This report provides a summary of notes for building and running the Sandia Computational Engine for Particle Transport for Radiation Effects (SCEPTRE) code. SCEPTRE is a general purpose C++ code for solving the Boltzmann transport equation in serial or parallel using unstructured spatial finite elements, multigroup energy treatment, and a variety of angular treatments including discrete ordinates and spherical harmonics. Either the first-order form of the Boltzmann equation or one of the second-order forms may be solved. SCEPTRE requires a small number of open-source Third Party Libraries (TPL) to be available, and example scripts for building these TPL's are provided. The TPL's needed by SCEPTRE are Trilinos, boost, and netcdf. SCEPTRE uses an autoconf build system, and a sample configure script is provided. Running the SCEPTRE code requires that the user provide a spatial finite-elements mesh in Exodus format and a cross section library in a format that will be described. SCEPTRE uses an xml-based input, and several examples will be provided.
This Environmental Restoration Operations Consolidated Quarterly Report (ER Quarterly Report) provides the status of ongoing corrective action activities being implemented by Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) for the October, November, and December 2015 quarterly reporting period.
This study considers the feasibility of large diameter deep boreholes for waste disposal. The conceptual approach considers examples of deep large diameter boreholes that have been successfully drilled, and also other deep borehole designs proposed in the literature. The objective for large diameter boreholes would be disposal of waste packages with diameters of 22 to 29 inches, which could enable disposal of waste forms such as existing vitrified high level waste. A large-diameter deep borehole design option would also be amenable to other waste forms including calcine waste, treated Na-bonded and Na-bearing waste, and Cs and Sr capsules.
The Old Rifle Site is a former vanadium and uranium ore-processing facility located adjacent to the Colorado River and approximately 0.3 miles east of the city of Rifle, CO. The former processing facilities have been removed and the site uranium mill tailings are interned at a disposal cell north of the city of Rifle. However, some low level remnant uranium contamination still exists at the Old Rifle site. In 2002, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) concurred with United States Department of Energy (US DOE) on a groundwater compliance strategy of natural flushing with institutional controls to decrease contaminant concentrations in the aquifer. In addition to active monitoring of contaminant concentrations, the site is also used for DOE Legacy Management (LM) and other DOE-funded small scale field tests of remediation technologies. The purpose of this laboratory scale study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) permeable reactive barrier and source area treatment in Old Rifle sediments. Phosphate treatment impact was evaluated by comparing uranium leaching and surface phase changes in untreated to PO4-treated sediments. The impact of the amount of phosphate precipitation in the sediment on uranium mobility was evaluated with three different phosphate loadings. A range of flow velocity and uranium concentration conditions (i.e., uranium flux through the phosphate-treated sediment) was also evaluated to quantify the uranium uptake mass and rate by the phosphate precipitate.
The importance of the High Plains Aquifer is broadly recognized as is its vulnerability to continued overuse. T his study e xplore s how continued depletions of the High Plains Aquifer might impact both critical infrastructure and the economy at the local, r egional , and national scale. This analysis is conducted at the county level over a broad geographic region within the states of Kansas and Nebraska. In total , 140 counties that overlie the High Plains Aquifer in these two states are analyzed. The analysis utilizes future climate projections to estimate crop production. Current water use and management practices are projected into the future to explore their related impact on the High Plains Aquifer , barring any changes in water management practices, regulat ion, or policy. Finally, the impact of declining water levels and even exhaustion of groundwater resources are projected for specific sectors of the economy as well as particular elements of the region's critical infrastructure.
The goal of the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) is to plays a leadership role in integration of nanostructured materials to enable novel capabilities and applications through its function as a Department of Energy/Office of Science Nanoscale Science Research Center (NSRC) national user facility. By coupling open access to unique and world-class capabilities and scientific expertise to an active user community, CINT supports high-impact research that no other single institution could achieve – the whole of CINT including its user community is greater than the sum of its parts.
The goal of the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) is to plays a leadership role in integration of nanostructured materials to enable novel capabilities and applications through its function as a Department of Energy/Office of Science Nanoscale Science Research Center (NSRC) national user facility. By coupling open access to unique and world-class capabilities and scientific expertise to an active user community, CINT supports high-impact research that no other single institution could achieve – the whole of CINT including its user community is greater than the sum of its parts.
This report supplements the document, "Protocol for Uniformly Measuring and Expressing the Performance of Energy Storage Systems," issued in a revised version in April 2016 (see [4]), which will include the photovoltaic (PV) smoothing application for an energy storage system (ESS). This report provides the background and documentation associated with the determination of a duty cycle for an ESS operated in a PV smoothing application for the purpose of measuring and expressing ESS performance in accordance with the ESS performance protocol. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of Dr. Imre Gyuk, program manager for the DOE Energy Storage Systems Program. The authors would also like to express their appreciation to all the stakeholders who participated as members of the PV Smoothing Subgroup. Without their thoughtful input and recommendations, the definitions, metrics, and duty cycle provided in this report would not have been possible. A complete listing of members of the PV Smoothing Subgroup appears in the first chapter of this report. Special recognition should go to the staffs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in collaborating on this effort. In particular, Mr. David Conover and Dr. Vish Viswanathan of PNNL and Dr. Summer Ferreira of SNL were especially helpful in their suggestions for the determination of a duty cycle for the PV Smoothing application.
Schoenwald, David A.; Eto, Joseph H.; Stewart, Emma M.; Kirkham, Harold; Tuffner, Francis; Smith, Travis; Buckner, Mark
This report addresses the potential use of phasor measurement units (PMUs) within electricity distribution systems, and was written to assess whether or not PMUs could provide significant benefit, at the national level. We analyze examples of present and emerging distribution-system issues related to reliability, integration of distributed energy resources, and the changing electrical characteristics of load. We find that PMUs offer important and irreplaceable advantages over present approaches. However, we also find that additional research and development for standards, testing and calibration, demonstration projects, and information sharing is needed to help industry capture these benefits.
The objective of this work is to assess dispersion distances of a vapor mixture of species released from a railcar containing a tight crude oil. Tight crude oils can have higher levels of light ends as compared to conventional crude oils [1], which if released and dispersed could pose a potential hazard with regards to a flash fire, explosion, and/or asphyxiation. A historical accident involving rail transport in Viareggio, Italy illustrates how the spillage of LPG can lead to severe damage as a result of a propagating vapor cloud [2]. One of 14 railcars was punctured after derailment, releasing about 110 m3 of LPG into a densely populated area (2000 persons/km2 ). The resulting vapor cloud propagated and infiltrated nearby buildings and houses which were an average of 10 m in height. Ignition of the cloud occurred approximately 100 to 300 seconds after the start of the spill. A flash fire and explosions resulted, killing 31 people. Evidence suggests that most deaths occurred due to the asphyxiation and thermal hazards from the flash fire. Thus, the motivation for this work is to assess if significant vapors can develop from a railcar carrying a tight crude oil and if this cloud could disperse potentially to nearby populations.
The reports and test plans contained within this document serve as supporting materials to the activities listed within the “Contingency Contractor Optimization Tool – Prototype (CCOT-P) Verification & Validation Plan” [1]. The activities included test development, testing, peer reviews, and expert reviews. The engineering prototype reviews were done for both the software and the mathematical model used in CCOT-P. Section 2 includes the peer and expert review reports, which summarize the findings from each of the reviews and document the resolution of any issues. Section 3 details the test plans that were followed for functional testing of the application through the interface. Section 4 describes the unit tests that were run on the code.
The application of Systems Engineering (SE) principles has emerged to manage complex systems from a concept to the successful realization and implementation of the system. Multiple Research and Development (R&D) programs at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) have implemented these principles and have maximized their efforts in the realization of successful systems. The Primary Standards Laboratory (PSL) at SNL has avoided the full implementation of such principles which has stalled the development of new and efficient calibration systems. The objective of this project is to introduce SE to the PSL and develop a framework of best practices that can be utilized to expedite the development and deployment of accurate and efficient testing systems throughout the PSL. A Case Study will be presented for the principles of the SE development lifecycle in a R&D environment to maximize the PSL’s efforts in a requirements-driven environment.
This report supplements the document, “Protocol for Uniformly Measuring and Expressing the Performance of Energy Storage Systems,” issued in a revised version in April 2016, which will include the renewables (solar) firming application for an energy storage system (ESS). This report provides the background and documentation associated with the determination of a duty cycle for an ESS operated in a renewables (solar) firming application for the purpose of measuring and expressing ESS performance in accordance with the ESS performance protocol.
