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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Road Map for Development of Crystal-Tolerant High Level Waste Glasses

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is building a Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) at the Hanford Site in Washington to remediate 55 million gallons of radioactive waste that is being temporarily stored in 177 underground tanks. Efforts are being made to increase the loading of Hanford tank wastes in glass while meeting melter lifetime expectancies and process, regulatory, and product quality requirements. This road map guides the research and development for formulation and processing of crystal-tolerant glasses, identifying near- and long-term activities that need to be completed over the period from 2014 to 2019. The primary objective is to maximize waste loading for Hanford waste glasses without jeopardizing melter operation by crystal accumulation in the melter or melter discharge riser. The potential applicability to the Savannah River Site (SRS) Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) will also be addressed in this road map. The planned research described in this road map is motivated by the potential for substantial economic benefits (significant reductions in glass volumes) that will be realized if the current constraints (T 1% for WTP and T L for DWPF) are approached in an appropriate and technically defensible manner for defense waste and current melter designs. The basis of this alternative approach is an empirical model predicting the crystal accumulation in the WTP glass discharge riser and melter bottom as a function of glass composition, time, and temperature. When coupled with an associated operating limit (e.g., the maximum tolerable thickness of an accumulated layer of crystals), this model could then be integrated into the process control algorithms to formulate crystal-tolerant high-level waste (HLW) glasses targeting high waste loadings while still meeting process related limits and melter lifetime expectancies. The modeling effort will be an iterative process, where model form and a broader range of conditions, e.g., glass composition and temperature, will evolve as additional data on crystal accumulation are gathered. Model validation steps will be included to guide the development process and ensure the value of the effort (i.e., increased waste loading and waste throughput). A summary of the stages of the road map for developing the crystal-tolerant glass approach, their estimated durations, and deliverables is provided.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

Notes on the ExactPack Implementation of the DSD Explosive Arc Solver

It has been shown above that the discretization scheme implemented in the ExactPack solver for the DSD Explosive Arc equation is consistent with the Explosive Arc PDE. In addition, a stability analysis has provided a CFL condition for a stable time step. Together, consistency and stability imply convergence of the scheme, which is expected to be close to first-order in time and second-order in space. It is understood that the nonlinearity of the underlying PDE will affect this rate somewhat.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Final Technical Report: Plasma Arc Gasification Based Rare Earth Element Recovery from Coal Fly Ash

Southern Research, as the primary awardee, with sub-awardees ArcSec Technologies, LLC (ArcSec) and Reaction Engineering International (REI) have investigated a plasma arc based thermal process intended to concentrate rare earth elements (REE) from coal fly ash. Successful demonstration of the technology would contribute to the effort for realizing a competitive, domestic REE value chain thereby reducing U.S. dependence on foreign supply, maintaining national security interests, and creating opportunities for economic growth. The originally proposed concept included two technology options – 1) a smelting process and 2) a smelting plus vaporization and condensation process. For both options, coal fly ash would be smelted in a plasma arc heated furnace under reducing conditions to separate ash into molten slag and reduced metal (primarily iron) phases. During smelting, it was expected that the REE would also be reduced to metals and partition mostly to the iron phase. During the first year of work, sample coal ash feedstocks were acquired and characterized, feasibility of the smelting process was evaluated in bench-scale experiments, and the vaporization/condensation process was investigated through equilibrium and CFD modeling studies. From the feedstock characterization, REE content for the coal ash samples obtained was measured to be in the range of 302 – 1219 ppm with average at 537 ppm. Though it was successfully demonstrated that ash could be separated into slag and metal phases, the bench-scale experiments were only marginally successful at collecting REE in the metal phase. Producing REE concentrates near the DOE goal of 2%, however, has not been achieved. From the modeling studies, the vaporization/condensation process was predicted to be effective for separating individual REE and producing enriched metal fractions with total REE content higher than 2%, provided the smelting process performed as intended. Supplemental smelting experiments and thermodynamic modeling studies, conducted during the second year of work, indicated a number of technical modifications that could lead to producing higher REE concentrates from coal ash. The strategy shifted to reducing as much of the ash oxides to metals as possible, leaving the REE more concentrated in the remaining slag. Results from later experiments based on the modified approach showed improvements in REE recovery and concentration levels in smelted products. SEM-EDS analyses on product specimens showed agglomerations of reduced metal REE crystals at much larger length-scales as compared to REE content in raw ash.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2018

Current Loss in 0.1 - 100 Terawatt Vacuum Transmission Lines: Experiments and Simulations

Current loss in magnetically insulated transmission lines (MITLs) was investigated using data from experiments conducted on Z and Mykonos. Data from experiments conducted on Z were used to optimize an ion diode current loss model that has been implemented into the transmission line circuit model of Z. Details on the current loss model and comparisons to data from Z experiments have been previously published in a peer-reviewed journal [Hutsel, et al., Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams 21, 030401]. Dedicated power flow experiments conducted on Mykonos investigated current loss in a millimeter-scale anode-cathode gap MITL operated at lineal current densities greater than 410 kA/cm and with electric field stresses in excess of 240 kV/cm where it is expected that both anode and cathode plasmas are formed. The experiment MITLs were exposed to varying vacuum conditions; including vacuum pressure at shot time, time under vacuum, and vacuum storage protocols. The results indicate that the vacuum conditions have an effect on current loss in high lineal current density MITLs.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Gamma Discriminating Scintillation Screens for Digital Transfer Method Neutron Imaging

A collaborative project between Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Paul-Scherrer Institute (PSI) is investigating a new type of scintillation screen that uses ZnS scintillator material with a dysprosium neutron converter instead of traditional prompt converters such as 6Li. Such a screen exposed to a neutron beam creates a latent image by neutron activation of the dysprosium in the scintillator screen. The activated screen is transported into a camera box allowing the camera to read a digital image from the photons emitted by the activated scintillation screen. Such an imaging system combines modern camera-based system architecture with the approach of traditional indirect transfer method radiography. The results show for the first time that the combination of dysprosium with a scintillation material like ZnS can produce light which is measurable under common camera-based detection conditions and that neutron radiographic images of reasonable quality can be produced. The resolution was poorer than expected at ~ 300 µm, but is on the order of the desired resolution of 100 µm. Potential improvements and additional converter materials may be investigated in the future that could increase the light output and improve spatial resolution.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2011

Linear accelerator design study with direct plasma injection scheme for warm dense matter

Warm Dense Matter (WDM) is a challenging science field, which is related to heavy ion inertial fusion and planetary science. It is difficult to expect the behavior because the state with high density and low temperature is completely different from ideal condition. The well-defined WDM generation is required to understand it. Moderate energy ion beams ({approx} MeV/u) slightly above Bragg peak is an advantageous method for WDM because of the uniform energy deposition. Direct Plasma Injection Scheme (DPIS) with a Interdigital H-mode (IH) accelerator has a potential for the beam parameter. We show feasible parameters of the IH accelerator for WDM. WDM physics is a challenging science and is strongly related to Heavy Ion Fusion science. WDM formation by Direct Plasma Injection Scheme (DPIS) with IH accelerator, which is a compact system, is proposed. Feasible parameters for IH accelerator are shown for WDM state. These represents that DPIS with IH accelerator can access a different parameter region of WDM.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Novel Accident-Tolerant Fuel Meat and Cladding

A novel accident-tolerant fuel meat and cladding are here proposed. The fuel meat design incorporates annular fuel with inserts and discs that are fabricated from a material having high thermal conductivity, for example niobium. The inserts are rods or tubes. Discs separate the fuel pellets. Using the BISON fuel performance code it was found that the peak fuel temperature can be lowered by more than 600 degrees C for one set of conditions with niobium metal as the thermal conductor. In addition to improved safety margin, several advantages are expected from the lower temperature such as decreased fission gas release and fuel cracking. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed. An enrichment of only 7.5% fully compensates the lost reactivity of the displaced UO2. Slightly higher enrichments, such as 9%, allow uprates and increased burnups to offset the initial costs for retooling. The design has applications for fast reactors and transuranic burning, which may accelerate its development. A zirconium silicide coating is also described for accident tolerant applications. A self-limiting degradation behavior for this coating is expected to produce a glassy, self-healing layer that becomes more protective at elevated temperature, with some similarities to MoSi2 and other silicides. Both the fuel and coating may benefit from the existing technology infrastructure and the associated wide expertise for a more rapid development in comparison to other, more novel fuels and cladding.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Site transition framework for long-term surveillance and maintenance

This document provides a framework for all U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities and sites where DOE may have anticipated long-term surveillance and maintenance (LTSM) responsibilities. It is a tool to help facilitate a smooth transition from remediation to LTSM, providing a systematic process for affected parties to utilize in analyzing the baseline to understand and manage the actions from EM mission completion through a site’s transition into LTSM. The framework is not meant to provide an exhaustive list of the specific requirement and information that are needed. Sites will have unique considerations that may not be adequately addressed by this tool, and it is anticipated that a team comprised of the transferring and receiving organization will use judgment in utilizing this augmenting with other DOE guidance. However the framework should be followed to the extent possible at each site; and adapted to accommodate unique site-specific requirements, needs, and documents. Since the objective of the tool is facilitate better understanding of the conditions of the site and the actions required for transfer, the transition team utilizing the checklist is expected to consult with management of both the receiving and transferring organization to verify that major concerns are addressed. Ideally, this framework should be used as early in the remediation process as possible. Subsequent applications of the Site Transition Framework (STF) to the site should be conducted periodically and used to verify that all appropriate steps have been or will be taken to close-out the site and that actions by both organization are identified to transfer the site to LTSM. The requirements are provided herein.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2013

Research Level I-V and QE Measurements

A summary of key points related to research-level measurements of current-voltage (I-V) and quantum efficiency (QE) for various types of photovoltaic cells include the following: (1) Compare measurements with another trusted laboratory often enough to see the random error; (2) Have a calibration lab calibrate your research cell; (3) Document potential metastabilities and sensitivity to premeasurement conditions; (4) Measure the 1-sun spectral responsivity with a bias light level of 0.37 times the expected 1-sun short-current current; and (5) Be aware of bias rate artifacts in I-V and QE.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Effects of Calcite Impurities in Bentonite Buffer Systems on Uranium(VI) Solution Speciation and Sorption Behavior

In many nuclear waste disposal scenarios, bentonite is the proposed buffer material surrounding nuclear waste containers. Its main mineralogical component, Na-montmorillonite clay, is expected to limit radionuclide mobility to slow diffusion processes due to the clay’s low porosity and permeability, and the high sorption affinity of clay surface complexation and cation exchange sites for many radionuclides. Given its mineral structure, montmorillonite provides two types of porosities that can be accessible to radioactive contaminants: macropores between clay particles and interlayer spaces within clay particles, which become dominant at increasing degrees of bentonite compaction. Despite the fact that bentonite naturally contains a variety of mineral impurities (e.g., quartz, feldspars and calcite), most previous studies have only focused on radionuclide interactions with pure Na-montmorillonite phases. Hence, in this study, we will investigate the influence of calcite impurities on uranium(VI) (U(VI)) solution speciation and sorption behavior in bentonite systems. In the presence of water, calcite impurities are expected to lead to milli-molar concentrations of dissolved calcium over a wide range of pH conditions. Consequently, Ca 2+ could – at least partially – replace Na + on clay cation exchange sites, with further implications for exchange reactions of cationic U(VI) species. In addition, ternary U(VI)-Ca-carbonate solution species (CaUO 2 (CO 3 ) 3 2- and Ca 2 UO 2 (CO 3 ) 3 ) will largely replace U(VI)-carbonate species (UO 2 (CO 3 ) 3 4- and UO 2 (CO 3 ) 2 2- ) at alkaline pH. These larger, but lower-charged U(VI) species, may show different sorption and diffusion characteristics, e.g. if their access to negatively-charged clay interlayer spaces is different from binary U(VI)-carbonate complexes. In this presentation, we will first demonstrate the impacts of calcite impurities on U(VI) solution speciation based on PHREEQC simulations. We will then discuss first results from U(VI) sorption studies in these systems. This research is being performed using funding received from the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy's Nuclear Energy University Program.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2019

A Gamma Assay System for Characterizing Excavated Soil with High {sup 137}Cs and {sup 90}Sr Contamination - 19460

We report on the recent development of a remote gamma-assay system for the measurement and characterization of high-activity soil excavated as part of an ongoing remediation project. The soil below a hot cell in our customer's facility has been contaminated with high concentrations of radionuclides {sup 137}Cs and {sup 90}Sr over the past several decades. The contaminated soil is to be remotely excavated from beneath the hot cell floor, to a depth of several feet, and placed in steel-walled waste bins for assay and disposition. The project requires measuring the {sup 137}Cs activity to a minimum detectable concentration (MDC) of 1 micro curie per gram. The high dose-rate of the material and the expectation of high Bremsstrahlung background, due to an unknown ratio of {sup 90}Sr admixture with the {sup 137}Cs, present unique measurement challenges. A novel assay system was designed to make measurements through a small access port in a 4-foot thick concrete wall isolating operators from the high-dose excavation area. Waste bins filled with soil are placed by a remotely operated crane onto an automated turntable, and initial dose measurements are taken for all bins. When excavation has proceeded to the point that dose rates below 20 Rad/hr on contact are reached, gamma spectroscopy will be used to characterize the {sup 137}Cs content. Gamma assay is performed with a 1 cm{sup 3} CZT detector in a collimated tungsten shield, which is extended through the access port toward the side of the bin by means of a seven foot long aluminum pipe. Each of the four sides of the bin is assayed in a discrete measurement, and the individual segments and summed result are reported. Canberra's NDA2000 software is used to collect and analyze the spectroscopic data and to control the turntable movement during the assay. The system is expected to meet the required MDC limits within a forty minute assay time under the most adverse conditions anticipated, with total measurement uncertainty of less than 25%. We describe in this paper the design and construction of the assay system, its calibration using the ISOCS software, and the evaluation of performance estimates. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

Application of high-order numerical schemes and Newton-Krylov method to two-phase drift-flux model

This study concerns the application and solver robustness of the Newton-Krylov method in solving two-phase flow drift-flux model problems using high-order numerical schemes. In our previous studies, the Newton-Krylov method has been proven as a promising solver for two-phase flow drift-flux model problems. However, these studies were limited to use first-order numerical schemes only. Moreover, the previous approach to treating the drift-flux closure correlations was later revealed to cause deteriorated solver convergence performance, when the mesh was highly refined, and also when higher-order numerical schemes were employed. In this study, a second-order spatial discretization scheme that has been tested with two-fluid two-phase flow model was extended to solve drift-flux model problems. In order to improve solver robustness, and therefore efficiency, a new approach was proposed to treating the mean drift velocity of the gas phase as a primary nonlinear variable to the equation system. With this new approach, significant improvement in solver robustness was achieved. With highly refined mesh, the proposed treatment along with the Newton-Krylov solver were extensively tested with two-phase flow problems that cover a wide range of thermal-hydraulics conditions. Satisfactory convergence performances were observed for all test cases. Numerical verification was then performed in the form of mesh convergence studies, from which expected orders of accuracy were obtained for both the first-order and the second-order spatial discretization schemes. Finally, the drift-flux model, along with numerical methods presented, were validated with three sets of flow boiling experiments that cover different flow channel geometries (round tube, rectangular tube, and rod bundle), and a wide range of test conditions (pressure, mass flux, wall heat flux, inlet subcooling and outlet void fraction).

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2010

Impulsive reconnection: 3D onset and stagnation in turbulent paradigms

Reconnection processes are ubiquitous in solar coronal loops, the earth's magnetotail, galactic jets, and laboratory configurations such as spheromaks and Z pinches. It is believed that reconnection dynamics are often closely linked to turbulence. In these phenomena, the bursty onset of reconnection is partly determined by a balance of macroscopic MHD forces. In a turbulent paradigm, it is reasonable to suppose that there exist many individual reconnection sites, each X-line being finite in axial extent and thus intrinsically three-dimensional (3D) in structure. The balance between MHD forces and flux pile-up continuously shifts as mutually tangled flux ropes merge or bounce. The spatial scale and thus the rate of reconnection are therefore intimately related to the turbulence statistics both in space and in time. We study intermittent 3D reconnection along spatially localized X-lines between two or more flux ropes. The threshold of MHD instability which in this case is the kink threshold is varied by modifying the line-tying boundary conditions. For fast inflow speed of approaching ropes, there is merging and magnetic reconnection which is a well known and expected consequence of the 2D coalescence instability. On the other hand, for slower inflow speed the flux ropes bounce. The threshold appears to be the Sweet Parker speed v{sub A}/S{sup 1/2}, where v{sub A} is the Alfven speed and S is the Lundquist number. Computations by collaborators at University of Wisconsin, Madison, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and LANL complement the experiment.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Barium Titanate Dielectrics Sprayed by a High Feed-Rate Water-Stabilized Plasma Torch

Barium titanate coatings were first time sprayed by a high feed-rate plasma torch with water stabilization. Two power levels of the torch were applied. Two substrate materials were used—stainless steel and carbon steel. Various substrate preheating levels from 125 to 450 °C were applied to change the cooling conditions. Microstructure, phase composition including crystallinity quantification, surface roughness and microhardness were evaluated. Dielectric measurements proved that coatings with medium-level relative permittivity and with stable loss factor course versus frequency of the AC electric field were fabricated by spraying. The cold substrates provided coatings with low reflectivity and visibly darker surface compare to the hot substrates. The coatings exhibited good dielectric properties—on the top of an expectable range for plasma-sprayed BaTiO{sub 3}. This study is targeted to coatings prospective for electrical industry, namely via optimization of conditions at the high feed-rate spraying.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Coupling to rotational manifolds to improve gas-phase pump–probe spectroscopic models

The physical picture of gas-phase optical transitions is normally presented as an isolated two-level system balanced by upward and downward processes. Isolated models assume a phenomenological treatment of collisional dephasing but do not strictly account for collisional population exchange with the rotational baths. While this assumption is valid under low-intensity conditions, where excitation is rate-limiting, isolated models can deviate from Beer’s Law at sufficient pressures and monochromatic intensities when both collisional broadening and power broadening are comparable to (or greater than) lifetime broadening, which are not uncommon conditions for cavity enhanced spectroscopies in the mid-IR spectral range. Although this problem has been addressed by rate-equation models for linear absorption measurements, a general treatment for multi-level quantum mechanical models suitable for non-linear absorption measurements (two-photon/two-color/pump–probe) is lacking. Isolated models require physical parameter inputs that disagree with expected values by at least an order of magnitude. These non-physical models undermine the ability to predict non-linear signal strengths under untested conditions and thereby limit the potential to optimize the sensitivity of non-linear spectroscopies and to expand their analytical applications (e.g., new analytes and/or buffer gases, changes in cavity free-spectral-range, changes in intracavity powers or wavelengths, and accurate investigation of physical phenomena). In this study, we derive bath-coupled models for gaseous pump–probe spectroscopy by application of the quantum Lindblad equation and detailed balance. Bath-coupled models are shown to fit data consistently across variations in intensity and agree with all physically expected values.

Cavity ring-down spectroscopy↗
DOE OSTI2015

Neutral particle dynamics in a high-power RF source

Previous studies on the spatial discharge structure in the SPIDER source of negative hydrogen/deuterium ions carried out at low applied power are extended towards description of the discharge maintenance under the conditions of the actual rf power deposition of 100 kW planned for a single driver of the source. In addition to the expected higher electron density, the results show strong increase of the electron temperature and of the temperatures of the neutral species (hydrogen atoms and molecules). In the discussions, not only the spatial distribution of the plasma parameters but also that of the fluxes in the discharge (particle and energy fluxes) is involved. The obtained results come in confirmation of basic concepts for low-pressure discharge maintenance: (i) mutually related electron density and temperature as a display of the generalized Schottky condition, (ii) discharge behavior governed by the fluxes, i.e. strong nonlocality in the discharge, and (iii) a non-ambipolarity in the discharge regime, which originates from shifted maxima of the electron density and temperature and shows evidence in a vortex electron flux and in a dc current in a rf discharge, the latter resulting from a shift in the positions of the maxima of the electron density and plasma potential.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cesium Removal from 5.5 and 7.0 M Na AP-105 Using Crystalline Silicotitanate

The Tank Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) system, currently operational by Washington River Protection Solutions LLC (WRPS), prepares initial low-activity Hanford waste tank supernate feeds for the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility. In addition to entrained solids removal from the supernate, the primary goal of TSCR is to remove cesium-137 ( 137 Cs) by ion exchange, allowing contact handling of the liquid effluent product at the WTP as governed by a waste acceptance criterion (WAC). Specific to 137 Cs, this requirement is < 3.18E-5 Ci 137 Cs/mole of Na. Crystalline silicotitanate (CST) ion exchange media, manufactured by Honeywell UOP, LLC (product IONSIVTM R9140-B), has been selected as the ion exchange media for TSCR. CST is a non-elutable inorganic material that has demonstrated robust chemical, physical, and radiation tolerance while maintaining functionality. However, testing to date on actual tank waste samples has been limited to Na concentrations between 5 and 6 M Na (Fiskum et al. 2019a, 2021b and Westesen et al. 2021a, 2021b, 2022) while actual tank conditions can reach upwards of 9 M Na. Testing with feed from Hanford tank AP-105 incorporated testing at both 5.5 and 7 M Na in order to evaluate the impact of Na concentration on volume of waste processed before reaching the WAC. A 6-L volume of 5.5 M Na AP-105 and an 8-volume of 7 M Na AP-105 was processed through the Radioactive Waste Test Platform system, established at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to support small-scale waste qualification efforts. The columns consisted of 6- to 9-mL CST beds (CST Lot 2002009604, sieved to screen out >30-mesh particles) placed in 1.5-cm-inner-diameter columns. Feed was processed at 1.9 bed volumes (BV) per hour; the flowrate, in terms of contact time with the CST bed, matched the expected flowrate at TSCR. Table S.1 and Figure S.1 summarize the measured AP-105 Cs load performance for each feed condition.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Artificial Intelligence Application to D and D - 20492

As aging facilities across the DOE complex await decommissioning, there is an ongoing need to understand any changes in the structural conditions. Many of these facilities were built over 50 years ago and, in some cases, these facilities have gone beyond the expected operational lifetime. Many facilities have been placed in a state of 'cold and dark,' sitting unused and awaiting decommissioning. Especially challenging are the aging facilities that provide unique operational/production capabilities to support critical DOE missions and cannot be shut down. In any of these scenarios, the structural integrity of these facilities may become compromised as time passes. It is critical that adequate inspections be performed on a continual basis and that the data collected undergoes sufficient analysis to support timely identification of any new or worsening structural issues as well as prompt needed maintenance and repairs to maintain the facilities in a safe condition. In recent days, Artificial Intelligence (AI) [1] and its application to various domains are growing at fast speed. FIU is performing research in this area and exploring the associated technologies to solve nuclear decommissioning problems. Artificial intelligence refers to the capability of a program to autonomously act, react and adapt to the working environment. AI enables the machine to behave like humans and perform the cognitive functions such as 'learning' and 'problem solving'. AI systems gradually moving from traditional approaches (algorithms and expert systems) towards more efficient and advanced technologies (machine learning [1] and deep learning [2] [3]). AI is the study of algorithms and statistical models that is being used by computers to perform specific tasks without using explicit instructions. FIU is working to develop a pilot-scale infrastructure to implement structural health monitoring using AI technologies with focus on machine learning, deep learning. This research is focused on Computer Vision/Image Classification area of AI applications. This can also be expanded to other areas of AI related to Object Recognition and Character Recognition in images. In addition to utilizing existing data sets, FIU will collect and investigate image and video data using FIU test-bed mockups to monitor structural health of the facility. Resulting data will be processed and analyzed using machine learning/deep learning technologies. The proposed pilot system is intended to serve as a starting point to engage the DOE field sites on related data sets and their decision making needs. It is anticipated that proposed machine learning/deep learning technologies can be effectively employed using anomaly detection to solve EM challenges in surveillance and maintenance of the D and D facilities. FIU will work with research stakeholders to identify applications at various sites and other DOE facilities. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗