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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 1,603 records · Page 89

Status Report on Ex-Vessel Coolability and Water Management

Specific to BWR plants, current accident management guidance calls for flooding the drywell to a level of approximately 1.2 m (4 feet) above the drywell floor once vessel breach has been determined. While this action can help to submerge ex-vessel core debris, it can also result in flooding the wetwell and thereby rendering the wetwell vent path unavailable. An alternate strategy is being developed in the industry guidance for responding to the severe accident capable vent Order, EA-13-109. The alternate strategy being proposed would throttle the flooding rate to achieve a stable wetwell water level while preserving the wetwell vent path. The overall objective of this work is to upgrade existing analytical tools (i.e. MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH - which have been used as part of the DOE-sponsored Fukushima accident analyses) in order to provide flexible, analytically capable, and validated models to support the development of water throttling strategies for BWRs that are aimed at keeping ex-vessel core debris covered with water while preserving the wetwell vent path.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Real-time Social Internet Data to Guide Forecasting Models

Our goal is to improve decision support by monitoring and forecasting events using social media, mathematical models, and quantifying model uncertainty. Our approach is real-time, data-driven forecasts with quantified uncertainty: Not just for weather anymore. Information flow from human observations of events through an Internet system and classification algorithms is used to produce quantitatively uncertain forecast. In summary, we want to develop new tools to extract useful information from Internet data streams, develop new approaches to assimilate real-time information into predictive models, validate approaches by forecasting events, and our ultimate goal is to develop an event forecasting system using mathematical approaches and heterogeneous data streams.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Radiation and Thermal Effects on Used Nuclear Fuel and Nuclear Waste Forms

This is the final report of the NEUP project “Radiation and Thermal Effects on Used Nuclear Fuel and Nuclear Waste Forms.” This project started on July 1, 2012 and was successfully completed on June 30, 2016. This report provides an overview of the main achievements, results and findings through the duration of the project. Additional details can be found in the main body of this report and in the individual Quarterly Reports and associated Deliverables of this project, which have been uploaded in PICS-NE. The objective of this research was to advance understanding and develop validated models on the effects of self-radiation from beta and alpha decay on the response of used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste forms during high-temperature interim storage and long-term permanent disposition. To achieve this objective, model used-fuel materials and model waste form materials were identified, fabricated, and studied.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Advanced WEC Dynamics & Controls FY16 Testing Report

A model-scale wave tank test was conducted in the interest of improving control systems design of wave energy converters (WECs). The success of most control strategies is based directly upon the availability of a reduced-order model with the ability to capture the dynamics of the system with sufficient accuracy. For this reason, the test described in this report, which is the first in a series of planned tests on WEC controls, focused on system identification (system ID) and model validation.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Accelerated Leach Testing of GLASS: ALTGLASS Version 3.0

The Accelerated Leach Testing of GLASS (ALTGLASS) database is a collection of data from short- and long-term product consistency tests (PCT, ASTM C1285 A and B) on high level waste (HLW) as well as low activity waste (LAW) glasses. The database provides both U.S. and international researchers with an archive of experimental data for the purpose of studying, modeling, or validating existing models of nuclear waste glass corrosion. The ALTGLASS database is maintained and updated by researchers at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). This newest version, ALTGLASS Version 3.0, has been updated with an additional 503 rows of data representing PCT results from corrosion experiments conducted in the United States by the Savannah River National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and the Vitreous State Laboratory (SRNL, PNNL, ANL, VSL, respectively) as well as the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) in the United Kingdom.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Evolution in Cloud Population Statistics of the MJO: From AMIE Field Observations to Global-Cloud Permitting Models Final Report

This is a multi-institutional, collaborative project using a three-tier modeling approach to bridge field observations and global cloud-permitting models, with emphases on cloud population structural evolution through various large-scale environments. Our contribution was in data analysis for the generation of high value cloud and precipitation products and derive cloud statistics for model validation. There are two areas in data analysis that we contributed: the development of a synergistic cloud and precipitation cloud classification that identify different cloud (e.g. shallow cumulus, cirrus) and precipitation types (shallow, deep, convective, stratiform) using profiling ARM observations and the development of a quantitative precipitation rate retrieval algorithm using profiling ARM observations. Similar efforts have been developed in the past for precipitation (weather radars), but not for the millimeter-wavelength (cloud) radar deployed at the ARM sites.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Thermocouple Errors when Mounted on Cylindrical Surfaces in Abnormal Thermal Environments.

Mineral-insulated, metal-sheathed, Type-K thermocouples are used to measure the temperature of various items in high-temperature environments, often exceeding 1000degC (1273 K). The thermocouple wires (chromel and alumel) are protected from the harsh environments by an Inconel sheath and magnesium oxide (MgO) insulation. The sheath and insulation are required for reliable measurements. Due to the sheath and MgO insulation, the temperature registered by the thermocouple is not the temperature of the surface of interest. In some cases, the error incurred is large enough to be of concern because these data are used for model validation, and thus the uncertainties of the data need to be well documented. This report documents the error using 0.062" and 0.040" diameter Inconel sheathed, Type-K thermocouples mounted on cylindrical surfaces (inside of a shroud, outside and inside of a mock test unit). After an initial transient, the thermocouple bias errors typically range only about +-1-2% of the reading in K. After all of the uncertainty sources have been included, the total uncertainty to 95% confidence, for shroud or test unit TCs in abnormal thermal environments, is about +-2% of the reading in K, lower than the +-3% typically used for flat shrouds. Recommendations are provided in Section 6 to facilitate interpretation and use of the results. .

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

The VolturnUS 1:8 Floating Wind Turbine: Design, Construction, Deployment, Testing, Retrieval, and Inspection of the First Grid-Connected Offshore Wind Turbine in US

Volume II of the Final Report for the DeepCwind Consortium National Research Program funded by US Department of Energy Award Number: DE-EE0003278.001 summarizes the design, construction, deployment, testing, numerical model validation, retrieval, and post-deployment inspection of the VolturnUS 1:8-scale floating wind turbine prototype deployed off Castine, Maine on June 2nd, 2013. The 1:8 scale VolturnUS design served as a de-risking exercise for a commercial multi-MW VolturnUS design. The American Bureau of Shipping Guide for Building and Classing Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Installations was used to design the prototype. The same analysis methods, design methods, construction techniques, deployment methods, mooring, and anchoring planned for full-scale were used. A commercial 20kW grid-connected turbine was used and was the first offshore wind turbine in the US.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

CTF (Subchannel) Calculations and Validation L3:VVI.H2L.P15.01

The goal of the Verification and Validation Implementation (VVI) High to Low (Hi2Lo) process is utilizing a validated model in a high resolution code to generate synthetic data for improvement of the same model in a lower resolution code. This process is useful in circumstances where experimental data does not exist or it is not sufficient in quantity or resolution. Data from the high-fidelity code is treated as calibration data (with appropriate uncertainties and error bounds) which can be used to train parameters that affect solution accuracy in the lower-fidelity code model, thereby reducing uncertainty. This milestone presents a demonstration of the Hi2Lo process derived in the VVI focus area. The majority of the work performed herein describes the steps of the low-fidelity code used in the process with references to the work detailed in the companion high-fidelity code milestone (Reference 1). The CASL low-fidelity code used to perform this work was Cobra Thermal Fluid (CTF) and the high-fidelity code was STAR-CCM+ (STAR). The master branch version of CTF (pulled May 5, 2017 – Reference 2) was utilized for all CTF analyses performed as part of this milestone. The statistical and VVUQ components of the Hi2Lo framework were performed using Dakota version 6.6 (release date May 15, 2017 – Reference 3). Experimental data from Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC – Reference 4) was used throughout the demonstrated process to compare with the high-fidelity STAR results. A CTF parameter called Beta was chosen as the calibration parameter for this work. By default, Beta is defined as a constant mixing coefficient in CTF and is essentially a tuning parameter for mixing between subchannels. Since CTF does not have turbulence models like STAR, Beta is the parameter that performs the most similar function to the turbulence models in STAR. The purpose of the work performed in this milestone is to tune Beta to an optimal value that brings the CTF results closer to those measured in the WEC experiments.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Structure and Dynamics of Materials Under Extreme Conditions- Final Report

The goals for the work were to create and probe matter under extreme conditions using ultrafast optical and x-ray techniques. We measured electronic structure and plasma properties of warm and hot dense matter, and validate modeling and simulation codes, with a goal of understanding the static and dynamic properties of such materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High Fidelity Ion Beam Simulation of High Dose Neutron Irradiation

The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the capability to predict the evolution of microstructure and properties of structural materials in-reactor and at high doses, using ion irradiation as a surrogate for reactor irradiations. “Properties” includes both physical properties (irradiated microstructure) and the mechanical properties of the material. Demonstration of the capability to predict properties has two components. One is ion irradiation of a set of alloys to yield an irradiated microstructure and corresponding mechanical behavior that are substantially the same as results from neutron exposure in the appropriate reactor environment. Second is the capability to predict the irradiated microstructure and corresponding mechanical behavior on the basis of improved models, validated against both ion and reactor irradiations and verified against ion irradiations. Taken together, achievement of these objectives will yield an enhanced capability for simulating the behavior of materials in reactor irradiations.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Sister Rod Nondestructive Examination Final Report

This report documents work performed under the Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology program. This work was performed to fulfill the Level 2 Milestone M2SF-17OR010201021, “Documentation of Non-destructive Tests on Sister Pins,” within work package SF-17OR01020102. The High Burnup Spent Fuel Data Project, sponsored by DOE-NE, is focused on understanding the effects of long-term storage and transportation on high burnup (HBU) (>45 gigawatt days per metric ton uranium) light water reactor fuel. The goals of the project are to “provide confirmatory data for model validation and potential improvement, provide input to future spent nuclear fuel (SNF) dry storage cask design, support license renewals and new licenses for Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations (ISFSIs), and support transportation licensing for high burnup SNF". In support of project goals, 25 sister rods were removed from fuel assemblies at the North Anna Power Station. Nine rods were removed from the project assemblies, and 16 rods were removed from similar HBU assemblies. The 25 sister rods were shipped to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory (IFEL) in early 2016 for detailed nondestructive examination (NDE) and destructive examination (DE). The detailed examinations will provide essential information on the physical state of the HBU rods and the fuel contained in the rods prior to loading, drying, and long-term dry storage. Similar tests will be performed at the end of the long-term storage period to identify any changes in the fuel rods’ properties during the dry storage period.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Criticality Safety Validation of SCALE 6.2.2

The computational bias of criticality safety computer codes must be established through the validation of the codes to critical experiments. A large collection of suitable experiments has been vetted by the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) and made available in the International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments (ICSBEP Handbook). More than 600 cases from this handbook ha ve been prepared and reviewed within the Verified, Archived Library of Inputs and Data (VALID) , which is maintained by the Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The performance of the KENO V.a and KENO-VI Monte Carlo codes within the SCALE 6.2.2 code system is assessed using the VALID models of benchmark experiments. A range of nuclear cross section libraries based on both ENDF/B-VII.1 and ENDF/B-VII.0 in both multigroup (MG) and continuous energy (CE) formats is considered. The TSUNAMI tools for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis are used to examine some systems further to try to identify potential causes of unexpected results.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Transient Adjustments for Metal-Sheathed Thermocouples on Metal Plates (Shrouds)

This report provides guidance on how to adjust temperature measurements from mineral-insulated, metal-sheathed (MIMS) thermocouples (TCs) mounted on metal plates to correct for slow transient response. This information is needed so that more accurate transient temperature measurements can be made. These more accurate temperature measurements are of benefit for both qualification of hardware and as data sets for model validation. The approach was to use a relatively simple first order adjustment to the MIMS TC reading, as compared to a more accurate metal plate temperature measurement. MIMS TCs are used to improve reliability. Results from four data sets were analyzed to determine the time constraint; an overall average of 5.0 s was obtained.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Sierra Structural Dynamics–User's Notes

Sierra/SD provides a massively parallel implementation of structural dynamics finite element analysis, required for high fidelity, validated models used in modal, vibration, static and shock analysis of weapons systems. This document provides a users guide to the input for Sierra/SD. Details of input specifications for the different solution types, output options, element types and parameters are included. The appendices contain detailed examples, and instructions for running the software on parallel platforms.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Inferring Organizational Structure from Behavior

In this project, we researched new techniques for detecting hidden networks of individuals and institutions by introducing the use of temporal correlations among behaviors, leveraging both information sources and metadata. We validated the algorithms using the Wikipedia edit history. The rapid increase in crowd-sourced applications like Wikipedia is providing a rich set of data with both a record of behaviors and a set of direct interactions among individuals. Data sets with network ground truth are needed to develop and validate models, before applying them to national security settings where content and meta-data alone are available.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

A Performance Model for Photovoltaic Modules with Integrated Microinverters

Photovoltaic (PV) systems using microinverters are becoming increasingly popular in the residential system market, as such systems offer several advantages over PV systems using central inverters. PV modules with integrated microinverters, termed AC modules, are emerging to fill this market space. Existing test procedures and performance models designed for separate DC and AC components are unusable for AC modules because these do not allow ready access to the intermediate DC bus. Sandia National Laboratories' Photovoltaics and Distributed Systems department has developed a set of procedures to test, characterize, and model PV modules with integrated microinverters. The resulting empirical model is able to predict the output AC power of with RMS error of 1-2%. This document describes these procedures and provides the results of model validation efforts.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Diffusion of Designerly Finite Element Analysis

To address a variety of difficulties surrounding the use of finite element analysis (FEA) in product development at Sandia, this research explored a 'designerly' insertion of FEA into the design-build-test product development cycle. Designerly FEA is characterized by the use of simplified FEA models, designer-friendly FEA software, an FEA analyst embedded in the product design team, relative comparisons of design options, and a deliberate leveraging of routine prototype testing to collect model validation data. Two case study projects were used to explore the impact of this approach on the product development teams' thinking and perceptions of FEA. The case study data was collected using mixed methods and analyzed using a theory-building approach. The results were synthesized into a framework describing how the use of FEA to build confidence in a product design is related to the process by which product development teams gain or lose confidence in FEA itself. The implications may extend to other organizations that desire to increase the impact of simulation technologies in their product development process.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗