Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)

By collaborating with Argonne and software developer Convergent Science, Inc., heavy equipment manufacturing giant Cummins gained access to cutting-edge computer modeling and analysis tools and expertise that allowed it to achieve major advances in fuel economy and reduce development costs and time-to-market for engines.

Argonne, through its Virtual Engine Research Institute and Fuels Initiative (VERIFI), has developed engine models and software for large-scale computer simulations that provide – in virtual space, before costly physical production ever begins – a better understanding of how internal combustion engine parameters interact.

As part of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), Cummins, Argonne, and Convergent Science, Inc., conducted simulations on Cummins engine products, focusing specifically on the fluid dynamics of fuel injectors. Argonne’s fuel spray modeling capabilities and advanced load-balancing algorithm technologies: allow for more reliable analytical calculations; lower dependence on experimental engines and prototypes, and accelerate new engine concepts and design to market.

VERIFI’s products have won a prestigious Federal Lab Consortium (FLC) Award as well as an HPC (High-Performance Computing) Innovation Excellence Award.

CRADA Outcome

Argonne’s fuel spray modeling capabilities and advanced load-balancing algorithm technologies have given Cummins access to more reliable analytical calculations; the work has lowered Cummins' dependence on experimental engines and prototypes and has accelerated new engine concepts and design to market.

Since the 1995 sarin gas attack in a Tokyo subway, authorities have recognized that large interior structures are vulnerable to chemical (and biological) attacks. Particularly at risk are venues like subways, airports and government office buildings, where people are concentrated in small areas and quick evacuation is difficult; or enclosed buildings such as convention centers or arenas, where the threat may be high when the facility is occupied. In all cases, early detection and rapid response are essential to ensure crowd safety and the saving of lives.

Proper pre-planning, along with advanced technology, can provide facility management with an early warning to trigger emergency management tools and protocols and potentially save hundereds of lives.

Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have created an automated hardware/software system to improve the detection of and reaction to complex terrorist attacks involving chemical agents. The system, called PROTECT (Program for Response Options and Technology Enhancements for Chemical/Biological Terrorism), integrates chemical detectors, closed-circuit TV, dispersion modeling and optimal response protocols. Alarm and response management capabilities assist infrastructure operators and first responders by pinpointing agent release areas and projected dispersion zones and recommendeing appropriate, predetermined response scenarios.

Argonne’s SAS4A/SASSYS-1 safety analysis code system is a simulation tool that can perform deterministic transient safety analyses of anticipated operational events, as well as design-basis and beyond-design-basis accidents for advanced nuclear reactors. The original code development was for sodium-cooled fast reactors, and sodium boiling can be modeled. However, basic core thermal-hydraulics and systems analysis features are applicable to other liquid-metal cooled reactor concepts.

As evidenced by the licensee list above, SAS4A/SASSYS-1 is a globally deployed national asset, encompassing decades of Argonne specific research and development.

Applications

• Safety analysis of fast reactors
• Simulations for operational, design-basis and beyond-design-basis events
• Passive heat removal and natural circulation flow predictions
• Severe accident modeling with sodium boiling, fuel melting and pin failure

The success of modern industries – especially those that are electricity-intensive – depends on complex engineering systems to ensure safe, productive and efficient operations. System breakdowns can result in millions of dollars in lost time and productivity – and even the loss of life and property. For example, in the utilities industry, where the continuous operation of coolant pumps is essential, the breakdown of a single pump can result in a loss of as much as $10 million in revenue.

Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory devised a unique early-warning system, called the Multivariate State Estimation Technique (MSET) that monitors the performance of sensors, equipment and plant processes in an industrial environment. A highly sensitive, highly accurate tool, MSET monitors the operations of any process that uses multiple sensors, detecting and alerting users of potential danger long before it occurs.

MSET has been used for light water reactor signal validation applications at the Florida Power Corporation Cystal River 3 nuclear power station. During the initial testing, MSET detected and identified a number of sensor problems. Other applications outside the power industry include improved manufacturing, enhanced energy use for co-generation technology, sensor validation for commercial jet engines, improved pharmaceutical quality assurance and aerospace applications.

For years, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has been used in a variety of applications, from passports to inventory tracking in retail environments. Homeland security concerns have heightened the need for sensitive, real-time tracking of thousands of radioactive and hazardous material packages to ensure accountability, safety, security and worker and public health. Argonne scientists successfully developed ARG-US (“watchful guardian”), a remote-sensing system for monitoring and tracking nuclear and other sensitive materials based on RFID technology.

ARG-US uses battery-powered RFID tag sensors to remotely monitor the vital parameters of packages containing sensitive materials and has automatic alarm notification capabilities. The original goal in developing ARG-US RFID technology was to support the U.S. Department of Energy in modernizing the life-cycle management of nuclear materials and enhancing safety, security safeguards, and sustainability.

The form factor of the RFID tag was designed to be broadly compatible with common packaging material and has undergone radiation endurance testing. The sensor suite includes seal integrity, radiation, temperature, humidity and shock, and can be expanded to accommodate additional sensors. Sophisticated battery management and monitoring extends battery life to 10 years or more.

The technology was licensed exclusively to Evigia Systems, Inc. in July 2012 for commercial production of components and systems for nuclear and non-nuclear applications. This agreement highlights the value of ARG-US RFID technology and will facilitate technology transfer to the marketplace. Evigia Systems, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of ISO-18000 Par 7 RFID tags and readers and has been a steady supplier for the U.S. Department of Defense.