Best Practices and Lessons Learned from Nuclear Materials Retrieval Programs of the United States Department of Energy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaatrin Abbott ◽  
Zachary Geroux
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nuclear Material ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
Nuclear Materials ◽  
United States Department

Abstract The Atomic Energy Act, as amended, authorizes the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies to distribute nuclear materials to public or private institutions for the purposes of education as well as research and development. Significant transformations throughout the nuclear industry have led to changes in programmatic responsibility for loaned nuclear materials. DOE has established several programs to catalog, transfer ownership, retrieve, and/or dispose of these loaned nuclear materials. The variety of loaned nuclear material types, as well as operational and regulatory variations between facility licensees have created unique challenges for the retrieval and dispositioning processes. These include packaging and transportation, confirmation of regulatory jurisdiction, property transfer, and disposal of sources with no remaining economic value. This paper explores the methods and actions taken by DOE to address these challenges. Lessons learned and best practices identified from these programs are also presented.

Sharing Lessons Learned and Best Practices in Deactivation and Decommissioning Techniques Among U.S. Department of Energy Contractors

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Lackey ◽  
Sandra L. Waisley ◽  
Lansing G. Dusek
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Significant Progress ◽  
Energy Facility ◽  
Engineering And Technology ◽  
Implementation Guidelines

Approximately $153.2 billion of work currently remains in the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Environmental Management (EM) lifecycle budget for United States projects. Contractors who manage facilities for the DOE have been challenged to identify transformational changes to reduce the lifecycle costs and develop a knowledge management system that identifies, disseminates, and tracks the implementation of lessons learned and best practices. At the request of the DOE’s EM Office of Engineering and Technology, the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG) responded to the challenge with formation of the Deactivation and Decommissioning (D&D) and Facility Engineering (DD/FE) Working Group. Since October 2006, members have already made significant progress in realizing their goals: adding new D&D best practices to the existing EFCOG Best Practices database; participating in lessons learned forums; and contributing to a DOE initiative on identifying technology needs. The group is also participating in a DOE project management initiative to develop implementation guidelines, as well as a DOE radiation protection initiative to institute a more predictable and standardized approach to approving authorized limits and independently verifying cleanup completion at EM sites. Finally, a D&D hotline to provide real-time solutions to D&D challenges is also being launched.

scholarly journals Nuclear Facility Safety at the United States Department of Energy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Frias ◽  
José R. O. Muñoz ◽  
Louis Restrepo ◽  
James L. Tingey ◽  
David L. Y. Louie
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nuclear Safety ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Nuclear Facility ◽  
Near Misses ◽  
States Department ◽  
Safety Research

Abstract Nuclear facility safety is crucial to preventing and/or reducing high consequence-low probability accidents and, thus reducing the potential risks posed by United States Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) operations at their facilities/activities. DOE/NNSA has the responsibility of developing, issuing, maintaining, and enforcing nuclear safety Directives while fostering a culture that promotes nuclear safety research and development. Lessons learned from past accidents, near misses, and experiments/analyses are also important resources for improving operational nuclear safety in the safety community. This paper first identifies and describes the current Directives in place, including safety review and regulatory process, and safety programs that support implementation of the Directives. This paper also describes a contractor’s approach to identifying and implementing safety using these Directives and lessons-learned in multiple discipline areas of nuclear safety.

The AGT101 Advanced Automotive Gas Turbine

1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Rackley ◽  
J. R. Kidwell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
The United States ◽  
Gas Turbine Engine ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Single Stage ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Turbine Engine

The Garrett/Ford Advanced Gas Turbine Powertrain System Development Project, authorized under NASA Contract DEN3-167, is sponsored by and is part of the United States Department of Energy Gas Turbine Highway Vehicle System Program. Program effort is oriented at providing the United States automotive industry the technology base necessary to produce gas turbine powertrains competitive for automotive applications having: (1) reduced fuel consumption, (2) multi-fuel capability, and (3) low emissions. The AGT101 powertrain is a 74.6 kW (100 hp), regenerated single-shaft gas turbine engine operating at a maximum turbine inlet temperature of 1644 K (2500 °F), coupled to a split differential gearbox and Ford automatic overdrive production transmission. The gas turbine engine has a single-stage centrifugal compressor and a single-stage radial inflow turbine mounted on a common shaft. Maximum rotor speed is 10,472 rad/sec (100,000 rpm). All high-temperature components, including the turbine rotor, are ceramic. AGT101 powertrain development has been initiated, with testing completed on many aerothermodynamic components in dedicated test rigs and start of Mod I, Build 1 engine testing.

Performance Goal-Based Seismic Design Standards for Critical Facilities in the United States

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quazi A. Hossain
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Seismic Design ◽  
Functional Performance ◽  
Design Method ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
Performance Goals ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Active Member ◽  
Performance Goal

For more than the last fifteen years, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) has been using a probabilistic performance goal-based seismic design method for structures, systems, and components (SSCs) in its nuclear and hazardous facilities. Using a graded approach, the method permits the selection of probabilistic performance goals or acceptable failure rates for SSCs based on the severity level of SSC failure consequences. The method uses a site-specific probabilistic seismic hazard curve as the basic seismic input motion definition, but utilizes the existing national industry consensus design codes for specifying load combination and design acceptance criteria in such a way that the target probabilistic performance goals are met. Recently, the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) have undertaken the development of a number of national consensus standards that will utilize the performance goal-based seismic design experience base in the DOE complex. These standards are presently in various stages of development, some nearing completion. Once completed, these standards are likely to be adopted by various agencies and organizations in the United States. In addition to the graded approach of DOE’s method, these standards incorporate design provisions that permit seismic design of SSCs to several levels of functional performance. This flexibility of choosing a functional performance level in the design process results in an optimum, but risk-consistent design. The paper will provide an outline of two of these standards-in-progress and will present the author’s understanding of their basic philosophies and technical bases. Even though the author is an active member of the development committees for these two standards, the technical opinions expressed in this paper are author’s own, and does not reflect the views of any of the committees or the views of the organizations with which any member of the committees are affiliated.

Modeling Shock and Vibration on Used Nuclear Fuel During Normal Conditions of Transportation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Klymyshyn ◽  
Pavlo Ivanusa ◽  
Kevin Kadooka ◽  
Casey Spitz
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Fuel Cladding ◽  
Used Nuclear Fuel

Abstract In 2017, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) collaborated with Spanish and Korean organizations to perform a multimodal transportation test to measure shock and vibration loads imparted to used nuclear fuel (UNF) assemblies. This test used real fuel assembly components containing surrogate fuel mass to approximate the response characteristics of real, irradiated used nuclear fuel. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was part of the test team and used the data collected during this test to validate numerical models needed to predict the response of real used nuclear fuel in other transportation configurations. This paper summarizes the modeling work and identifies lessons learned related to the modeling and analysis methodology. The modeling includes railcar dynamics using the NUCARS software code and explicit dynamic finite element modeling of used nuclear fuel cladding in LS-DYNA. The NUCARS models were validated against railcar dynamics data collected during captive track testing at the Federal Railroad Administration’s Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, CO. The LS-DYNA models of the fuel cladding were validated against strain gage data collected throughout the test campaign. One of the key results of this work was an assessment of fuel cladding fatigue, and the methods used to calculate fatigue are detailed in this paper. The validated models and analysis methodologies described in this paper will be applied to evaluate future UNF transportation systems.

Mycorrhizal symbionts of Populus to be sequenced by the United States Department of Energy?s Joint Genome Institute

Mycorrhiza ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Lammers ◽  
G. A. Tuskan ◽  
S. P. DiFazio ◽  
G. K. Podila ◽  
F. Martin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
Joint Genome Institute ◽  
United States Department ◽  
States Department

Comparative Analysis of Soluble Phosphate Amendments for the Remediation of Heavy Metal Contaminants: Effect on Sediment Hydraulic Conductivity

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawn M. Wellman ◽  
Jonathan P. Icenhower ◽  
Antoinette T. Owen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Pore Structure ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Soluble Phosphate ◽  
Long Chain

Environmental Context. The contamination of surface and subsurface geologic media by heavy metals and radionuclides is a significant problem within the United States Department of Energy complex as a result of past nuclear operations. Water-soluble phosphate compounds provide a means to inject phosphorus into subsurface contaminant plumes, to precipitate metal ions from solution. However, phosphate phases can form within the sedimentary pore structure to block a fraction of the pore space and inhibit further remediation of the contaminant plume. A series of tests have been conducted to evaluate changes in sedimentary pore structure during the application of several proposed phosphate remediation amendments. Abstract. A series of conventional, saturated column experiments have been conducted to evaluate the effect of utilizing in situ, soluble, phosphate amendments for subsurface metal remediation on sediment hydraulic conductivity. Experiments have been conducted under mildly alkaline and calcareous conditions representative of conditions commonly encountered at sites across the arid western United States, which have been used in weapons and fuel production and display significant subsurface contamination. Results indicate that the displacement of a single pore volume of either sodium monophosphate or phytic acid amendments causes approximately a 30% decrease in the hydraulic conductivity of the sediment. Long-chain polyphosphate amendments afford no measurable reduction in hydraulic conductivity. These results demonstrate (1) the efficacy of long-chain polyphosphate amendments for subsurface metal sequestration; and (2) the necessity of conducting dynamic experiments to evaluate the effects of subsurface remediation.

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