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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Failure Behavior and Control-Based Mitigation for a Parallel Hybrid Propulsion System

NASA is pursuing research to advance Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) technologies that address fuel burn and emission reduction goals. EAP brings the potential for improved performance over the state of the art. However, for these systems to be practical and certifiable, they need to possess adequate robustness to adverse conditions including a variety of system failures that are not applicable to conventional turbofans today. Numerous EAP concepts interface gas turbine engines with an electrical power system that includes electric machines and sometimes electrical energy storage. The expansion of the powertrain increases the probability of encountering a failure and introduces new failure modes. Failures within the electrical power system may also impact the gas turbine engine(s) to which the electrical powertrain is coupled. This effort investigates failures originating in the electrical power system and their impact on the parallel hybrid propulsion system. Reversionary control strategies are also demonstrated to reduce the impact of the failures. Failure mitigation strategies were devised and employed in simulation. Various failure scenarios were simulated including those occurring during steady state operation, transients, and takeoff and landing scenarios. The timing of the failure and delay in failure identification and activation of mitigation strategies are noteworthy variables in the study. While the system remained stable throughout all failure scenarios, delays in failure identification could result in undesirable conditions such as increased operating temperatures and reduced stall margin. The results demonstrate successful mitigation of failures through reversionary control modes and help to generate confidence in the robustness of the conceptual parallel hybrid propulsion system.

Failure behavior↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Failure Behavior and Control Based Mitigation for a Parallel Hybrid Propulsion System

NASA is pursuing research to advance Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) technologies that address fuel burn and emission reduction goals. EAP brings the potential for improved performance over the state of the art. However, for these systems to be practical and certifiable, they need to possess adequate robustness to adverse conditions including a variety of system failures that are not applicable to conventional turbofans today. Numerous EAP concepts interface gas turbine engines with an electrical power system that includes electric machines and sometimes electrical energy storage. The expansion of the powertrain increases the probability of encountering a failure and introduces new failure modes. Failures within the electrical power system may also impact the gas turbine engine(s) to which the electrical powertrain is coupled. This effort investigates failures originating in the electrical power system and their impact on the parallel hybrid propulsion system. Reversionary control strategies are also demonstrated to reduce the impact of the failures. Failure mitigation strategies were devised and employed in simulation. Various failure scenarios were simulated including those occurring during steady state operation, transients, and takeoff and landing scenarios. The timing of the failure and delay in failure identification and activation of mitigation strategies are noteworthy variables in the study. While the system remained stable throughout all failure scenarios, delays in failure identification could result in undesirable conditions such as increased operating temperatures and reduced stall margin. The results demonstrate successful mitigation of failures through reversionary control modes and help to generate confidence in the robustness of the conceptual parallel hybrid propulsion system.

Failure behavior↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Strategies Toward Lunar Dust Adhesion Mitigation

Recently, the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate solicited feedback to prioritize shortfalls, which were defined as technology areas needed to enable future exploration missions. Lunar dust mitigation emerged as a critical area and is cross-cutting with many of the highest ranked shortfalls with passive dust mitigation technologies being directly ranked in the top 50. Hazards associated with lunar dust are ubiquitous across all aspects of long duration lunar surface missions, whether crewed or robotic, due to the abrasive, electrostatically charged, and chemically reactive properties of lunar dust. Compounding the issue, lunar dust moves across the lunar surface due to levitation, twilight craters, and plume-surface interactions, which can result in particle velocities exceeding 1 km/h. To address lunar dust challenges, NASA is developing active and passive adhesion mitigation technologies to address specific mission needs, including electrodynamic dust screens, piezoelectric materials, biomimetic engineered surfaces, among many others. Additionally, abrasion-resistant materials are being evaluated for applications for use near landing sites and in surface manipulation and excavation equipment. These approaches, as well as test methodologies both in the laboratory and on the lunar surface to evaluate technology efficacy, will be described.

Dust Mitigation↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization and microbial mitigation of fugitive methane emissions from oil and gas wells: Example from Indiana, USA

Hydrocarbon gas emissions from active, inactive, and improperly sealed or abandoned oil/gas wells significantly contribute to anthropogenically emitted greenhouse gases, predominantly in the form of methane (CH 4 ). We explored the extent of hydrocarbon gas emissions from 20 active, inactive, plugged and abandoned oil/gas wells in Indiana (USA), where it is estimated that there are more than 80,000 well sites throughout the state. After this initial survey, using a static flux tent, we quantified fugitive CH4 emissions from an active gas well to approximately 2 L h -1 . To evaluate the potential for microbial mitigation of hydrocarbon emissions to the atmosphere, we conducted laboratory microcosm experiments to quantify the CH 4 oxidizing potential of soils collected from sites with varying distances to the leaking gas well. Soils in close proximity to the well (0.5 m) efficiently consumed nearly all (97 %) of the added CH 4 , while only 14 % of added CH 4 was consumed by soils that were more distant from the well (20 m). These results suggest that fugitive CH 4 emissions enrich methanotrophic bacteria in soils immediately adjacent to the well. Consistent with this view, we found that prolonged exposure of soils to elevated concentrations of CH 4 enhanced the methanotrophic activity. Together, these findings prompted us to design a “methanotrophic soil mound” to assess the feasibility of mitigating point sources of CH 4 by harnessing the natural methanotrophic capacity of soil microbial communities. We found that a methanotrophic soil mound from a landfill could sustainably mitigate the CH 4 emission from the artificial source, providing a promising low-cost solution to ameliorate fugitive CH 4 emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells to the atmosphere. Finally, the effectiveness of microbe-based remediation is limited in cold climates and arid environments.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Comparative analysis of various pretreatments to mitigate fouling and scaling in membrane distillation

Membrane distillation (MD) has shown strong promise for treating hypersaline produced water (PW) streams. Scaling and fouling on the membrane surface, however, have been identified as major challenges for commercialization and widespread application. The focus of this study was to first identify the nature of foulants and scalants on the membrane surface and then investigate the pretreatment strategies that mitigate the extent of fouling and scaling on the membrane surface. Vacuum MD (VMD) was selected for this study because of its higher flux at more moderate feed temperatures that eventually leads better assessment of fouling and scaling on the membrane surface. VMD flux tests were carried out with three different real PW samples at total dissolved solids concentrations in the range of 120-160 g/L. It was found that an efficient pretreatment prior to MD is required to mitigate the fouling potential of the organic matter, mostly suspended constituents, in PW samples. Suspended organics fouled and quickly wetted the MD membrane. Major conventional treatments, including filtration, oxidation, coagulation, air floatation, and aeration were investigated to pretreat the PW before VMD tests. A comprehensive comparative analysis is presented showing that the ultrafiltration and coagulation pretreatments displayed the best performance in mitigating the fouling and scaling, while oxidative pretreatment was found to be effective in reducing the iron concentration to less than 5 ppm. The surface of scaled membranes was carefully characterized to further evaluate the performance of each pretreatment. The components that had the highest tendency to precipitate on the membrane surface were identified as strontium sulfate, calcium carbonate, sodium chloride, iron oxide, and silica. In closing, these findings are supported by thermodynamic estimation of the saturation index.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Gas hydrate deposit formation in transient flowloop tests and mitigation with a surface treatment

Thermodynamic and thermal mitigation strategies are traditionally utilized to prevent gas hydrate formation but may be rendered ineffective for certain unplanned, extended shut-in scenarios. Unfortunately, the current knowledge regarding transient gas hydrate formation has been extremely limited to only a few studies and unable to address this complex issue adequately. This work, conducted in a lab-scale flowloop, aims to add to the understanding of this area by delving into the implications of transient conditions on gas hydrate formation mechanisms, while also exploring a possible mitigation strategy of a surface treatment. Specifically, the effects of phase separation on gas hydrate formation locations, transportability, and plugging are presented for an oil-dominated system. An omniphobic surface treatment is shown to affect initial gas hydrate deposition and its wall adherence strength, as well as the overall plugging outcome. Overall, this work combines observational information with process data measurements to provide a better understanding of phase separated gas hydrate systems and passive deposition mitigation strategies. This can further aid advanced gas hydrate modeling efforts, which currently do not adequately address transient flow effects on phase separation/dispersion. Here, it offers representative gas hydrate testing for coatings, which have exclusively been limited to non-flowing and/or bench-scale analysis, to give confidence in their potential application as advanced deposition prevention tools.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Context and mitigation of lost circulation during geothermal drilling in diverse geologic settings

Lost circulation is one of the most common and expensive problems facing geothermal energy development, representing up to 30% of drilling costs. We examined drilling records from four geothermal fields—McGinness Hills in central Nevada, Don A. Campbell and Steamboat Hills in western Nevada, and Puna Geothermal Venture on the Big Island of Hawai'i— to identify geologies most prone to lost circulation, as well as common mitigation strategies. Depths of lost circulation events varied, but their frequency often increased in the production interval. Lost circulation commonly occurred near fault intersections, and heavily faulted fields like McGinness Hills and Don A. Campbell showed secondary mineralization within approximately 100 m (328 ft) or less of where circulation was lost. Lost circulation mitigation strategies included using locally available materials (e.g., cotton seed hulls) as well as more expensive proprietary lost circulation materials, cement plugs above the reservoir, and drilling blind with aerated, polymer-based mud in the production zone. Addressing lost circulation using a well thought out decision-making approach and materials above the reservoir will save time and cost, and provide needed well integrity. Mitigation often requires a series of steps, typically applied from perceived least expensive to most, and are dependent on the severity and location in the well where circulation was lost and availability of materials. Placing cement plugs can cure lost circulation events, however these plugs are often expensive, time-consuming, and may not be successful.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Novel nonwetting solid-infused surfaces for superior fouling mitigation

Fouling is a ubiquitous issue in several environmental and energy applications. Here we introduce novel nonwetting solid-infused surfaces (SIS) with superior anti-fouling characteristics that are durable than conventional nonwetting surfaces in a dynamic flow environment. A systematic study is presented to elucidate the fouling mitigation performance of SIS in comparison to lubricant-infused surface (LIS) and conventional smooth surface. Copper tubes with SIS, LIS or smooth inner walls are fabricated and subjected to accelerated calcium sulfate fouling in a flow fouling experimental setup. Fouling on the various surface types is quantified in terms of asymptotic fouling resistance, and the fundamental morphological differences in the interactions of the foulant and the various surface types are analyzed. Based on a systematic sweep of the parameter combinations using design of experiments and Taguchi analysis, an analytical dependence of asymptotic fouling resistance on the governing parameters namely, Reynolds number, foulant concentration and temperature is derived. The analytical model is shown to predict the asymptotic fouling resistance to within 20% accuracy with a 95% confidence. In addition, for the first time, the effects of shear durability on the fouling mitigation performance of LIS vis-à-vis SIS are studied. It is shown that the novel nonwetting SIS offers a robust option for superior fouling mitigation over LIS in the long run.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mitigating spectral bias in neural operators via high-frequency scaling for physical systems

Neural operators have emerged as powerful surrogates for modeling complex physical problems. However, they suffer from spectral bias making them oblivious to high-frequency modes, which are present in multiscale physical systems. Therefore, they tend to produce over-smoothed solutions, which is particularly problematic in modeling turbulence and for systems with intricate patterns and sharp gradients such as multi-phase flow systems. In this work, we introduce a new approach named high-frequency scaling (HFS) to mitigate spectral bias in convolutional-based neural operators. By integrating HFS with proper variants of UNet, we demonstrate a higher prediction accuracy by mitigating spectral bias in single and two-phase flow problems. Unlike Fourierbased techniques, HFS is directly applied to the latent space, thus eliminating the computational cost associated with the Fourier transform. Additionally, we investigate alternative spectral bias mitigation through a diffusion model conditioned on neural operators. While the diffusion model integrated with the standard neural operator may still suffer from significant errors, these errors are substantially reduced when the diffusion model is integrated with a HFS-enhanced neural operator.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Progress and opportunities in corrosion mitigation in heat transfer fluids for next-generation concentrating solar power

Concentrating solar power (CSP) systems have gained considerable eminence in converting solar thermal energy into electrical power in recent years. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Gen3 roadmap, the CSP system should operate > 700 °C, as its efficiency depends directly on the operating temperature of the heat transfer fluids (HTFs). A significant challenge, however, is the corrosion of containment materials by the HTFs that is exacerbated at the higher temperatures. A comprehensive review of the high temperature stable HTFs, their properties, corrosion mechanisms on different alloys, and corrosion mitigation measures is of much importance for directing a concerted research and development in the field, which forms the motivation for this compendium. First, molten salt HTFs and their thermophysical properties, along with liquid metals, are introduced. Corrosion of structural materials in different HTFs including molten salts, liquid metals, and supercritical carbon-di-oxide at various temperatures and the corrosion mechanisms are comprehensively reviewed. In addition, several corrosion mitigation methods are discussed. Finally, future directions for HTFs and corrosion mitigation methods in molten salts are proposed. As a result, the holistic review presented here will serve as the foundation for further research addressing relevant challenges and enabling the promise of achieving cost-competitive CSP.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

A review of transformative strategies for climate mitigation by grasslands

Grasslands can significantly contribute to climate mitigation. However, recent trends indicate that human activities have switched their net cooling effect to a warming effect due to management intensification and land conversion. This indicates an urgent need for strategies directed to mitigate climate warming while enhancing productivity and efficiency in the use of land and natural (nutrients, water) resources. Here, in this work, we examine the potential of four innovative strategies to slow climate change including: 1) Adaptive multi-paddock grazing that consists of mimicking how ancestral herds roamed the Earth; 2) Agrivoltaics that consists of simultaneously producing food and energy from solar panels on the same land area; 3) Agroforestry with a reverse phenology tree species, Faidherbia (Acacia) albida, that has the unique trait of being photosynthetically active when intercropped herbaceous plants are dormant; and, 4) Enhanced Weathering, a negative emission technology that removes atmospheric CO 2 from the atmosphere. Further, we speculate about potential unknown consequences of these different management strategies and identify gaps in knowledge. We find that all these strategies could promote at least some of the following benefits of grasslands: CO 2 sequestration, non-CO 2 GHG mitigation, productivity, resilience to climate change, and an efficient use of natural resources. However, there are obstacles to be overcome. Mechanistic assessment of the ecological, environmental, and socio-economic consequences of adopting these strategies at large scale are urgently needed to fully assess the potential of grasslands to provide food, energy and environmental security.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling, testing, and mitigation of electromagnetic pulse on PV systems

Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) poses a significant threat to the normal operation of power systems, especially with the increasing penetration of renewable energy. Without adequate protection, EMP can severely damage equipment or result in circuit breakdowns or short circuits. Solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities are particularly susceptible to EMP since PV systems are outdoors and exposed to EMP radiation. To assess and mitigate this threat, this paper summarizes various models and tests used to study the effects of EMP on PV systems, assesses the nature of the threat, and identifies measures to mitigate it. The paper provides a comprehensive review by categorizing analytical methods based on their pros and cons, introducing and describing EMP-related events, and providing a taxonomy of analytical methods for studying EMP. This paper compares the processes of modeling, testing, and mitigating EMP at both the component and system levels of PV systems. Furthermore, it also presents a case study that reveals the vulnerability of solar inverters to EMP using the pulse current injection method. Finally, the paper discusses some of the remaining challenges that should be considered in future solar PV system design and deployment.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Trees halve urban heat island effect globally but unequal benefits only modestly mitigate climate-change warming

Although tree cover reduces the urban heat island, no global estimate quantifies air temperature reductions by contemporary or future tree cover, currently and with climate change. Here, we estimate these reductions for all 8,919 large urban areas. Current urban tree cover mitigates 41–49% of the maximum potential air-temperature urban heat island that would occur in the absence of tree canopy. Tree canopy reduces summer air temperature by a population-weighted mean of 0.15 ± 0.03 °C, with wide variation (0.0–2.7 °C), benefiting 914 (805–1040, 95% CI) million people by >0.25 °C. Cooling benefits are greater in already cooler areas: high-income countries and suburbs. Current and plausible future tree cover mitigate only ~10% (6.7–18% and 6.3–17%, respectively) of the median mid-century climate-change warming under a moderate emission scenario. Our results suggest tree canopy expansion in densely settled low-income urban areas is necessary for equitable urban heat island mitigation and climate adaptation.

McDonald, Robert I. [The Nature Conservancy (TNC),↗
DOE OSTI2025

Comprehensive analysis of disruption mitigation methods using gas and pellet-like injections in ITER-like Tokamaks

Abstract Inert-gas shielding could be an effective mechanism for protection of plasma facing surfaces (PFS) against plasma particles impact and photon radiation heat loads during transient events in fusion devices. Neutral gas injection is one promising way to mitigate erosion of tokamak components and contamination. The objective of this work is to study and optimize mitigation methods using neutral gas and pellet-like injections to decrease the heat load to the divertor surfaces and to prevent vaporization of the various internal surfaces due to transient events in ITER-like devices. The integrated self-consistent models implemented in the HEIGHTS package was used for detailed analysis of the potential secondary plasma generation from the injected inert gas, its radiative characteristics, and shielding effectiveness. We varied the density, size, and location of an argon gas cloud to minimize the disruption energy deposited into the divertor components. We also investigated innovative ways for minor changes in ITER-like internal design to mitigate disruptions. We found the optimum parameters to fully protect ITER tokamak surfaces from erosion and vaporization during plasma instabilities. This preliminary analysis showed that using Ar gas injection methods could lead to enhancement in components lifetime in ITER-like and future DEMO devices with minor design changes.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cyberattack Detection and Mitigation on Central Volt‐VAr Using Circuit Law and Machine Learning

ABSTRACT In a distribution grid, voltage is maintained within a nominal range through a Volt‐VAr function that controls capacitor banks, reactive power of distributed energy resources (DER), and on‐load tap changers (OLTC). Availability of communications helps with the implementation of central Volt‐VAr control; however, it also opens the system to cyberattacks, causing voltage disturbances. Previous work has shown the adverse impacts of false data injection (FDI) on the central Volt‐VAr control; however, very few works have studied methods to detect and mitigate FDI on Volt‐VAr control. This paper addresses gaps in the detection and mitigation of FDI on the measurement packets of a central Volt‐VAr control. This work uses a two‐stage algorithm for cyberattack detection since the accuracy of a single‐stage machine learning (ML)–based detection method decreases while dealing with unseen data. The first stage is based on the verification of measurements against circuit laws, and the second stage utilizes a tree search algorithm and an ML method to detect the falsified data. This paper compares long short‐term memory (LSTM) and bidirectional LSTM (BiLSTM) as the employed ML algorithms. Finally, the mitigation algorithm replaces the falsified data with the estimated output of the ML algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed method is tested for several cases using the IEEE 13‐bus test system in PSCAD software.

Beikbabaei, Milad [Bradley Department of Electrica↗
DOE OSTI2020

Hydrogen Mitigation Process Installation at Nevada Solar One

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Acciona Solar Power (ASP) have developed and are implementing a process that addresses the issue of hydrogen buildup in parabolic trough power plants. Our method selectively removes hydrogen from the expansion tanks of the power plant to control hydrogen levels in the circulating heat-transfer fluid (HTF). During previous work, we developed a sensor that measures hydrogen partial pressure in the expansion-tank headspace gas. We demonstrated that our sensor measures hydrogen levels over a wide range of partial pressure—from 1.33 mbar down to 0.003 mbar. More recently, we conceived and developed an integrated process module that performs both hydrogen sensing and separating functions. The sensor/separator measures hydrogen partial pressure in the headspace gas in the same way as our original sensor design. Additionally, the integrated module separates hydrogen from the headspace gas to reduce hydrogen to the level needed to maintain the performance of receivers in the collector field. We demonstrated the performance of a laboratory-scale version of this module. Testing showed that the module performed as expected: the accuracy of the sensing function was ±7%, and the hydrogen extraction rate for the separating mode was consistent with our modeling predictions. The primary benefit of this module is its simple design, both in terms of function and incorporation into the HTF subsystem of the power plant. Most recently, NREL and ASP planned, specified, and designed a mitigation process that is based on the integrated module. We are currently completing installation of this process at ASP's Nevada Solar One power plant in Boulder City, Nevada, USA. The mitigation process is being installed at ground level below the HTF expansion tanks, where it draws headspace gas from the tanks, removes hydrogen, and returns the treated gas back to the tanks. In this paper, we report progress on the installation and describe some of the many design details and challenges that we addressed during the past year. We will generate initial performance data from the Nevada Solar One mitigation process in early 2020.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗
DOE OSTI2024

First-order crosstalk mitigation in parallel quantum gates driven with multi-photon transitions

Here, we demonstrate an order of magnitude reduction in the sensitivity to optical crosstalk for neighboring trapped-ion qubits during simultaneous single-qubit gates driven with individual addressing beams. Gates are implemented via two-photon Raman transitions, where crosstalk is mitigated by offsetting the drive frequencies for each qubit to avoid first-order crosstalk effects from inter-beam two-photon resonance. The technique is simple to implement, and we find that phase-dependent crosstalk due to optical interference is reduced on the most impacted neighbor from a maximal fractional rotation error of 0.185(4) without crosstalk mitigation to ≤0.006 with the mitigation strategy. Furthermore, we characterize first-order crosstalk in the two-qubit gate and avoid the resulting rotation errors for the arbitrary-axis Mølmer–Sørensen gate via a phase-agnostic composite gate. Finally, we demonstrate holistic system performance by constructing a composite CNOT gate using the improved single-qubit gates and phase-agnostic two-qubit gate. This work is done on the Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed; however, our methods are widely applicable for individual addressing Raman gates and impose no significant overhead, enabling immediate improvement for quantum processors that incorporate this technique.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Large ecosystem-scale effects of restoration fail to mitigate impacts of land-use legacies in longleaf pine savannas

Ecological restoration is a global priority, with potential to reverse biodiversity declines and promote ecosystem functioning. Yet, successful restoration is challenged by lingering legacies of past land-use activities, which are pervasive on lands available for restoration. Although legacies can persist for centuries following cessation of human land uses such as agriculture, we currently lack understanding of how land-use legacies affect entire ecosystems, how they influence restoration outcomes, or whether restoration can mitigate legacy effects. Using a large-scale experiment, we evaluated how restoration by tree thinning and land-use legacies from prior cultivation and subsequent conversion to pine plantations affect fire-suppressed longleaf pine savannas. In this work, we evaluated 45 ecological properties across four categories: 1) abiotic attributes, 2) organism abundances, 3) species diversity, and 4) species interactions. The effects of restoration and land-use legacies were pervasive, shaping all categories of properties, with restoration effects roughly twice the magnitude of legacy effects. Restoration effects were of comparable magnitude in savannas with and without a history of intensive human land use; however, restoration did not mitigate numerous legacy effects present prior to restoration. As a result, savannas with a history of intensive human land use supported altered properties, especially related to soils, even after restoration. The signature of past human land-use activities can be remarkably persistent in the face of intensive restoration, influencing the outcome of restoration across diverse ecological properties. Understanding and mitigating land-use legacies will maximize the potential to restore degraded ecosystems.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗