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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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DOE OSTI2021

Energize: An Interactive Evaluation Tool for Engaging the General Public with Energy Decision Making - Final Report

The public has an ever-increasing interest in the economic, environmental, and social impacts of global energy production. To support informed decision making, the scientific community has a responsibility to communicate reliable and straight-forward information to the general public, in an engaging way, regarding energy systems and how choices made at different stages of an energy technology life cycle can impact the cost, amount of materials used, and waste produced. Our objective is to enhance public engagement via an interactive electrical energy game (Energ!ze) through which players interact with one another in their quest to develop an electrical energy portfolio that optimizes economic (e.g., company profit), environmental (e.g., reduced CO 2 emissions), and social (e.g., public opinion) impacts. The design and development of Energ!ze was an iterative process involving an interdisciplinary team of engineers, discipline-based scientists, computer scientists, and education experts. The development objectives were two-fold: (1) Accurate and quantifiable modeling of electrical energy systems and (2) Engaging and interactive user interface within the construct of the game narrative. The major game mechanics in the current playable Energ!ze version focus on economic metrics, and the database is scaffolded to add environmental and social metrics for future versions. This report details the outcome of the funding period (Section 2 and 3) and describes the development process, along with recommendations for future development (Section 4).

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Radiation Unit is Difficult for the General Public to Understand - An Easier Alternative Unit is Required - 17223

One of the difficult things to explain about nuclear power and/or radiation to the public is the 'radiation unit'. Especially after the Fukushima accident, many people are concerned about radiation, but over 70% of public who responded to the survey do not understand what the Bq (Becquerel) refers to. Changing the SI unit (International System of Units) is not easy, and instead, auxiliary units can be used. We considered several auxiliary units: one using an index number (like that for earthquakes), one that makes a comparison to general drug risk, one that makes a comparison to an amount of foodstuff (like BED), an introducing index comparing annual dose limit, using number compared to the background, and colorizing (i.e, red, green, blue). KHNP-CRI surveyed the public about radiation and radiation unit indexes to determine which was easiest to understand. For the question 'Do you know what the radiation unit Becquerel (Bq) is?', over 70% answered 'No'. When asked,'Do you think radioactivity is contagious and can be transmitted through a person's respiratory system or via skin contact?', over 47% answered 'It is definitely or possibly contagious'. When asked, 'Which would you prefer as an easier to understand radiation auxiliary unit, if it were to be changed?', over 70% preferred 'colorizing or figure'. It is interesting that men prefer figures whereas women prefer colorizing. The sample population of the survey was 500 adult men and women in Korea. The sampling error was based on random sampling, a confidence interval of 95%, and a standard maximum allowable sampling error of ± 4.4% point. The survey method was 'Computer Aided Telephone Interview' (CATI). (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The New World of Human Genetics: A dialogue between Practitioners & the General Public on Ethical, Legal & Social Implications of the Human Genome Project

The history and reasons for launching the Human Genome project and the current uses of genetic human material; Identifying and discussing the major issues stemming directly from genetic research and therapy-including genetic discrimination, medical/ person privacy, allocation of government resources and individual finances, and the effect on the way in which we perceive the value of human life; Discussing the sometimes hidden ethical, social and legislative implications of genetic research and therapy such as informed consent, screening and preservation of genetic materials, efficacy of medical procedures, the role of the government, and equal access to medical coverage.

Schofield, Amy↗
DOE OSTI2014

Water Security Toolkit User Manual Version 1.2.

The Water Security Toolkit (WST) is a suite of open source software tools that can be used by water utilities to create response strategies to reduce the impact of contamination in a water distribution network . WST includes hydraulic and water quality modeling software , optimizati on methodologies , and visualization tools to identify: (1) sensor locations to detect contamination, (2) locations in the network in which the contamination was introduced, (3) hydrants to remove contaminated water from the distribution system, (4) locations in the network to inject decontamination agents to inactivate, remove, or destroy contaminants, (5) locations in the network to take grab sample s to help identify the source of contamination and (6) valves to close in order to isolate contaminate d areas of the network. This user manual describes the different components of WST , along w ith examples and case studies. License Notice The Water Security Toolkit (WST) v.1.2 Copyright c 2012 Sandia Corporation. Under the terms of Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000, there is a non-exclusive license for use of this work by or on behalf of the U.S. government. This software is distributed under the Revised BSD License (see below). In addition, WST leverages a variety of third-party software packages, which have separate licensing policies: Acro Revised BSD License argparse Python Software Foundation License Boost Boost Software License Coopr Revised BSD License Coverage BSD License Distribute Python Software Foundation License / Zope Public License EPANET Public Domain EPANET-ERD Revised BSD License EPANET-MSX GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) v.3 gcovr Revised BSD License GRASP AT&T Commercial License for noncommercial use; includes randomsample and sideconstraints executable files LZMA SDK Public Domain nose GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) v.2.1 ordereddict MIT License pip MIT License PLY BSD License PyEPANET Revised BSD License Pyro MIT License PyUtilib Revised BSD License PyYAML MIT License runpy2 Python Software Foundation License setuptools Python Software Foundation License / Zope Public License six MIT License TinyXML zlib License unittest2 BSD License Utilib Revised BSD License virtualenv MIT License Vol Common Public License vpykit Revised BSD License Additionally, some precompiled WST binary distributions might bundle other third-party executables files: Coliny Revised BSD License (part of Acro project) Dakota GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) v.2.1 PICO Revised BSD License (part of Acro project) i Revised BSD License Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met: * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer. * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution. * Neither the name of Sandia National Laboratories nor Sandia Corporation nor the names of its con- tributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IM- PLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL SANDIA CORPORATION BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUD- ING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. ii Acknowledgements This work was supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through its Office of Research and Development (Interagency Agreement # DW8992192801). The material in this document has been subject to technical and policy review by the U.S. EPA, and approved for publication. The views expressed by individual authors, however, are their own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mention of trade names, products, or services does not convey official U.S. EPA approval, endorsement, or recommendation. The Water Security Toolkit is an extension of the Threat Ensemble Vulnerability Assessment-Sensor Place- ment Optimization Tool (TEVA-SPOT), which was also developed with funding from the U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency through its Office of Research and Development (Interagency Agreement # DW8992192801). The authors acknowledge the following individuals for their contributions to the devel- opment of TEVA-SPOT: Jonathan Berry (Sandia National Laboratories), Erik Boman (Sandia National Laboratories), Lee Ann Riesen (Sandia National Laboratories), James Uber (University of Cincinnati), and Jean-Paul Watson (Sandia National Laboratories). iii Acronyms ATUS American Time-Use Survey BLAS Basic linear algebra sub-routines CFU Colony-forming unit CVAR Conditional value at risk CWS Contamination warning system EA Evolutionary algorithm EDS Event detection system EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EC Extent of Contamination ERD EPANET results database file GLPK GNU Linear Programming Kit GRASP Greedy randomized adaptive sampling process HEX Hexadecimal HTML HyperText markup language INP EPANET input file LP Linear program MC Mass consumed MILP Mixed integer linear program MIP Mixed integer program MSX Multi-species extension for EPANET NFD Number of failed detections NS Number of sensors NZD Non-zero demand PD Population dosed PE Population exposed PK Population killed TAI Threat assessment input file TCE Tailed-conditioned expectation TD Time to detection TEC Timed extent of contamination TEVA Threat ensemble vulnerability assessment TSB Tryptic soy broth TSG Threat scenario generation file TSI Threat simulation input file VAR Value at risk VC Volume consumed WST Water Security Toolkit YML YAML configuration file format for WST iv Symbols Notation Definition Example { , } set brackets { 1,2,3 } means a set containing the values 1,2, and 3. [?] is an element of s [?] S means that s is an element of the set S . [?] for all s = 1 [?] s [?] S means that the statement s = 1 is true for all s in set S . P summation P n i =1 s i means s 1 + s 2 + * * * + s n . \ set minus S \ T means the set that contains all those elements of S that are not in set T . %7C given %7C is used to define conditional probability. P ( s %7C t ) means the prob- ability of s occurring given that t occurs. %7C ... %7C cardinality Cardinality of a set is the number of elements of the set. If set S = { 2,4,6 } , then %7C S %7C = 3. v

Klise, Katherine A.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Quantifying public perceptions on the nuclear fuel cycle - 15395

The nuclear fuel cycle in the United States, specifically the back end portion, remains an unresolved and persistent issue. In comparison with the technical aspects of many different fuel cycles, less attention has been given to public perceptions and attitudes toward certain alternatives. Understanding what the general public values in terms of a nuclear fuel cycle will assist in selecting a nuclear fuel cycle that optimizes the balance between technical feasibility and public acceptance. A multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) model was created to incorporate the general public's perceptions on qualified individuals and on important technical and non-technical aspects of any general fuel cycle. Analyzing the pair-wise comparisons for each criterion through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) yielded the relative importance of each aspect. A major finding is that the general public tend to view environmental scientists as qualified as nuclear engineers and scientists in selecting a method of used nuclear fuel disposal for the United States. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Naval Reactors Facility Environmental Monitoring Report (CY2020)

This report presents the results of the radiological and non-radiological environmental monitoring programs for 2020 at the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF). Current operations at NRF are in compliance with applicable regulations governing use, emission, and disposal of solid, liquid, and gaseous materials. The results obtained from the environmental monitoring programs verify that releases to the environment from operations at NRF did not have any adverse effect on human health or the environment. Evaluation of the environmental data confirms that the operation of NRF continues to have no adverse effect on the environment or the health and safety of the general public. Furthermore, a conservative assessment of radiation exposure to the general public as a result of NRF operations demonstrated that the maximum potential dose received by any member of the public was well below the most restrictive dose limits prescribed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Department of Energy (DOE), and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Naval Reactors Facility Environmental Monitoring Report (CY2019)

This report presents the results of the radiological and non-radiological environmental monitoring programs for 2019 at the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF). Current operations at NRF are in compliance with applicable regulations governing use, emission, and disposal of solid, liquid, and gaseous materials. The results obtained from the environmental monitoring programs verify that releases to the environment from operations at NRF did not have any adverse effect on human health or the environment. Evaluation of the environmental data confirms that the operation of NRF continues to have no adverse effect on the environment or the health and safety of the general public. Furthermore, a conservative assessment of radiation exposure to the general public as a result of NRF operations demonstrated that the maximum potential dose received by any member of the public was well below the most restrictive dose limits prescribed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Robust disposal concept, uniform regulations, and trust in the messenger; three fundamental building blocks for consent-based HLW-disposal solutions in the USA - 15104

Pending enabling legislation, the USA's HLW-disposal program had been held in political abeyance since 2009 at the crossroads to one or both of the Yucca Mountain candidate (since 1987) HLW-repository in Nevada and/or the consent-based siting of the new HLW-disposal and centralized HLW-storage facilities proposed in 2012; a road not previously travelled. The consent-based siting approach would require the following gap between the reality (A) and the requirement (B) for public trust, acceptance and sustained support (PASS) to be bridged: A. Less than 1% of the general public in any given country fully comprehends the scientific-underpinnings and the projected health risks imposed by a HLW repository. B. More than 50% of the general public in a given geographical area would have to accept to host it from start to end. The following PASS-building blocks, successfully used at the WIPP-site in New Mexico and abroad to get from A to B during the past 30+ years, are thus highly recommended: 1. Defining the consent footprint upon host-county/state boundaries and/or radiation/health-risks and/or to identify/designate the directly affected parties (DAPs). 2. Using databases and lessons-learned by other repository programs to advantage. 3. Presenting the information in terms and/or by examples more readily understood by laypeople, because both their acceptance and opposition/rejection are influenced by: a. The type, number, problems, and status of 'similar' disposal concepts; and b. The level of i. Radiation protection provided by applicable regulations; ii. Involvement and decision-making authority vested in the DAPs; and iii. Their trust in the 'spokesperson/messenger. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2014

Radiation Transport Calculations in Support of FRIB Target Building Local Shield Design - Paper 113

Construction of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) began in March 2014 on the campus of Michigan State University (MSU). FRIB will use a 400 kW heavy-ion driver LINAC to accelerate stable ions to energies greater than 200 MeV/u. Rare-isotope beam production will occur via interaction of the heavy-ion primary beam with a rotating carbon production target at the beginning of the fragmentation pre-separator located in the target building. An integral component of the design process involves the quantification of dose equivalents received by both facility personnel and the general public that can be expected once the facility is operational. The MSU ALARA goal for radiation to the general public from FRIB is <10 mrem/y (from all sources). (authors)

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Photovoltaic at Hollywood and Desert Breeze Recreational Centers

In accordance with the goals of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for promoting solar energy as clean, carbon-free and cost-effective, the County believed that a recreational center was an ideal place to promote solar energy technologies to the public. This project included the construction of solar electricity generation facilities (40kW) at two Clark County facility sites, Desert Breeze Recreational Center and Hollywood Recreational Center, with educational kiosks and Green Boxes for classroom instruction. The major objectives and goals of this Solar Project include demonstration of state of the art technologies for the generation of electricity from solar technology and the creation of an informative and educational tool in regards to the benefits and process of generating alternative energy. Clark County partnered with Anne Johnson (design architect/consultant), Affiliated Engineers Inc. (AEI), Desert Research Institute (DRI), and Morse Electric. The latest photovoltaic technologies were used in the project to help create the greatest expected energy savings for60443 each recreational center. This coupled with the data created from the monitoring system will help Clark County and NREL further understand the real time outputs from the system. The educational portion created with AEI and DRI incorporates material for all ages with a focus on K - 12. The AEI component is an animated story telling the fundamentals of how sunlight is turned into electricity and DRI‘s creation of Solar Green Boxes brings environmental education into the classroom. In addition to the educational component for the public, the energy that is created through the photovoltaic system also translates into saved money and health benefits for the general public. This project has helped Clark County to further add to its own energy reduction goals created by the energy management agenda (Resolution to Encourage Sustainability) and the County’s Eco-initiative. Each site has installed photovoltaic panels on the existing roof structures that exhibit suitable solar exposure. The generation systems utilize solar energy creating electricity used for the facility’s lighting system and other electrical requirements. Unused electricity is sent to the electric utility grid, often at peak demand times. Educational signage, kiosks and information have been included to inform and expand the public’s understanding of solar energy technology. The Solar Green Boxes were created for further hands on classroom education of solar power. In addition, data is sent by a Long Term PV performance monitoring system, complete with data transmission to NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), located in Golden, CO. This system correlates local solar irradiance and weather with power production. The expected outcomes of this Solar Project are as follows: (1) Successful photovoltaic electricity generation technologies to capture solar energy in a useful form of electrical energy. (2) Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation resulting from reduced energy demand from traditional electricity sources such as fossil fuel fired and nuclear power plants. (3) Advance the research and development of solar electricity generation. (4) The education of the general public in regards to the benefits of environmentally friendly electricity generation and Clark County’s efforts to encourage sustainable living practices. (5) To provide momentum for the nexus for future solar generation facilities in Clark County facilities and buildings and further the County’s energy reduction goals. (6) To ultimately contribute to the reduction of dependence on foreign oil and other unsustainable sources of energy. This Solar Project addresses several objectives and goals of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technology Program. The project improves the integration and performance of solar electricity directly through implementation of cutting edge technology. The project further addresses this goal by laying important ground work and infrastructure for integration into the utility grid in future related projects. There will also be added security, reliability, and diversity to the energy system by providing and using reliable, secure, distributed electricity in Clark County facilities as well as sending such electricity back into the utility electric grid. A final major objective met by the Solar Project will be the displacement of energy derived by fossil fuels with clean renewable energy created by photovoltaic panels.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Radiation Hazard Scale (Expanded Data Product Feedback Report)

During radiation emergencies, it is important to communicate clearly as radiation risks are often unfamiliar to many members of the general public and emergency responders, including public health workers. To partially address this issue, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed the Radiation Hazard Scale to communicate radiation risk to the general public, community leaders, and decision makers. The simple numeric scale does not require a background in radiation physics or health effects and can be used to assist people in understanding their risk and motivate protective action compliance. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has assisted the US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration and the CDC in the development of Radiation Hazard Scale data products. This report documents the feedback received from Federal response officials on an expanded data product set. This expanded set accounts for the effects of building protection on radiation exposure and allows for the comparison between different response actions, including sheltering in place, based on the LLNL developed Regional Shelter Analysis methodology.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

University Coalition for Fossil Fuel Energy Research

Following a nationwide open competition, the University Coalition for Fossil Energy Research (UCFER) was established in October 2015 through a cooperative agreement between Penn State and the Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). Penn State lead UCFER with the objective of advancing basic and applied research for clean and low-carbon energy based on fossil fuels in support of the DOE’s mission. UCFER focused on research that improves the efficiency of production and use of fossil energy resources, while minimizing the environmental impacts and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Penn State lead a team of nine universities (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, Princeton University, Texas A&M University, University of Kentucky, University of Southern California, The University of Tulsa, University of Wyoming, and Virginia Polytechnic and State University) during the competition stage, adding seven more universities in 2017 (Carnegie Mellon University, Louisiana State University, The Ohio State University, University of North Dakota, University of Pittsburgh, University of Utah, and West Virginia University). This Coalition exhibited a wide geographical distribution across the U.S. bringing a wide variety of fossil energy expertise. This national university alliance was a major collaborative effort with NETL to address specific topics of R&D in NETL’s mission area, which involved one or more of NETL’s five core competencies (Geologic and Environmental Systems, Materials Engineering and Manufacturing, Energy Conversion Engineering, Systems Engineering and Analysis, and Computational Science and Engineering). The first five to six months of the project was the definitization stage. During this period, Penn State worked closely with NETL to finalize the Coalition organizational structure and By- Laws, prepare a statement of substantial involvement and a statement of project objectives, and develop operations and membership plans. A major component of this stage included preparing an execution plan to solicit research, evaluate proposals, recommend selected projects to NETL, and award projects. In addition, a plan was prepared to monitor projects, review projects, disseminate knowledge from research projects and develop an online system for Coalition research portfolio management. This included developing a website and several databases. The first of six rounds of solicitations started in mid-2016. Projects from the sixth solicitation started February 1, 2021, and ended January 31, 2023. Projects that were selected represented twelve technology lines. Approximately $16.6 million in funding was available for the six solicitations. Most of the funding was provided by DOE, Office of Fossil Energy (DOEFE) with the DOE Fuel Cells Technologies Office (DOE-FCTO) providing funding for a few projects. Coalition universities submitted 259 proposals in response to the solicitations, requesting approximately $67.0 million in funding, and forty-three projects were selected. However, one project withdrew after the principal investigator left the university. The management of the Coalition projects was a major activity by Penn State. Managing the Coalition projects consisted of monitoring the projects, reviewing the projects through annual technical review meetings, disseminating knowledge from the research projects, and developing an online system for Coalition research portfolio management. Penn State’s OMT monitored projects to ensure that all milestones (technical, schedule, budget) were met, expenditures were allowable, cost share (when applicable) were reported, and all technical reports were submitted. The OMT also posted the technical reports electronically on a secure members-only website for access and review by the Coalition members. Disseminating knowledge from the research projects was done through a website, newsletters, various meetings, conferences, journal articles, publicity/press releases, and project summaries that were prepared after each project was completed. Penn State kept NETL apprised of UCFER progress through quarterly reports (thirtyone were submitted by Penn State), verbal and written communications, yearly updates at the annual technical review meetings, and cost accrual reports. The UCFER project had a significant impacty. The UCFER program established the first national university alliance in fossil energy research with a major collaboration effort with DOE NETL that addressed specific topics in NETL’s research and development mission areas. It generated inter-university collaborations, which was another program interest. Twenty-two out of 259 proposals contained collaborations (≈8.5%) and three of forty-two funded projects involved inter-university collaborations (≈7.0%). The forty-two funded projects provided support at fourteen universities involving 269 personnel. Research was conducted by 106 faculty, 115 graduate and undergraduate students, forty-six research staff and post-doctoral scholars, and two visiting scholars. Students and post-doctoral scholars were also on-site at NETL through CRADAs. In addition, non-Coalition participants included six universities and sixteen companies and national laboratories. The non-Coalition participants were involved as subcontractors, providers of cost share, performed unpaid consultation and sample analysis, served as advisory board members, or were providers of samples and materials for testing. UCFER also produced visibility in that fifty-six refereed journal articles were published, fifty-seven conference papers and twenty-three posters were prepared, 190 presentations were given, eight patent applications were filed, two books/book chapters were written, and ten software codes were developed. Collaboration between NETL and the individual projects was a major requirement for all funded projects. This included NETL staff time to support collaboration, consultation, technical guidance, sample preparation and analysis, internships at NETL, on-site testing and equipment usage by Coalition participants at NETL, co-mentoring students, and coauthoring journal articles and conference papers. Collaboration was impacted by COVID-19 in that not all on-site activities could be performed. NETL personnel were coauthors on eight of the conference papers (fourteen percent of the conference papers that were prepared) and seventeen of the journal articles (thirty percent of the journal articles that were prepared). A website was developed for an online proposal solicitation and review process and to provide exposure to UCFER. A website analysis highlighted the large amount of member and general public interest in UCFER by interpreting access statistics from March 2016 through June 2023. Visitors to the site originated from many different organizations, businesses, and countries. The website provided a means to disseminate information to both the general public and the UCFER members and was successfully used for outreach activities. In addition, NETL required that RFP release, proposal submission, and proposal reviews all be performed online. Penn State successfully developed these capabilities in a secure section of the website, which were used throughout the UCFER project. It is recognized that each project had its technical successes. In addition, highlighted successes were compiled and summarized from the research projects. Information was requested from the PIs of completed projects. In addition, Penn State’s Operations Management Team reviewed subcontract reports to identify project successes. Examples of information requested from PIs included (not all-inclusive): new projects that have been funded as a result of UCFER funding; new commercial products; establishment of a new center; new patent; new software; best paper awards; highly-cited work; and graduate student successes. A total of forty-eight highlighted successes were reported.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2018

Need for an Independent Monitoring of Nuclear Waste Repository: Lessons from WIPP Experience - 18130

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is the only operating deep geological repository for the permanent disposal of defense transuranic (TRU) waste in the world. The facility recently resumed waste disposal operations after recovering from a February 2014 accident involving a radiological release from a waste container in the WIPP underground. WIPP had been a DOE success story, operating nearly 15 years with no significant incidents or accidents. Many factors contributed to this success, one of the most important being the overwhelming support exhibited by the local community and the local elected officials. One component of the broad public acceptance by the citizens of Southeast New Mexico has been the concept of independent, third party monitoring of environmental effluents at the site. Independent environmental monitoring ensures a role for the local community in ongoing evaluation of the safety and performance of the site. At WIPP this has been achieved through an independent environmental monitoring program operated by the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center (CEMRC). The CEMRC has been conducting independent environmental monitoring activities on and around the WIPP site since 1991 and makes the results of monitoring activities available and easily accessible to members the general public. The public's free and open access to this data and their direct participation in the CEMRC's whole body counting program provides transparency, which is key to maintaining public trust and confidence. The circumstances following the 2014 radiological release event at WIPP reinforced the value of independent environmental monitoring in order to maintain the high level of transparency necessary for long term local acceptance and support for nuclear facilities. Following what was a minor radiological release event, there were understandably fearful reactions from a number of citizens residing in Carlsbad and the nearby communities of Hobbs, Loving, and Artesia. CEMRC's independent environmental monitoring program and their early public engagement proved invaluable in providing timely and accurate environmental data to local community leaders and members of the general public. The data, and open communication from CEMRC, helped reassure citizens in Carlsbad and the surrounding area that the release was extremely low and the extent was very limited. CEMRC further communicated that the probability of any environmental or health impacts from the release was extremely low. It is unlikely the local community would have placed the same level of trust in similar assurances of safety coming from DOE or other State and Federal regulators. The CEMRC's performance in the days following the release meant the local community had access to independent monitoring data and an independent voice in the dialogue with DOE and state officials that shaped the recovery and eventual re-opening of the WIPP facility. The WIPP radiological release event yielded a plethora of lessons learned that will frame the next phase of operational, oversight, and emergency planning surrounding the facility. In this presentation we will be discussing the value and viability of federally-funded, university-housed independent monitoring programs in maintaining trust of state officials and the local communities. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Final Report on "Collaborative Research to Narrow Uncertainties in Precipitation and the Hydrological Cycle in Climate Models"

The central objectives of this work have been to explore and improve the depiction of precipitation and related processes in climate models by developing and analyzing observations and their gridded analyses, and developing new approaches and metrics. All three groups worked with the NCAR-based Community Earth System Model (CESM) and international community Climate Model Inter-comparison Project version 5 (CMIP5) models in various ways. At NCAR and SUNYA an initial focus was on the observational record, including updating of the river discharge dataset. A major focus at NCAR was extensive work on new datasets of hourly precipitation from CMORPH (observations) and CESM, and commentary on and validation of the CESM. SUNYA contributed to the comparison and evaluation of existing precipitation products widely used in climate research, the analysis of precipitation characteristics in CESM and other CMIP5 models, and decadal precipitation variability associated with decadal variability. At NCAR and SUNYA work was focused on the frequency and intensity of precipitation, including their dependence on the temporal and spatial resolution of the data used to calculate the frequency and intensity, as well as additional analyses on the effects of precipitation data uncertainties on the estimated historical drying trends. LLNL focused on the diurnal cycle. New insights have resulted in the characteristics of precipitation (frequency, intensity, amount, duration, diurnal cycle, covariability in space and time) and evaluation of these in models. In general models perform poorly and this provides a much-needed focus on what aspects of models are greatly in need of improvement. A substantial number of papers have now been published on these topics. The focus on the characteristics of precipitation and not just amount also provides a natural entrée into examining the extremes of precipitation, that are very important to the general public in terms of impacts. Examples are the deluges from Florence and Harvey, and extensive work has been performed on the latter. On the other side of the coin, considerable work has been performed on dry spells and drought, including improvements in a drought index. There has been considerable outreach to the general public, especially through the media, but also via talks and lectures, and a strong educational component at SUNYA. For example, the Harvey paper has an altimetrics rating of 827 and is the highest for any paper from that journal, it is at the 99th percentile of all papers of the same age, and is in the top 95 percent of all papers. The energy cycle and ocean heat content has been another focus. The entire atmospheric energy cycle has been reformulated and applied to the latest data to include effects from the enthalpy of precipitation. Relationships between ocean heat content and sea level rise have also been extensively explored in observations and models, with new insights into the role of Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption on distorting and hiding the accelerating sea level rise. This work has been also widely featured in news media. The “year without a summer” has also been explored in the past using models, and how changes in the vertical structure and stability of the ocean with a warming climate may influence a future such volcanic event by amplifying the surface temperature response.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Improving Operational Efficiency, Compliance and Community Perception with Real-time Data - 19260

The nuclear and medical radiation industry has always faced a significant burden in effectively balancing exposure and productivity. Maintenance operations and development of new techniques require significant staffing resources to monitor and review personnel exposures and changes in operational radiation levels. Currently utilised monitoring technology and review techniques remain unchanged since the 1950's, relying upon mostly analogue instrumentation and paper reporting. After utilising isolated-area monitoring during a reactor decommissioning project it became apparent that current systems created false assurance as the units continually failed without warning due to 'dirty' power. These instrument failures could have easily led to an unnecessary exposure while operators continued to assume they were being safely monitored. This paper is a philosophical discussion on how current shortcomings could be addressed, security increased, and exposure risks minimised, by utilising real-time monitoring and automated reporting. The community and media expectations of reported data and nuclear monitoring systems continue to be coloured by sensational technology seen in movies and emerging technology available through smart homes and smart cities initiatives. For the general public to be more engaged with real radiation levels and effects, the nuclear industry needs to more effectively communicate safe levels. Organisations can have regain control of exposure levels discussions through the controlled release of background and expected exposure level data. An increase in real world monitoring data communicated in a controlled and more effective way will aid in the general public accepting, and being educated about, the minimal increase above natural background levels of the nuclear industry and other radiation facilities. This is particularly as Australia is in the process of implementing its Nuclear Waste Facility, with community acceptance the number one inhibitor of being able to move forward. Storage, mobile assets, and processing all present unique management, security, exposure, and telemetry challenges for a facility operations manager. Active monitoring and automated review of the monitoring data can alert operators to any unexpected events before any resultant increases in radiation levels cause an unplanned exposure to operators or the environment. Integration of radiation monitoring data with global positioning telemetry enables better organisational awareness of mobile asset location and early detection of any potential shifting and reduction in shielding integrity of sources and encapsulated waste during transport. Additionally, the real-time monitoring can be set-up to enhance an organisations' or nation's security capabilities. For instance, the real time monitor will send an automated alert in the case of an unexpected movement of a source through a monitored facility or for an unscheduled movement of a monitored vehicle. There are further benefits to be gained in control, ALARA principles and effluent management by increasing real-time monitoring capabilities through the stages of the waste cycle. Increasing operational effectiveness while delivering operational cost savings sounds like an attractive proposition. With increased access to operational area radiation data comes drastically improved real-time management of exposures for new, and experimental practices. Increased live data can be utilised to identify optimum practices for reducing operational and environmental exposures or releases. This increased operational data effectively comes with the added benefit of a reduction in the required health physics personnel resources for general operations. By reducing exposure and the detachment of required health physics resources from routine operations, there is greater availability for these resources to support maintenance operations and project-based work. The review of this increased data will create internal capability to identify low-- and high-risk activities, resulting in the ability to reduce the number of highly skilled workers in an industry where the availability of this talent is declining. During my time as the Radiation Safety and Nuclear Security Manager at a research facility, I implemented a real-time monitoring system. The system identified a secondary risk that had previously been unidentified and posed a higher exposure and security risk than the radiation practice being monitored. What stops industry from implementing technology that encourages agile work practices, while minimising security risks and personnel exposure? (authors)

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

Soboba Community Energy Solar Project – Phase 1

Since time immemorial the descendants of the Soboba people are those whom have lived on and occupied the land that is presently known as the cities of San Jacinto, Hemet, Valle Vista and Winchester. On June 19, 1883, President Chester Arthur by Executive Order established the Soboba Indian Reservation, a 3,172-acre tract which included the Soboba village and the adjacent hills. The President had limited authority as he was only able to set aside public land for the establishment of a reservation and had no authority to take private land. Thus the Soboba village; cultivated lands and major springs were part of Rancho San Jacinto Viejo and belonged to Matthew Byrne. Today the Soboba Indian Reservation lies in the lower reaches of the San Jacinto Mountains, across the San Jacinto River from the city of San Jacinto. The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians was awarded a community solar grant through the U.S. Department of Energy. The incorporated cities of San Jacinto and Hemet, and the unincorporated community of Valle Vista border the Reservation. All three of these surrounding communities have experienced tremendous population growth over the past two decades, with slower growth during the recent economic downturn. The Tribal community that benefits from under this grant includes 1,161 enrolled members, the majority of which live on the reservation. Nearly 41% of the enrolled members are youth, age 18 and under. The elders and community leaders value preserving and maintaining the Luiseño and Cahuilla cultures and Tribal structure for future generations. The proposed project was administered from the Tribal Administration offices located on the reservation. The Soboba Tribal Government consists of five Tribal Members who are elected by the general membership to Tribal Council for a staggered two year term. The Chairman/Chairwoman is elected by a majority vote of the general membership but the positions for Vice-Chair, Tribal Secretary, Tribal Treasurer and Sergeant at Arms are decided by the elected council. The Soboba Tribal Administration encompasses several departments that serve the needs of the Tribe, the Reservation and the general public. They assist in day-to-day Tribal operations, public safety, Tribal family services, Native American assistance to needy families, cultural preservation, and Tribal environmental protection of natural resources, along with the monitoring of progress and needs of its Enterprises and the general public. The Tribe’s long term energy vision is to become self-sufficient and thereby attain greater control of its destiny, to control costs in view of rapidly rising electric utility expenses, and to maximize the use of renewable energy consistent with sustainable development practices. The project is a Renewable Energy System, specifically a ground mounted, fixed tilt, solar photovoltaic (PV) generating system with a rated capacity of 1.0MWac. The solar generated power serves the electric needs of the affected meters. It benefits every Tribal member since the cost of running the community Tribal facilities, including electric bills, comes out of the General Fund. The estimated 20 year project savings of $ 6,418,064 can be re-directed to other vital community needs, and the project will provide additional jobs for Tribal members. The project has been thoroughly researched and is ready to implement as soon as funding is approved.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Soboba Community Energy Solar Project - Phase 2

This is the final technical report for the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians' second community solar project. Since time immemorial the descendants of the Soboba people are those whom have lived on and occupied the land that is presently known as the cities of San Jacinto, Hemet, Valle Vista and Winchester. On June 19, 1883, President Chester Arthur by Executive Order established the Soboba Indian Reservation, a 3,172-acre tract which included the Soboba village and the adjacent hills. The President had limited authority as he was only able to set aside public land for the establishment of a reservation and had no authority to take private land. Thus the Soboba village; cultivated lands and major springs were part of Rancho San Jacinto Viejo and belonged to Matthew Byrne. Today the Soboba Indian Reservation lies in the lower reaches of the San Jacinto Mountains, across the San Jacinto River from the city of San Jacinto. The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians was awarded a community solar grant through the U.S. Department of Energy. The incorporated cities of San Jacinto and Hemet, and the unincorporated community of Valle Vista border the Reservation. All three of these surrounding communities have experienced tremendous population growth over the past two decades, with slower growth during the recent economic downturn. The Tribal community that benefits from under this grant includes 1,161 enrolled members, the majority of which live on the reservation. Nearly 41% of the enrolled members are youth, age 18 and under. The elders and community leaders value preserving and maintaining the Luiseño and Cahuilla cultures and Tribal structure for future generations. The proposed project was administered from the Tribal Administration offices located on the reservation. The Soboba Tribal Government consists of five Tribal Members who are elected by the general membership to Tribal Council for a staggered two year term. The Chairman/Chairwoman is elected by a majority vote of the general membership but the positions for Vice-Chair, Tribal Secretary, Tribal Treasurer and Sergeant at Arms are decided by the elected council. The Soboba Tribal Administration encompasses several departments that serve the needs of the Tribe, the Reservation and the general public. They assist in day-to-day Tribal operations, public safety, Tribal family services, Native American assistance to needy families, cultural preservation, and Tribal environmental protection of natural resources, along with the monitoring of progress and needs of its Enterprises and the general public. The Tribe’s long term energy vision is to become self-sufficient and thereby attain greater control of its destiny, to control costs in view of rapidly rising electric utility expenses, and to maximize the use of renewable energy consistent with sustainable development practices. The project is a Renewable Energy System, specifically a ground mounted, fixed tilt, solar photovoltaic (PV) generating system with a rated capacity of 1.0MWac. The solar generated power serves the electric needs of the affected meters. It benefits every Tribal member since the cost of running the community Tribal facilities, including electric bills, comes out of the General Fund. The estimated 20 year project savings of $ 6,418,064 can be re-directed to other vital community needs, and the project will provide additional jobs for Tribal members. The project has been thoroughly researched and is ready to implement as soon as funding is approved.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Diatoms to human uses: linking nitrogen deposition, aquatic eutrophication, and ecosystem services

Nitrogen (N) loading to aquatic ecosystems can lead to eutrophication, changing the ecosystem within a waterbody, including primary productivity, water clarity, and food web dynamics. Nutrient loading often first affects the primary productivity of aquatic systems through shifts in phytoplankton communities. However, ecologically important changes in phytoplankton are often not relatable to the general public—whose behavior would need to change to alter patterns of nutrient loading. Therefore, we use the STressor–Ecological Production function–final ecosystem Services Framework to develop 154 chains that link changes in biological indicators of aquatic eutrophication (a shift in phytoplankton community) to final ecosystem services that people use or appreciate. We identify 13 ecological production functions (EPF) within three different ecosystems (alpine lakes, lakes, and estuaries) that connect changes in phytoplankton and algae to ecological endpoints that the general public and policy makers can appreciate. Using the Final Ecosystem Goods and Services Classification System, we identify 18 classes of human beneficiaries that potentially will be impacted by a change in one of these endpoints. We further assign strength-of-science scores to each link within the EPFs for the 154 chains according to how well each link is supported by current peer-reviewed literature. By identifying many pathways through which excess N loading in U.S. surface waters can affect ecosystems and ultimately the beneficiaries of ecosystem services, this work intends to draw attention to gaps in empirical ecological literature that constrain understanding of the magnitude of effects that excess N loading can have on human well-being. Here, results highlight the importance of intersections between the natural and social sciences when managers and policy makers evaluate impacts from ecological stressors. A balance between knowledgeable specialists proved key to applying this approach and will continue to remain important.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗