Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about an advanced analysis method that provides complete on-line ultrasonic inspection of tubular materials.

Neutron hardening and embrittlement of pressure vessel steels is due to a high density of nanometer scale features, including Cu-rich precipitates which form as a result of radiation enhanced diffusion. High-energy displacement cascades generate large numbers of both isolated point defects and clusters of vacancies and interstitials. The subsequent clustering, diffusion and ultimate annihilation of primary damage is inherently coupled with solute transport and hence, the overall chemical and microstructural evolutions under irradiation. In this work, we present atomistic simulation results, based on many-body interatomic potentials, of the migration of vacancies, solute and self-interstitial atoms (SIA) in pure Fe and binary Fe-0.9 and 1.0 at.% Cu alloys. Cu diffusion occurs by a vacancy mechanism and the calculated Cu diffusivity is in good agreement with experimental data. Strain field interactions between the oversized substitutional Cu solute atoms and SIA and SIA clusters are predominantly repulsive and result in both a decreased activation energy and diffusion pre-factor for SIA and small (N < 5) SIA cluster migration, which occurs by three-dimensional motion. The Cu appears to enhance the reorientation of the SIA clusters to different <111> directions, as well as the transition from <110> to mobile <111> configurations. The migration behavior of …

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) project is a collaborative effort between Brookhaven, Argonne, Jefferson, Lawrence Berkeley, Los Alamos and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. Los Alamos is responsible for the design of the linac for this accelerator complex. The code PARMILA, developed at Los Alamos is widely used for proton linac design and beam dynamics studies. The most updated version includes superconducting structures among others. In recent years, some other codes have also been developed which primarily focuses on the studies of the beam dynamics. In this paper, we compare the simulation results and discuss physics aspects of the different linac design and beam dynamics simulation codes.

An alternative approach is described to evaluate the statistical nature of the breakup of shaped charge liners. Experimental data from ductile and brittle copper jets are analyzed in terms of velocity gradient, deviation of {Delta}V from linearity, R/S analysis, and the Hurst exponent within the coupled map lattice model. One-dimensional simulations containing 600 zones of equal mass and using distinctly different force-displacement curves are generated to simulate ductile and brittle behavior. A particle separates from the stretching jet when an element of material reaches the failure criterion. A simple model of a stretching rod using brittle, semi-brittle, and ductile force-displacement curves is in agreement with the experimental results for the Hurst exponent and the phase portraits and indicates that breakup is a correlated phenomenon.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a new technology that increases load-leveling efficiency and offers longer cycle life than lead-acid batteries.

Fact sheet written for the NICE3 Program on a new process that creates a corrosion-resistant coating for recuperators.

NREL's Desiccant Dehumidification Wheel Test Guide intends to facilitate execution of the new standards by certification labs and manufacturers. The Test Guide is a product of more than 20 years of experience gained at NREL's desiccant research facilities. It details practical experimental experience with rotary mass exchangers in relation to the standards and aims to develop testing expertise in industry quickly and cost effectively.

Advances in computational capability and modeling techniques, as well as improvements in experimental characterization methods offer the possibility of directly comparing modeling and experiment investigations of irradiation effects in metals. As part of a collaboration among the Instituto de Fusion Nuclear (DENIM), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and CIEMAT, single and polycrystalline {alpha}-Fe samples have been irradiated with 150 keV Fe-ions to doses up to several dpa. The irradiated microstructure is to be examined with both transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). Concurrently, we have modeled the damage accumulation in Fe under these irradiation conditions using a combination of molecular dynamics (MD) and kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC). We aim to make direct comparison between the simulation results and the experiments by simulating TEM images and estimating positron lifetimes for the predicted microstructures. While the identity of the matrix defect features cannot be determined from TEM observations alone, we propose that both large self-interstitial loops, trapped at impurities within the material, and small, spherical nanovoids form.

This report examines the effects of new waste-specific sorption characteristics reported for I-129 bearing wastes on inventory limits in the Intermediate Level Vault (ILV). Inventory limits are described based on the revised performance assessment model using the waste-specific Kd's. Results are compared with inventory projections of waste streams for the next ten years.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about an innovative technology for predicting and avoiding liquid and jet flooding in the petroleum refining process.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a new dual fuel conversion system allows diesel fuel switching with clean burning natural gas.

The objective of this calculation is to develop a time dependent in-drift effective thermal conductivity parameter that will approximate heat conduction, thermal radiation, and natural convection heat transfer using a single mode of heat transfer (heat conduction). In order to reduce the physical and numerical complexity of the heat transfer processes that occur (and must be modeled) as a result of the emplacement of heat generating wastes, a single parameter will be developed that approximates all forms of heat transfer from the waste package surface to the drift wall (or from one surface exchanging heat with another). Subsequently, with this single parameter, one heat transfer mechanism (e.g., conduction heat transfer) can be used in the models. The resulting parameter is to be used as input in the drift-scale process-level models applied in total system performance assessments for the site recommendation (TSPA-SR). The format of this parameter will be a time-dependent table for direct input into the thermal-hydrologic (TH) and the thermal-hydrologic-chemical (THC) models.

Recently, new cross section measurements by the GEANIE collaboration have been published for {sup 239}Pu(n, 2n{gamma}) [Ber00] and {sup 235}U(n, 2n{gamma}) [You00] from threshold to 20 MeV. When combined with nuclear reaction calculations [Che00, Cha99, Cha01], these measurements provide the most accurate information available on the shape and magnitude of the {sup 239}Pu(n, 2n) cross section for incident neutron energies, E{sub n} {approx}< 14 MeV. This new data has prompted a re-evaluation of the {sup 239}Pu(n, 2n) {sup 238}Pu reaction cross section considering all available experimental data. The data prior to the measurement of Bernstein et al. [Ber00] is illustrated in Figure 1a. These data sets were considered by previous evaluations [ENDL] of the {sup 239}Pu(n, 2n) cross section. The most precise experiment was an activation measurement done by Lougheed et al. [Lou00] for incident neutron energies, E{sub n}, between 13-15 MeV. In addition, there were two neutron-counting experiments, one by Mather et al. [Mat72] and one by Frehaut et al. [Fre85]. These two measurements cover a wide incident neutron range, with data points from threshold to E{sub n} {approx} 14 MeV. The available data sets are in poor agreement with each other and in some cases do not meet …

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a new process to produce ethylene more efficiently.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a rapid-prototyping process that improves investment casting technologies by repositioning cooling channels.

Fact sheet written for the NICE3 Program on a new process that improves the efficiency and productivity of die casting operations.

The Laboratory Coordinating Council, working through OIT, coordinates partnerships between industry, academia, and the 16 U.S. national laboratories and facilities.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a new mechanochemical process that delivers titanium-carbide powder for cutting-tool fabrication.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about an innovative device that uses acoustic energy to enhance productivity in mixing equipment.

Fact sheet written for the NICE3 Program on a new magnetic elutriation technology for mining that offers waste, energy, and economic savings.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a new miniature oxygen sensor that costs less that conventional sensors.

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This project has contributed to the improved understanding and precise physical description of multiphase subsurface flow by combining theoretical derivation of equations, lattice Boltzmann modeling of hydrodynamics to identify characteristics and parameters, and simplification of field-scale equations to assess the advantages and disadvantages of the complete theory.

Most large-scale high-critical-temperature superconductor applications require wires or tapes that an carry high currents in applied magnetic fields. This report describes technical progress of research and development efforts aimed at producing superconducting components and devices in the Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-(Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O systems. Topics discussed are formation of first- and second-generation composite conductors, characterization of structures and superconducting and mechanical properties, modeling of grain-boundary current transport, and fabrication and analysis of prototype components.