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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Centroid stabilization for laser alignment to corner cubes: designing a matched filter

Automation of image-based alignment of National Ignition Facility high energy laser beams is providing the capability of executing multiple target shots per day. One important alignment is beam centration through the second and third harmonic generating crystals in the final optics assembly (FOA), which employs two retroreflecting corner cubes as centering references for each beam. Beam-to-beam variations and systematic beam changes over time in the FOA corner cube images can lead to a reduction in accuracy as well as increased convergence durations for the template-based position detector. A systematic approach is described that maintains FOA corner cube templates and guarantees stable position estimation.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Evaluating Age Effects on HEPA Filter Performance

Nuclear grade high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are routinely employed as the final control element in confinement ventilation systems. The traditional HEPA filter utilizes a pleated filter medium of fibrous glass that has been produced in a manner analogous to manufacturing paper. These filters are the physically weakest element in a containment ventilation system. Containment ventilation systems are designed to condition the air-stream (temperature, relative humidity, moisture, particle size distribution of aerosols, and aerosol concentration) to levels/conditions that fibrous glass HEPA filters can handle. Approximately 6000 nuclear grade HEPA filters are purchased each year for use in the DOE/NNSA complex. Additional filters are purchased for use in commercial nuclear power generation and ventilation systems of other nuclear applications. These filters are designed and tested in accordance with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) AG-1 Code Nuclear Air and Gas Treatment. This code establishes design requirements and qualification procedures. Qualification testing of axial flow filters is described in paragraphs 5000 and following of AG-1. The series of qualification tests are intended to describe the operating envelope of HEPA filters and verify the reliability of a filter design. AG-1 qualification also confirms the pedigree of components used in manufacture for that filter design. The collective set of qualification tests establishes the assumed operating envelope for AG-1 filters. The effects of age on HEPA filter performance have been a concern for at least two decades. A combination of physical evaluation of aged filter media and a review of filter failure records resulted in Appendix C of the Nuclear Air Cleaning Handbook (NACH), Determination of HEPA Filter Life. This states that HEPA filters are not to be used beyond 10 years from the date of manufacture. Additionally, filters put into service in locations where they may become wet are to be taken out of service five years from date of manufacture. Filters that have become wet are to be taken out of service immediately. Finally, it should also be pointed out that filters held in Level B storage are subject to the same 10-year service life. Very limited bench-scale testing in the 1990's raised concern that aging HEPA filters do not have the strength to withstand an accident scenario. In May of 1999, the DNFSB released a Technical Report 23 entitled HEPA Filters Used in the Department of Energy's Hazardous Facilities. This report expressed concerns for the potential vulnerability of HEPA filters in vital safety systems. Concerns and uncertainty associated with degradation of HEPA filter performance over time led the DOE sites to limit HEPA filter service life to 10 years from the date of manufacture or five years in cases where filters may become wet. Establishment of a conservative service life needs to be based on data from a structured series of tests comparing the performance envelope of new and aged full-scale filters. A service life that is insufficiently conservative endangers workers and the public. One that is excessively conservative costs can cause hundreds of otherwise unnecessary filter changes. This increases exposure of employees, disrupts facility operations, and increase disposal costs by millions of dollars annually. Conclusive data are needed to resolve uncertainty associated with the damaging effects of aging on durability of HEPA filters. Therefore, this study needs to provide a sufficient body of evidence to allow DOE and site professionals to make prudent decisions. An updated version of ASME AG-1 Section FC included a non-mandatory appendix that would include the DOE guidance for service life of HEPA filters. Balloting of this revision generated significant resistance to inclusion of any kind of service life language citing the lack of supporting experimental data. Efforts to resolve negative votes failed and resistance to acceptance of the language increased. The result has been to not include service language in Section FC and requests to remove it from sections that already include such language. The recent activity of the ASME AG-1 Committee on Nuclear Air and Gas Treatment effectively de-emphasizes following DoE's service life guidelines. The DOE Office of Nuclear Safety under its NSR and D program provided the Mississippi State University Institute for Clean Energy Technology (ICET) finding to initiate a study to determine the effects of aging on AG-1 axial flow filters just prior to actions taken within the AG-1 committee regarding service life. The NSR and D funding facilitated timely development of a national technical working group comprised of members from the regulatory community, DOE complex, and commercial power to resolve uncertainty associated with effects of aging. The Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) has been funding the ICET to evaluate the performance envelope for AG-1 HEPA filters. ICET is one of DOE-EM's qualified suppliers. Synergy has been achieved by associating the NSR and D aged filter activities to testing activities evaluating the performance envelopes of separator and separator-less AG-1 HEPA filters funded by DOE-EM. The DOE-EM funded activities establish baseline data for the aged filter study and future EM funding will provide long term support for testing additional aged filters. EM funding of new filters includes analytical evaluation of media tensile strength by thermal analysis to establish baseline values and determine mass loss of moisture resistance and acrylic binders due to use. All of these values can be used for comparison of test results for aged filters. (authors)

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2010

Clinical Sequelae of Thrombus in an Inferior Vena Cava Filter

The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term clinical sequelae of inferior vena cava (IVC) filter thrombus and the effect of anticoagulation on filter thrombus. Of 1,718 patients who had IVC filters placed during 2001-2008, 598 (34.8%) had follow-up abdominal CT. Filter thrombus was seen in 111 of the 598 (18.6%). There were 44 men (39.6%). The mean age at filter placement was 64 years. The medical diseases included cancer in 64, trauma in 15, stroke in 12, and others in 20. The frequency of filter thrombus on CT and asymptomatic filter thrombus on CT was calculated. The frequency of pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with filter thrombus was calculated. The frequency of thrombus progression or regression (on CT, available in 56) was calculated. The effect of anticoagulation on filter thrombus regression/progression was evaluated using the Fisher exact test by comparing the group of patients who received anticoagulants versus those who did not. A P-value of <0.05 was considered significant. The overall frequency of filter thrombus was 18.6%. Total occlusion of the IVC filter was seen in 12 of 598 (2%). The filter thrombus was asymptomatic in 110 (18.3%). Filter thrombus was detected after a median of 35 days (range, 0-2082) following filter placement. Thrombus extended above the filter in 4 (3.6%); IVC thrombus below the filter was seen in 35(31.5%). Thrombus in the filter occluded <25% of the filter volume in 58 (52.3%), 25-50% in 21 (18.9%), and 50-75% in 20 (18%). Total IVC occlusion was seen in 12 (10.8%). Eighty-three patients received anticoagulation. Sixteen patients developed symptoms of PE. PE was confirmed on CT in 3 of 15 (2.7%). On follow-up, filter thrombus regressed completely in 19 (33.9%) after a median of 6 months. Filter thrombus decreased in size in 13 (23.2%) and it progressed without IVC occlusion in 7 (12.6%). In one (1.7%), filter thrombus progressed to IVC occlusion. Filter thrombus remained stable in 16 (28.6%). There was no significant difference in thrombus regression or progression rates whether or not the patients received anticoagulation for filter thrombus. In conclusion, asymptomatic thrombus in the filter is common and it rarely progresses to complete caval occlusion. Anticoagulation has little effect on the resolution of filter thrombosis and future occurrence of PE.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

MST Filterability Tests

The Savannah River Site (SRS) is currently treating radioactive liquid waste with the Actinide Removal Process (ARP) and the Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU). The low filter flux through the ARP has limited the rate at which radioactive liquid waste can be treated. Recent filter flux has averaged approximately 5 gallons per minute (gpm). Salt Batch 6 has had a lower processing rate and required frequent filter cleaning. Savannah River Remediation (SRR) has a desire to understand the causes of the low filter flux and to increase ARP/MCU throughput. In addition, at the time the testing started, SRR was assessing the impact of replacing the 0.1 micron filter with a 0.5 micron filter. This report describes testing of MST filterability to investigate the impact of filter pore size and MST particle size on filter flux and testing of filter enhancers to attempt to increase filter flux. The authors constructed a laboratory-scale crossflow filter apparatus with two crossflow filters operating in parallel. One filter was a 0.1 micron Mott sintered SS filter and the other was a 0.5 micron Mott sintered SS filter. The authors also constructed a dead-end filtration apparatus to conduct screening tests with potential filter aids and body feeds, referred to as filter enhancers. The original baseline for ARP was 5.6 M sodium salt solution with a free hydroxide concentration of approximately 1.7 M.3 ARP has been operating with a sodium concentration of approximately 6.4 M and a free hydroxide concentration of approximately 2.5 M. SRNL conducted tests varying the concentration of sodium and free hydroxide to determine whether those changes had a significant effect on filter flux. The feed slurries for the MST filterability tests were composed of simple salts (NaOH, NaNO 2 , and NaNO 3 ) and MST (0.2 – 4.8 g/L). The feed slurry for the filter enhancer tests contained simulated salt batch 6 supernate, MST, and filter enhancers.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2011

EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE FILTER MEDIA FOR THE ROTARY MICROFILTER

SRS is currently developing and testing several processes to treat high level radioactive liquid waste. These processes include the Integrated Salt Disposition Process (ISDP), the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF), and the Small Column Ion Exchange Process (SCIX). Each of these processes has a solid-liquid separation process that limits its throughput. SRNL researchers identified and tested the rotary microfilter as a technology to increase solid-liquid separation throughput. The testing showed significant improvement in filter flux with the rotary microfilter over the baseline crossflow filter (i.e., 2.5-6.5X during scoping tests, as much as 10X in actual waste tests, and approximately 3X in pilot-scale tests). SRNL received funding from DOE EM-21, and subsequently DOE EM-31 to develop the rotary microfilter for high level radioactive service. The work has included upgrading the rotary microfilter for radioactive service, testing with simulated SRS waste streams, and testing it with simulated Hanford waste streams. While the filtration rate is better than that obtained during testing of crossflow filters, the authors believe the rotary microfilter throughput can be improved by using a better filter membrane. The rotary microfilter membrane is made of stainless steel (Pall PMM050). Previous testing, funded by DOE EM-21, showed that asymmetric filters composed of a ceramic membrane on top of a stainless steel support produced higher filter flux than 100% stainless steel symmetric filters in crossflow filter tests. In that testing, the Pall Accusep and Graver filters produced 13-21% larger filter flux than the baseline 0.1 {micro}m Mott filter. While the improvement in flux is not as dramatic as the improvement of the rotary filter over a crossflow filter, a 13-21% increase could reduce the lifetime of a 30 year process by 4-6 years, with significant cost savings. Subsequent rotary filter testing showed the Pall PMM050 stainless steel filter membrane produced higher flux than the Mott filter media in bench-scale and pilot-scale testing. The Accusep and Graver filter media were not evaluated in that testing, because they are not available as flat sheets. The Accusep filter was developed at ORNL and licensed to Pall Corporation. This filter has a stainless steel support structure with a zirconium oxide ceramic membrane. The pore size is 0.1 {micro}m absolute. The Graver filter has a stainless steel support structure with a titanium dioxide ceramic membrane. The pore size is 0.07 {micro}m absolute. SRNL and ORNL are working together to develop filter media similar to the Accusep and Graver media, and to test them in a bench-scale filtration apparatus to attempt to improve the throughput of the rotary microfilter. This report describes the effort.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗