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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 19 records
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DOE OSTI2019

Online Waste Library (OWL) and Waste Forms Characteristics Annual Report

This report represents completion of milestone deliverable M2SF-19SNO10309013 "Online Waste Library (OWL) and Waste Forms Characteristics Annual Report" that reports annual status on fiscal year (FY) 2019 activities for the work package SF-19SN01030901 and is due on August 2, 2019. The online waste library (OWL) has been designed to contain information regarding United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE)-managed (as) high-level waste (DHLW), spent nuclear fuel (SNF), and other wastes that are likely candidates for deep geologic disposal, with links to the current supporting documents for the data (when possible; note that no classified or official-use-only (OUO) data are planned to be included in OWL). There may be up to several hundred different DOE-managed wastes that are likely to require deep geologic disposal. This annual report on FY2019 activities includes evaluations of waste form characteristics and waste form performance models, updates to the OWL development, and descriptions of the management processes for the OWL. Updates to the OWL include an updated user's guide, additions to the OWL database content for wastes and waste forms, results of the beta testing and changes implemented from it. Also added are descriptions of the management/control processes for the OWL development, version control, and archiving. These processes have been implemented as part of the full production release of OWL (i.e., OWL Version 1.0), which has been developed on, and will be hosted and managed on, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) systems. The version control/update processes will be implemented for updates to the OWL in the future. Additionally, another process covering methods for interfacing with the DOE SNF Database (DOE 2007) at Idaho National Laboratory on the numerous entries for DOE-managed SNF (DSNF) has been pushed forward by defining data exchanges and is planned to be implemented sometime in FY2020. The INL database is also sometimes referred to as the Spent Fuel Database or the SFDB, which is the acronym that will be used in this report. Once fully implemented, this integration effort will serve as a template for interfacing with additional databases throughout the DOE complex.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Burrowing Owl Conservation Report: 2020

The Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) is a small migratory species of owl found throughout the Western United States. Burrowing Owls are found throughout a variety of habitats including shrubsteppe; and during the breeding season the Hanford Site is situated at the center of the predicted distribution of Burrowing Owls in Washington State (Smith et al. 1997). The Western Burrowing Owl is declining over much of its range, including on the Hanford Site and throughout the Columbia Basin (HNF-59375, Conway 2006). These declines have been attributed to habitat loss and a subsequent loss in burrowing mammals that the owls depend on for nesting habitat (Conway et al. 2006, Johnson et al. 2010). The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife lists Western Burrowing Owls as a Candidate Species, meaning the species is a candidate for listing as Sensitive, Threatened, or Endangered in Washington (WDFW 2020). Without intervention, continued declines may result in the extirpation of Burrowing Owls from the Hanford Site and the Columbia Basin.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

OWL Release Process

The Online Waste Library (OWL) provides one consolidated source of information on Department of Energy-managed wastes likely to require deep geologic disposal. With the release of OWL Version 1.0 in fiscal year (FY) 2019, much of the FY2020 work involved developing the OWL change control process and the OWL release process. These two processes (in draft form) were put into use for OWL Version 2.0, which was released in early FY2021. With the knowledge gained, the OWL team refined and documented the two processes in two separate reports. This report addresses the release process starting with a definition of release management in Section 2. Section 3 describes the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework, part of which includes the three different environments used for release management. Section 4 presents the OWL components existing in the different environments and provides details on the release schedule and procedures.

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

Inventory and Waste Characterization Status Report and OWL Update.

This report represents completion of milestone deliverable M2SF-18SNO10309013 "Inventory and Waste Characterization Status Report and OWL Update that reports on FY2018 activities for the work package (WP) SF-18SNO1030901. This report provides the detailed final information for completed FY2018 work activities for WP SF-18SN01030901, and a summary of priorities for FY2019. This status report on FY2018 activities includes evaluations of waste form characteristics and waste form performance models, updates to the OWL development, and descriptions of the two planned management processes for the OWL. Updates to the OWL include an updated user's guide, additions to the OWL database content for wastes and waste forms, results of the Beta testing and changes implemented from it. There are two processes being planned in FY2018, which will be implemented in FY2019. One process covers methods for interfacing with the DOE SNF DB (DOE 2007) at INL on the numerous entries for DOE managed SNF, and the other process covers the management of updates to, and version control/archiving of, the OWL database. In FY2018, we have pursued three studies to evaluate/redefine waste form characteristics and/or performance models. First characteristic isotopic ratios for various waste forms included in postclosure performance studies are being evaluated to delineate isotope ratio tags that quantitatively identify each particular waste form. This evaluation arose due to questions regarding the relative contributions of radionuclides from disparate waste forms in GDSA results, particularly, radionuclide contributions of DOE-managed SNF vs HLW glass. In our second study we are evaluating the bases of glass waste degradation rate models to the HIP calcine waste form. The HIP calcine may likely be a ceramic matrix material, with multiple ceramic phases with/without a glass phase. The ceramic phases are likely to have different degradation performance from the glass portion. The distribution of radionuclides among those various phases may also be a factor in the radionuclide release rates. Additionally, we have an ongoing investigation of the performance behavior of TRISO particle fuels and are developing a stochastic model for the degradation of those fuels that accounts for simultaneous corrosion of the silicon carbide (SiC) layer and radionuclide diffusion through it. The detailed model of the TRISO particles themselves, will be merged with models of the degradation behavior(s) of the graphite matrix (either prismatic compacts or spherical "pebbles") containing the particles and the hexagonal graphite elements holding the compacts.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

OWL Change Control Process

The Online Waste Library (OWL) provides a consolidated source of information on Department of Energy-managed radioactive waste likely to require deep geologic disposal. With the release of OWL Version 1.0 in fiscal year 2019 (FY2019), much of the FY2020 work involved developing the OWL change control process and the OWL release process. These two processes (in draft form) were put into use for OWL Version 2.0, which was released in early FY2021. With the knowledge gained, the OWL team refined and documented the two processes in two separate reports. This report focuses on the change control process and discusses the following: (1) definitions and system components; (2) roles and responsibilities; (3) origin of changes; (4) the change control process including the Change List, Task List, activity categories, implementation examples, and checking and review; and (5) the role of the re lease process in ensuring changes in the Change List are incorporated into a public release.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

OWL and Waste Form Characteristics (Annual Status Update)

This report represents completion of milestone deliverable M2SF-21SN010309012 “Annual Status Update for OWL and Waste Form Characteristics” that provides an annual update on status of fiscal year (FY 2020) activities for the work package SF-20SN01030901 and is due on January 29, 2021. The Online Waste Library (OWL) has been designed to contain information regarding United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE)-managed (as) high-level waste (DHLW), spent nuclear fuel (SNF), and other wastes that are likely candidates for deep geologic disposal, with links to the current supporting documents for the data (when possible; note that no classified or official-use-only (OUO) data are planned to be included in OWL). There may be up to several hundred different DOE-managed wastes that are likely to require deep geologic disposal. This draft report contains versions of the OWL model architecture for vessel information (Appendix A) and an excerpt from the OWL User’s Guide (Appendix B and SNL 2020), which are for the current OWL Version 2.0 on the Sandia External Collaboration Network (ECN).

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Small Mammal Prey Study for the Mexican Spotted Owl at Two Locations at Los Alamos National Laboratory

In New Mexico, Mexican spotted owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) are typically found in rocky canyons consisting of mixed-conifer forests that have experienced minimal human disturbance. At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Mexican spotted owls have been found breeding and foraging in habitats consistent with their known biology, but face the impact of human encroachment in the surrounding upland habitat. Little is known about the prey base present within the Laboratory’s vast forests. In anticipation of expanding human development in proximity to known occupied owl habitat, the goal of our study was to evaluate the small mammal prey base available to Mexican spotted owls at the Laboratory and to assess prey availability, diversity and composition. We sampled two study plots within the Laboratory’s forests for small mammals in 2021. Study plots were situated in conifer, deciduous, mixed conifer-deciduous and mixed oak. Our small mammal trapping efforts and SCR modeling revealed site-specific differences in prey base diversity, abundance and density between the unoccupied Pajarito Canyon and nearby occupied Mortandad Canyon site. These results highlight how managing tracts of land for small mammal prey base may overlap with goals set forth by researchers for Mexican spotted owl habitat needs. We recommend further trapping efforts to better understand prey availability in occupied and unoccupied sites at LANL as well as further investigation of prey selection through the dissection of pellets found in the areas surrounding known nesting locations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Annual Status Update for OWL

This report represents completion of milestone deliverable M2SF-22SN010309082 Annual Status Update for OWL, which is due on November 30, 2021 as part of the fiscal year 2022 (FY2022) work package SF-22SN01030908. This report provides an annual update on status of FY2021 activities for the work package “OWL - Inventory – SNL”. The Online Waste Library (OWL) has been designed to contain information regarding United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE)-managed (as) high-level waste (DHLW), DOE-managed spent nuclear fuel (DSNF), and other wastes that are likely candidates for deep geologic disposal. Links to the current supporting documents for the data are provided when possible; however, no classified or official-use-only (OUO) data are planned to be included in OWL. There may be up to several hundred different DOE-managed wastes that are likely to require deep geologic disposal. This report contains new information on sodium-bonded spent fuel waste types and wastes forms, which are included in the next release of OWL, Version 3.0, on the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) External Collaboration Network (ECN). The report also provides an update on the effort to include information regarding the types of vessels capable of disposing of DOE-managed waste.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2026

Burrowing Owl Survey Report for Sandia National Laboratories: 2025

The Burrowing Owl Survey Report for Sandia National Laboratories: 2025 provides data and analysis on occupancy surveys that were conducted during the 2025 survey season. The surveys were conducted in partnership with Kirtland Air Force Base’s Natural Resource Program and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to maintain and expand on the long-term dataset on burrowing owls on base. Ecology Program biologists conducted roadside census surveys at survey areas previously identified by Kirtland Air Force Base along with several additional survey areas deemed suitable for occupancy. Remote sensor camera monitoring was also conducted on three nest burrows. In total, 12 breeding pairs of burrowing owls were confirmed in 2025. Several owls were confirmed to have leg bands, indicating previous captures and recurrence of these specific individuals on base. Occupancy surveys on burrowing owls continue to provide valuable information on ecosystem health and can serve to inform future management direction and decisions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Comparing western (Megascops kennicottii) and whiskered (M. trichopsis) screech-owl microbiomes in southern Arizona using a novel 16S rRNA sequencing method

Microbiomes are essential to a host’s physiology and health. Despite the overall importance of microbiomes to animal health, they remain understudied in wildlife. Microbiomes function as physical barriers to invading pathogens, and changes in the diversity or composition of microbes within a host may disrupt this barrier. In order to use microbiomes in wildlife ecology, knowledge of the natural variation within and among species is essential. We compare the diversity and composition of two avian species that share the same habitat and niche in our study area, the western screech-owl (Megascops kennicottii) and the whiskered screech-owl (M. trichopsis). We used a targeted 16S sequencing method to improve the taxonomic resolution of microbiomes. We found similar measures of alpha diversity between species and sample types (cloacal samples vs. fecal samples). However, there were significant differences in bacterial species richness among nestlings from different nest boxes, and the composition differed between the two bird species and among nestlings from different nest boxes. Western screech-owls had more variation in alpha diversity and composition and had fewer bacterial species in their core microbiome than whiskered screech-owls. Siblings are likely to yield similar findings for microbiomes; thus, sampling nestlings from different nests may be most informative for monitoring population-level changes.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Folsom Mammoth Hunters? The Terminal Pleistocene Assemblage From Owl Cave (10BV30), Wasden Site, Idaho

The 1960s and 1970s excavations at Owl Cave (10BV30) recovered mammoth bone and Folsom-like points from the same strata, suggesting evidence for a post-Clovis mammoth kill. However, a synthesis of the excavation data was never published, and the locality has since been purged from the roster of sites with human/extinct megafauna associations. In this paper, we present dates on bone from the oldest stratum, review provenience data, conduct a bone-surface modification study, and present the results of a protein-residue analysis. Our study fails to make the case for mammoth hunting by Folsom peoples. Although two of the point fragments tested positive for horse or elephant protein, recent AMS dates indicate that all of the mammoth remains predate Folsom, and horse remains are absent from the Owl Cave collection. Further, no unambiguously cultural surface modifications were identified on any of the mammoth remains. Given the available data, the Owl Cave deposits are most parsimoniously read as containing a Folsom-age occupation in a buried context, the first of its kind in the desert West, but one nonetheless part of a palimpsest of terminal Pleistocene materials.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hands-on with OWL: the Oak–Ridge Wang–Landau Monte Carlo software suite

The Oak–Ridge Wang–Landau (OWL) package is an open-source scientific software specialized for large-scale, Monte Carlo simulations for the study of materials properties at finite temperature. In this paper, we discuss the main features and capabilities of OWL, followed by detailed descriptions of building and running the code. The readers will be guided through the usage and functionality of the code with a few hands-on examples. This paper is based on a tutorial on OWL given at the 32nd Center for Simulational Physics Workshop on Recent Developments in Computer Simulation Studies in Condensed Matter Physics.

Li, Ying Wai↗
DOE OSTI2019

Noise Study for the Mexican Spotted Owl Sandia-Mortandad Area of Environmental Interest

One of the primary threats to Mexican Spotted Owls at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is noise disturbance during the nesting season from vehicular traffic, construction activities, and explosives testing. The other primary threat is from habitat loss or alteration. Sigma Mesa is located between Sandia Canyon to the north and Mortandad Canyon to the south, and is within Technical Area 60. Since Sigma Mesa is within an Area of Environmental Interest (AEI) for the Mexican Spotted Owl, any increase in operational activities requires evaluation under the LANL Habitat Management Plan. This study was completed to support a biological assessment to analyze the effects of the installation of a new asphalt batch plant and additional vehicular traffic on Sigma Mesa. We conducted noise monitoring using calibrated noise level meters at various locations around the project site. This included daytime, nighttime, and weekend measurements. The noise cycle levels around Sigma Mesa vary throughout the week and by measurement location. In developed areas, current noise levels were significantly higher during the day due to daytime operations. In undeveloped areas, noise levels were significantly higher at night due to natural noise primarily from insects. Weekend noise was significantly lower in developed areas and was not significantly different in undeveloped areas. Weekday operations are reduced during the weekend resulting in less noise. Since most of the operational noise is attenuated during the week, noise levels in undeveloped areas are not significantly different during the weekend. In comparison to a noise study performed in 2005 in the same general area, current noise levels have increased in developed areas around Sigma Mesa, but have not increased in undeveloped areas that are lower in elevation. This is due to natural noise attenuation over distance and elevation gradients.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Noise Study for the Mexican Spotted Owl Sandia-Mortandad Area of Environmental Interest

One of the primary threats to Mexican Spotted Owls at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is noise disturbance during the nesting season from vehicular traffic, construction activities, and explosives testing. The other primary threat is from habitat loss or alteration. Sigma Mesa is located between Sandia Canyon to the north and Mortandad Canyon to the south, and is within Technical Area 60. Since Sigma Mesa is within an Area of Environmental Interest (AEI) for the Mexican Spotted Owl, any increase in operational activities requires evaluation under the LANL Habitat Management Plan. This study was completed to support a biological assessment to analyze the effects of the installation of a new asphalt batch plant and additional vehicular traffic on Sigma Mesa. We conducted noise monitoring using calibrated noise level meters at various locations around the project site. This included daytime, nighttime, and weekend measurements. The noise cycle levels around Sigma Mesa vary throughout the week and by measurement location. In developed areas, current noise levels were significantly higher during the day due to daytime operations. In undeveloped areas, noise levels were significantly higher at night due to natural noise primarily from insects. Weekend noise was significantly lower in developed areas and was not significantly different in undeveloped areas. Weekday operations are reduced during the weekend resulting in less noise. Since most of the operational noise is attenuated during the week, noise levels in undeveloped areas are not significantly different during the weekend. In comparison to a noise study performed in 2005 in the same general area, current noise levels have increased in developed areas around Sigma Mesa, but have not increased in undeveloped areas that are lower in elevation. This is due to natural noise attenuation over distance and elevation gradients.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Update to Waste Form Performance Constraints and OWL Status and Inventory Content. Draft

This report provides (1) an updated set of inputs (Sections 1 through 4) on various additional waste forms (WF) for the generic Defense Waste Repository (DWR) inventory represented in the generic disposal system analyses (GDSA); (2) summaries of evaluations initiated to refine particular characteristics of particular WF for future use (Section 5); and (3) status updates (Section 6) for the Online Waste Library (OWL) inventory content, data entry checking process, and external OWL BETA testing initiated in fiscal year 2017. As such, this report represents completion of both deliverables M3SF-17SNO10501022 (SFWD-SFWST-2017-000047 — this actual report) and M4SF-17SN010501012 (SFWD-SFWST-2017- 000112 — to be completed by reference to the first milestone report in the PICSNE system).

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Annual Status Update for OWL

This report represents completion of milestone deliverable M2SF-24SN010309082 Annual Status Update for OWL due on November 30, 2023. It contains the status of fiscal year 2023 (FY2023) updates for the Online Waste Library (OWL).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Annual status update for OWL

This report represents completion of milestone deliverable M2SF-23SN010309082 Annual Status Update for OWL due on November 30, 2022. It provides the status of fiscal year 2022 (FY2022) updates for the Online Waste Library (OWL).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Burrowing Owl Survey Report for Sandia National Laboratories: 2024

The Burrowing Owl Survey Report for Sandia National Laboratories: 2024 provides data and analysis on occupancy surveys that were conducted during the 2024 survey season. The surveys were conducted in partnership with Kirtland Air Force Base’s Natural Resource Program to maintain and expand on the long-term dataset on burrowing owls on base.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗