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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 1,405 records · Page 78
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY TO REMOTELY NAVIGATE VERTICAL PIPE ARRAYS

Situations exist around the Savannah River Site (SRS) and the Department of Energy (DOE) complex where it is advantageous to remotely navigate vertical pipe arrays. Specific examples are waste tanks in the SRS Tank Farms, which contain horizontal cooling coils at the tank bottom, vertical cooling coils throughout and a limited number of access points or ''risers''. These factors limit accessibility to many parts of these tanks by conventional means. Pipe Traveler technology has been developed to address these issues. The Pipe Traveler addresses these issues by using the vertical cooling coils as its medium of travel. The unit operates by grabbing a pipe using dual grippers located on either side of the equipment. Once securely attached to the pipe a drive wheel is extended to come in contact with the pipe. Rotation of the drive wheel causes the unit to rotate around the pipe. This action is continued until the second set of grippers is aligned with the next pipe. Extension pistons are actuated to extend the second set of grippers in contact with a second pipe. The second set of grippers is then actuated to grasp the pipe. The first set of grippers releases the original pipe and the process is repeated until the unit reaches its desired location. Once at the tool deployment location the desired tool may be used. The current design has proven the concept of pipe-to-pipe navigation. Testing of the Pipe Traveler has proven its ability to transfer itself from one pipe to another.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Development of Methodologies for Technology Deployment for Advanced Outage Control Centers that Improve Outage Coordination, Problem Resolution and Outage Risk Management

This research effort is a part of the Light-Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program, which is a research and development (R&D) program sponsored by Department of Energy (DOE) and performed in close collaboration with industry R&D programs that provides the technical foundations for licensing and managing the long-term, safe, and economical operation of current nuclear power plants. The LWRS program serves to help the U.S. nuclear industry adopt new technologies and engineering solutions that facilitate the continued safe operation of the plants and extension of the current operating licenses. The long term viability of existing nuclear power plants in the U.S. will depend upon maintaining high capacity factors, avoiding nuclear safety issues and reducing operating costs. The slow progress in the construction on new nuclear power plants has placed in increased importance on maintaining the output of the current fleet of nuclear power plants. Recently expanded natural gas production has placed increased economic pressure on nuclear power plants due to lower cost competition. Until recently, power uprate projects had steadily increased the total output of the U.S. nuclear fleet. Errors made during power plant upgrade projects have now removed three nuclear power plants from the U.S. fleet and economic considerations have caused the permanent shutdown of a fourth plant. Additionally, several utilities have cancelled power uprate projects citing economic concerns. For the past several years net electrical generation from U.S. nuclear power plants has been declining. One of few remaining areas where significant improvements in plant capacity factors can be made is in minimizing the duration of refueling outages. Managing nuclear power plant outages is a complex and difficult task. Due to the large number of complex tasks and the uncertainty that accompanies them, outage durations routinely exceed the planned duration. The ability to complete an outage on or near schedule depends upon the performance of the outage management organization. During an outage, the outage control center (OCC) is the temporary command center for outage managers and provides several critical functions for the successful execution of the outage schedule. Essentially, the OCC functions to facilitate information inflow, assist outage management in processing information and to facilitate the dissemination of information to stakeholders. Currently, outage management activities primarily rely on telephone communication, face to face reports of status and periodic briefings in the OCC. Much of the information displayed in OCCs is static and out of date requiring an evaluation to determine if it is still valid. Several advanced communication and collaboration technologies have shown promise for facilitating the information flow into, across and out of the OCC. Additionally, advances in the areas of mobile worker technologies, computer based procedures and electronic work packages can be leveraged to improve the availability of real time status to outage managers.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (ASI) Program Plan. Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET)

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) sponsors a crosscutting technology development (CTD) program addressing common instrumentation & controls (I&C) needs in all DOE-NE sponsored programs. In 2012, DOE-NE initiated the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technology (NEET) Program to conduct research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) in crosscutting technologies that directly support and enable the development of existing, new and advanced reactor designs, and fuel cycle technologies. These technologies will advance the state of nuclear technology, improve its competitiveness, and promote continued contribution to meeting our Nation’s energy and environmental challenges. The NEET Program has spurred innovation in the field of sensors and instrumentation, advanced methods for manufacturing, and cyber security. The Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (ASI) program is one element of the NEET CTD that has spurred innovation in the measurement science field by funding research on sensors, instrumentation and controls, communication, and advanced analytics that measure system parameters, gauge component control input, and provide power plant owners and operators critical awareness so they can plan and safely manage operational evolutions. The NEET ASI Program has carried out research and development (R&D) required to develop and deploy innovative and advanced sensors, and instrumentation and control capabilities for current and future nuclear energy systems, and to enable the advanced technologies essential to NE’s R&D efforts needed to realize mission goals. The concept of technology readiness assessment is helpful for the classification of instrumentation technology as part of the program strategy. A technology readiness assessment evaluates technology maturity using the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale and was pioneered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the 1980s for space technology. It has recently been adopted to advance fuels and materials. The NEET ASI program objective is to mature instruments technology to TRL 6, which is “demonstration of the technology in relevant environment.” While there may be instances in which a different strategy is justified, the aim of the program is to respond to DOE program and stakeholder needs for nuclear instrumentation then hand off the technology after demonstration for integration in a more complex system, for example an irradiation test, experimental loop or a plant component such as the core, primary system or heat exchanger. A mechanism to continue some level of support from NEET ASI during and after the adoption (for example, to maintain fabrication and calibration capabilities) will be defined as the first example of technology hand off comes to fruition. In addition, several paths exist within DOE to complement NEET ASI activities to extend the maturity beyond TRL, for example through GAIN, technology commercialization funding, and small-business programs. Role of NEET ASI CINR projects in the TRL space, and integration with direct funded demonstration.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2018

Velocity-amplified microbial respiration rates in the lower Amazon River: Amazon River respiration

Most measurements of respiration rates in large tropical rivers do not account for the influence of river flow conditions on microbial activity. We developed a ship-board spinning incubation system for measuring O2 drawdown under different rotation velocities and deployed the system along the lower Amazon River during four hydrologic periods. Average respiration rates in incubation chambers rotated at 0.22 and 0.66 m s-1 were 1.4 and 2.4 times higher than stationary chambers, respectively. On average, depth-integrated respiration rates in chambers spun at 0.22 and 0.66 m s-1 accounted for 64 ± 22% and 104 ± 36% of CO2 outgassing rates, respectively, in mainstem sites. Continuous measurements of in situ pCO2 were also made along with cross-channel profiles of river velocity. A positive correlation between river velocity and pCO2 was observed along the lower river (r2=0.67-0.96) and throughout a tidal cycle.

Amazon↗
DOE OSTI2022

Battery calendar aging and machine learning

Batteries continue to attract immense attention due to the critical need for new energy technologies that can help humankind transition to a net-zero future. To meet global goals for implementation of new batteries, the research community needs to more coherently consider how to go about the process of innovation, development, and validation of new technologies. Current practices for bringing a new battery technology from the benchtop to deployment can be very time consuming and complex, given that batteries can have distinct aging pathways based on both how they are cycled and their storage conditions. In nearly all use cases, batteries experience periods of active cycling and also extended periods of rest. Thus, calendar time often occurs when a battery is close to fully charged. Currently, the combined cycle and calendar life aspects receive inconsistent attention during most stages of research and development. For batteries to fulfill the critical role envisioned to meet global energy demands, greater uniformity in practice is needed to alleviate potential delays caused by the inconsistent acquisition of aging data. In this study, we present our thoughts and recommendations on the need to further advance commonality and availability of calendar aging data for emerging high-energy and long-duration batteries. While there is a broad need to adopt best practices for both calendar and cycle life assessment, a push to greater uniformity in approach and reporting is sorely needed to allow calendar life predictions to harness many of the advances that have recently been seen for cycle life prediction using machine learning (ML) and other techniques.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

RLScheduler: An Automated HPC Batch Job Scheduler Using Reinforcement Learning

Today’s high-performance computing (HPC) platforms are still dominated by batch jobs. Accordingly, effective batch job scheduling is crucial to obtain high system efficiency. Existing HPC batch job schedulers typically leverage heuristic priority functions to prioritize and schedule jobs. But, once configured and deployed by the experts, such priority functions can hardly adapt to the changes of job loads, optimization goals, or system settings, potentially leading to degraded system efficiency when changes occur. To address this fundamental issue, we present RLScheduler, an automated HPC batch job scheduler built on reinforcement learning. RLScheduler relies on minimal manual interventions or expert knowledge, but can learn high-quality scheduling policies via its own continuous ‘trial and error’. We introduce a new kernel-based neural network structure and trajectory filtering mechanism in RLScheduler to improve and stabilize the learning process. Through extensive evaluations, we confirm that RLScheduler can learn high-quality scheduling policies towards various workloads and various optimization goals with relatively low computation cost. Moreover, we show that the learned models perform stably even when applied to unseen workloads, making them practical for production use.

Zhang, Di↗
NASA NTRS1994

Inter-comparison of automatic rain gauges

The Ocean Acoustics Division (OAD) of the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), in cooperation with NOAA/NESDIS and NASA, has deployed six rain gauges for calibration and intercomparison purposes. These instruments include: (1) a weighing rain gauge, (2) a RM Young Model 50202 capacitance rain gauge, (3) a ScTI ORG-705 (long path) optical rain gauge, (4) a ScTI ORG-105 (mini-ORG) optical rain gauge, (5) a Belfort Model 382 tipping bucket rain gauge, and (6) a Distromet RD-69 disdrometer. The system has been running continuously since July 1993. During this time period, roughly 150 events with maximum rainfall rate over 10 mm/hr and 25 events with maximum rainfall rates over 100 mm/hr have been recorded. All rain gauge types have performed well, with intercorrelations 0.9 or higher. However, limitations for each type of rain gauge have been observed.

Nystuen, Jeffrey A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nuclear safety Enhanced: A Deep dive into current and future RAVEN applications

As the horizon of nuclear energy expands with the advent of small modular reactors, IV generation reactors, and fusion reactors, there is a growing perspective that the licensing process could benefit from a more comprehensive approach. Moving beyond traditional deterministic and PRA analysis might pave the way for a novel safety analysis paradigm propelled by the increasing computational power at our disposal. This paper explores different methodologies that can improve the outcomes of nuclear safety analysis. These range from uncertainty quantification techniques, aimed at enhancing the precision of safety margins, to deploying dynamic event trees by driving system code simulations, capturing the potential evolutions of severe accidents. These methodologies introduce innovative dimensions to safety analysis, considering the consequences of postulated events and the dynamics of accident sequences. However, they also bring forth challenges, especially in managing the complexity and sheer volume of potential scenarios. The paper touches upon some strategies to counter these challenges, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and continuous evolution in the face of emerging nuclear safety concerns. Additionally, the paper sheds light on the need for advanced tools to apply these methodologies. Among these tools is RAVEN, an open-source software designed for parametric and probabilistic analyses. Its core components, including distribution, sampler, and reduced order model, enable various applications, from risk assessment and mitigation to dynamic learning and plant control logic simulations.

97 - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Roadmap for Advanced Power System Measurements

Conditions in the electric power grid are changing rapidly. Changes are driven, in particular, by the increased penetration of renewable resources in the generation mix. Part of the solution to dealing with the changing conditions is the better use of measurement systems, taking advantage of the better understanding of measurements that was heralded by digital technology. Another part of the solution is the communication of samples of the directly observable voltages and currents by means of continuous point-on-wave values. The increased bandwidth capability of such a system allows more complicated measurement models to be built at the point of use. Additional measurements and analyses can then be performed. This Roadmap hinges on these two aspects of measuring: improved measurements supported by high-bandwidth (raw data) communications. Following an introduction to the overall subject, the report explores the impact of what can be thought of as the digital revolution in measurement. In essence, that revolution has served to clarify ideas about measurement and is continuing to lead to improved processes. An extensive survey of the relevant literature was performed . Webinars were held to learn from the wider community of practitioners. Based on this information, a number of gaps were identified whose continued existence would hamper the solution of the challenges now facing measurement and communication in the power grid. The underlying value propositions are interoperability (presently not very satisfactory in many measurements); greater (and less challenging) adoption of distributed energy resources; and improved international competitiveness. Underlying all that, of course, is progress toward a more reliable and resilient power system. The identified gaps were addressed in four major thrusts: technology deployment and demonstration, education, instrumentation testing and standards, and analytical methods. For each of the thrusts, multiple goals are defined to guide the implementation. The thrusts were designed to close gaps and unlock high-value use cases. After discussing the literature review, gap analysis, high-value use cases, and research thrusts in chapters 2-5, the report culminates in chapter 6 with a roadmap that links each aspect together to form a unified plan. Developing a research portfolio aligned with this plan will ensure that advanced measurement systems are in place to support reliable operation of the power system as it modernizes.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Status Report on Thermal Extraction Modeling within HYBRID

Idaho National Laboratory continues to be at the forefront of advanced reactor systems and integrated energy systems (IES) research. The HYBRID modeling repository is the computational modeling repository used to evaluate potential IES configurations. To support IES analysis, it is necessary to develop models that can evaluate a range of thermal integration points within given energy conversion systems. This work includes as many technologies as possible anticipating that many technologies will be deployed to broadly reduce climate impacts of energy intensive processes. To provide this analysis, a new balance of plant model has been generated. This report will discuss progress on this new main model and discuss nominal conditions for the primary reactor types contained within HYBRID.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

EPCAPE – Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer Field Campaign Report

The Eastern Pacific Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment – Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer (EPCAPE-PTRMS) campaign was created in response to the urgent need expressed by EPCAPE co-investigators for measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the EPCAPE intensive operational period. A proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS, model 8000, Ionicon Analytik) was deployed to Mt. Soledad, San Diego, California, on 15 May 2023 for the measurement of VOCs. The instrument was installed in the same Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility guest container that the Smith group used for the EPCAPE – Ultrafine Particle Properties (EPCAPE-UPP) campaign. The Smith group provided the sample inlet and operated and maintained the instrument. A complete VOC mass spectrum was recorded every 10 sec, continuously. Calibrations using a traceable VOC mixture were performed onsite at the end of the campaign.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Hands-On Curriculum for Training in HPC Cluster Deployment and Management

This paper presents the design, methodology, and outcomes of the High-Performance Computing Technologies (HPCT) course, a hands-on training program focused on the system-side of HPC cluster deployment and administration. Delivered as part of the Master in High Performance Computing (MHPC) program, the course introduces students to key concepts in cluster configuration, including networking, software stack provisioning, job scheduling, and monitoring. Initially taught in person, the course was transitioned to an online format during the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift led to the development of openly available instructional material and a flipped-classroom approach that continues to support both in-person and hybrid delivery. All course materials are publicly available at www.hpc.temple.edu/mhpc/hpc-technology/index.html. By documenting the structure, infrastructure, and evolution of HPCT, this paper offers a model for accessible HPC system training that supports workforce development in computational science.

Posada Correa, Fernando [ORNL] (ORCID:000000022565↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cleaned 5-Minute Resolution Air Quality and Meteorological Data from Nine TCEQ CAMS Sites in Houston, Texas (Nov 2021 – Oct 2022)

These data encompass 5-minute air monitoring and meteorological observations collected in the greater Houston, Texas metropolitan region, at nine (9) Continuous Ambient Monitoring Stations (CAMS) operated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) between November 1, 2021 and October 31, 2022. The CAMS sites (CAMS 1, 8, 35, 45, 148, 403, 405, 410, and 1052) were chosen because their instrumentation includes measurements of PM2.5. These sites also provide continuous multi-parameter air-quality and meteorological measurements. Particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) was sampled along with several trace gases, including ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2, NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). The data set also contains standard surface meteorological parameters (temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed, and wind direction). Several sites also include AutoGC-based measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Air monitoring instruments deployed at the selected sites comprise the following systems: BAM-1020 or TEOM (PM2.5), Thermo Scientific TEI 49i (O3), TEI 42i (NOx), and AutoGCs (VOCs). This data set is similar to the data included within the houairq5mX1.00 datastream, except for a few additional quality control steps. A systematic data cleaning and verification process was performed on the data set to ensure its quality and preparation for analysis. Removal of non-numeric status flags (e.g., [LIM], [QAS], [SPZ], [CAL], [PMA], [AQI], [SPN], [MAL]) was accomplished by employing rule-based string parsing to extract valid numerical values. Missing entries were set to -9999; however, invalid or anomalous values (e.g., 99999) were retained as originally reported by the TCEQ to preserve data provenance. The time sequence was verified for completeness, removal of duplicates, and uniformity at 5-minute intervals. Column labeling was standardized, and corresponding values were assessed for physical plausibility. All timestamps in the data set were reported in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) as provided by the TCEQ. Further, the latitude and longitude coordinates were added for each CAMS site. A subset of the data (June 1–September 30, 2022) has been used in the following publication: Subba et al. 2025. “Implications of sea breeze circulations on boundary layer aerosols in the southern coastal Texas region.” EGUsphere 2025: 1–49, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2659.

latitude↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Challenge of Planning and Execution for Spacecraft Mobile Robots

The need for spacecraft mobile robots continues to grow. These robots offer the potential to increase the capability, productivity, and duration of space missions while decreasing mission risk and cost. Spacecraft Mobile Robots (SMRs) can serve a number of functions inside and outside of spacecraft from simpler tasks, such as performing visual diagnostics and crew support, to more complex tasks, such as performing maintenance and in-situ construction. One of the predominant challenges to deploying SMRs is to reduce the need for direct operator interaction. Teleoperation is often not practical due to the communication latencies incurred because of the distances involved and in many cases a crewmember would directly perform a task rather than teleoperate a robot to do it. By integrating a mixed-initiative constraint-based planner with an executive that supports adjustably autonomous control, we intend to demonstrate the feasibility of autonomous SMRs by deploying one inside the International Space Station (ISS) and demonstrate in simulation one that operates outside of the ISS. This paper discusses the progress made at NASA towards this end, the challenges ahead, and concludes with an invitation to the research community to participate.

Dorais, Gregory A.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Innovations for ISS Plug-In Plan (IPiP) Operations

Limited resources and increasing requirements will continue to influence decisions on ISS. The ISS Plug-In Plan (IPiP) supports power and data for utilization, systems, and daily operations through the Electrical Power System (EPS) Secondary Power/Data Subsystem. Given the fluid launch schedule, the focus of the Plug-In Plan has evolved to anticipate future requirements by judicious development and delivery of power supplies, power strips, Alternating Current (AC) power inverters, along with innovative deployment strategies. A partnership of ISS Program Office, Engineering Directorate, Mission Operations, and International Partners poses unique solutions with existing on-board equipment and resources.

Moore, Kevin D.↗
NASA NTRS2026

X-Hab 2026: LiDAR-Powered Autonomous Charging Service Capability for Surface Rovers and Systems

This document details the timeline of the LiDAR-Powered Autonomous Charging Service Capability for Surface Rovers and Systems project, initiated by the Fall 2025 semester class and completed by the Spring 2026 semester class. This project focuses on developing a fully autonomous system composed of a mobile surface rover and an induction charging station with a robotic arm, both controlled by their own NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano. Structural improvements to the rover suspension system and body eliminated excessive camber, reduced stress and strain on the plexiglass body, and improved maneuverability and durability of the rover. The charging station robotic arm was fully redesigned to increase reach while minimizing weight and increasing misalignment tolerance during docking on uneven terrain. Electrical system improvements addressed previous torque and power limitations of both the rover and charging station arm. High-torque servo motors were selected based on updated calculations which incorporated terrain slope and Factor of Safety, enabling zero-point turning for the rover and increased payload capacity of the charging station arm. Significant progress was made in autonomy and perception. The rover now employs 3D LiDAR and SLAM mapping for localization, mapping, and path planning. The Battery Monitoring System (BMS) was created to coordinate battery management between the rover and charging station. The BMS provides continuous monitoring of battery state of charge, temperature, current, and will enable the autonomous initiation, execution, and termination of the charging cycle via Bluetooth communication. Testing of the WIBOTIC induction charging system demonstrated reliable power transfer under both aligned and misaligned conditions. This project demonstrated the ability of an autonomously navigating surface rover to independently plan a path to the charging station, dock, and the charging station to autonomously deploy a robotic charging arm and initiate charging of the rover. This work details the progress made to demonstrate the feasibility of autonomous surface rover navigation and recharging systems.

Megan Steele↗
DOE OSTI2011

AUTOMATED LEAK DETECTION OF BURIED TANKS USING GEOPHYSICAL METHODS AT THE HANFORD NUCLEAR SITE

At the Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington State, the Department of Energy oversees the containment, treatment, and retrieval of liquid high-level radioactive waste. Much of the waste is stored in single-shelled tanks (SSTs) built between 1943 and 1964. Currently, the waste is being retrieved from the SSTs and transferred into newer double-shelled tanks (DSTs) for temporary storage before final treatment. Monitoring the tanks during the retrieval process is critical to identifying leaks. An electrically-based geophysics monitoring program for leak detection and monitoring (LDM) has been successfully deployed on several SSTs at the Hanford site since 2004. The monitoring program takes advantage of changes in contact resistance that will occur when conductive tank liquid leaks into the soil. During monitoring, electrical current is transmitted on a number of different electrode types (e.g., steel cased wells and surface electrodes) while voltages are measured on all other electrodes, including the tanks. Data acquisition hardware and software allow for continuous real-time monitoring of the received voltages and the leak assessment is conducted through a time-series data analysis. The specific hardware and software combination creates a highly sensitive method of leak detection, complementing existing drywell logging as a means to detect and quantify leaks. Working in an industrial environment such as the Hanford site presents many challenges for electrical monitoring: cathodic protection, grounded electrical infrastructure, lightning strikes, diurnal and seasonal temperature trends, and precipitation, all of which create a complex environment for leak detection. In this discussion we present examples of challenges and solutions to working in the tank farms of the Hanford site.

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

Technology Enabling Zero-EPZ Micro Modular Reactors: Fabrication of Zirconium Hydride with Controlled Hydrogen Loading

This report completes Milestone M2.2.2 - ZrH pellet fabricated with controlled hydride loading: ZrH1.5±0.1 single phase pellets fabricated with controlled and thermally stable hydride loading. Hydrogen content to be quantified and single-phase confirmed by X-ray diffraction. In this milestone, we report the successful fabrication of delta-phase zirconium hydride pellets using the ORNL bulk metal hydriding system. The successful deployment of zirconium hydride moderator in advanced reactors requires development of a consistent and affordable production pathway along with implementation of a hydrogen retention solution throughout the reactor life. Fabrication of delta-phase zirconium hydride is challenging since the absorption of a large amount of hydrogen into alpha-zirconium induces significant volume expansion and the present hydrogen concentration gradient results in cracking. A fully programmable hydriding system with continuous hydrogen partial pressure and flow control to facilitate processing of massive metal hydride has been developed at ORNL. In this report, the working principle of the hydriding system will be introduced. Characterization of the produced zirconium hydride includes X-ray powder diffraction to identify the present phases and X-ray Computed Tomography to visualize the internal microstructure (including cracks). The results indicate that single delta-phase zirconium hydride pellets with various sizes have been successfully produced.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗