage the operation and analysis of accelerators and storage rings. The problem arises from the use by those techniques of complex numerical algorithms commonly known as nonlinear solvers that are difficult to control and operate. Lessons learned at SLAC have led to the development of a new, simple-to-use, and iterative nonlinear solver that holds much promise not only in advancing the derivation of errors in accelerators and storage rings at SLAC, but also in its ability to tackle a range of complex engineering problems. A CRADA project was recently completed to build on this experience at SLAC, and to collaborate with an outside company GO AI Services to further develop and validate this nonlinear solver for robust SLAC accelerator. In this report, we present the project report submitted to DOE and SLAC.

Accelerators↗
DOE OSTI2013

Exascale Co-Design Center for Materials in Extreme Environments (ExMatEx) Annual Report — Year 2

All activities of the Exascale Co-design Center for Materials in Extreme Environments (ExMatEx) are focused on the two ultimate goals of the project: (1) demonstrating and delivering a prototype scale-bridging materials science application based upon adaptive physics refinement, and (2) identifying the requirements for the exascale ecosystem that are necessary to perform computational materials science simulations (both single- and multi-scale). During the first year of ExMatEx, our focus was on establishing how we do computational materials science, by developing an initial suite of flexible proxy applications. These “proxy apps” are the primary vehicle for the co-design process, involving assessments and tradeoff evaluations both within the ExMatEx team, and with the entire exascale ecosystem. These interactions have formed the basis of our second year activities. The set of artifacts from these co-design interactions are the lessons learned, that are used to re-express the applications and algorithms within the context of emerging architectures, programming models, and runtime systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

LRBOI Tribal Renewable Energy-Final Report

In 2011, a DOE Tribal energy Program first Steps Human Capacity was awarded to the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians (LRBOI). The main purpose of the grant was to increase human capacity of LRBOI, to understand the components of renewable energy and the importance of energy efficiency. This report summarizes the activities, the outcomes, and the lessons learned during this grant.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Trip report on IAEA Training Workshop on Implementation of Integrated Management Systems for Research Reactors (T3-TR-45496).

From 17-21 June 2013, Sandia National Laboratories, Technical Area-V (SNL TA-V) represented the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Training Workshop (T3-TR-45486). This report gives a breakdown of the IAEA regulatory structure for those unfamiliar, and the lessons learned and observations that apply to SNL TA-V that were obtained from the workshop. The Safety Report Series, IAEA workshop final report, and SNL TA-V presentation are included as attachments.

Pratt, Richard J.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Evaluation and Analysis of a Few International Periodic Safety Review Summary Reports (Technical Letter Report)

At the request of the United States (U.S.) government, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assembled a team of 20 senior safety experts to review the regulatory framework for the safety of operating nuclear power plants in the United States. This review focused on the effectiveness of the regulatory functions implemented by the NRC and on its commitment to nuclear safety and continuous improvement. One suggestion resulting from that review was that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) incorporate lessons learned from periodic safety reviews (PSRs) performed in other countries as an input to the NRC’s assessment processes.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗