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DOE OSTI2020

Machining Graphite Specimens from Sub- Blocks for Baseline Characterization

The Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Baseline Graphite Characterization program at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is performing a comprehensive evaluation of inter-billet variations in as-produced nuclear-grade graphite. To accomplish this, over 500 mechanical test specimens are machined from a single billet. A typical graphite billet is approximately 6 feet long by 2 feet in diameter or 2 ft square and weighs approximately 1500 pounds. Initially the full-size billets are pre-sectioned into sub-blocks that can be easily handled and shipped. In this SOW, 44 pre-labeled sub-blocks will be machined into mechanical test specimens by the supplier. These sub-blocks are supplied and shipped by the purchaser to the supplier.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Baseline Graphite Characterization

Baseline Graphite Characterization: Purpose of Baseline, Mechanical Baseline Tests, Physical Properties Tests, Methodology, Baseline progress, Density, Ultimate Tensile Strength, PCEA Ultimate Tensile Strength, Split Disc Tests, Compression Tests, Flexural Tests, and Coefficient of Thermal Expansion.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Baseline Characterization Database Verification Report ? NBG-17 Billet V104

The purpose of this report is to present data collected in the Baseline Graphite Characterization Program, which is directly tasked with supporting the Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL’s) research and development efforts on the Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Program. This program populates a comprehensive database that reflects the baseline properties of nuclear-grade graphite regarding individual grade, billet, and position within individual billets. The physical- and mechanical-property information being collected will be transferred to the Nuclear Data Management and Analysis System (NDMAS), and that database will help populate the handbook of property data available to member nations of the Generation-IV International Forum. Transfer of these data from the applicable technical lead to the dissemination databases available to other end users requires a full review of the test procedures and data-collection efforts through an analysis of the multiple summary spreadsheets and values being collected. This report represents the analysis for NBG-17 Billet V104 and facilitates release of associated data to the NDMAS custodians. Millions of raw data points have been collected during testing and quantification analyses for these billets. The summary scalar property values and supplementary traceability data are collected into comprehensive spreadsheets. Data sets are composed of single billets of graphite for any given grade, organized by mechanical test-specimen type, and further subdivided into individual spreadsheet tabs according to the specific test or evaluation being performed. A direct analysis of properties was not conducted, and this report does not provide information on the validity or performance characteristics of the graphite itself. Rather, this report is intended as a verification of the completeness of actual data collected in accordance with PLN-3467, “Baseline Graphite Characterization Plan: Electromechanical Testing,” [1] and PLN-3348 “Graphite Mechanical Testing” [2] and their representation of the measurement and test results with sole regard to the graphite billets under evaluation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2026

ROADRUNNER uranium nitride MiniFuel: Experimental design, fabrication and pre-irradiation baseline characterization for accelerated burnup testing

Uranium nitride (UN) is a promising fuel candidate for advanced reactor systems owing to its high uranium density and thermal conductivity; however, its qualification remains constrained by the scarcity of well-controlled irradiation performance data. Here, to address this limitation, the ROADRUNNER (Research On ADvancing the peRformance of UraNium Nitrides in Extreme enviRonments) campaign employs the MiniFuel platform in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to enable accelerated burnup irradiation testing under tightly controlled and largely isothermal conditions. This paper presents the experimental design, fuel fabrication, and pre-irradiation baseline characterization of the ROADRUNNER UN MiniFuel campaign. Thirty-six UN minidisc specimens were fabricated with systematically varied as-fabricated density (86–96% of theoretical density), carbon impurity content (961–5240 ppm), oxygen content (≤ ∼2000 ppm), and grain size (2.5–24 μm). The irradiation matrix spans nominal fuel temperatures of 873 K, 1173 K, and 1473 K and target burnups of 3.75%, 6.0%, and 7.5% fissions per initial metal atom (FIMA). Neutronic and thermal analyses were performed to define specimen-specific burnup accumulation and temperature histories, establishing the boundary conditions for subsequent in-pile behavior. Comprehensive pre-irradiation characterization—including dimensional metrology, density verification, impurity analysis, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray computed tomography, and confocal profilometry—provides a detailed baseline for post-irradiation examination. Pre-irradiation data were further used to generate predictive estimates of fission gas release and swelling using existing empirical correlations. This quantitative comparison reveals substantial inter-model divergence at intermediate and elevated temperatures that exceeds propagated input uncertainties, highlighting structural gaps in the historical irradiation database. The ROADRUNNER irradiation campaign is currently underway in HFIR, with initial firs cycle completed in late 2025 and remaining targets scheduled through 2027. The experimental design and baseline dataset presented here establish the framework needed to interpret forthcoming post-irradiation measurements and to provide discriminating data for the validation and refinement of physics-based UN fuel performance models.

Lopes, Denise Adorno [Oak Ridge National Laborator↗

DOE OSTI2026

ECAR: Baseline Characterization Database Verification Report – PCEA Billet 01D3-35

The purpose of this engineering calculations and analysis report (ECAR) is to present data collected in the Baseline Graphite Characterization Program, which is directly tasked with supporting the Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL’s) research and development efforts on the Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Program. This program populates a comprehensive database that reflects the baseline properties of nuclear-grade graphite with regard to individual grade, billet, and position within individual billets. The physical- and mechanical-property information collected will be transferred to the Nuclear Data Management and Analysis System (NDMAS), and that database will help populate the handbook of property data available to member nations of the Generation-IV International Forum. Transfer of these data from the applicable technical lead to the dissemination databases available to other end users requires a full review of the test procedures and data-collection efforts through an analysis of the multiple summary spreadsheets and values being collected. This report represents the analysis for PCEA Billet 01D3-35 and facilitates release of associated data to the NDMAS custodians.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Baseline Characterization Database Verification Report – 2114 Billet A20568

This ECAR provides the results of a validity evaluation of the physical and mechanical property data collected on a billet of nuclear-grade graphite (i.e., 2114 Billet A20568) in support of the ART Baseline Graphite Characterization Program.1,2 Millions of raw data points have been collected during testing and quantification analyses for these billets. The summary scalar property values and supplementary traceability data are collected into comprehensive spreadsheets. Data sets are composed of single billets of graphite for any given grade, organized by mechanical test-specimen type, and further subdivided into individual spreadsheet tabs according to the specific test or evaluation being performed. A direct analysis of properties was not conducted, and this report does not provide information on the validity or performance characteristics of the graphite itself. Rather, this report is intended as a verification of the completeness of actual data collected in accordance with PLN-3467, “Baseline Graphite Characterization Plan: Electromechanical Testing,”3 and their representation of the measurement and test results with sole regard to the graphite billets under evaluation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Baseline Characterization Database Verification Report - PCEA Billet 02S8-5

The purpose of this engineering calculations and analysis report (ECAR) is to present data collected in the Baseline Graphite Characterization Program, which is directly tasked with supporting the Idaho National Laboratory's (INL's) research and development efforts on the Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Program. This program populates a comprehensive database that reflects the baseline properties of nuclear-grade graphite regarding individual grade, billet, and position within individual billets. The physical- and mechanical-property information being collected will be transferred to the Nuclear Data Management and Analysis System (NDMAS), and that database will help populate the handbook of property data available to member nations of the Generation-IV International Forum. Transfer of these data from the applicable technical lead to the dissemination databases available to other end users requires a full review of the test procedures and data-collection efforts through an analysis of the multiple summary spreadsheets and values being collected. This report represents the analysis for PCEA Billet 02S8-5 and facilitates release of associated data to the NDMAS custodians.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Baseline Characterization Database Verification Report - PCEA Billet 01S8-9

The purpose of this engineering calculations and analysis report (ECAR) is to present data collected in the Baseline Graphite Characterization Program, which is directly tasked with supporting the Idaho National Laboratory's (INL's) research and development efforts on the Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Program. This program populates a comprehensive database that reflects the baseline properties of nuclear-grade graphite with regard to individual grade, billet, and position within individual billets. The physical- and mechanical-property information being collected will be transferred to the Nuclear Data Management and Analysis System (NDMAS), and that database will help populate the handbook of property data available to member nations of the Generation-IV International Forum. Transfer of these data from the applicable technical lead to the dissemination databases available to other end users requires a full review of the test procedures and data-collection efforts through an analysis of the multiple summary spreadsheets and values being collected. This report represents the analysis for PCEA Billet 01S8-9 and facilitates release of associated data to the NDMAS custodians.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Baseline Characterization Database Verification Report - NBG-18 Billet 635-14

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2021

ECAR-1930 BASELINE CHARACTERIZATION DATABASE VERIFICATION REPORT - NBG-18 BILLET 635-14

The purpose of this Engineering Calculations and Analysis Report is to present the data being collected in the Baseline Graphite Characterization program, which is directly tasked with supporting the Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL’s) research and development efforts on the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP)/Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR). This program is populating a comprehensive database that will reflect the baseline properties of nuclear-grade graphite with regard to individual grade, billet, and position within individual billets. The physical and mechanical property information being collected will be transferred to the NGNP Data Management and Analysis System (NDMAS), and from that database will help populate handbook of property data available to member nations of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). The transfer of this data from the applicable technical lead to the dissemination databases available to other end users requires a full review of the test procedures and data collection efforts through an analysis of the multiple summary spreadsheets and values being collected. This report represents that analysis for a single billet of nuclear grade graphite (NBG-18 billet 635-14) and facilitates the release of the associated data to the NDMAS custodians.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2023

EXCHANGE Campaign 1: A Community-Driven Baseline Characterization of Soils, Sediments, and Water Across Coastal Gradients

The EXploration of Coastal Hydrobiogeochemistry Across a Network of Gradients and Experiments (EXCHANGE) program is a consortium of scientists working together to improve our understanding of how the two-way exchange of water between estuaries or large lake lacustuaries and the terrestrial landscape influence the state and function of ecosystems across the coastal interface. EXCHANGE Campaign 1 (EC1) focuses on the spatial variation in biogeochemical structure and function at the coastal terrestrial-aquatic interface (TAI). In the Fall of 2021, the EXCHANGE Consortium gathered samples from 52 TAIs. Samples collected from EC1 were analyzed for bulk geochemical parameters, bulk physicochemical parameters, organic matter characteristics, and redox-sensitive elements.Please download ec1_README.pdf for a complete list of available data in each .zip folder, package version history, and detailed information about the project. This README will serve as the central place for EC1 Data Package updates. Experimental setup and v1 methods are documented in Myers-Pigg and Pennington et al., 2023 (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02548-7).EC1 Data Package Structure:ec1_README.pdfec1_methods.pdfec1_metadata_v3.zip...ec1_dd.csv...ec1_flmd.csv...ec1_sample_catalog.csv...ec1_metadata_kitlevel.csv...ec1_metadata_collectionlevel.csv...ec1_data_collectionlevel.csv...ec1_igsn_metadata.csvec1_soil_v3.zipec1_sediment_v3.zipec1_water_v3.zipec1_processingscripts_v3.zipThis data package is on v3 and was originally published May 2023 (v1). Subsequent updates will be published here with new version numbers. Please see the Change History section in ec1_README.pdf for detailed changes.---Acknowledging EXCHANGE: General Support and Data Product UseWe ask that users of EXCHANGE data add the following acknowledgement when publishing data in scholarly articles and data repositories:"This research is based on work supported by COMPASS-FME, a multi-institutional project supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research as part of the Environmental System Science Program."

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Baseline Graphite Characterization

Presentation will include baseline graphite characterization information, such as purpose and results, baseline property measurements, baseline graphite characterization method, baseline progress, split disc tensile strength: ASTM Tensile Strength Alternative, Identification of proper split disk fracture, baseline graphite ASTM D8289, horizontal orientation, digital image correlation, and DIC Analyzation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Baseline Graphite Characterization

Select necessary material properties Apply sampling plan Perform standardized testing Evaluate/compare properties Build NQA-1 qualified database Apply the “system” and database to the evaluation and qualification of future grades of graphite

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Data Compression in the NEXT-100 Data Acquisition System

NEXT collaboration detectors are based on energy measured by an array of photomultipliers (PMT) and topological event filtering based on an array of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The readout of the PMT sensors for low-frequency noise effects and detector safety issues requires a grounded cathode connection that makes the readout AC-couple with variations in the signal baseline. Strict detector requirements of energy resolution better than 1% FWHM require a precise baseline reconstruction that is performed offline for data analysis and detector performance characterization. Baseline variations make it inefficient to apply traditional lossy data compression techniques, such as zero-suppression, that help to minimize data throughput and, therefore, the dead time of the system. However, for the readout of the SiPM sensors with less demanding requirements in terms of accuracy, a traditional zero-suppression is currently applied with a configuration that allows for a compression ratio of around 71%. The third stage in the NEXT detectors program, the NEXT-100 detector, is a 100 kg detector that instruments approximately five times more PMT sensors and twice the number of SiPM sensors than its predecessor, the NEXT-White detector, putting more pressure in the DAQ throughput, expected to be over 900 MB/s with the current configuration, which will worsen the dead time of the acquisition data system. This paper describes the data compression techniques applied to the sensor data in the NEXT-100 detector, which reduces data throughput and minimizes dead time while maintaining the event rate to the level of its predecessor, around 50 Hz.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2026

Characterization and effects of impurities on carbonate quantification in heterogenous matrices

Mineral carbonation simulates a natural weathering phenomena by breaking down silicates and oxides to form Ca & Mg carbonates. Various mineralization methods have been demonstrated as a potential technique to improve the quality of slags and tailings through neutralization and stabilization of problematic species to yield a product better suited for use in concrete. This study aims to characterize, quantify and analyze carbonates in various carbonated products such as mineralized CaCO 3 , CO 2 mineralized Steel Slags and Mine Tailings. More than 10 samples were analyzed for carbonate measurement and verification from industrial and academic partners that pioneer commercial CO 2 mineralization technologies. The samples were characterized primarily by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analyses (TGA), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to gain insights into CaCO 3 content. A baseline characterization of lab-grade CaCO 3 and MgCO 3 also revealed important considerations for CaCO 3 measurement using TGA alone. The experiments using synthetic lab-grade samples also revealed that the presence of MgCO 3 /MgO can accelerate the decomposition of CaCO 3 and thus can affect measurement parameters. Lab-grade CaCO 3 samples dosed into steel slag and mine tailing also showed significant deviation in their decomposition behavior. These insights are used to inform the development of a standardized protocol for the measurement and verification of carbonate-bearing products.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2024

Active Seismoelectric Monitoring of CO 2 Injection

Conference presentation at Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Conference 2024, Houston, Texas, March 11–13, 2024. We investigated the use of active seismoelectric monitoring (ASE) to determine its effectiveness in detecting CO 2 injected deep underground and as an additional monitoring option for carbon storage projects. The EERC performed an ASE survey in February of 2023 at Pennel oil field near Baker, Montana, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored Williston Basin CO 2 Field Laboratory in conjunction with operating partner Denbury Inc. The field site is part of the Cedar Creek Anticline geologic structure, with CO 2 planned for injection into a stacked storage complex (SSC) in the Interlake Formation containing both a residual oil zone and a conventional reservoir. The objective was to test the ASE method’s ability to characterize baseline fluid distribution in both the near surface and the SSC prior to CO 2 injection.

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Non-destructive structural characterization of graphite components using mechanical resonance and deep learning

As compared to conventional nuclear reactors, microreactors have the potential to significantly reduce construction timelines and capital costs, decreasing the barriers for advanced nuclear reactor technologies. However, the lower power output of these microreactors (typically < 20 MWe) creates challenging economics if operation and maintenance costs cannot be sufficiently reduced. The compact size of these designs presents an opportunity for comprehensive in-situ structural health monitoring to provide real-time feedback in order to reduce operational costs associated with maintenance and downtime. Many microreactor concepts use graphite for both in-core neutron moderation and as a structural material, which has typically required some form of periodic and laborious inspection. This report provides a description and assessment of recent work with graphite to couple acoustic-based experimental measurements and characterization with machine learning models to mature structural health monitoring capabilities and generate benefits for the nuclear microreactor industry. With resilient embedded sensors in development in other programs funded by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy and elsewhere, the work described herein builds upon previously funded efforts to mature non-destructive testing technology that relates measured vibrational signatures to structural changes, using a combination of new experimental measurements and machine learning processing. Building on past successful demonstrations of predictive workflows to identify structural changes in a hexagonal stainless steel test article with excellent acoustic propagation, we first performed baseline characterization on graphite samples with canonical geometries to ensure compatibility and confidence in the applied techniques for a material with distinctly different mechanical properties. In contrast to efforts in previous years, we worked exclusively with unidirectional vibration data that is more comparable to those expected from the existing embedded sensor technologies which are suitable for deployment in a reactor setting. Established acoustic and modern machine-learning-based characterization approaches were applied to the resulting datasets from these simple geometries. Both approaches were found to be highly capable of detecting even small geometric irregularities amongst nominally identical samples. As such, we then moved to testing these approaches for detection of artificial local stress perturbations introduced into a more complex geometry: a hexagonal block with drilled holes. A main outcome of this work is that a generalizable ML workflow can be used to detect and predict the characteristics of small artificial anomalies in a graphite component with a relevant geometry. While this work was performed using surficial vibration data, we expect the approach to be flexible and viable for other monitoring scenarios, such as those with different arrangements or types of sensor arrays. As compared to previously funded efforts, an existing ML workflow based on neural networks was enhanced through the addition of recently developed Fourier neural operators. As applied to previously collected and new vibration datasets, prediction accuracies of anomaly characterizations were greatly improved with minimal added computational cost. As trained on small durations of vibration data (tens of seconds) collected over a realistic number of locations, the model was able to reliably determine the presence of a subtle stress anomaly and begin to provide location estimates. Such an approach is likely to be viable for more relevant reactor damage scenarios for graphite components, such as progressive crack growth or creep.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Rapidly Deployable Acoustic Monitoring and Localization System Based on a Low-Cost Wave Buoy Platform

The primary objective of this project is to develop a cost-effective, fit-for-purpose environmental monitoring system, “NoiseSpotter®,” that characterizes, classifies, and provides accurate location information for anthropogenic and natural sounds in near real-time. NoiseSpotter was developed to support the evaluation of potential acoustic effects of marine energy (ME) projects. By utilizing a compact array of three acoustic particle motion sensors, NoiseSpotter triangulates individual bearings to provide sound source localization to within 5% accuracy, allowing the ability to discern ME device sounds relative to other confounding sounds in the environment, while providing location estimates to nearby marine mammals for environmental mitigation purposes. The ME industry needs proven solutions to meet environmental impact assessment needs. The NoiseSpotter® includes off-the-shelf, modular components that are easy to assemble and disassemble. Its acoustic particle motion sensors are commercially available and the data logger and real-time telemetry system is designed to be plug-and-play. The entire system is relatively compact and can be deployed from small vessels. NoiseSpotter’s near real-time capability enables operational monitoring of ME sounds, particularly during early stages of technology adoption to facilitate mitigation of potential noise effects. Widespread adoption of the technology for acoustic monitoring of ME devices requires that it be cost effective; hence the anticipated commercial cost of system hardware is $35,000. This project contributes to reducing barriers to ME testing through support of scientific research focused on reducing or mitigating environmental risks and lowering costs and complexity of environmental monitoring. This project has developed an acoustic monitoring system, NoiseSpotter® (U.S. Patent No. 11,156,734 and U.S. Registered Trademark No. 6,442,313), to detect and characterize baseline noise and sounds from ME operations and support geolocation of detected sounds. The intended outcome of the project is to mitigate concerns about the potential for ME device noise to alter marine mammal or fish behavior. NoiseSpotter® enables cost-effective, near real-time acoustic monitoring of an operational ME device relative to ambient environmental noise and provides a technical basis for ME developers seeking to navigate the permitting process in an efficient manner.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗