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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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DOE OSTI2023

Surveying the LLNL WSC/CP DevOps Landscape - FY23 DevOps L2: Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) L2 Milestone 8542, "Spack Utilization in IC Code Projects”

This L2 milestone is a multifaceted review of DevOps practices across Weapon Simulation and Computing/Computational Physics (WSC/CP) Program, which includes Weapons, ICF, and Engineering simulation codes and supporting libraries. It complements the FY22 Spack/MARBL L2: Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) L2 Milestone 7904, “Workflow Portability Across Cloud Services”. The overall goal is to develop a path forward for improving DevOps practices in WSC/CP which will increase developer productivity, improve software quality, and speed up our ability to deliver capabilities to end users.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Water Temperature, Prey Concentration and Salmonid Density Influence Daily Growth of Wild Juvenile Salmonids in Tributaries of the Upper Salmon River, Idaho ( USA )

ABSTRACT Theory, experiments and field studies indicate that the somatic growth rate of freshwater consumers is shaped by the individual, additive and multiplicative effects of multiple factors, including consumer size and condition, temperature, prey resources and biotic interactions. While our understanding of how these factors affect wild populations of freshwater consumers is improving, the topic remains poorly studied, especially with respect to mobile species. Here, we report on an 8‐year, seven‐stream ( n = 49 stream‐year combinations) observational study examining the individual and interactive effects of invertebrate prey concentration (F, mg/m 3 ), mean daily water temperature (T, °C) and juvenile Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) density (D, fish/100 m 2 ) on summer daily growth rates (%/d) of mobile, anadromous, juvenile Chinook salmon (age‐0+, n = 382) and sub‐yearling (age‐0+, n = 61) and yearling (age‐1+) steelhead trout ( O. mykiss , n = 70) rearing in cold (mean daily summer: 12.1°C, range: 4.2°C–16.7°C) mountain tributaries of the Salmon River basin in central Idaho (USA). AIC c model selection indicated that daily juvenile salmonid growth positively correlated with water temperature, prey biomass concentration, local juvenile Chinook density and the interaction between water temperature and food but with species and age‐specific differences. Water temperature was a covariate in all top‐ranked models, with daily growth (%/day) rate increasing (0.05%–0.23%/d) linearly with mean daily summer water temperature. In addition to a direct positive relationship with daily growth rate, there was evidence that prey concentration positively interacted with water temperature to accelerate daily growth (F × T). The positive relationship between juvenile salmonid daily growth rate and juvenile Chinook density is difficult to explain and could result from confounding factors. The individual success observed in these streams may contribute to population‐level benefits for the focal consumers, as prey‐rich, warm summers may result in larger individuals with higher energy reserves at the end of the summer/autumn growing season, contributing to improved overwinter survival. Our results, taken in combination with evidence from models, experiments and observational studies, have climate change implications. Current and predicted increases in water temperature will necessitate higher rates of prey consumption by aquatic ectothermic consumers to offset accelerated metabolic demands. Thus, to improve the resilience of mobile freshwater consumers in a warming climate, we suggest that natural resource managers not only consider physical and chemical habitat conditions but also biotic conditions, including the spatiotemporal quantity and quality of prey resources.

Kiffney, Peter. M. [Fish Ecology, Northwest Fisher↗
DOE OSTI2021

Optimized Dispatch of Distributed Energy Resources for Resiliency and Power Quality Improvements at the Grid-Edge

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) installed on low-voltage distribution systems, both utility-owned and nonutility owned may be employed to make improvements to system resiliency and power quality, in addition to simply serving load demand. By selectively dispatching active and reactive power from these existing DERs, improvements in voltage profiles and service availability during adverse events may be achieved. Further benefits can be gained by optimally choosing which DERs to dispatch power from, and the distribution of power from those DERs. For a given operating condition, using Linear Programming methods, optimal power dispatch values for individual DERs can be determined, while considering variables such as voltage gains, losses in the lines and the DERs, and DER reserve capacities. One such optimization technique is developed in this paper, and results from a real-time simulation study on a modified IEEE 13-bus distribution system with three DERs, are being presented. The operation of the optimized DER selection and dispatch algorithm is shown during normal operation of the transmission system when the DERs operate in grid-connected mode. Similar analyses can drive decision making during transmission system failure when the DERs operate in grid-forming or islanded mode.

Chowdhury, Prithwiraj Roy↗
DOE OSTI2020

Challenges and Opportunities in Turning Large U.S. Archives of Analog Seismograms into a Modern Usable Resource

Abstract Quantitative seismology is based firmly on the analysis of actual ground motions, and the transition to digital recording in the 1980s enabled sophisticated new capabilities to extract useful results from waveforms. With some effort, these tools can also be applied to analog records. Focusing on assets available within U.S. institutions, we review the necessary steps and the challenges in enabling “data rescue”—that is, preserving the scientific information latent in large analog seismogram archives and making it usable. They include: determining what assets are available (the analog seismogram archives held by various institutions, with associated metadata on instrument responses, station locations, and timing information); developing a consensus on the top level of a triage process (which analog records most definitely should be rescued?); deciding the level of quality needed in copying original seismograms to media suitable for digitizing; assessing the relative merits of scanning and digitizing; and, the need for a community service in distributing scans and digital records, as they accumulate. The necessary level of effort can benefit from practical experience. For example, specific studies have used digitized versions of analog recordings to model earthquake sources and assess seismic hazard. Other studies have used them to gain experience with nuclear explosion signals recorded at regional distances, noting that regional signals enable explosions to be monitored down to levels much lower than those attainable teleseismically. The opportunities presented by large archives of analog seismograms include the insights they present to current and future seismologists studying earthquakes and explosions, into the practical areas of assessing seismic hazard, monitoring for test ban compliance down to low explosion yields—and prompt characterization of actual explosions should they occur, as well the traditional academic pursuit of a better understanding of earthquake physics.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗
DOE OSTI2026

Guideline for Characterizing and Evaluating a Candidate Project Site for Solar Thermal Applications

This document presents a structured procedure for characterizing and evaluating candidate project sites for concentrating solar power (CSP) and solar heat for industrial processes (SHIP) applications. The objective is to provide project developers, researchers, and other stakeholders with a consistent, technology-agnostic framework for early-stage site assessment, enabling informed decision-making prior to significant investment in project development. Site selection is a critical factor in project success or failure for both CSP and SHIP projects. Key factors such as solar resource availability, land characteristics, environmental and regulatory constraints, infrastructure availability, and community context are determined by the choice of project site and can materially impact project performance, cost, schedule, and overall viability. This procedure is designed to systematically evaluate these factors, identify potential fatal flaws, and prioritize the most favorable candidate sites for further development. The process begins with rapid screening-level evaluation, using publicly available data to assess solar resource, land availability and suitability, zoning and land-use compatibility, and exclusion zones such as protected lands or sensitive habitats. Sites that meet the minimum screening criteria advance to a more detailed characterization. Subsequent sections of this report provide guidance for a next-level assessment of the most important technical and environmental parameters, including: 1) Solar resource quality, variability, and uncertainty using multiyear datasets and, where appropriate, on-site measurement campaigns; 2) Meteorological conditions such as wind, temperature, extreme weather events, and soiling impacts; 3) Land characteristics including slope, shading, and geotechnical conditions; and 4) Environmental and regulatory considerations, including permitting processes, endangered species, cultural resources, and visual impacts. The procedure also addresses infrastructure and integration considerations, including: 1) Grid interconnection requirements for CSP power generation projects; 2) Electrical and operational integration for SHIP facilities; 3) Water availability, quality, and permitting constraints, which are particularly critical for CSP in arid regions; and 4) Site access, construction logistics, and availability of workforce and supporting services. Recognizing the importance of social and economic context, the procedure includes evaluation of community engagement factors, such as stakeholder sentiment, proximity to sensitive visual receptors, workforce development opportunities, and local economic incentives. The outputs of these assessments are synthesized in a cost and risk evaluation, translating site characteristics into expected impacts on capital cost, operating cost, schedule, and technical risk. This is complemented by screening-level performance modeling, including 8760 simulations and long-term projections, to quantify expected energy or thermal output, assess variability thereof, and support comparison between candidate sites. Finally, the procedure provides high-level guidance on a structured go/no-go decision framework, categorizing sites based on identified risks and constraints, and outlining a clear path forward to feasibility studies and front-end engineering design for viable projects. By standardizing the site characterization process across both CSP and SHIP applications, this guideline aims to: 1) Improve consistency and transparency in early-stage project evaluation; 2) Reduce development risk and avoid investment in nonviable project sites; 3) Support collaboration between developers, researchers, and public agencies; and 4) Accelerate successful deployment of concentrating solar technologies for both power generation and industrial process heat.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

A High-Throughput Computing Infrastructure to Generate Custom, Open Community Geothermal Datasets

The most significant challenge facing geothermal research, development, and deployment is a lack of comprehensive datasets describing the geological and economical properties of North America. Automated knowledge base construction, the process of designing algorithms to analyze text and images to programmatically build new datasets, is one possible solution to this problem. The xDD library of full-text scientific articles (https://xdd.wisc.edu) is one of the largest collections of open and controlled-access scientific documents available for knowledge base construction in the world, but it has been underutilized by experts in geothermal research. The xDD development team attributed the lack of engagement by software developers and geothermal researchers to two perceived shortcomings of the system. First, the workflow for obtaining data from xDD for local development and testing of data mining applications was unnecessarily abstruse and required significant manual intervention by xDD systems administrators. Second, although xDD already held articles from a broad cross-section of scientific literature with an emphasis on the geosciences, it did not have an explicit set of geothermal research documents that could serve as the nucleus of a geothermal data mining application. To address these issues, the Automated Data Extraction PlaTform (ADEPT) was proposed to extend the data distribution capabilities of the xDD system. The ADEPT extension added the following four key features to xDD: 1) integration of National Geothermal Data System (NGDS) documents into the xDD library to provide an explicitly geothermally-themed collection; 2) improved RESTful (i.e., https-protocol driven) web services for external partners to access xDD data for machine learning application development; 3) a web platform for end-users and xDD administrators to coordinate the development of data mining applications from the initial step of browsing available documents to the final stage of deploying a production-quality machine learning application on high-throughput computing infrastructure; and 4) the development of demonstration data mining applications to illustrate the new workflow to potential collaborators. A total of 21,674 geothermal documents from NGDS were fully ingested into the xDD library and the associated metadata is publicly available through the xDD web services; furthermore, the ADEPT web platform is now publicly accessible and fully live at https://xdd.wisc.edu/adept/.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Reliability-informed end-of-use decision making for product sustainability using two-stage stochastic optimization

The concept of circular economy has been diffused in recent decades to promote economic growth that does not add to the burden on natural resource extraction. Re-X options (e.g., reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, recycle) have been gradually adopted in the product development process and optimized to reduce or eliminate waste and pollution. Although manufacturing incorporating Re-X options can be more environmentally friendly, it involves more sources of uncertainty than traditional manufacturing since the end-of-use products can be collected from multiple origins with various quantities and qualities, and the market demand for both new and remanufactured products cannot be forecasted perfectly. Thus, there is a need to optimize the Re-X policy to alleviate the negative impacts of the higher uncertainty. One option is using the reliability information of new products to estimate the end-of-use conditions and applying multi-stage stochastic optimization to capture multiple demand scenarios. This paper develops a two-stage stochastic optimization model to optimize the quality thresholds for reuse, recycling, and remanufacturing options. Our objective is to minimize the total cost, energy consumption, and environmental impact of producing and providing warranty service for a product family. The model employs reliability information of product components to estimate the warranty service cost and the end-of-use conditions of the returned resources. A case study on a general product family is implemented to illustrate the efficacy of the optimization model. Finally, results show that the two-stage optimization can achieve cost and environmental impact reduction for a hybrid manufacturing and remanufacturing process.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Heavy Duty Hydrogen: Reference Station, Fueling Performance Test Device Concepts, and Station Capacity Model (CRADA Final Report)

This project will provide valuable information on (1) reference station design, (2) exploration of design concepts for a fueling performance test device, and (3) modeling of station capacity. The work applies to heavy-duty (HD) hydrogen fueling stations with large dispensing capacity and high flowrates servicing HD hydrogen trucks such as class 8 trucks in long haul applications. Additionally, a 4th area will provide near-real-time verification of fuel quality with on-site hydrogen contaminant detectors (HCDs) for use at both light-duty (LD) and HD stations. The work leverages national lab capabilities including staff and equipment at SNL, NLR, and ANL with collaboration and funding cost share from California agencies (CEC, SCAQMD, and GO-Biz). This project will provide tools and information that lead to more efficient design, acceptance, and commissioning of these larger capacity, higher flowrate stations serving HD applications. The HCD work will benefit both LD and HD stations. Note: The 4th area (HCD) mentioned above continued outside of this CRADA and will not be included in this report. There are no tasks included in this CRADA for HCD and the summary text for it should have been removed prior to this CRADA contract execution but remained in error and is included here for completeness.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2021

Addressing Parental Vaccine Hesitancy and Other Barriers to Childhood/Adolescent Vaccination Uptake During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Routine childhood immunizations are proven to be one of the most effective public health interventions at controlling numerous deadly diseases. Therefore, the CDC recommends routine immunizations for children and adolescent populations against vaccine-preventable diseases e.g., tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, etc. This current review sought to examine barriers to pediatric vaccine uptake behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also explored the implications for parental vaccine hesitancy/delay during an ongoing health crisis and proposed recommendations for increasing vaccine confidence and compliance. Our review determined that the receipt for vaccinations steadily improved in the last decade for both the United States and Tennessee. However, this incremental progress has been forestalled by the COVID-19 pandemic and other barriers i.e. parental vaccine hesitancy, social determinants of health (SDoH) inequalities, etc. which further exacerbate vaccination disparities. Moreover, non-compliance to routine vaccinations could cause an outbreak of diseases, thereby, worsening the ongoing health crisis and already strained health care system. Healthcare providers are uniquely positioned to offer effective recommendations with presumptive languaging to increase vaccination rates, as well as, address parental vaccine hesitancy. Best practices that incorporate healthcare providers’ quality improvement coaching, vaccination reminder recall systems, adherence to standardized safety protocols (physical distancing, hand hygiene practices, etc.), as well as, offer telehealth and outdoor/drive-through/curbside vaccination services, etc. are warranted. Additionally, a concerted effort should be made to utilize public health surveillance systems to collect, analyze, and interpret data, thereby, ensuring the dissemination of timely, accurate health information for effective health policy decision-making e.g., vaccine distribution, etc.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Livewire Data Platform-A Solution for Energy Efficient Mobility Systems (EEMS) Data Sharing

This presentation is an overview of progress made on the Livewire Data Platform since June 2021. Livewire is a publicly accessible platform for sharing energy efficiency and mobility research data funded by DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office. Core services and platform capabilities of Livewire include: Free, secure data storage; Access management that allows data owners to control who sees their data; Data collection and preservation; Quality characterization; Detailed access and download metrics; and Increased visibility of projects and data.

energy efficiency mobility↗
DOE OSTI2023

Livewire Data Platform-A Solution for Energy Efficient Mobility Systems (EEMS) Data Sharing

This presentation is an overview of progress made on the Livewire Data Platform since June 2022. Livewire is a publicly accessible platform for sharing energy efficiency and mobility research data funded by DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office. Core services and platform capabilities of Livewire include: Free, secure data storage; Access management that allows data owners to control who sees their data; Data collection and preservation; Quality characterization; Detailed access and download metrics; and Increased visibility of projects and data. Anyone can create an account and access data at https://livewire.energy.gov/.

energy efficiency↗
DOE OSTI2024

Model Quality and Measurement Density Impact on Volt/Volt Ampere Reactive Optimization Performance

The operation of the utility grid is being reshaped by the continuous addition of distributed energy resources and advanced metering infrastructure, which challenge existing grid control strategies. Some utilities deploy advanced distribution management systems (ADMS) to assist with the consolidation of various applications and to augment situational awareness in response to the new power delivery dynamics. An ADMS is an integrated software platform that provides utilities with a way to enhance their reliability, control, and optimization with advanced applications, such as volt/VAR optimization (VVO). A VVO application could serve as a vehicle to deliver cost savings by providing the utility with a method to reduce rates by controlling the voltage and decreasing the energy usage in their service territory. Some utilities are reluctant to integrate an ADMS, because it is a significant investment that requires approval from the public regulatory commission and/or their customers. This paper evaluates the impact on VVO performance when using a lower-quality network model supplemented with additional measurements, which could provide an implementation for cost savings. The results show that a better model quality would provide the highest energy savings; however, some level of telemetry is necessary in all scenarios to prevent voltage exceedances.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage hub development on the Gulf Coast

Abstract The Gulf Coast of the United States hosts diverse power generation, refining, and petrochemical processing facilities, resulting in the nation's largest volumetric concentration of industrial CO 2 emissions, rivaled only by the Ohio River Valley. These emissions sources are concentrated in specific industrial clusters that allow combining emissions streams to achieve economies of scale. The region is currently undergoing globally significant industrial expansion and investment as a result of abundant and inexpensive regional unconventional natural gas availability, and is a growing exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Opportunities to integrate CO 2 emission management within the diverse energy chains in the region are volumetrically significant and include both concentrated and dilute sources. Significant examples of capture, transport, and storage exist. Offshore storage is particularly attractive, as it provides simplified land leasing models (single governmental land owner), proven reservoir quality, and presents fewer risks to both protected groundwater and populated areas. Projects can now take advantage of recently expanded opportunities under section 45Q of the Internal Revenue Service tax code. The region continues to evolve as an active carbon‐handling hub, and is uniquely suited to justify additional investment in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies via a large‐scale integrated project development. Continued development of integrated projects will allow the region to continue to grow economically within its strong fossil‐fuel handling competence focus while advancing low‐carbon energy technologies that maintain globally competitiveness. © 2021 The Authors. Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

45Q↗
DOE OSTI2022

PACT Module Design Acceptance Criteria (Industry)

For the PACT center to both develop testing protocols and provide service to the metal halide perovskite (MHP) PV community, PACT will seek modules (mini and full-sized) for testing purposes. To ensure both safety and high-quality samples PACT publishes acceptance criteria to define the minimum characteristics of modules the center will accept for testing. These criteria help to ensure we are accepting technologies that are compatible with our technical facilities and testing equipment and can transition to large scale commercial manufacturing. This module design acceptance criteria document is for industry partners and is different from the acceptance criteria for research partners (academia, national laboratories) partners.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

PACT Module Design Acceptance Criteria (Research)

For the PACT center to both develop testing protocols and provide service to the metal halide perovskite (MHP) PV community, PACT will seek modules (mini and full-sized) for testing purposes. To ensure both safety and high-quality samples PACT publishes acceptance criteria to define the minimum characteristics of modules the center will accept for testing. These criteria help to ensure we are accepting technologies that are compatible with our technical facilities and testing equipment and can transition to large scale commercial manufacturing. This module design acceptance criteria document is for research partners (academia, national laboratories) and is different from the acceptance criteria for industry partners.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Development of Thermal Tomography Imaging System for In-Service Nondestructive Evaluation of Additively Manufactured Components

Additive manufacturing (AM) is an emerging method for cost-efficient fabrication of nuclear reactor parts. AM of metallic structures for nuclear energy applications is currently based on laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process, which can introduce internal material flaws, such as pores and anisotropy. Integrity of AM structures needs to be evaluated nondestructively because material flaws could lead to premature failures due to exposure to high temperature, radiation and corrosive environment in a nuclear reactor. Thermal tomography (TT) provides a capability for non-destructive evaluation of sub-surface defects in arbitrary size structures. We investigate TT of AM stainless steel 316L specimen with imprinted internal porosity defects using relatively low-cost, small form factor infrared (IR) camera based on uncooled micro bolometer detector. Sparse coding related K-means singular value decomposition (SVD) machine learning, image processing algorithms are developed to improve quality of TT images through removal of Additive white Gaussian noise without blurring the images. Following initial qualification of an AM component for deployment in a nuclear reactor, a compact TT can also be used for in-service nondestructive evaluation (NDE). With capability to perform in-service NDE of the AM component lifecycle, TT data can be used for development of a component digital twin. MIT research reactor (MITR) has been identified as a representative environment to perform investigation of feasibility of in-service NDE during shutdown. Preliminary study of radiation level in the MITR viewport, with geometric parameters potentially compatible with compact TT system, has been conducted.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

One hundred priority questions for advancing seagrass conservation in Europe

Societal Impact Statement Seagrass ecosystems are of fundamental importance to our planet and wellbeing. Seagrasses are marine flowering plants, which engineer ecosystems that provide a multitude of ecosystem services, for example, blue foods and carbon sequestration. Seagrass ecosystems have largely been degraded across much of their global range. There is now increasing interest in the conservation and restoration of these systems, particularly in the context of the climate emergency and the biodiversity crisis. The collation of 100 questions from experts across Europe could, if answered, improve our ability to conserve and restore these systems by facilitating a fundamental shift in the success of such work. Summary Seagrass meadows provide numerous ecosystem services including biodiversity, coastal protection, and carbon sequestration. In Europe, seagrasses can be found in shallow sheltered waters along coastlines, in estuaries & lagoons, and around islands, but their distribution has declined. Factors such as poor water quality, coastal modification, mechanical damage, overfishing, land‐sea interactions, climate change and disease have reduced the coverage of Europe’s seagrasses necessitating their recovery. Research, monitoring and conservation efforts on seagrass ecosystems in Europe are mostly uncoordinated and biased towards certain species and regions, resulting in inadequate delivery of critical information for their management. Here, we aim to identify the 100 priority questions, that if addressed would strongly advance seagrass monitoring, research and conservation in Europe. Using a Delphi method, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with seagrass experience from across Europe and with diverse seagrass expertise participated in the process that involved the formulation of research questions, a voting process and an online workshop to identify the final list of the 100 questions. The final list of questions covers areas across nine themes: Biodiversity & Ecology; Ecosystem services; Blue carbon; Fishery support; Drivers, Threats, Resilience & Response; Monitoring & Assessment; Conservation & Restoration; Governance, Policy & Management; and Communication. Answering these questions will fill current knowledge gaps and place European seagrass onto a positive trajectory of recovery.

Nordlund, Lina Mtwana↗