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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 1,225 records · Page 68
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Incorporating Equipment Condition Assessment in Risk Monitors for Advanced Small Modular Reactors

Advanced small modular reactors (aSMRs) can complement the current fleet of large light-water reactors in the USA for baseload and peak demand power production and process heat applications (e.g., water desalination, shale oil extraction, hydrogen production). The day-to-day costs of aSMRs are expected to be dominated by operations and maintenance (O&M); however, the effect of diverse operating missions and unit modularity on O&M is not fully understood. These costs could potentially be reduced by optimized scheduling, with risk-informed scheduling of maintenance, repair, and replacement of equipment. Currently, most nuclear power plants have a “living” probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), which reflects the as-operated, as-modified plant and combine event probabilities with population-based probability of failure (POF) for key components. “Risk monitors” extend the PRA by incorporating the actual and dynamic plant configuration (equipment availability, operating regime, environmental conditions, etc.) into risk assessment. In fact, PRAs are more integrated into plant management in today’s nuclear power plants than at any other time in the history of nuclear power. However, population-based POF curves are still used to populate fault trees; this approach neglects the time-varying condition of equipment that is relied on during standard and non-standard configurations. Equipment condition monitoring techniques can be used to estimate the component POF. Incorporating this unit-specific estimate of POF in the risk monitor can provide a more accurate estimate of risk in different operating and maintenance configurations. This enhanced risk assessment will be especially important for aSMRs that have advanced component designs, which don’t have an available operating history to draw from, and often use passive design features, which present challenges to PRA. This paper presents the requirements and technical gaps for developing a framework to integrate unit-specific estimates of POF into risk monitors, resulting in enhanced risk monitors that support optimized operation and maintenance of aSMRs.

Advanced Small Modular Reactors↗
DOE OSTI2022

Seasonal variations in fire conditions are important drivers in the trend of aerosol optical properties over the south-eastern Atlantic

Abstract. From June to October, southern Africa produces one-third of the global biomass burning (BB) emissions by widespread fires. BB aerosols are transported westward over the south-eastern Atlantic with the mid-tropospheric winds, resulting in significant radiative effects. Ascension Island (ASI) is located midway between Africa and South America. From June 2016 to October 2017, a 17-month in situ observation campaign on ASI found a low single-scattering albedo (SSA) as well as a high mass absorption cross-section of black carbon (MACBC), demonstrating the strong absorbing marine boundary layer in the south-eastern Atlantic. Here we investigate the monthly variations of critical optical properties of BB aerosols, i.e. SSA and MACBC, during the BB seasons and the driving factors behind these variations. Both SSA and MACBC increase from June to August and decrease in September and October. The average SSA during the BB seasons is 0.81 at 529 nm wavelength, with the highest mean ∼ 0.85 in October and the lowest ∼ 0.78 in August. The absorption enhancement (Eabs) derived from the MACBC shows similar trends with SSA, with the average during the whole of the BB seasons at ∼ 1.96 and ∼ 2.07 in 2016 and 2017, respectively. As the Eabs is higher than the ∼ 1.5 commonly adopted value by climate models, this result suggests the marine boundary layer in the south-eastern Atlantic is more absorbing than model simulations. We find the enhanced ratio of BC to CO (ΔBC/ΔCO, equal to BC/ΔCO as the BC background concentration is considered to be 0) is well correlated with SSA and MACBC, providing a simple way to estimate the aerosol optical characteristics in the south-eastern Atlantic. The exponential function we proposed can approximate SSA and MACBC with BC/ΔCO, and when BC/ΔCO is small it can capture the rapid growth of SSA as BC/ΔCO decreases. BC/ΔCO is influenced by combustion conditions and aerosol scavenging. From the analysis of the location of BB, the primary source fuel, the water content in the fuel, combined with the mean cloud cover and precipitation in the transport areas of the BB plume, we conclude that the increase in BC/ΔCO from June to August is likely to be caused by burning becoming more flaming. The reduction in the water content of fuels may be responsible for the change in the burning conditions from June to August. The decrease in BC/ΔCO in September and October may be caused by two factors, one being a lower proportion of flaming conditions, possibly associated with a decrease in mean surface wind speed in the burning area, and the other being an increase in precipitation in the BB transport pathway, leading to enhanced aerosol scavenging, which ultimately results in an increase in SSA and MACBC.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Loss of Control Detection for Commercial Transport Aircraft Using Conditional Variational Autoencoders

This work describes a detector for the loss of control condition of a commercial transport in flight. The detector has a belief state defined by the latent variable stochastic modeling of a conditional variational autoencoder (CVAE) constructed with bidirectional recurrent layers. In 2000, the Boeing Company and the NASA Langley Research Center jointly developed a quantitative set of metrics for defining loss-of-control (LOC) for a commercial transport. We use the thresholds for these quantitative metrics to define a condition vector for training the CVAE. First, we demonstrate through experimentation that reconstruction probability is an accurate indicator that the vehicle has shifted to an LOC state. Second, we introduce a technique for inferring that the vehicle is approaching a flight state change by measuring a shift in the sampling distributions of the CVAE latent space. The sampling distributions for flight observations that are approaching envelope limits are localized to external areas of the latent space. We provide an analysis of its applicability to flight data from NASA’s dynamically-scaled generic transport model (GTM) aircraft.

Loss of control↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Effect of Boundary Conditions on Process-Induced Stresses in a Plain Weave Unit Cell

Woven polymer matrix composites (PMCs) are leveraged in aerospace applications for their desirable specific properties, yet they are vulnerable to high residual stresses during manufacturing and their complex geometry makes experimental results difficult to observe. Process modeling is needed to characterize the effects of the curing and predict end stress states. Finite element software can be used to model woven architectures, however accurate representation of processing conditions remains a challenge when it comes to selecting boundary conditions. The effect of BCs on process-induced stress within woven PMCs is studied. The commercial Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software Abaqus is coupled with user-written subroutines in a process modeling framework. A two-dimensionally (2D) woven PMC repeating unit cell (RUC) is modeled with TexGen and Abaqus. Virtual curing is imposed on the bulk matrix. The BC study is conducted with Free, Periodic, Flat, and Flat-Free configurations. Results show that the end stress state is sensitive to the boundary condition assumptions. Flat BC results show great agreement with Periodic BCs. Residual stress results from process modeling are then compared with a linear-elastic thermal cooldown analysis in Abaqus. Cooldown results indicate an overestimation in matrix stresses compared with process modeling.

micromechanics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

On the Implementation and Further Validation of a Time Domain Boundary Element Method Broadband Impedance Boundary Condition

A time domain boundary integral equation with Burton-Miller reformulation is presented for acoustic scattering by surfaces with liners in a uniform mean flow. The Ingard-Myers impedance boundary condition is implemented using a broadband multipole impedance model and converted into time domain differential equations to augment the boundary integral equation. The coupled integral-differential equations are solved numerically by a March-On-in-Time (MOT) scheme. While the Ingard-Myers condition is known to support Kelvin-Helmholtz instability due to its use of a vortex sheet interface between the flow and the liner surface, it is found that by neglecting a second derivative term in the current time domain impedance boundary condition formulation, the instability an be effectively suppressed in computation. The proposed formulation and implementation are validated using a NASA Langley Research Center Grazing Flow Impedance Tube (GFIT) experimental dataset with satisfactory results. Moreover, a minimization procedure for finding the poles and coefficients of the broadband multiple impedance model is formulated in this paper by which, unlike the commonly used vector-fitting method, passivity of the model is ensured. Numerical tests show the proposed minimization approach is effective for modeling liners that are commonly used in aeroacoustic applications.

Time Domain Impedance Boundary Condition↗
DOE OSTI2013

Wind Turbine Drivetrain Condition Monitoring - An Overview (Presentation)

High operation and maintenance costs still hamper the development of the wind industry despite its quick growth worldwide. To reduce unscheduled downtime and avoid catastrophic failures of wind turbines and their components have been and will be crucial to further raise the competitiveness of wind power. Condition monitoring is one of the key tools for achieving such a goal. To enhance the research and development of advanced condition monitoring techniques dedicated to wind turbines, we present an overview of wind turbine condition monitoring, discuss current practices, point out existing challenges, and suggest possible solutions.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Revisit boundary conditions for the self-adjoint angular flux formulation

We revisit the boundary conditions for SAAF. We derived the equivalent parity variational form ready for coding up. The more rigorous approach of evaluating odd parity should be solving the odd parity equation coupled with the even parity. We proposed a symmetric reflecting boundary condition although neither positive definiteness nor even-odd decoupling is achieved. A simple numerical test verifies the validity of these boundary conditions.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Analytical Model Methodology Development and Demonstration of Approach on Used Fuel Performance Characterization for Condition of Normal Transportation

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) rules require that used nuclear fuel (UNF) rods maintain their integrity during handling, transportation, and storage to ensure maintenance of the fuel retaining boundary, safety against criticality, and long term fuel retrievability for processing and disposal. Consequently, understanding the mechanical performance of UNF rods under cumulative loading stemming from handling, normal conditions of transport (NCT), and normal conditions of storage (NCS) is necessary as their performance under these conditions establishes part of their safety basis. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) commissioned a multi-laboratory team consisting of subject matter experts at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop a methodology to examine the structural performance and potential for failure of UNF under NCT and to perform a demonstration of this methodology for a typical UNF transportation campaign. This team prepared a Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) Plan that describes a methodology, including development and use of analytical models, to evaluate loading and associated mechanical responses of UNF rods and key structural components during NCT. The initial scope of this plan has now been fully executed. The demonstration of the methodology laid out in the RD&D plan is focused on structural performance evaluation of Westinghouse Electric 17×17 OFA pressurized water reactor fuel assemblies with a discharge burnup range of 30 58 GWd/MTU (assembly average), loaded in a representative high-capacity (=32 fuel rod assemblies) transportation package and transported on a 3000 mile rail journey. In general, the modeling and simulation approach consists of three levels; the cask level, the fuel assembly level, and the fuel rod level. This modeling approach utilized finite element analysis sub-modeling techniques to accurately model the complete spent nuclear fuel transport system on the railcar (cask restraint structure, cask, basket, assembly, and fuel rods). The sub-modeling approach allows for more detailed finite element models of individual system components, faster analysis run times for the individual sub-models, and flexibility when updating or modifying the sub-models to incorporate better excitation data, initial material properties, or other pertinent information. The final results of the initial demonstration are that cladding strains were not large enough to cause structural failure, but cyclic strains roughly projected for the entire route were significant in some cases. The number of cycles that the model hits certain strain "bins" are counted. These are extrapolated for a 3000 mile trip and the damage ratio is calculated which is the number of cycles the fuel rods hit certain strain bins over the 3000 mile journey divided by the number of cycles to failure. Under the final model and set of inputs, the total damage from summation of the worst shock and vibration cases is ~18% of the expected fatigue limit. Therefore the fuel rods are not expected to fail during NCT given the assumptions listed. Additionally, a number of sensitivity studies were performed. It was found that the areas of highest sensitivity were the cladding elastic modulus, the spacer grid stiffness, the spacer grid location, and gaps between the assembly and the cask; these findings can be used to guide future work.

Used Nuclear Fuel, Storage, Transportation, Normal↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Approach to High-Performance Affordable Housing Using Point-Source Space Conditioning

In cooperation with the Building America Program, The Levy Partnership explored a variety of options to reduce space-conditioning energy consumption, working with partners to design, manu- facture, and build test homes in three states. The Levy Partnership tested the use of minisplit ductless heat pumps in combi- nation with small through-wall transfer fans to provide space conditioning in small single-story homes, including manufactured homes and homes built by Habitat for Humanity. The team set out to achieve 50% less energy consumption, compared to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, while maintaining home afford- ability and thermal comfort. The strategy also included a highly efficient thermal envelope to reduce space-conditioning loads.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2011

Time-dependent and outflow boundary conditions for Dissipative Particle Dynamics

We propose a simple method to impose both no-slip boundary conditions at fluid-wall interfaces and at outflow boundaries in fully developed regions for Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) fluid systems. The procedure to enforce the no-slip condition is based on a velocity-dependent shear force, which is a generalized force to represent the presence of the solid-wall particles and to maintain locally thermodynamic consistency. We show that this method can be implemented in both steady and time-dependent fluid systems and compare the DPD results with the continuum limit (Navier-Stokes) results. We also develop a force-adaptive method to impose the outflow boundary conditions for fully developed flow with unspecified outflow velocity profile or pressure value. We study flows over the backward-facing step and in idealized arterial bifurcations using a combination of the two new boundary methods with different flow rates. Finally, we explore the applicability of the outflow method in time-dependent flow systems. The outflow boundary method works well for systems with Womersley number of O(1), i.e. when the pressure and flowrate at the outflow are approximately in-phase.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2012

Supercritical carbon dioxide tubular flow under temporally varying thermal boundary condition

During transient operation of fusion power plants the amount of thermal energy transferred from plasma to surrounding blanket modules will be varied over time, and will affect behavior of the working fluid inside the blanket and power conversion system where the coolant is in a supercritical state. Transient behavior of the power is in pulsed state in tokamak. The Optimized Supercritical Cycle Operation (OSCO) loop is constructed to investigate the thermohydraulic characteristics of the supercritical fluid under temporally varying thermal boundary condition. In this study the tube outer wall temperature data are measured for abrupt change in thermal power as a preliminary power transient test. The OSCO test conditions are selected to include the erratic behavior of the supercritical fluid under pseudo-critical condition during transient. In order to incorporate the delayed response of utilized thermocouples, a time constant is applied to adjust the obtained results. Along with the experimental study, computational fluid dynamic software is used to perform detailed analysis over the test section geometry. The preliminary test results are presented for comparison against the available correlations from the literature. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Fission gas swelling in U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} at LWR conditions

In order to evaluate the feasibility of replacing uranium dioxide fuel with U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} fuel, it is crucial to examine the fuel performance of the silicide fuel under typical LWR conditions. At this early stage of U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} fuel development, before undertaking costly in-pile irradiation experiments and corresponding post-irradiation examinations, it is appropriate to utilize modeling tools to estimate the behavior of U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} in LWRs based on available in-pile irradiation experiments as well as the state-of-the-art calculation capabilities provided by density functional theory (DFT). Therefore, a comprehensive investigation of the fission gas swelling behavior of U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} at LWR conditions is reported here. The modeling efforts in this study are based on the Gas Release and Swelling Subroutine for Steady-State and Transient (GRASS-SST) rate theory (RT) model of fission gas bubble evolution that has been successfully applied to a variety of fuel materials in numerous types of reactors. Both existing in-pile irradiation data and DFT-based calculations were used for the optimized parametrization of the RT model. In addition, the fuel-cladding interaction was captured by coupling the RT model with simplified mechanical correlations. Both the swelling behavior and the fission gas bubble size distribution were predicted by the rate theory model. At LWR conditions, the RT model predicts that intragranular bubbles dominate the gaseous swelling behavior and that the evolution of intergranular bubbles and corresponding gas release are suppressed, confirming the qualification of U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} as a LWR fuel.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Conditions for successful data assimilation

We show, using idealized models, that numerical data assimilation can be successful only if an effective dimension of the problem is not excessive. This effective dimension depends on the noise in the model and the data, and in physically reasonable problems, it can be moderate even when the number of variables is huge. We then analyze several data assimilation algorithms, including particle filters and variational methods. We show that well-designed particle filters can solve most of those data assimilation problems that can be solved in principle and compare the conditions under which variational methods can succeed to the conditions required of particle filters. We also discuss the limitations of our analysis. Key Points Data assimilation is feasible only if an effective dimension is moderate. The effective dimension is moderate, if the noise satisfies a balance condition. Particle filters can work, even if the dimension of the problem is large.

Chorin, Alexandre J.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Assessment of Controlling Processes for Field-Scale Uranium Reactive Transport under Highly Transient Flow Conditions

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive model-based analysis of a uranium tracer test conducted at the U.S Department of Energy Hanford 300 Area (300A) IFRC site. A three-dimensional multi-component reactive transport model was employed to assess the key factors and processes that control the field-scale uranium reactive transport. Taking into consideration of relevant physical and chemical processes, the selected conceptual/numerical model replicates the spatial and temporal variations of the observed U(VI) concentrations reasonably well in spite of the highly complex field conditions. A sensitivity analysis was performed to interrogate the relative importance of various processes and factors for reactive transport of U(VI) at the field-scale. The results indicate that multi-rate U(VI) sorption/desorption, U(VI) surface complexation reactions, and initial U(VI) concentrations were the most important processes and factors controlling U(VI) migration. On the other hand, cation exchange reactions, the choice of the surface complexation model, and dual-domain mass transfer processes, which were previously identified to be important in laboratory experiments, played less important roles under the field-scale experimental condition at the 300A site. However, the model simulations also revealed that the groundwater chemistry was relatively stable during the uranium tracer experiment and therefore presumably not dynamic enough to appropriately assess the effects of ion exchange reaction and the choice of surface complexation models on U(VI) sorption and desorption. Furthermore, it also showed that the field experimental duration (16 days) was not sufficiently long to precisely assess the role of a majority of the sorption sites that were accessed by slow kinetic processes within the dual domain model. The sensitivity analysis revealed the crucial role of the intraborehole flow that occurred within the long-screened monitoring wells and thus significantly affected both field-scale measurements and simulated U(VI) concentrations as a combined effect of aquifer heterogeneity and highly dynamic flow conditions. Overall, this study, which provides one of the few detailed and highly data-constrained uranium transport simulations, highlights the difference in controlling processes between laboratory and field scale that prevent a simple direct upscaling of laboratory-scale models.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Dynamically triggered slip leading to sustained fault gouge weakening under laboratory shear conditions

We investigate dynamic wave-triggered slip under laboratory shear conditions. The experiment is composed of a three-block system containing two gouge layers composed of glass beads and held in place by a fixed load in a biaxial configuration. When the system is sheared under steady state conditions at a normal load of 4 MPa, we find that shear failure may be instantaneously triggered by a dynamic wave, corresponding to material weakening and softening if the system is in a critical shear stress state (near failure). Following triggering, the gouge material remains in a perturbed state over multiple slip cycles as evidenced by the recovery of the material strength, shear modulus, and slip recurrence time. This work suggests that faults must be critically stressed to trigger under dynamic conditions and that the recovery process following a dynamically triggered event differs from the recovery following a spontaneous event.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Dynamical conditions of ice supersaturation and ice nucleation in convective systems: A comparative analysis between in situ aircraft observations and WRF simulations: Ice Supersaturation in Convective System

Occurrence frequency and dynamical conditions of ice supersaturation (ISS, where relative humidity with respect to ice (RHi) > 100%) are examined in the upper troposphere around convective activity. Comparisons are conducted between in situ airborne observations and the Weather Research and Forecasting model simulations using four double-moment microphysical schemes at temperatures ≤-40°C. All four schemes capture both clear-sky and in-cloud ISS conditions. However, the clear-sky (in-cloud) ISS conditions are completely (significantly) limited to the RHi thresholds of the Cooper parameterization. In all of the simulations, ISS occurrence frequencies are higher by ~3–4 orders of magnitude at higher updraft speeds (>1 m s -1 ) than those at the lower updraft speeds when ice water content (IWC) > 0.01 g m -3 , while observations show smaller differences up to ~1–2 orders of magnitude. The simulated ISS also occurs less frequently at weaker updrafts and downdrafts than observed. These results indicate that the simulations have a greater dependence on stronger updrafts to maintain/generate ISS at higher IWC. At lower IWC (≤0.01 g m -3 ), simulations unexpectedly show lower ISS frequencies at stronger updrafts. Overall, the Thompson aerosol-aware scheme has the closest magnitudes and frequencies of ISS >20% to the observations, and the modified Morrison has the closest correlations between ISS frequencies and vertical velocity at higher IWC and number density. The Cooper parameterization often generates excessive ice crystals and therefore suppresses the frequency and magnitude of ISS, indicating that it should be initiated at higher ISS (e.g., ≥25%).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Steady-state supercritical CO 2 and brine relative permeability in Berea sandstone at different temperature and pressure conditions

In this study, we measure steady-state two-phase supercritical CO 2 -brine relative permeabilities in a 61 cm-long Berea sandstone core at three different conditions (408C and 12.41 MPa, 408C and 8.27 MPa, and 608C and 12.41 MPa) under primary drainage. We use pressure taps to obtain pressure drops of individual sections of the core, and X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) to obtain in situ saturation profiles, which together help to mitigate the capillary end effect. We include previously measured relative permeabilities at 208C and 10.34 MPa, and compare all the data using both an eye-test and a statistical test. We find no appreciable temperature and pressure dependence of CO 2 relative permeability within 20–608C and 8.27–12.41 MPa. We find slight changes in the brine relative permeability between supercritical CO 2 conditions (40–608C and 8.27–12.41 MPa) and the liquid CO 2 condition (208C and 10.34 MPa). The temperature and pressure independence of CO 2 relative permeability has been previously recognized and reassured in this work using a capillary-effect-free method. This allows one to use a single CO 2 relative permeability curve in modeling two-phase CO 2 flow within 20–608C and 8.27–12.41 MPa.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Early Failure of Lithium–Sulfur Batteries at Practical Conditions: Crosstalk between Sulfur Cathode and Lithium Anode

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are one of the most promising next-generation energy storage technologies due to their high theoretical energy and low cost. However, Li–S cells with practically high energy still suffer from a very limited cycle life with reasons which remain unclear. Here, through cell study under practical conditions, it is proved that an internal short circuit (ISC) is a root cause of early cell failure and is ascribed to the crosstalk between the S cathode and Li anode. The cathode topography affects S reactions through influencing the local resistance and electrolyte distribution, particularly under lean electrolyte conditions. The inhomogeneous reactions of S cathodes are easily mirrored by the Li anodes, resulting in exaggerated localized Li plating/stripping, Li filament formation, and eventually cell ISC. Manipulating cathode topography is proven effective to extend the cell cycle life under practical conditions. The findings of this work shed new light on the electrode design for extending cycle life of high-energy Li–S cells, which are also applicable for other rechargeable Li or metal batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗