Neal Yancey - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Neal Yancey

OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information), Dec 1, 2005

The long term durability of WAXFIX i , a paraffin based grout, was evaluated for in situ grouting... more The long term durability of WAXFIX i , a paraffin based grout, was evaluated for in situ grouting of activated beryllium wastes in the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA), a radioactive landfill at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex, part of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The evaluation considered radiological and biological mechanisms that could degrade the grout using data from an extensive literature search and previous tests of in situ grouting at the INL. Conservative radioactive doses for WAXFIX were calculated from the "hottest" (i.e., highest-activity) Advanced Test Reactor beryllium block in the SDA.. These results indicate that WAXFIX would not experience extensive radiation damage for many hundreds of years. Calculation of radiation induced hydrogen generation in WAXFIX indicated that grout physical performance should not be reduced beyond the effects of radiation dose on the molecular structure. Degradation of a paraffin-based grout by microorganisms in the SDA is possible and perhaps likely, but the rate of degradation will be at a slower rate than found in the literature reviewed. The calculations showed the outer 0.46 m (18 in.) layer of each monolith, which represents the minimum expected distance to the beryllium block, was calculated to require 1,000 to 3,600 years to be consumed. The existing data and estimations of biodegradation and radiolysis rates for WAXFIX/paraffin do not indicate any immediate problems with the use of WAXFIX for grouting beryllium or other wastes in the SDA..

Waste Management 2003 Symposium, Tucson, AZ (US), 02/23/2003--02/27/2003, Feb 27, 2003

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more costeffective techn... more The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more costeffective technologies for the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of nuclear facilities. The Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area (DDFA) of the DOE's Office of Science and Technology (OST) sponsored large-scale demonstration and deployment projects (LSDDPs) to help bring new technologies into the D&D programs. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) LSDDP generated a list of needs defining specific problems where improved technologies could be incorporated into ongoing D&D tasks. The needs fell into 5 major categoriescharacterization, dismantlement, safety, material dispositioning, and decontamination. Technologies were carefully selected that provide a large benefit for a small investment. The technologies must provide significant improvements in cost, safety, radiation exposure, waste volume reduction, or schedule savings and widely applicable throughout the DOE complex. The LSDDP project provided training for the new technologies and worked with technology suppliers to resolve any questions that arose. Since 1998, 26 technologies have been demonstrated or deployed through the LSDDP for the D&D program at the INEEL. Of the 26 demonstrated and deployed technologies, 14 were in characterization, 3 were in decontamination, 4 were in dismantlement, 3 were in safety, and 2 were in material dispositioning. To promote the use of these technologies at other sites within the DOE complex, the LSDDP team published fact sheets, videos, technology summary reports, articles in INEEL star newspaper, posters, and maintained an internet home page on the project. As a result, additional deployments have taken place at the Hanford, Mound, Fernald, Oak Ridge, Ashtabula, and West Valley. Eight of the 26 technologies evaluated were developed in foreign countries. The technologies demonstrated have been shown to be faster, less expensive, and/or safer. The technologies evaluated through the LSDDP have provided improvements in the following D&D areas: robotic underwater characterization of fuel storage pools, characterization of scrap metal for recycle, PCB and RCRA metals analysis in soil, water, paint, or sludge, subsurface characterization, personnel safety, waste disposal, scaffolding use, and remote radiation characterization of buildings and soil. It is estimated that the technologies demonstrated and deployed through this program will save more than 50WM′03Conference,February23−27,2003,TucsonAZmilliondollarsoverthenext10yearsattheINEELalone.Ofthe50 WM'03 Conference, February 23-27, 2003, Tucson AZ million dollars over the next 10 years at the INEEL alone. Of the 50WM′03Conference,February23−27,2003,TucsonAZmilliondollarsoverthenext10yearsattheINEELalone.Ofthe50 million estimated dollars saved, about 75% of the savings will come from characterization technologies, 11% from technologies associated with material dispositioning, 10% are associated with dismantlement technologies and the balance split between safety and decontamination.

This is a preprint of a paper intended for publication in a journal or proceedings. Since changes... more This is a preprint of a paper intended for publication in a journal or proceedings. Since changes may be made before publication, this preprint should not be cited or reproduced without permission of the author. This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, or any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for any third party's use, or the results of such use, of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use by such third party would not infringe privately owned rights. The views expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of the United States Government or the sponsoring agency.

CRC Press eBooks, Jul 14, 2023

Nuclear Technology, Sep 1, 2007

The long term durability of WAXFIX i , a paraffin based grout, was evaluated for in situ grouting... more The long term durability of WAXFIX i , a paraffin based grout, was evaluated for in situ grouting of activated beryllium wastes in the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA), a radioactive landfill at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex, part of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The evaluation considered radiological and biological mechanisms that could degrade the grout using data from an extensive literature search and previous tests of in situ grouting at the INL. Conservative radioactive doses for WAXFIX were calculated from the "hottest" (i.e., highest-activity) Advanced Test Reactor beryllium block in the SDA.. These results indicate that WAXFIX would not experience extensive radiation damage for many hundreds of years. Calculation of radiation induced hydrogen generation in WAXFIX indicated that grout physical performance should not be reduced beyond the effects of radiation dose on the molecular structure. Degradation of a paraffin-based grout by microorganisms in the SDA is possible and perhaps likely, but the rate of degradation will be at a slower rate than found in the literature reviewed. The calculations showed the outer 0.46 m (18 in.) layer of each monolith, which represents the minimum expected distance to the beryllium block, was calculated to require 1,000 to 3,600 years to be consumed. The existing data and estimations of biodegradation and radiolysis rates for WAXFIX/paraffin do not indicate any immediate problems with the use of WAXFIX for grouting beryllium or other wastes in the SDA..

ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Jan 16, 2020

Early lignocellulosic biorefineries have been plagued with numerous issues that involve feedstock... more Early lignocellulosic biorefineries have been plagued with numerous issues that involve feedstock handling problems and variations in conversion efficacy that stem from feedstock variability and complexity in dimensional, physical, chemical, and mechanical attributes. Feedstock ash and moisture content vary considerably in corn stover harvested from farms for bioconversion, and their effects on preprocessing (grinding/milling) and subsequent chemical and enzymatic conversion to fermentable sugars is systematically explored here using pilot-scale hammer mill grinders and a chemical hydrolysis reactor. Corn stover with high ash content due to contamination from soil was found to (1) consume higher power during grinding resulting in reductions of processing rates and (2) produce a larger fraction of fines in the feedstock that were lost to dust mitigation systems causing higher mechanical wear rates. Corn stover feedstock coming from fields with a high residual moisture content resulting in bale degradation due to self-heating caused a more pronounced drop in preprocessing throughput due to grinder overloads and process upsets leading to equipment downtime. Conversion yield to sugars was not affected, although differences in fermentation performance on these sugar streams was not examined. The overall process throughput was only 40−70% of nameplate capacity due to preprocessing problems.

ABSTRACT Preprocessing is a critical operation in the biomass feedstock assembly system of a lign... more ABSTRACT Preprocessing is a critical operation in the biomass feedstock assembly system of a lignocellulosic biorefinery. Preprocessing is typically accomplished using industrial grinders to grind, chop, or otherwise size-reduce biomass materials into a suitable feedstock for conversion to biofuels and bioproducts. Various components of commercial preprocessing equipment capable of handling large-format material (such as large square bales) can be modified or altered to change the overall productivity and efficiency of the process. Many factors affect machine capacity and efficiency and the physical characteristics of preprocessed biomass. Ultimately, grinder capacity and efficiency can be enhanced by selecting hammer and screen configurations that optimize grinder performance-based mass flow and energy consumption. Variations in grinder capacity and efficiency were evaluated by altering the type, number, and orientation of the hammer; the screen type and size; and the rotational drum speed of the grinder. Fuel use and grinder capacity were compared with each modification made to the grinder system and the original design of the horizontal grinder test platform. Modifications evaluated in this study resulted in a significant increase in grinder capacity and efficiency.

Fuel Processing Technology, Dec 1, 2015

Due to its low density and poor flowability, raw biomass may not be an economically viable feedst... more Due to its low density and poor flowability, raw biomass may not be an economically viable feedstock for the production of biofuels. However, mechanical densification can be employed to improve its viability. In this study, the flow properties (compressibility, shear, and wall friction) of "pure" feedstocks (corn stover, hybrid poplar, switchgrass and Miscanthus), and feedstock blends, are investigated and compared to measured pelleting energy consumption values. As anticipated, the more compressible materials required lower pelletization energies. Conversely, the less flowable feedstocks (i.e., the materials with higher cohesion and yield strength) were less energy intensive to pellet. In addition, the flowability parameters of the blended materials could be predicted by averaging the measured flow parameters of their pure feedstock constituents. Therefore, only the flow characteristics of the pure feedstocks need to be directly measured, while the flowability of a blended feedstock with a known blend ratio can be accurately inferred. A model was also developed to calculate the required pressure to pellet a particular feedstock, pure or blended, based on its flowability parameters (namely compressibility and wall friction). Strong correlation was observed between the measured pelleting energy consumption and the predicted pelleting pressure values. This newly developed model allows for a material's pelleting feasibility to be assessed without having to physically pelletize the material.

OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information), Aug 1, 2002

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more cost-effective tech... more The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more cost-effective technologies for use in decontaminating and decommissioning nuclear facilities. To this end, the Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area of DOE's Office of Science and Technology sponsors Large-Scale Demonstration and Deployment Projects (LSDDP) to test new technologies. As part of these projects, developers and vendors showcase new products designed to decrease health and safety risks to personnel and the environment, increase productivity, and lower costs.

OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information), Jan 22, 2020

(INL) is investigating potential treatment methods for the waste buried at the Subsurface Disposa... more (INL) is investigating potential treatment methods for the waste buried at the Subsurface Disposal Area, a radioactive landfill that is part of the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC). The wastes include a variety of sludges, debris, and nitrate salts, contaminated with hazardous chemicals and transuranic (TRU) and non-TRU radionuclides. Alternatives under consideration include in situ thermal desorption (ISTD), in situ grouting (ISG), and ex-situ grouting (ESG). The investigations involve literature searches and bench-and engineering-scale tests to determine the feasibility and applicability of the candidate treatment methods. Researchers have used both surrogate and retrieved waste in recent testing. The retrieved wastes were nitrate salts from Pad A and TRU sludge from composite samples collected during the Glovebox Extractor Method Project at Pit 9. Project personnel have collected information from previously performed ISV testing, but did not perform any additional ISV testing. Reactivity and thermal desorption tests have filled in gaps in support of in situ thermal desorption. At the same time, compressive strength, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and leachability tests have generated data to assess the feasibility of grouting the SDA waste. Additional tests will be performed in fiscal year 2005. This paper summarizes the fiscal year 2004 testing and results.

Control systems monitor and command other devices, systems, and software within an infrastructure... more Control systems monitor and command other devices, systems, and software within an infrastructure. Typically, control systems employ human-in-the-loop control for critical decision making and response. These end-users require easy access to accurate, actionable and relevant data to ensure quick and effective decision making. This work presents a framework for creating dynamic visual interfaces for improved situational awareness. The proposed framework determines the relevance of available information pieces and then applies the derived relevance scores to a visualization so that the most relevant and important information are emphasized to the end-users. In the presented work, a priori expert knowledge is encoded in the system through the use of Fuzzy Logic (FL) and the resulting FL inference system assigns scores to information pieces based on system state information and user defined relevance. These scores can then be used to organize and display the relevant data given the current situation and end-user roles. The proposed FL based scoring system was implemented on a real world control system dataset and we demonstrate how the information visualization is dynamically adapted to improve situational awareness. Further, we discuss potential methods the relevance scores can be incorporated into real world visualizations to increase the situational awareness in control systems.

OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information), Apr 17, 2018

OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information), Mar 12, 2021

2017 10th International Conference on Human System Interactions (HSI), 2017

Control systems monitor and command other devices, systems, and software within an infrastructure... more Control systems monitor and command other devices, systems, and software within an infrastructure. Typically, control systems employ human-in-the-loop control for critical decision making and response. These end-users require easy access to accurate, actionable and relevant data to ensure quick and effective decision making. This work presents a framework for creating dynamic visual interfaces for improved situational awareness. The proposed framework determines the relevance of available information pieces and then applies the derived relevance scores to a visualization so that the most relevant and important information are emphasized to the end-users. In the presented work, a priori expert knowledge is encoded in the system through the use of Fuzzy Logic (FL) and the resulting FL inference system assigns scores to information pieces based on system state information and user defined relevance. These scores can then be used to organize and display the relevant data given the current situation and end-user roles. The proposed FL based scoring system was implemented on a real world control system dataset and we demonstrate how the information visualization is dynamically adapted to improve situational awareness. Further, we discuss potential methods the relevance scores can be incorporated into real world visualizations to increase the situational awareness in control systems.

2017 Resilience Week (RWS), 2017

Biomass feedstock preprocessing through comminution is an essential first step in biofuel product... more Biomass feedstock preprocessing through comminution is an essential first step in biofuel production. Chemical, physical and mechanical variability in feedstock prevents the preprocessing plants from assuming constant control parameters. Constant control parameters can lead to suboptimal capability and reliability. However, adapting the control parameters to account for the variabilities is not a trivial task. This paper presents a framework for adapting control parameters through data driven methodologies. The framework named PDU-RS is a decision support system for human in the loop control. PDU-RS is implemented on the Biofuels National User Facility Preprocessing Process Demonstration Unit (PDU), operated by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in Idaho Falls, Idaho. PDU-RS aims at ensuring reliability in the overall operations of the PDU while maximizing throughput. Presented implementation of the PDU-RS uses Gaussian Processes (GP) for knowledge extraction from data. This paper elaborates on the PDU-RS and presents the experimental results of implementing the PDU-RS on the real Biomass PDU. The experimental results demonstrated that the PDU-RS is able to produce significantly higher throughputs while ensuring higher reliability when compared to the traditional control methodology used with the system.

OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information), Dec 1, 2005

The long term durability of WAXFIX i , a paraffin based grout, was evaluated for in situ grouting... more The long term durability of WAXFIX i , a paraffin based grout, was evaluated for in situ grouting of activated beryllium wastes in the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA), a radioactive landfill at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex, part of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The evaluation considered radiological and biological mechanisms that could degrade the grout using data from an extensive literature search and previous tests of in situ grouting at the INL. Conservative radioactive doses for WAXFIX were calculated from the "hottest" (i.e., highest-activity) Advanced Test Reactor beryllium block in the SDA.. These results indicate that WAXFIX would not experience extensive radiation damage for many hundreds of years. Calculation of radiation induced hydrogen generation in WAXFIX indicated that grout physical performance should not be reduced beyond the effects of radiation dose on the molecular structure. Degradation of a paraffin-based grout by microorganisms in the SDA is possible and perhaps likely, but the rate of degradation will be at a slower rate than found in the literature reviewed. The calculations showed the outer 0.46 m (18 in.) layer of each monolith, which represents the minimum expected distance to the beryllium block, was calculated to require 1,000 to 3,600 years to be consumed. The existing data and estimations of biodegradation and radiolysis rates for WAXFIX/paraffin do not indicate any immediate problems with the use of WAXFIX for grouting beryllium or other wastes in the SDA..

Waste Management 2003 Symposium, Tucson, AZ (US), 02/23/2003--02/27/2003, Feb 27, 2003

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more costeffective techn... more The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more costeffective technologies for the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of nuclear facilities. The Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area (DDFA) of the DOE's Office of Science and Technology (OST) sponsored large-scale demonstration and deployment projects (LSDDPs) to help bring new technologies into the D&D programs. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) LSDDP generated a list of needs defining specific problems where improved technologies could be incorporated into ongoing D&D tasks. The needs fell into 5 major categoriescharacterization, dismantlement, safety, material dispositioning, and decontamination. Technologies were carefully selected that provide a large benefit for a small investment. The technologies must provide significant improvements in cost, safety, radiation exposure, waste volume reduction, or schedule savings and widely applicable throughout the DOE complex. The LSDDP project provided training for the new technologies and worked with technology suppliers to resolve any questions that arose. Since 1998, 26 technologies have been demonstrated or deployed through the LSDDP for the D&D program at the INEEL. Of the 26 demonstrated and deployed technologies, 14 were in characterization, 3 were in decontamination, 4 were in dismantlement, 3 were in safety, and 2 were in material dispositioning. To promote the use of these technologies at other sites within the DOE complex, the LSDDP team published fact sheets, videos, technology summary reports, articles in INEEL star newspaper, posters, and maintained an internet home page on the project. As a result, additional deployments have taken place at the Hanford, Mound, Fernald, Oak Ridge, Ashtabula, and West Valley. Eight of the 26 technologies evaluated were developed in foreign countries. The technologies demonstrated have been shown to be faster, less expensive, and/or safer. The technologies evaluated through the LSDDP have provided improvements in the following D&D areas: robotic underwater characterization of fuel storage pools, characterization of scrap metal for recycle, PCB and RCRA metals analysis in soil, water, paint, or sludge, subsurface characterization, personnel safety, waste disposal, scaffolding use, and remote radiation characterization of buildings and soil. It is estimated that the technologies demonstrated and deployed through this program will save more than 50WM′03Conference,February23−27,2003,TucsonAZmilliondollarsoverthenext10yearsattheINEELalone.Ofthe50 WM'03 Conference, February 23-27, 2003, Tucson AZ million dollars over the next 10 years at the INEEL alone. Of the 50WM′03Conference,February23−27,2003,TucsonAZmilliondollarsoverthenext10yearsattheINEELalone.Ofthe50 million estimated dollars saved, about 75% of the savings will come from characterization technologies, 11% from technologies associated with material dispositioning, 10% are associated with dismantlement technologies and the balance split between safety and decontamination.

This is a preprint of a paper intended for publication in a journal or proceedings. Since changes... more This is a preprint of a paper intended for publication in a journal or proceedings. Since changes may be made before publication, this preprint should not be cited or reproduced without permission of the author. This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, or any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for any third party's use, or the results of such use, of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use by such third party would not infringe privately owned rights. The views expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of the United States Government or the sponsoring agency.

CRC Press eBooks, Jul 14, 2023

Nuclear Technology, Sep 1, 2007

The long term durability of WAXFIX i , a paraffin based grout, was evaluated for in situ grouting... more The long term durability of WAXFIX i , a paraffin based grout, was evaluated for in situ grouting of activated beryllium wastes in the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA), a radioactive landfill at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex, part of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The evaluation considered radiological and biological mechanisms that could degrade the grout using data from an extensive literature search and previous tests of in situ grouting at the INL. Conservative radioactive doses for WAXFIX were calculated from the "hottest" (i.e., highest-activity) Advanced Test Reactor beryllium block in the SDA.. These results indicate that WAXFIX would not experience extensive radiation damage for many hundreds of years. Calculation of radiation induced hydrogen generation in WAXFIX indicated that grout physical performance should not be reduced beyond the effects of radiation dose on the molecular structure. Degradation of a paraffin-based grout by microorganisms in the SDA is possible and perhaps likely, but the rate of degradation will be at a slower rate than found in the literature reviewed. The calculations showed the outer 0.46 m (18 in.) layer of each monolith, which represents the minimum expected distance to the beryllium block, was calculated to require 1,000 to 3,600 years to be consumed. The existing data and estimations of biodegradation and radiolysis rates for WAXFIX/paraffin do not indicate any immediate problems with the use of WAXFIX for grouting beryllium or other wastes in the SDA..

ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Jan 16, 2020

Early lignocellulosic biorefineries have been plagued with numerous issues that involve feedstock... more Early lignocellulosic biorefineries have been plagued with numerous issues that involve feedstock handling problems and variations in conversion efficacy that stem from feedstock variability and complexity in dimensional, physical, chemical, and mechanical attributes. Feedstock ash and moisture content vary considerably in corn stover harvested from farms for bioconversion, and their effects on preprocessing (grinding/milling) and subsequent chemical and enzymatic conversion to fermentable sugars is systematically explored here using pilot-scale hammer mill grinders and a chemical hydrolysis reactor. Corn stover with high ash content due to contamination from soil was found to (1) consume higher power during grinding resulting in reductions of processing rates and (2) produce a larger fraction of fines in the feedstock that were lost to dust mitigation systems causing higher mechanical wear rates. Corn stover feedstock coming from fields with a high residual moisture content resulting in bale degradation due to self-heating caused a more pronounced drop in preprocessing throughput due to grinder overloads and process upsets leading to equipment downtime. Conversion yield to sugars was not affected, although differences in fermentation performance on these sugar streams was not examined. The overall process throughput was only 40−70% of nameplate capacity due to preprocessing problems.

ABSTRACT Preprocessing is a critical operation in the biomass feedstock assembly system of a lign... more ABSTRACT Preprocessing is a critical operation in the biomass feedstock assembly system of a lignocellulosic biorefinery. Preprocessing is typically accomplished using industrial grinders to grind, chop, or otherwise size-reduce biomass materials into a suitable feedstock for conversion to biofuels and bioproducts. Various components of commercial preprocessing equipment capable of handling large-format material (such as large square bales) can be modified or altered to change the overall productivity and efficiency of the process. Many factors affect machine capacity and efficiency and the physical characteristics of preprocessed biomass. Ultimately, grinder capacity and efficiency can be enhanced by selecting hammer and screen configurations that optimize grinder performance-based mass flow and energy consumption. Variations in grinder capacity and efficiency were evaluated by altering the type, number, and orientation of the hammer; the screen type and size; and the rotational drum speed of the grinder. Fuel use and grinder capacity were compared with each modification made to the grinder system and the original design of the horizontal grinder test platform. Modifications evaluated in this study resulted in a significant increase in grinder capacity and efficiency.

Fuel Processing Technology, Dec 1, 2015

Due to its low density and poor flowability, raw biomass may not be an economically viable feedst... more Due to its low density and poor flowability, raw biomass may not be an economically viable feedstock for the production of biofuels. However, mechanical densification can be employed to improve its viability. In this study, the flow properties (compressibility, shear, and wall friction) of "pure" feedstocks (corn stover, hybrid poplar, switchgrass and Miscanthus), and feedstock blends, are investigated and compared to measured pelleting energy consumption values. As anticipated, the more compressible materials required lower pelletization energies. Conversely, the less flowable feedstocks (i.e., the materials with higher cohesion and yield strength) were less energy intensive to pellet. In addition, the flowability parameters of the blended materials could be predicted by averaging the measured flow parameters of their pure feedstock constituents. Therefore, only the flow characteristics of the pure feedstocks need to be directly measured, while the flowability of a blended feedstock with a known blend ratio can be accurately inferred. A model was also developed to calculate the required pressure to pellet a particular feedstock, pure or blended, based on its flowability parameters (namely compressibility and wall friction). Strong correlation was observed between the measured pelleting energy consumption and the predicted pelleting pressure values. This newly developed model allows for a material's pelleting feasibility to be assessed without having to physically pelletize the material.

OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information), Aug 1, 2002

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more cost-effective tech... more The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more cost-effective technologies for use in decontaminating and decommissioning nuclear facilities. To this end, the Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area of DOE's Office of Science and Technology sponsors Large-Scale Demonstration and Deployment Projects (LSDDP) to test new technologies. As part of these projects, developers and vendors showcase new products designed to decrease health and safety risks to personnel and the environment, increase productivity, and lower costs.

OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information), Jan 22, 2020

(INL) is investigating potential treatment methods for the waste buried at the Subsurface Disposa... more (INL) is investigating potential treatment methods for the waste buried at the Subsurface Disposal Area, a radioactive landfill that is part of the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC). The wastes include a variety of sludges, debris, and nitrate salts, contaminated with hazardous chemicals and transuranic (TRU) and non-TRU radionuclides. Alternatives under consideration include in situ thermal desorption (ISTD), in situ grouting (ISG), and ex-situ grouting (ESG). The investigations involve literature searches and bench-and engineering-scale tests to determine the feasibility and applicability of the candidate treatment methods. Researchers have used both surrogate and retrieved waste in recent testing. The retrieved wastes were nitrate salts from Pad A and TRU sludge from composite samples collected during the Glovebox Extractor Method Project at Pit 9. Project personnel have collected information from previously performed ISV testing, but did not perform any additional ISV testing. Reactivity and thermal desorption tests have filled in gaps in support of in situ thermal desorption. At the same time, compressive strength, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and leachability tests have generated data to assess the feasibility of grouting the SDA waste. Additional tests will be performed in fiscal year 2005. This paper summarizes the fiscal year 2004 testing and results.

Control systems monitor and command other devices, systems, and software within an infrastructure... more Control systems monitor and command other devices, systems, and software within an infrastructure. Typically, control systems employ human-in-the-loop control for critical decision making and response. These end-users require easy access to accurate, actionable and relevant data to ensure quick and effective decision making. This work presents a framework for creating dynamic visual interfaces for improved situational awareness. The proposed framework determines the relevance of available information pieces and then applies the derived relevance scores to a visualization so that the most relevant and important information are emphasized to the end-users. In the presented work, a priori expert knowledge is encoded in the system through the use of Fuzzy Logic (FL) and the resulting FL inference system assigns scores to information pieces based on system state information and user defined relevance. These scores can then be used to organize and display the relevant data given the current situation and end-user roles. The proposed FL based scoring system was implemented on a real world control system dataset and we demonstrate how the information visualization is dynamically adapted to improve situational awareness. Further, we discuss potential methods the relevance scores can be incorporated into real world visualizations to increase the situational awareness in control systems.

OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information), Apr 17, 2018

OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information), Mar 12, 2021

2017 10th International Conference on Human System Interactions (HSI), 2017

Control systems monitor and command other devices, systems, and software within an infrastructure... more Control systems monitor and command other devices, systems, and software within an infrastructure. Typically, control systems employ human-in-the-loop control for critical decision making and response. These end-users require easy access to accurate, actionable and relevant data to ensure quick and effective decision making. This work presents a framework for creating dynamic visual interfaces for improved situational awareness. The proposed framework determines the relevance of available information pieces and then applies the derived relevance scores to a visualization so that the most relevant and important information are emphasized to the end-users. In the presented work, a priori expert knowledge is encoded in the system through the use of Fuzzy Logic (FL) and the resulting FL inference system assigns scores to information pieces based on system state information and user defined relevance. These scores can then be used to organize and display the relevant data given the current situation and end-user roles. The proposed FL based scoring system was implemented on a real world control system dataset and we demonstrate how the information visualization is dynamically adapted to improve situational awareness. Further, we discuss potential methods the relevance scores can be incorporated into real world visualizations to increase the situational awareness in control systems.

2017 Resilience Week (RWS), 2017

Biomass feedstock preprocessing through comminution is an essential first step in biofuel product... more Biomass feedstock preprocessing through comminution is an essential first step in biofuel production. Chemical, physical and mechanical variability in feedstock prevents the preprocessing plants from assuming constant control parameters. Constant control parameters can lead to suboptimal capability and reliability. However, adapting the control parameters to account for the variabilities is not a trivial task. This paper presents a framework for adapting control parameters through data driven methodologies. The framework named PDU-RS is a decision support system for human in the loop control. PDU-RS is implemented on the Biofuels National User Facility Preprocessing Process Demonstration Unit (PDU), operated by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in Idaho Falls, Idaho. PDU-RS aims at ensuring reliability in the overall operations of the PDU while maximizing throughput. Presented implementation of the PDU-RS uses Gaussian Processes (GP) for knowledge extraction from data. This paper elaborates on the PDU-RS and presents the experimental results of implementing the PDU-RS on the real Biomass PDU. The experimental results demonstrated that the PDU-RS is able to produce significantly higher throughputs while ensuring higher reliability when compared to the traditional control methodology used with the system.