Validating wave-to-wire model for wave energy converters
Sandia combined its expertise in hydrodynamics, mechatronics, dynamics and control, and systems engineering to significantly advance opportunities to use ocean waves for power generation by developing and validating a control system that optimizes performance of wave energy converters under variable conditions. The load-matching system, which uses a controllable magnetic resistance in place of a mechanical system, was integrated into Sandia’s WaveBot platform and tested at the Navy’s maneuvering and seakeeping basin. • 8000
$3.2M solar project at ABQ school
Sandia’s Energy Storage Demonstrations program provided technical analysis, project support and $650,000 of DOE funding to Albuquerque Public Schools’ largest solar-plus-storage installation (2,200 panels and a 2,884 kilowatt-hour battery). The $3.2 million project at Atrisco Heritage Academy High School will pay for itself after 13 years and will save the school district $3.5 million in electricity costs over its 25-year life. The solar-plus-storage installation at the southwest Albuquerque school also will enable the establishment of a community resilience hub for power emergencies. • 8000
Report informs national regulations for nuclear launch activities
As commercial space launches increase and many propose including nuclear power and propulsion systems, Sandia identified potential issues and evaluated overlapping and conflicting roles of the agencies responsible for safety and regulation of such activity. Sandia’s report led to the Labs’ authorization to represent the DOE/NNSA Office of Nuclear Incident Response on the federal government’s space nuclear splinter teams that are establishing interagency national regulations for space nuclear launch activities. • 1000, 8000
Next-gen baggage screening for TSA
Sandia is helping the Transportation Security Administration adopt open-architecture aviation security requirements that will allow it to respond to rapidly changing security threats. Sandia’s transfer of software and hardware were milestones for TSA to move to the open-architecture screening platform. • 8000
Simulations support decarbonizing energy infrastructure
Sandia updated the risk-assessment software MELCOR for use with new advanced nuclear reactors. The team demonstrated simulating accidents for advanced high-temperature gas-cooled reactor and sodium-cooled fast reactor concepts proposed by U.S. vendors. The successful deployment of these technologies will help decarbonize U.S. energy infrastructure and will require adequate mitigation of potential risks to public health and safety. The demonstration of MELCOR to simulate accidents enables advanced reactor deployment and demonstrates near-term readiness for Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing. • 8000
WIPP cleans up defense-generated transuranic waste
Sandia’s WIPP Performance Assessment and Decision Analysis Team successfully completed a planned-change request performance assessment of replacement panels. The assessment and analyses are a critical part of DOE’s request to the Environmental Protection Agency for a change to the WIPP repository footprint. The team demonstrated that WIPP with the replacement panels will continue to comply with EPA’s radioactive waste containment criteria. Approval of the change request aids DOE’s continuing mission to clean up defense-generated transuranic waste from around the complex. • 8000
Untitled Goose Tool tracks hackers
Sandia programmers are helping the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency through an innovative program that enlists Microsoft cloud users everywhere to track down hackers and cyberterrorists. Untitled Goose Tool was introduced to the public through a CISA alert in March. A Sandia cybersecurity team developed the free tool to track potentially malicious activity in Microsoft Azure, Azure Active Directory and Microsoft 365 environments. • 8000