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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Final Scientific Findings Report- Hydro Research Foundation- Research Awards Program

The Research Awards Program was established in 2014 by the Hydro Research Foundation (Foundation) to support research efforts for the hydropower industry. Using the previously funded Fellowship Program that ran from 2010-2015, the Research Awards Program (RAP or program) captured the lessons learned from the Fellowship program and fine-tuned a nation-wide graduate level research program to support innovation, research and workforce development. The RAP was funded through a $2 million-dollar grant through the Department of Energy’s Water Power Program within the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy office (DOE). This award made possible, 33 research projects by 32 students from 21 universities in 11 states. The grant widely engaged the industry by providing the opportunity to work with 25 organizations as well as 63 students and advisors. The funded research focused on a topic list selected by industry and worked to cover a breadth of research needs across many disciplines, basins and types of hydropower issues. The funded work, answered pressing research needs in the fields of the following disciplines; civil engineering, mechanical engineering, environmental engineering, electrical engineering, geography, fisheries, wildlife, water resources, geology, energy science and materials innovation. The Foundation estimates that 116 individuals benefited from this research through either direct mentorship (42), research (32), overseeing the research (31), partnerships (7) and the day-to-day management of the program (4). This investment by DOE showcases how private-public partnerships can leverage limited funds to create a wide range of research products. The project objective was to build on the successful Fellowship Program to develop and execute the RAP on a national level. The program sought to provide competitively awarded hydropower-related graduate-level research awards. The intent of the RAP was to support beneficial, innovative research related to conventional or pumped-storage hydropower. It also sought to stimulate interest among students and universities in this research arena and provide students with a foundation for productive careers within the hydropower industry. The outcome was 33 research findings with 100% of proposed research completed. In addition, 87% of students chose to either join the hydropower industry or continue their hydropower related research at their universities. These research findings advanced the understanding of pressing research topics within the hydropower industry and met the objective of the funding. An ancillary benefit the program identified through this funding was, not only did 63 students and advisors work on hydropower within the academia space, but now there are more professors and students teaching hydropower at the university level. The program saw an addition of 12 new professors, teaching assistants, and graduate researchers continuing to simulate interest in hydropower. Another interesting outcome is that during this grant funding, the program saw alumni of the predecessor program, who are now professors, applying for the RAP with their students. A unique element of this funding is there was significant cost-share provided by host universities, who did not charge facilities and administration overhead to the student’s research awards. In addition, each university provided laboratories, computing capacity and research facilities to support the research which is extraordinarily unique to grant funding at the university level. The total cost share exceeded 30% of the total grant cost. The funding clearly reached many sectors of the industry to provide helpful work and continue building hydropower’s next generation of innovation and workforce. The Foundation has established a broad network of universities interested and engaged in hydropower. The work was supported by the hydropower industry through donations of meeting space, conference registrations, in-kind contributions, mentorship and support of students. The Foundation would recommend finding a vehicle to further advance programs like the graduate level research through competitions, competitively funded awards and student research. It will take many universities to advance hydropower’s most pressing challenges. To let a program like the RAP dwindle away would incapacitate research at universities.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Potential Impacts of Accelerated Climate Change (Annual Report of Work)

This research project is part of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) Probabilistic Flood Hazard Assessment (PFHA) research plan in support of developing a risk-informed licensing framework for flood hazards and design standards at proposed new facilities and significance determination tools for evaluating potential deficiencies related to flood protection at operating facilities. The PFHA plan aims to build upon recent advances in deterministic, probabilistic, and statistical modeling of extreme precipitation events to develop regulatory tools and guidance for NRC staff with regard to PFHA for nuclear facilities. The tools and guidance developed under the PFHA plan will support and enhance the NRC’s capacity to perform thorough and efficient reviews of license applications and license amendment requests. They will also support risk-informed significance determination of inspection findings, unusual events, and other oversight activities. For Year 1, specifically, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) staff: Prepared an annual report that summarizes recent scientific findings, reports on activities of federal agencies with direct responsibility for climate change science, and provide a qualitative assessment of these findings relevant to NRC concerns on a regional level (i.e., increasing air and water temperatures, decreasing water availability, increasing frequency and intensity of storms and flooding, and sea level rise). Participated in annual webinars with NRC staff at NRC Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. Presented updates summarizing recent scientific findings at the NRC PFHA Workshop Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. PNNL staff have identified neither technical nor programmatic issues in proceeding with Year 2 activities. PNNL staff updated this report in March and April 2019.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Potential Impacts of Accelerated Climate Change: Third Annual Report of Work

This study is part of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) Probabilistic Flood Hazard Assessment (PFHA) research program that aims to develop regulatory tools and guidance to support and enhance the NRC’s capacity to perform thorough and efficient risk-informed reviews of license applications and license amendment requests. The NRC asked Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to prepare a summary of current climate research and results regarding hydrometeorological phenomena that are of interest in safety assessments and environmental impact assessments for commercial nuclear power plants. In Year 1, PNNL staff prepared an annual report that summarized recent scientific findings about global and regional climate change, with a particular focus on climatic elements that are relevant to NRC concerns on a national level (i.e., increasing air and water temperatures, decreasing water availability, increasing frequency and intensity of storms and flooding, and sea-level rise). In Year 2 activities, PNNL staff summarized recent research findings about climate change for the Southeast Region of the United States (i.e., historical and projected changes in air temperature, precipitation, hurricanes, sea-level rise, storm surge, tornadoes, flooding, and low flows). This current report summarizes Year 3 activities, which focused on reviewing region-specific scientific findings about climate change for the Midwest Region. Consistent with the U.S. Global Change Research Program Third National Climate Assessment (NCA3) and the Climate Science Special Report for the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4, Volume I), this report defines the Midwest Region to comprise eight states—Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Except for Indiana, the states in the Midwest Region have operating nuclear power plants. Further, new nuclear power reactor permit and license applications have been submitted to the NRC in the recent past for sites located in two midwestern states. Therefore, having an improved understanding of potential climate changes and their hydrologic impacts in the Midwest Region is important to informing the PFHA research program.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Potential Impacts of Accelerated Climate Change (Second Annual Report of Work)

This study is part of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) Probabilistic Flood Hazard Assessment (PFHA) research plan that aims to develop regulatory tools and guidance to support and enhance the NRC’s capacity to perform thorough and efficient reviews of license applications and license amendment requests. In Year 1, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory staff prepared an annual report that summarized recent scientific findings on climate change, with a particular focus on climatic elements that are relevant to NRC concerns on a regional level (i.e., increasing air and water temperatures, decreasing water availability, increasing frequency and intensity of storms and flooding, and sea-level rise). This report summarizes Year 2 activities, which focused on reviewing scientific findings regarding region-specific climatic extremes for the southeastern United States. According to the U.S. Global Change Research Program Third National Climate Assessment, the U.S. Southeast Region consists of 11 southeastern states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Except for Kentucky, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, all included states have operating nuclear power plants. Further, new nuclear power reactor permit and license applications have been submitted to the NRC in the recent past for sites located in several southeastern states. Therefore, having an improved understanding of potential climate changes and their hydrologic impacts in the Southeast Region is important to inform the PFHA research plan. Climatic features relevant to the NRC for the Southeast Region include high temperature extremes, precipitation extremes, flooding, high winds associated with tropical cyclones and tornadoes, sea-level rise, and storm surge and associated inland inundation. Drawing primarily from the climate assessment reports and peer-reviewed literature, this Year 2 annual report summarizes the observed climate, its past changes, and its projected changes, as well as 21st century hydrologic impacts in the Southeast Region. Despite the relatively mild changes observed in the past and projected in the future for the mean climate of the Southeast Region, many aspects of climatic extremes such as extreme precipitation have exhibited changes in the last century. In addition, climate and hydrologic models project further changes in the future. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory staff presented updates summarizing these findings at the Second Annual PFHA Research Workshop, which took place from January 23 to 25, 2017, at NRC Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Regional Shelter Analysis – External Gamma Radiation Exposure Methodology

During normal operations, buildings can protect their occupants from outdoor hazards, including nuclear fallout and other external gamma radiation hazards. Purposeful sheltering can increase this protection. The physics of building protection against external gamma radiation is relatively well understood and we can characterize the protection afforded by individual buildings. However, an operationally efficient, regional-scale methodology to account for building protection effects has not previously been available. Such a method is necessary because (a) the overwhelming majority of the US population is indoors at any given time and (b) a regional-level building protection methodology could better estimate populations truly at risk in emergencies, support improved decision-making (shelter vs. evacuation decisions), and help guide resources towards those most at risk. The Regional Shelter Analysis (RSA) methodology provides a comprehensive, yet operationally efficient method for population-based risk analyses. Specifically, it accounts for (a) building protection distributions (within and among different buildings) and (b) population postures (how people are distributed within and outside of buildings). The RSA method could support a common operating picture by providing user specific results that have the resolution appropriate for individual user’s needs while still being consistent with the information being provided to the other users. The method employs existing building and population databases and is compatible with most modern exposure and injury assessment tools. This report presents the RSA methodology and discusses general operational considerations, with a focus on external gamma radiation exposures. To place this work in the context of prior efforts and current initiatives, a focused literature review is provided that identifies the relevant literature, scientific findings, and datasets from a variety of scientific fields. Other reports in this series will discuss (a) the inhalation exposure pathway and (b) specific RSA implementations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Reporting of Uncertainty at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology

Purpose: The annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is designed to disseminate new scientific findings and technical advances to professionals. Best practices of scientific dissemination require that some level of uncertainty (or imprecision) is provided. Methods and Materials: A total of 279 scientific abstracts were selected for oral presentation in a clinical session at the 2013 ASTRO Annual Meeting. A random sample of these abstracts was reviewed to determine whether a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) or analogous measure of precision was provided for time-to-event analyses. Results: A sample of 140 abstracts was reviewed. Of the 65 abstracts with Kaplan-Meier or cumulative incidence analyses, 6 included some measure of precision (6 of 65 = 9%; 95% CI, 2-16). Of the 43 abstracts reporting ratios for time-to-event analyses (eg, hazard ratio, risk ratio), 22 included some measure of precision (22 of 43 = 51%; 95% CI, 36-66). Conclusions: Measures of precision are not provided in a significant percentage of abstracts selected for oral presentation at the Annual Meeting of ASTRO.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Bridging the Gap between Scientific Data Producers and Consumers: A Provenance Approach

Despite the methodical and painstaking efforts made by scientists to record their scientific findings and protocols, a knowledge gap problem continues to persist today between producers of scientific results and consumers because technology is performing the exchange of data as opposed to scientists making direct contact. Provenance is a means to formalize how this knowledge is transferred. However, for it to be meaningful to scientists, the provenance research community needs continued contributions from the scientific community to extend and leverage provenance-based vocabularies and technology from the provenance community. Going forward the provenance community must also be vigilant to meet scalability needs of data intensive science

Stephan, Eric G.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Grimsel Test Site - A Successful International Underground Research Laboratory for Many Decades - 20429

For more than 35 years, Nagra and its partners from around the world have been conducting underground research projects at the Grimsel Test Site (GTS, www.grimsel.com) to contribute to the development and confirmation of safe geological disposal concepts and for the characterization of suitable host rock formations. Over the years, the results of this internationally recognized research program have been, and continue to be, incorporated directly into exploration programs, modelling, safety, and engineering feasibility studies on options for deep geological repositories. Each project of the GTS program involves field-testing, laboratory studies, design and modelling tasks, and integrates all scientific and technical aspects. Each project phase is planned with a duration of three to five years to facilitate practical and administrative aspects and allow flexibility for updating the overall project plans with the latest findings. Scientific and engineering interaction among the different projects is ensured via an international steering committee meeting. Hosting an IAEA level C radiation- controlled zone, which allows use of radionuclides, including actinides such as thorium, uranium, neptunium, plutonium and americium, in in-situ experiments is one of the reasons why GTS also developed as a center of excellence for work with radioactive tracers under realistic in-situ boundary conditions. Last year, a new five-year program (2019 to 2023) started which includes projects with a planning horizon of decades. The new five-year program includes a new phase of in-situ experiments using radionuclides such as migration experiments in the Colloid Formation and Migration project (CFM), the Long-Term Diffusion experiment (LTD) and the newly established C-14 and I-129 Migration in cement project (CIM). The 'High Temperature effects on Bentonite' (HotBENT) project is starting in the current phase and is studying the effects of elevated temperatures (>175 deg. C) on bentonite materials. As a generic underground research laboratory (URL) it is expected that the GTS will provide in the coming years a platform for international collaboration, knowledge development and knowledge transfer for the next generation of scientists and engineers in the area of radioactive waste disposal and geosciences. A key role regarding knowledge transfer and training is provided by the well-established Grimsel Training Center (GTC), which (beside many URL related issues) also covers many general aspects of radioactive waste management. In this paper we provide an overview of the current program at the GTS, focusing on the experiments that study the migration of radionuclides through engineered barrier materials and the geosphere. (authors)

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

Market expectations of a warming climate

In this paper, we compare prices of financial derivatives whose payouts are based on future weather outcomes to CMIP5 climate model predictions as well as observed weather station data across eight cities in the US from 2001 through 2020. Derivative prices respond both to short-term weather forecasts for the next two weeks and longer-term warming trends. We show that the long-term trends in derivative prices are comparable to station-level data and climate model output. The one exception is February in the northeastern US, where financial markets price in a polar vortex-induced cooling effect, a recent scientific finding that was not present in the older CMIP5 climate output. When looking at the spatial and temporal heterogeneity in trends, futures prices are more aligned with climate model output than observed weather station trends, suggesting that market participants closely align their expectations with scientific projections rather than recent observations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Summer Workshops on Climate Change Impacts and Integrated Assessment of Climate Change (Final Technical Report)

This grant supported a long sequence of summer workshops in Snowmass, Colorado that began in 1996. The last workshop in this sequence was held in the summer of 2016. This annual event was a centerpiece in the Department of Energy’s support for the creation and maintenance of a community of practice in integrated multi-sector dynamics research and modeling. These workshops brought together key members of the multi-sector dynamics modeling community with other researchers engaged in relevant research on multi-sector (energy, water, land, etc., dynamics) research to participate in discussions of cutting-edge research topics and develop collaborative approaches for addressing open research challenges. This grant provided funds to leverage BER and other federal research investments in the development of appropriate multi-sector dynamics modeling methods by expanding interactions and promoting collaborations between the community of researchers engaged in this research and those involved in other energy and environmental systems research programs. This process is augmented through various outreach activities including periodic presentations and web-based and other internet-based methods for disseminating key scientific findings and to otherwise engage broader participation in pre- and post-workshop discussions and information exchange. The main goals of the summer workshop series were to: Build and support an integrated multi-sector dynamics (iMSD)research community of practice; Infuse best-in-class science into iMSD research activities; Exchange international iMSD research perspectives and information; Accelerate research integration among the iMSD, the sectoral impacts, and earth and environmental systems modeling communities; Develop collaborative scientific perspectives on significant iMSD research challenges; Build collaborations in addressing the challenges; and Develop processes to share information more broadly within the iMSD and the associated family of research communities. The funding provided for this workshop series has helped the energy and environmental systems modeling research community in general - and the multi-sector dynamics research community in particular - make progress on addressing these and other significant research and community building challenges.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Institute for Ultralscale Visualization (Final Report)

The SciDAC Institute for Ultrascale Visualization brought together leading experts from visualization, high-performance computing, and science application areas to make advanced visualization solutions for SciDAC scientists and the broader community. Over the five-year project, the Institute introduced many new enabling visualization techniques, which have significantly enhanced scientists’ ability to validate their simulations, interpret their data, and communicate with others about their work and findings. This Institute project involved a large number of junior and student researchers, who received the opportunities to work on some of the most challenging science applications and gain access to the most powerful high-performance computing facilities in the world. They were readily trained and prepared for facing the greater challenges presented by extreme-scale computing. The Institute’s outreach efforts, through publications, workshops and tutorials, successfully disseminated the new knowledge and technologies to the SciDAC and the broader scientific communities. The scientific findings and experience of the Institute team helped plan the SciDAC3 program.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2014

The Radiative Role of Free Tropospheric Aerosols and Marine Clouds over the Central North Atlantic

The scientific scope of the project was to exploit the unique location of the Pico Mountain Observatory (PMO) located in the summit caldera of the Pico Volcano in Pico Island in the Azores, for atmospheric studies. The observatory, located at 2225m a.s.l., typically samples free tropospheric aerosols laying above the marine low-level clouds and long-range transported from North America. The broad purpose of this research was to provide the scientific community with a better understanding of fundamental physical processes governing the effects of aerosols on radiative forcing and climate; with the ultimate goal of improving our abilities to understand past climate and to predict future changes through numerical models. The project was 'exploratory' in nature, with the plan to demonstrate the feasibility of deploying for the first time, an extensive aerosol research package at PMO. One of the primary activities was to test the deployment of these instruments at the site, to collect data during the 2012 summer season, and to further develop the infrastructure and the knowledge for performing novel research at PMO in follow-up longer-term aerosol-cloud studies. In the future, PMO could provide an elevated research outpost to support the renewed DOE effort in the Azores that was intensified in 2013 with the opening of the new sea-level ARM-DOE Eastern North Atlantic permanent facility at Graciosa Island. During the project period, extensive new data sets were collected for the planned 2012 season. Thanks to other synergistic activities and opportunities, data collection was then successfully extended to 2013 and 2014. Highlights of the scientific findings during this project include: a) biomass burning contribute significantly to the aerosol loading in the North Atlantic free troposphere; however, long-range transported black carbon concentrations decreased substantially in the last decade. b) Single black carbon particles – analyzed off-line at the electron microscope – were often very compacted, suggesting cloud processing and exhibiting different optical properties from fresh emissions. In addition, black carbon was found to be sometimes mixed with mineral dust, affecting its optical properties and potential forcing. c) Some aerosols collected at PMO acted as ice nuclei, potentially contributing to cirrus cloud formation during their transport in the upper free troposphere. Identified good ice nuclei were often mineral dust particles. d) The free tropospheric aerosols studied at PMO have relevance to low level marine clouds due, for example, to synoptic subsidence entraining free tropospheric aerosols into the marine boundary layer. This has potentially large consequences on cloud condensation nuclei concentrations and compositions in the marine boundary layer; therefore, having an effect on the marine stratus clouds, with potentially important repercussions on the radiative forcing. The scientific products of this project currently include contributions to two papers published in the Nature Publishing group (Nature Communications and Scientific Reports), one paper under revision for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, one in review in Geophysical Research Letters and one recently submitted to Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussion. In addition, four manuscripts are in advanced state of preparation. Finally, twenty-eight presentations were given at international conferences, workshops and seminars.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Selection of abstracts from the scientific sessions of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Philadelphia PA June 23–26, 2018

This mini-review highlights cardiovascular studies that were presented during the 2018 Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) annual meeting in Philadelphia. The aim of this review is to inform readers about several noteworthy studies reported at the meeting. Although cardiovascular application of PET and SPECT are not the primary focus of the SNMMI, several scientific teams working in this field presented their latest scientific findings at this meeting. The review therefore aims to inform the readers who did not attend the SNMMI annual meeting about some interesting new concepts presented this year at the conference.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Knowledge brokering on emissions modelling in Strategic Environmental Assessment of Estonian energy policy with special reference to the LEAP model

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) serves as a platform for bringing together researchers, policy developers and other stakeholders to evaluate and communicate significant environmental and socio-economic effects of policies, plans and programmes. Quantitative computer models can facilitate knowledge exchange between various parties that strive to use scientific findings to guide policy-making decisions. The process of facilitating knowledge generation and exchange, i.e. knowledge brokerage, has been increasingly explored, but there is not much evidence in the literature on how knowledge brokerage activities are used in full cycles of SEAs which employ quantitative models. We report on the SEA process of the national energy plan with reflections on where and how the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) model was used for knowledge brokerage on emissions modelling between researchers and policy developers. Our main suggestion is that applying a quantitative model not only in ex ante, but also ex post scenario modelling and associated impact assessment can facilitate systematic and inspiring knowledge exchange process on a policy problem and capacity building of participating actors. - Highlights: • We examine the knowledge brokering on emissions modelling between researchers and policy developers in a full cycle of SEA. • Knowledge exchange process can evolve at any modelling stage within SEA. • Ex post scenario modelling enables systematic knowledge exchange and learning on a policy problem.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Simulating the density of organic species in the atmosphere of Titan with a coupled ion-neutral photochemical model

We introduce a one-dimensional coupled ion-neutral photochemical kinetics and diffusion model to study the atmospheric composition of Titan in light of new theoretical kinetics calculations and scientific findings from the Cassini–Huygens mission. The model extends from the surface to the exobase. The atmospheric background, boundary conditions, vertical transport and aerosol opacity are all constrained by the Cassini–Huygens observations. The chemical network includes reactions between hydrocarbons, nitrogen and oxygen bearing species. It takes into account neutrals and both positive and negative ions with masses extending up to 116 and 74 u, respectively. We incorporate high-resolution isotopic photoabsorption and photodissociation cross sections for N 2 as well as new photodissociation branching ratios for CH 4 and C 2 H 2 . Ab initio transition state theory calculations are performed in order to estimate the rate coefficients and products for critical reactions. Critical reactions of production and loss for neutrals and ions are quantitatively assessed and thoroughly discussed. The vertical distributions of neutrals and ions predicted by the model generally reproduce observational data, suggesting that for the small species most chemical processes in Titan’s atmosphere and ionosphere are adequately described and understood; some differences are highlighted. Notable remaining issues include (i) the total positive ion density (essentially HCNH + ) in the upper ionosphere, (ii) the low mass negative ion densities (CN - , C 3 N - /C4H - ) in the upper atmosphere, and (iii) the minor oxygen-bearing species (CO 2 , H 2 O) density in the stratosphere. Pathways towards complex molecules and the impact of aerosols (UV shielding, atomic and molecular hydrogen budget, nitriles heterogeneous chemistry and condensation) are evaluated in the model, along with lifetimes and solar cycle variations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

A novel protocol to recycle zirconium from zirconium alloy cladding from used nuclear fuel rods

A potential new zirconium recycling protocol has been demonstrated using unirradiated Zircaloy-based claddings and depleted uranium oxide for the chemical removal of zirconium alloy cladding in used nuclear fuel (UNF) rods from light water reactors. This protocol is based on the application of three new scientific findings. First, a new lower temperature chlorination reaction of zirconium with sulfur monochloride is described. Second, the high solubility of zirconium chloride in thionyl chloride is used to separate it from uranium oxide fuel and fission and activation contaminants. Finally, in the third step, the zirconium chloride is purified by simple recrystallization from thionyl chloride. Utilizing sulfur chloride solvents for a lower temperature liquid-based chemical digestion and purification of zirconium alloy claddings reduces technical complications experienced by current high temperature gas phase chlorination strategies, such as contamination of product streams. This novel protocol has been demonstrated on a 3–50 g scale of unirradiated zirconium alloy, with no significant change in the time required for complete chlorination (3–4 h). This zirconium chlorination protocol has also been performed in the presence of depleted uranium oxide pellets. The depleted fuel pellets do not affect zirconium chlorination, and the chlorination protocol does not chemically or physically alter the fuel pellets. Finally, a preliminary description of an industrial protocol to recycle nuclear grade zirconium from UNF rods is presented.

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

Microbial Taxonomy Run Amok

DNA sequencing has led to an explosion in discovery of microbial phylogenetic novelty, especially that represented by uncultivated taxa, to which the traditional system of prokaryotic taxonomy has not adapted. A lack of expansion of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP, 'the Code') to effectively capture this information has created a 'wild west' situation where names are published or appear in popular reference databases without further verification or validation. The rapid propagation of variant and questionable naming methods has led to widespread confusion and undermines prior accomplishments. Furthermore, we exemplify inconsistencies that have arisen from this practice and endanger the interoperability of scientific findings. The immediate solution to this problem is to develop and adopt universal best practices that are accepted by expert researchers, major publishers, the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP), and international microbiological societies.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Occupational hygiene in terms of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and bioaerosols at two solid waste management plants in Finland

Highlights: ► Odorous VOCs: acetic acid, 2,3-butanedione, ethyl acetate, alpha-pinene and limonene. ► VOC concentrations did not exceed occupational exposure limit concentrations. ► 2,3-Butanedione as the health effecting compound is discussed. ► Endotoxin concentrations may cause health problems in waste treatment. - Abstract: Factors affecting occupational hygiene were measured at the solid waste transferring plant at Hyvinkää and at the optic separation plant in Hämeenlinna. Measurements consisted of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and bioaerosols including microbes, dust and endotoxins. The most abundant compounds in both of the plants were aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, esters of carboxylic acids, ketones and terpenes. In terms of odour generation, the most important emissions were acetic acid, 2,3-butanedione, ethyl acetate, alpha-pinene and limonene due to their low threshold odour concentrations. At the optic waste separation plant, limonene occurred at the highest concentration of all single compounds of identified VOCs. The concentration of any single volatile organic compound did not exceed the occupational exposure limit (OEL) concentration. However, 2,3-butanedione as a health risk compound is discussed based on recent scientific findings linking it to lung disease. Microbe and dust concentrations were low at the waste transferring plant. Only endotoxin concentrations may cause health problems; the average concentration inside the plant was 425 EU/m{sup 3} which clearly exceeded the threshold value of 90 EU/m{sup 3}. In the wheel loader cabin the endotoxin concentrations were below 1 EU/m{sup 3}. High microbial and endotoxin concentrations were measured in the processing hall at the optic waste separation plant. The average concentration of endotoxins was found to be 10,980 EU/m{sup 3}, a concentration which may cause health risks. Concentrations of viable fungi were quite high in few measurements in the control room. The most problematic factor was endotoxins whose average measured concentrations was 4853 EU/m{sup 3}.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗