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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Space Cooling: Recovery, Reuse, Recycling and Supply Chain Impacts

The global cooling sector has undergone tremendous growth in recent years, and cooling demand is projected to double or triple by 2050. Surging air conditioning demand will continue to be driven by increased populations, incomes and occurrences of extreme heat and humidity events. Cooling equipment growth has important pollution and material implications as they are made up of critical metals and precious raw materials - including ferrous metals, copper, aluminum and printed circuit boards composed of copper, silver, gold and palladium - that generate significant electronic waste at end-of-life. Air conditioning equipment also contains fluorinated gas (F-gas) refrigerants, which are potent gases that are thousands of times more heat-trapping than carbon dioxide (CO2). While recovery, reuse, and recycling strategies have been assessed for cold chain and refrigeration, there is currently limited analysis on how these strategies could be adopted for the global space cooling industry and potential supply chain implications. This paper aims to address this research gap by qualitatively evaluating product and material recovery, reuse and recycling frameworks from both demand and supply-side perspectives and with the support of cooling-specific case studies. It also focuses on quantitatively assessing potential energy, emissions and resource benefits of such strategies for space cooling equipment. This paper first analyzes how existing recovery, reuse and recycling frameworks can be applied to space cooling, with emphasis on the demand-side enablers (e.g., innovative business models, supporting policies and regulations) and changes in supply-side production network throughout the supply chain (e.g., design, production and distribution, end-of-life recovery) needed to overcome existing barriers. It will present case studies of innovative business models for space cooling technologies, including reuse and recycling, and how effective refrigerant reclamation and recovery programs have been operationalized. Lastly, the paper will highlight global modeling results of energy, emissions and material recovery from scenario analysis of selected strategies for air conditioners. The findings of this paper are intended to inform the development of product and material recovery, reuse and recycling strategies for a rapidly growing stock of space conditioning equipment by addressing existing organizational, economic and regulatory barriers and potential supply-chain bottlenecks.

Khanna, Nina↗
DOE OSTI2021

Water Migration and Swelling in Engineered Barrier Materials for Radioactive Waste Disposal

Deep, underground repositories are needed to isolate radioactive waste from the biosphere. Because bentonite is an integral component of many multibarrier repository systems, information on the hydraulic behavior of bentonite is crucial for modeling the long-term viability of such systems. In this paper the hydraulic behavior of bentonite samples was analyzed as a function of aggregate size, and samples were subjected to hydrothermal treatments involving contact with NaCl, KCl, and deionized water. Neutron and X-ray imaging were used to quantify water sorption into packed bentonite samples and bentonite swelling into the water column. The distance between the original clay-water interface and the wetting front was determined as a function of time. Average water uptake exhibited a square-root-of-time dependence in freshly prepared samples, but more variable rates were observed for samples previously in contact with water. The radiography was supported by small-angle neutron scattering analysis and ultra-small-angle neutron scattering analysis of aggregate size distributions and by inelastic neutron scattering to understand the physicochemical environment of the sorbed water. Results showed that hydrothermal treatment with KCl had the greatest effect of increased water transport in the bentonite, possibly as a result of the interaction of K + with smectite layers in the clay.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Organizational and psychological measures for data center energy efficiency: barriers and mitigation strategies

Abstract It was last estimated that in 2020, data centers comprised approximately 2% of total US electricity consumption, with an estimated annual growth rate of 4%. As our country increasingly relies on information technology (IT), our data centers (DCs) will need to increase their energy efficiency (EE) to stabilize their energy consumption. The task of studying EE in DCs is complicated by the interconnected nature of humans and mission-critical technical systems. Moreover, the literature tends to focus on technology solutions such as improvements to IT equipment, cooling infrastructure, and software, without addressing organizational and psychological drivers. Our research demystifies the complex interactions between humans and DCs, by asking What non-technical barriers impede EE investment decision-making and/or implementing energy management strategies? To begin to answer this question, we perform a literature review of 86 resources, ranging from peer-reviewed journal publications to handbooks. We also consider related fields such as organizational behavioral management and energy intensive buildings. We develop a public Zotero library, perform content coding, and complete a rudimentary network analysis. Our findings from the literature review suggest that (1) technological solutions are abundant in the literature but fall short of providing practical guidance on the pitfalls of implementation, (2) making energy efficiency a priority at the executive level of organizations will be largely ineffective if the IT and facilities staff are not directly incentivized to increase EE, and (3) there is minimal current understanding of how the individual psychologies of IT and facilities staff affect EE implementation in DCs. In the next phase of our research, we plan to interview data center operators/experts to ground-truth our literature findings and collaboratively design decarbonization policy solutions that target organizational structure, empower individual staff, and foster a supportive external market.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

TEM Approaches for Microstructure-Informed Prediction of Mechanical Properties in Structural Alloys

Predicting the mechanical performance of structural alloys from their evolving microstructure remains a major challenge in materials science, particularly for nuclear structural materials, where irradiation-induced defects span multiple types and length scales and interact through complex mechanisms. The dispersed barrier hardening (DBH) [1] and Friedel–Kroupa–Hirsch (FKH) [2,3] models have been widely used to evaluate the hardening contributions of individual obstacles and to estimate tensile strength from quantified microstructures; however, when multiple size-dependent obstacles coexist and evolve, predicting temperature-dependent tensile strength becomes significantly more complex, and a fully consistent hardening model is still lacking. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) plays a central role in refining hardening models and enabling predictive assessments of tensile strength evolution by providing quantitative characterization of dislocations, irradiation-induced defects (e.g., dislocation loops and cavities), precipitates, and grain structure (Fig. 1.). These experimentally measured defect densities are incorporated into physically based hardening models with size- and shape- dependent obstacle strengths [4], using root-sum-square superposition for obstacles of comparable strength and linear superposition for dissimilar ones [5]. In addition, recent advances in TEM [6-8], including high-resolution imaging, 4D-STEM strain mapping, EDS/EELS elemental analysis, and flash-polishing-based TEM specimen preparation and extraction-replica methods (Fig. 2), further improve the accuracy of microstructural quantification. By comparison with prior studies as well as our own results, we show that when TEM-derived microstructural information is carefully integrated with physically grounded hardening models, yield strength (or irradiation-induced hardening) measured at room temperature can be predicted with good quantitative agreement across multiple alloy classes. In-situ TEM combined with high-temperature mechanical testing represents an important next step for refining hardening models by directly probing dislocation–obstacle interactions across varying irradiation doses and temperatures [9]. Because the barrier strength factor (α) depends on both temperature and obstacle size, it should not be treated as a constant fitting parameter; rather, it must be explicitly evaluated to achieve physically meaningful predictions of mechanical behaviour at operating temperatures. This presentation therefore discusses why all strengthening contributions (e.g., Peierls stress, solid-solution strengthening, voids, bubbles, dislocation loops, dislocation lines, and grain boundaries) must be considered collectively, why appropriate superposition methods are essential when obstacles possess different barrier strength factors, how hardness measurements can be meaningfully related to tensile properties, and how TEM-derived microstructural information can be systematically incorporated into hardening models. More broadly, it outlines a pathway toward microstructure-informed prediction of mechanical properties and supports the goal of establishing science-based tools for evaluating structural materials in extreme environments [10].

Lin, Yan-Ru [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000339991473)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Current status of anaerobic digestion of food waste in the United States

Utilization of food waste (FW) and food processing waste streams in waste-to-energy technologies has increased over the years in United States (US). This review paper compiled information from published literature and open data sources to obtain a holistic view of the current state of FW availability and its management using anaerobic digestion (AD). The review examined the usage of FW as a feedstock for AD by considering the feedstock composition and availability of FW in the US as well as challenges and opportunities with implementing FW in mono- and co-digestion. Also presented are global trends in FW digestion and the current status of FW codigestion in the US. FW in the US was characterized with regard to volume and composition to show a need for waste management and an opportunity for valuable resource recovery. Challenges and opportunities of processing via AcoD were presented to review best practices for successful operations. Environmental standards, economic incentives, and governmental policies in the US and around the world regarding waste management and utilization were discussed to identify barriers and sources of opportunity for large-scale implementation of AcoD. Additionally, a range of facilities throughout the US was examined for information regarding digestion type, feedstock (s), biogas production and utilization, and energy self-sufficiency to better understand the current status of FW digestion. Several US facilities were outlined as case studies that co-digest FW and produce and utilize biogas for various applications. Future strategies, perspectives, and roadmaps were discussed to elucidate the shaping of future FW management practices.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Current limitations of solid-state NMR in carbohydrate and cell wall research

High-resolution investigation of cell wall materials has emerged as an important application of biomolecular solid-state NMR (ssNMR). Multidimensional correlation experiments have become a standard method for obtaining sufficient spectral resolution to determine the polymorphic structure of carbohydrates and address biochemical questions regarding the supramolecular organization of cell walls. Here, using plant cellulose and matrix polysaccharides as examples, we will review how the multifaceted complexity of polysaccharide structure is impeding the resonance assignment process and assess the available biochemical and spectroscopic approaches that could circumvent this barrier. We will emphasize the ineffectiveness of the current methods in reconciling the ever-growing dataset and deriving structural information. We will evaluate the protocols for achieving efficient and homogeneous hyperpolarization across the cell wall material using magic-angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS-DNP). Critical questions regarding the line-broadening effects of cell wall molecules at cryogenic temperature and by paramagnetic biradicals will be considered. Finally, the MAS-DNP method will be placed into a broader context with other structural characterization techniques, such as cryo-electron microscopy, to advance ssNMR research in carbohydrate and cell wall biomaterials.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Revealing Antiferroelectric Switching and Ferroelectric Wakeup in Hafnia by Advanced Piezoresponse Force Microscopy

Hafnium oxide (HfO 2 )-based ferroelectrics offer remarkable promise for memory and logic devices in view of their compatibility with traditional silicon complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, high switchable polarization, good endurance, and thickness scalability. These factors have led to a steep rise in the level of research on HfO 2 over the past number of years. While measurements on capacitors are promising for understanding macroscopic effects, many open questions regarding the emergence of ferroelectricity and electric field cycling behaviors remain. Continued progress requires information regarding the nanoscale ferroelectric behaviors on the bare surface (i.e., without encapsulation), which is notably absent. To overcome this barrier, we have applied complementary modes of piezoresponse force microscopy with the goal of directly and quantitatively sensing nanoscale ferroelectric behaviors in bare HfO 2 thin films. Our results on 8 nm Si-doped HfO 2 reveal nanoscale domains of local remnant polarization states exhibiting a weak piezoelectric coupling (deff) in the range 0.6–1.5 pm/V. While we observed localized enhancement of deff during progressive stressing of the bare HfO 2 thin film, we did not detect stable polarization switching which is a prerequisite of ferroelectric switching. We find that this result could be explained using polarization switching spectroscopy which revealed antiferroelectric-like switching in the form of pinched hysteresis loops as well as increasing remnant response with repeated cycling. As such, our results offer a promising route for material scientists who want to explore the nanoscale origins of antiferroelectricity and ferroelectric wakeup in HfO 2 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Improving Seasonal Forecast Using Probabilistic Deep Learning

The path toward realizing the potential of seasonal forecasting and its socioeconomic benefits relies on improving general circulation model (GCM) based dynamical forecast systems. To improve dynamical seasonal forecasts, it is crucial to set up forecast benchmarks, and clarify forecast limitations posed by model initialization errors, formulation deficiencies, and internal climate variability. With huge costs in generating large forecast ensembles, and limited observations for forecast verification, the seasonal forecast benchmarking and diagnosing task proves challenging. Here, we develop a probabilistic deep learning-based statistical forecast methodology, drawing on a wealth of climate simulations to enhance seasonal forecast capability and forecast diagnosis. By explicitly modeling the internal climate variability and GCM formulation differences, the proposed Conditional Generative Forecasting (CGF) methodology enables bypassing crucial barriers in dynamical forecast, and offers a top-down viewpoint to examine how complicated GCMs encode the seasonal predictability information. We apply the CGF methodology for global seasonal forecast of precipitation and 2 m air temperature, based on a unique data set consisting 52,201 years of climate simulation. Results show that the CGF methodology can faithfully represent the seasonal predictability information encoded in GCMs. We successfully apply this learned relationship in real-world seasonal forecast, achieving competitive performance compared to dynamical forecasts. Using this CGF as benchmark, we reveal the impact of insufficient forecast spread sampling that limits the skill of the considered dynamical forecast system. Finally, we introduce different strategies for composing ensembles using the CGF methodology, highlighting the potential for leveraging the strengths of multiple GCMs to achieve advantgeous seasonal forecast.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

nmrrr : A Reproducible Workflow for Binning and Visualizing NMR Spectra From Environmental Samples

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a useful tool for detection and identification of molecular structural information, with increasing applications in environmental sciences. NMR instrument outputs are however heterogeneous and require extensive post-processing, creating barriers to their use and application by non-specialists. Here, we report on a new open-source R package, nmrrr, that processes and visualizes spectral data obtained from one-dimensional solution-state and solid-state NMR experiments; the package also performs relevant calculations commonly applied in natural organic matter communities, such as computing the relative abundance of various functional groups. We document the package's installation, dependencies, and functions; and provide a standard workflow for processing NMR data. This package is currently available on CRAN and GitHub, and community contributions are welcome.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Thermodynamic insight into AnO 2 + bonding from ThH + /UH + reactions studied by inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry

The bonding mechanisms of actinides have been a focus of fundamental research over the past few decades. In the present study, reactions of the simplest actinide-containing species, ThH + and UH + , with O 2 and CO 2 are investigated by inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry. The reactions of ThH + and UH + with O 2 are efficient, and the reactions of ThH + and UH + with CO 2 display reduced reaction efficiencies. For both reactions involving CO 2 , ThO 2 + and UO 2 + are observed; however, there is a clear barrier to ThO 2 + formation whereas UO 2 + forms through an exothermic, barrierless process. The experimental observations and available thermodynamic information are used to predict the outcomes of reactions involving the later AnH + . The anticipated reaction enthalpies for Pa–Am display a clear correlation with the promotion energy of An + to a 6d 2 electronic configuration, E p (6d 2 ), although a shift in the slope of the correlation of reaction enthalpies and E p (6d 2 ) suggests that there is likely a change in bonding mechanism that starts with Np + . Similar shifts have also been noted in previous studies. Beginning with Np + , the 6d orbitals become less accessible than they are for the earlier An + as measured by E p (6d 2 ), and this accessibility of the 6d orbitals may drive actinide bonding.

5f orbitals↗
DOE OSTI2020

Glycosidic linkage, N -acetyl side-chain, and other structural properties of methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β- D -glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-β- D -mannopyranoside monohydrate and related compounds

The crystal structure of methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glycopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-mannopyranoside monohydrate, C 15 H 27 NO 11 ·H 2 O, was determined and its structural properties compared to those in a set of mono- and disaccharides bearing N -acetyl side-chains in βGlcNAc aldohexopyranosyl rings. Valence bond angles and torsion angles in these side chains are relatively uniform, but C—N (amide) and C—O (carbonyl) bond lengths depend on the state of hydrogen bonding to the carbonyl O atom and N—H hydrogen. Relative to N -acetyl side chains devoid of hydrogen bonding, those in which the carbonyl O atom serves as a hydrogen-bond acceptor display elongated C—O and shortened C—N bonds. This behavior is reproduced by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, indicating that the relative contributions of amide resonance forms to experimental C—N and C—O bond lengths depend on the solvation state, leading to expectations that activation barriers to amide cis – trans isomerization will depend on the polarity of the environment. DFT calculations also revealed useful predictive information on the dependencies of inter-residue hydrogen bonding and some bond angles in or proximal to β-(1→4) O -glycosidic linkages on linkage torsion angles φ and ψ. Hypersurfaces correlating φ and ψ with the linkage C—O—C bond angle and total energy are sufficiently similar to render the former a proxy of the latter.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2025

In-Conduit Hydropower for Public Water Supply Systems: Development Challenges and Costs

Conduit hydropower leverages existing water infrastructure to provide energy solutions, though deployment has been slow. A 2022 US Department of Energy (DOE)–funded report led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) summarizes a reconnaissance-level study of hydropower potential at national conduits (Kao et al., 2022). The report includes power and energy estimates across three major sectors of conduit hydropower potential: municipal, agricultural, and industrial. Water resources include public water supply systems (municipal and industrial), irrigation canal systems (agricultural), thermoelectric cooling systems (industrial), and wastewater systems (municipal and industrial). In total, 1.41 GW of power potential was estimated nationwide. Subsequently, DOE has funded ORNL through the Conduit Hydropower Engineering, Evaluation, and Technology Acceleration project (CHEETA) to improve deployment potential for conduit hydropower. Work thus far has focused on “in-conduit” hydropower (ICH)—or “in-pipe” hydropower—for public water supply systems, though the project is planning to cover conduit hydropower more broadly. The timeline of ORNL’s conduit hydropower related research and development (R&D) is shown in Figure 1. The results of CHEETA should benefit the hydropower industry by providing insights into costs, barriers, and other considerations that impact project development. The hydropower industry and municipal/industrial conduit stakeholders will use the output to inform development decisions and advance low-impact hydropower growth in the US.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1990

The NASA/DOD aerospace knowledge diffusion research project: A research agenda

The project has both immediate and long term purposes. In the first instance it provides a practical and pragmatic basis for understanding how the results of NASA/DoD research diffuse into the aerospace R and D process. Over the long term it provides an empirical basis for understanding the aerospace knowledge diffusion process itself, and its implications at the individual, organizational, national, and international levels. The project is studying the major barriers to effective knowledge diffusion. This project will provide descriptive and analytical data regarding the flow of scientific and technical information (STI). It will examine both channels used to communicate information and the social system of the aerospace knowledge diffusion process.

Pinelli, Thomas E.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Defect Clustering and Nano-Phase Structure Characterization of Multi-Component Rare Earth Oxide Doped Zirconia-Yttria Thermal Barrier Coatings

Advanced oxide thermal barrier coatings have been developed by incorporating multi-component rare earth oxide dopants into zirconia-yttria to effectively promote the creation of the thermodynamically stable, immobile oxide defect clusters and/or nano-scale phases within the coating systems. The presence of these nano-sized defect clusters has found to significantly reduce the coating intrinsic thermal conductivity, improve sintering resistance, and maintain long-term high temperature stability. In this paper, the defect clusters and nano-structured phases, which were created by the addition of multi-component rare earth dopants to the plasma-sprayed and electron-beam physical vapor deposited thermal barrier coatings, were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The defect cluster size, distribution, crystallographic and compositional information were investigated using high-resolution TEM lattice imaging, selected area diffraction (SAD), electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis techniques. The results showed that substantial defect clusters were formed in the advanced multi-component rare earth oxide doped zirconia- yttria systems. The size of the oxide defect clusters and the cluster dopant segregation was typically ranging from 5 to 50 nm. These multi-component dopant induced defect clusters are an important factor for the coating long-term high temperature stability and excellent performance.

Zhu, Dongming↗
NASA NTRS1990

Defect Clustering and Nano-Phase Structure Characterization of Multi-Component Rare Earth Oxide Doped Zirconia-Yttria Thermal Barrier Coatings

Advanced oxide thermal barrier coatings have been developed by incorporating multi- component rare earth oxide dopants into zirconia-yttria to effectively promote the creation of the thermodynamically stable, immobile oxide defect clusters and/or nano-scale phases within the coating systems. The presence of these nano-sized defect clusters has found to significantly reduce the coating intrinsic thermal conductivity, improve sintering resistance, and maintain long-term high temperature stability. In this paper, the defect clusters and nano-structured phases, which were created by the addition of multi-component rare earth dopants to the plasma- sprayed and electron-beam physical vapor deposited thermal barrier coatings, were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The defect cluster size, distribution, crystallographic and compositional information were investigated using high-resolution TEM lattice imaging, selected area diffraction (SAD), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis techniques. The results showed that substantial defect clusters were formed in the advanced multi-component rare earth oxide doped zirconia-yttria systems. The size of the oxide defect clusters and the cluster dopant segregation was typically ranging fiom 5 to 50 nm. These multi-component dopant induced defect clusters are an important factor for the coating long-term high temperature stability and excellent performance.

Zhu, Dongming↗
DOE OSTI2022

Micromobility Integrated Transit and Infrastructure for Efficiency (MITIE)

Nearly omnipresent in many cities of all sizes across the United States, micromobility vehicles-e-scooters, manual bicycles, e-bicycles, and larger seated electric scooters-are notably missing from SMART Mobility research. This project aims to expand the spectrum of modes currently being researched within SMART Mobility by exploring micromobility as an important tool toward meeting energy-efficient mobility goals. It expands on findings from SMART Mobility 1.0 that revealed preferences to reduce transportation-related expenses through use of a network of mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) and other shared mobility options, and builds on findings from a 2019 Vehicle Technology Analysis Program (VTAP) funded micromobility project conducted by our team. We will explore multiple facets of micromobility, including behavior and decision-making, the integration of micromobility within transportation infrastructure, energy estimates, and operations. Guiding research questions include: (1) What are the potential energy savings from low, medium, and high market penetration of micromobility (in passenger, multimodal, and freight domains)? (2) Which scenarios for micromobility use and related enablement of increased public transit use should be modeled/considered in the SMART 2.0 Workflow? (3) To what degree can micromobility supplement/complement transit system operations? (4) What are people's preferences towards micromobility? How do preferences vary across various sociodemographic segments? How can this knowledge inform operations? (5) What are optimal strategies to attain high user adoption and shift users toward more energy-efficient mode choices in terms of micromobility operation? How do these strategies affect energy savings, person-miles traveled, lifecycle energy use, and adoption rates? These questions will be addressed through applied research in five project emphasis areas: (1) Energy estimates of micromobility for Workflow scenarios: Expand and refine previous micromobility work to augment the Workflow approaches to modeling urban travel. (2) Multimodal connection with transit: Utilizing Mobility-Energy Productivity (MEP) tools to evaluate multimodal travel patterns enabled by micromobility, including assessing how to reduce barriers of inequity of access to mobility options and destinations. (3) Mode choice, induced demand, and infrastructure: Understanding the mode shift induced through micromobility to inform energy impact analysis. (4) Energy optimization of micromobility operations: Identification of micromobility operations parameters and development of operations scenarios to better understand present-day micromobility operations for integration into the Workflow, in partnership with BEAM and POLARIS modeling teams. (5) Micro-freight: Characterize the current state of micro-freight activities, including energy effects and geospatial analyses, to inform Workflow.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,POWER TRANSMISSION AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Micromobility Integrated Transit and Infrastructure for Efficiency (MITIE)

Nearly omnipresent in many cities of all sizes across the United States, micromobility vehicles-e-scooters, manual bicycles, e-bicycles, and larger seated electric scooters-are notably missing from SMART Mobility research. This project aims to expand the spectrum of modes currently being researched within SMART Mobility by exploring micromobility as an important tool toward meeting energy-efficient mobility goals. It expands on findings from SMART Mobility 1.0 that revealed preferences to reduce transportation-related expenses through use of a network of mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) and other shared mobility options, and builds on findings from a 2019 Vehicle Technology Analysis Program (VTAP) funded micromobility project conducted by our team. We will explore multiple facets of micromobility, including behavior and decision-making, the integration of micromobility within transportation infrastructure, energy estimates, and operations. Guiding research questions include: 1) what are the potential energy savings from low, medium, and high market penetration of micromobility (in passenger, multimodal, and freight domains)? 2) which scenarios for micromobility use and related enablement of increased public transit use should be modeled/considered in the SMART 2.0 Workflow? 3) to what degree can micromobility supplement/complement transit system operations? 4) what are people's preferences towards micromobility? How do preferences vary across various sociodemographic segments? How can this knowledge inform operations? 5) what are optimal strategies to attain high user adoption and shift users toward more energy-efficient mode choices in terms of micromobility operation? How do these strategies affect energy savings, person-miles traveled, lifecycle energy use, and adoption rates? These questions will be addressed through applied research in five project emphasis areas: 1) energy estimates of micromobility for Workflow scenarios: Expand and refine previous micromobility work to augment the Workflow approaches to modeling urban travel; 2) multimodal connection with transit: Utilizing Mobility-Energy Productivity (MEP) tools to evaluate multimodal travel patterns enabled by micromobility, including assessing how to reduce barriers of inequity of access to mobility options and destinations; 3) mode choice, induced demand, and infrastructure: Understanding the mode shift induced through micromobility to inform energy impact analysis; 4) energy optimization of micromobility operations: Identification of micromobility operations parameters and development of operations scenarios to better understand present-day micromobility operations for integration into the Workflow, in partnership with BEAM and POLARIS modeling teams; 5) micro-freight: Characterize the current state of micro-freight activities, including energy effects and geospatial analyses, to inform Workflow.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗