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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Using Natural Gas Liquids to Recover Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources (Final Report)

This document presents final technical findings for the project Using Natural Gas Liquids to Recover Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources (FE0031782). The project is part of the U.S. Department of Energy Oil and Gas Program to develop and advance technologies that can significantly improve the recovery efficiencies of unconventional oil and gas resources. The overall objective of this project is to improve the ultimate recovery from unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources in the United States by developing a method for using unrefined natural gas liquids (NGLs) as treatment fluids to improve hydrocarbon production. Horizontal extended-lateral drilling coupled with high volume hydraulic fracturing has significantly increased production from UOG resources in the U.S. However, the recovery efficiency is low compared to the estimated oil and gas in place. Recent data indicate that less than 10% of the oil in the liquid-rich UOG reservoirs is produced. Alternative completion methods using NGLs could increase production (Battelle, 2016; Wan et al., 2013; Wan, 2013; Downey et al, 2021); however, field validation tests are needed to develop an approach that is economical, efficient, and compatible in the UOG setting to advance towards commercial deployment. This project aims to develop and field test a method to improve recovery of oil resources in UOG shale plays by using Y-Grade NGLs, or a similar combination of NGLs, as treatment fluids. Refined NGLs have been used as a hydraulic treatment fluid in UOG plays for decades and are shown to be particularly effective because their miscibility with oil allows oil to flow more freely; however, the use of Y-Grade (unrefined) NGLs has not been studied. The use of Y-Grade NGLs would be advantageous over refined NGLs because Y-Grade NGLs do not require infrastructure or investment in refining and are already being produced from many UOG reservoirs. The concept was tested and monitored in the field at a commercial well site owned by project partner Hopco, Ltd. The project team, which consists of multiple oil and gas operators, Linde Gas North America LLC (Linde) and the Ohio Division of Geological Survey (ODGS), has extensive experience with oil and gas production in the Appalachian basin and the ability to work together quickly to solve technical issues and research needs. A key part of the proposed work was the use of existing wells for field testing and monitoring. A total of four wells (three vertical and one horizontal) were available for this project. One of the vertical wells was utilized as the test well for the NGL treatment test. A nearby vertical well was used for microseismic monitoring. The remaining vertical well and the horizontal well provided a baseline for typical UOG production in the oil window of the Utica/Point Pleasant (UPP). Major technical tasks of the project include characterization of the geotechnical properties of the UPP with an emphasis on the field site; design and planning for the NGLs testing; field testing and monitoring; analysis and integration of field data; and economic and resource/reserve assessment. The Shoman monitoring well and Doughty NGL treatment well were successfully plugged back during September-October 2020 in preparation for treatment and monitoring. A nitrogen diagnostic fracture injection test (DFIT) was completed on the Doughty well on July 22, 2021, consisting of 133,000 scf (91 Bbl.) of nitrogen. A nitrogen foam frac was completed in the Utica-Point Pleasant interval on August 17, 2021 with funding from outside sources. A microseismic monitoring array was installed in the Shoman well and monitored microseismic activity during the Doughty well frac job. Y-Grade NGL injection commenced on August 26, 2021. A total of 215 Bbl. was injected but the job was shut down due to a small leak on the suction hose on the pump truck. The Y-Grade treatment resumed on August 27, 2021 and an additional 726 Bbl. of Y-Grade NGL was injected at a well head pressure of 3850 psi. Total volume of injected Y-Grade over the two days of injection was 941 Bbl. The well was shut-in for 17 days following injection to allow the Y-Grade NGLs to soak on the formation. Y-Grade treatment flow back commenced on 9/13/2021 on a weekly basis. Production data, including surface pressures, oil, nitrogen, natural gas, and flow times was measured and recorded. Periodic gas samples were collected and analyzed to determine composition of flowback gas. As of July 2022, the treatment well had produced 726 Bbl of oil and 2,888 mcf gas. In August 2022, tubing and packer in the well were removed and a pump was installed to enhance oil recovery. Currently, the operator is producing the well about 2 days a week for a few hours. The performance of the NGL treatment test was evaluated based on reservoir simulations of the treatment process, processing of well testing data, analysis of micro seismic monitoring data, and production data analysis. This analysis suggested that oil production in the small test would continue through 2025. Upscaling the treatment to a horizontal Utica Point-Pleasant well would allow more oil recovery, but the process would involve more investment, services, and operational support. An economic analysis was conducted for scenarios aimed at upscaling the NGL treatment process for more typical horizontal UPP wells in the Appalachian Basin.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2022

Wabash CarbonSAFE. Final Report

This document summarizes work detailed in separate Wabash CarbonSAFE reports; the report describes the data collection efforts of the project and consolidates the geologic characterization, well testing, and storage complex modeling results for the Mt. Simon Sandstone and Potosi Dolomite, two distinct reservoirs characterized at the Wabash CarbonSAFE project site. Also presented are summaries of work to characterize the CO 2 source and infrastructure network, as well as summaries of reports analyzing stakeholder engagement options, policy, regulatory and legal considerations, and risk assessment associated with the Wabash CarbonSAFE project site. The report then presents recommendations for the next steps for site characterization, identifies data gaps for future activities, and provides an overall assessment of site potential.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tool-Based Case Studies on Strategic Deployment of Untapped Micro-Pumped Hydro Storage in Michigan

With most classical hydropower sites already utilized and the global push for rapid integration of renewable energy sources accelerating, there is a critical need to identify alternative energy storage solutions. Pumped hydro energy storage, which accounts for the vast majority of global grid-scale storage, remains one of the most cost-effective and long-duration storage technologies available. Hence, this study presents a novel tool designed to assess the untapped potential of inland lakes and reservoirs for micro-PSH, using Michigan’s relatively flat landscape as a case study due to its extensive but underutilized water infrastructure. To ensure accuracy and reliability, the tool incorporates extensive data gathered from authorized sources, covering more than 420 water facilities and potential reservoirs in the state. The tool evaluates key parameters such as horizontal and vertical distances, volume, and the total storage capacity of each reservoir. Its robust assessment framework integrates these metrics to evaluate each site’s potential. The tool’s intuitive interface and geospatial visualizations support actionable insights for planners and scalable deployment of distributed storage infrastructure.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2024

Bulk Oxygen Isotope Composition of Aggregate Samples From Asteroid Bennu Returned By OSIRIS-REx

On 24 September 2023, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered to Earth material collected from the surface of the B-type asteroid Bennu. During its ~2.5-year encounter with the asteroid, OSIRIS-REx made many important discoveries, including establishing its extremely primitive chemical composition, the presence of at least two lithologies, and evidence of fluid flow on its parent asteroid. One of the driving hypotheses of the Sample Analysis Plan is that Bennu’s dominant lithologies are comparable to the most aqueously altered carbonaceous chondrites. Oxygen three-isotope analysis is a powerful tool for defining the relationship between different meteorite groups and can be used to understand the nature of the returned Bennu samples. The O isotope signatures reflect the materials that parent asteroids accreted from and the geological processes that operated during asteroidal evolution. Aggregate samples of particles (typically <500 μm) likely sampled many different larger stones and boulders, and their composition may therefore represent the average composition of Bennu. Fractionation of the sample, e.g. comparison of aliquots of finer material with coarser particles within the aggregate samples, offers the opportunity to identify different isotopic reservoirs within the returned material. The average O isotope composition will also provide a baseline from which to identify and characterize any exogenous clasts present in the sample.

I. A. Franchi↗
DOE OSTI2020

DOE Award No.: DE-FE0023919 Phase 3 Scientific/Technical Report

This is the Phase 3 Report for the ‘Deepwater Methane Hydrate Characterization and Scientific Assessment or Genesis of Methane Hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM2)’ research project (DOE Award No. DE-FE0023919). The report summarizes activities from January 16, 2018 to September 30, 2019. The project is led by the University of Texas at Austin (UT). The objective is to gain insight into the nature, formation, occurrence and physical properties of methane hydrate-bearing sediments for the purpose of methane hydrate resource appraisal through the planning and execution of drilling, coring, logging, testing and analytical activities that assess the geologic occurrence, regional context, and characteristics of marine methane hydrate deposits in the Gulf of Mexico outer continental shelf (OCS). We determined that it would not be possible to pursue the project with the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and then developed a revised science and operations plan to maximize the science using a commercial vessel within the budget that is available. We improved the scientific capability of the UT pressure core center by adding the ability to X-ray pressure cores, and the ability to cut and store multiple core samples for experimental analysis. We transferred pressure cores to peer institutions, including the National Energy Technology Lab (NETL) the United States Geological Survey (USGS Woods Hole). We made advances in understanding the composition and source of gasses locked in the methane hydrate from Green Canyon 955 (GC-955). We developed approaches to determine the in-situ salinity of hydrate-bearing samples, revealing that the in situ salinity of the GC 955 reservoir is just above that of seawater. We determined that the GC-955 hydrate reservoir is composed of sandy silt with a high concentration of hydrate interbedded with clayey silt with no hydrate present. We determined that some or all of the intervals bounding the hydrate reservoir are composed of material similar to the reservoir (sandy silt with hydrate and clayey silt with no hydrate), but with a lower net to gross. We determined that the reservoir effective permeability at a hydrate saturation of ~80-90 % is ~0.1 mD (or 1.0×10-16 m2) to ~0.5 mD (or 5.0×10-16 m2) and the intrinsic permeability is ~12 mD (or 1.2×10-14 m2). The GC-955 reservoir in-situ porosity of sandy silt is 0.38 to 0.40 and is largely independent of effective stress, and that the porosity of clayey silt is 0.33 at an in situ effective stress of 3.8 MPa to ~0.37 at zero effective stress. We developed a systematic, repeatable approach to studying hydrate reservoir properties by reconstituting individual lithofacies from dissociated pressure cores. We determined index properties of GC-955 reservoir, including liquid limit and plasticity, porosity, capillary behavior, and particle size distribution. We developed a more robust pressure coring technology. We finalized and published the UT-GOM2-1 Expedition Volume and we finalized a dedicated volume on the UT-GOM2-1 expedition that will be published in the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin (AAPG) in spring 2020.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Integration and Mapping of an Open-Source National Well Resource to Inform Geologic Carbon Storage Site Selection and Risk Prevention: The CO2-Locate Database

Geologic carbon storage (GCS) offers a way to capture and permanently store CO₂ from fossil fuel operations in underground geologic structures, aiding in the transition to a carbon-neutral energy economy. However, CO₂ injection sites can experience gas leakage through existing wells that penetrate storage reservoirs, making knowledge of well locations and characteristics crucial for permitting, infrastructure reusability, and risk assessment in GCS. Currently, public wellbore data from state, federal, and tribal entities are inconsistent and fragmented, with gaps and redundancies. To address this, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) developed CO2-Locate, an open-source, geospatial database and online application. CO2-Locate integrates over 50 data sources from federal, state, and tribal entities, creating a standardized national well database. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the database is publicly available through the Energy Data eXchange (EDX) and viewable via the CO2-Locate web mapping application. This tool allows users to query, filter, and visualize well data to support GCS planning, permitting, and risk assessments. This presentation covers the methods used to create CO2-Locate, including data acquisition, processing, attribute mapping, and integration, much of which is automated for future updates. The web mapping application and its role in GCS site selection will also be discussed.

Tetteh, Daniel A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Preliminary design of a helium cryogenic system for SAND detector at LBNF-DUNE near site

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) is providing a helium cryogenic system to support the superconducting solenoid magnet of the System for on-Axis Neutrino Detection (SAND) for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Near Site at Fermilab in Batavia, IL. The design started in 2020 and construction is set to begin in the mid 2020‘s.The helium cryogenic system primarily consists of a helium refrigerator system, distribution valve boxes, vacuum-jacketed helium and nitrogen transfer lines, warm gaseous helium transfer system, instruments and control system, and gaseous helium storage tanks. It is designed to provide supercritical helium at around 3 bara and 5 K with expansion from 3 to 1.2 bara in the SAND cryostat and 70K forced cold gas helium to cool the thermal shields of the SAND cryostat. The SAND superconductive magnet is indirectly cooled through a liquid helium thermosiphon cycle. A pair of 3 kA leads is cooled by the gas helium vaporized from the liquid helium reservoir in the cryostat turret. The helium system will share the liquid nitrogen tank and liquid nitrogen phase separator with the Near Site Liquid Argon system. The helium recycle compressor system, GHe tanks and LN2 tank will be located on the Surface. The cryogenic facilities including refrigerator cold box, valve boxes and LN2 phase separator will be located on the shaft cryo-mezzanine in the underground cavern. The shaft connecting surface and cavern is more than 60 meter deep. The helium vacuum-jacketed transfer line between the cold box and the SAND magnet is more than 50 meter long. This paper presents the preliminary design of the helium cryogenic system including the design scheme, process flow diagram, heat load estimates, layout plan and so on.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Historical and projected future runoff over the Mekong River basin

The Mekong River (MR) crosses the borders and connects six countries, including China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It provides critical water resources and supports natural and agricultural ecosystems, socioeconomic development, and the livelihoods of the people living in this region. Understanding changes in the runoff of this important international river under projected climate change is critical for water resource management and climate change adaptation planning. However, research on long-term runoff dynamics for the MR and the underlying drivers of runoff variability remains scarce. Here, we analyse historical runoff variations from 1971 to 2020 based on runoff gauge data collected from eight hydrological stations along the MR. With these runoff data, we then evaluate the runoff simulation performance of five global hydrological models (GHMs) forced by four global climate models (GCMs) under the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP). Furthermore, based on the best simulation combination, we quantify the impact of future climate change on river runoff changes in the MR. The result shows that the annual runoff in the MR has not changed significantly in the past 5 decades, while the establishment of dams and reservoirs in the basin visibly affected the annual runoff distribution. The ensemble-averaged result of the Water Global Assessment and Prognosis version 2 (WaterGAP2; i.e. GHM) forced by four GCMs has the best runoff simulation performance. Under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs; i.e. RCP2.6, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5), the runoff of the MR is projected to increase significantly (p<0.05); e.g. 3.81 ± 3.47 m 3 s -1 a -1 (9 ± 8 % increase in 100 years) at the upper reach under RCP2.6 and 16.36 ± 12.44 m 3 s -1 a -1 (13 ±10 % increase in 100 years) at the lower reach under RCP6.0. In particular, under the RCP6.0 scenario, the increase in annual runoff is most pronounced in the middle and lower reaches, due to increased precipitation and snowmelt. Under the RCP8.5 scenario, the runoff distribution in different seasons varies obviously, increasing the risk of flooding in the wet season and drought in the dry season.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1997

Diurnal Forcing of Planetary Atmospheres

Much progress has been made on calculations of the Martian seasonal water cycle using the Mars Climate Model developed for this purpose. Two papers, documenting the model and the water transport results obtained with it have been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets. An additional paper describing results related to the evolution of the seasonal water cycle as a result of orbital changes was published in Advances in Space Research. Since that time, further studies have concentrated on the consequences of the soil adsorption required to match the observed water cycle and its relation to the stability of ground ice and other potential water reservoirs. Earth-related studies have concentrated on incorporating an efficient and realistic microphysical model into the Ames Stratospheric General Circulation Model used to simulate the spread of the ML Pinatubo and other volcanic clouds in the stratosphere. In addition, visualizations of the simulations are being incorporated into a video describing the UARS mission. A paper describing the new stratospheric aerosol microphysics package (and its consequences for volcanic cloud evolution) will be submitted in the near future. The paper will discuss the relative importance of condensation and coagulation to early particle growth and the separation of the cloud by sedimentation of the larger particles. A more general paper which highlights the observation that particle number densities did not increase dramatically after the ML Pinatubo eruption is planned. Simulations of atmospheric transport will be extended to include studies of terrestrial tropospheric tracers using the Fifth-Generation Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model.

Houben, Howard C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Subtask 1.5 – CO2 Injection Monitoring with an Optimized Scalable, Automated, Semipermanent Seismic Array

The scalable, automated, semipermanent seismic array (SASSA) method is a flexible and relatively cost-effective surface geophysical method for regular time-lapse monitoring of the movement of injected carbon dioxide (CO2) in a reservoir for CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) or geologic CO2 storage operations. It has the advantages of a low-environmental-footprint while monitoring regions of a reservoir from the surface without the need for a regular grid distribution of receivers. Automated data collection is possible. As only time-lapse amplitude changes at the reservoir level due to CO2 movement within the reservoir are monitored, the turnaround time to deliver results from the SASSA method can be short, without the need for long, time-consuming data-processing workflows. As data is collected and processed, incremental information can be provided to the field operator. The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) conducted a SASSA field test from September 2018 to November 2020 in a portion of the Bell Creek Field in Montana, which implemented new CO2 EOR field activities during the study period. Lessons learned from a proof-of-concept study were incorporated to improve the data quality of the SASSA method and demonstrate the viability of the technology. The EERC implemented several enhancements to improve data quality, including 1) an iterative survey design, which allowed placing the receivers in strategic locations where the movement of the CO2 in the reservoir could be tracked with minimum interference by the cultural noise in the study area; 2) the use of powerful seismic sources in the form of surface orbital vibrators, and 3) data acquisition during optimal periods. History-matched reservoir simulation was performed to predict gas saturation and pressure response induced by CO2 injection in the study area. The results were compared with the SASSA-measured responses to CO2 injection as a partial validation technique. A match between the two methods was observed for most of the SASSA points predicted to have intersected a CO2 saturation change. The validated results provide confidence that the SASSA method can be used independently as a CO2 saturation monitoring technique. As data are collected and processed, incremental information can be provided to the field operator. The critical components of the SASSA workflow for a successful application of the method are the following: Iterative survey design with information about CO2 injection activities from the oilfield operator. A detailed CO2 injection plan is the key driver to select the strategic monitoring location of the SASSA sensors. After this information is incorporated in the initial distribution of sources and receivers in the study area, high-resolution satellite images are used to identify ground locations not affected by cultural noise sources, such as power lines, pipelines/flow lines, or roadways. In the next iteration of the survey design, a scouting trip to the study area is needed to understand more details of the noise sources identified in the previous step and the intensity of the field activities that can also generate noise during the monitoring. Integrating the information from the scouting trip into the survey design to select the optimum source and receiver locations is the final step. Noise attenuation. The variety of noise types during seismic monitoring of an oil field is enormous. Tailored noise characterization and processing at a node-by-node level can enhance the performance and sensitivity of the SASSA technique. Future advancements that could improve the efficiency and application of the SASSA technology include: Gaining a better understanding of the noise field produced by the seismic source to aid the choice of receiver location. Surface noise from the source can overwhelm the small signal changes due to CO2 that the SASSA method measures. Improved data-processing workflow to automatically analyze and adapt to dynamic noise conditions associated with industrial settings. This subtask was funded through the EERC–DOE Joint Program on Research and Development for Fossil Energy-Related Resources Cooperative Agreement No. DE- FE0024233.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS1991

Ice-atmosphere interactions in the polar oceans

Sea ice forms a major reservoir in the global water cycle and both polar regions undergo a large seasonal variation in their sea ice cover. The extent of this sea ice cover is a function of both dynamic and thermodynamic interactions with the atmosphere and ocean. These sea ice atmospheric interactions are examined in terms of the atmospheric controls on ice cover, and the resulting feedbacks to the climate system. The role of sea ice in global climate change is determined. The relationship between sea ice and the synoptic scale atmospheric circulation in the North Atlantic is examined. This region is chosen for more detailed study because the project involves land ice and there is a focus on Greenland and because there have been several previous international field programs in the region and more are planned.

Crane, Robert↗
DOE OSTI2026

From Subsurface to System: Offshore CCS Development for the Northeastern U.S. Atlantic Shelf

This study evaluated offshore carbon sequestration potential and infrastructure design along the mid-north Atlantic outer continental shelf, addressing the limited onshore storage options in the northeastern U.S. The objective was to define viable CCS pathways by integrating geological characterization, reservoir modeling, and system-level engineering for decarbonizing regional industrial sources. The work was conducted under US DOE grant FE0032407 for the Regional Initiatives and builds on a previous prospective resources assessment project by Battelle.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Simulation of hydropower at subcontinental to global scales: a state-of-the-art review

Abstract Hydroelectric power is playing a new and often expanded role in the world’s major power grids, offering low carbon generating capacity in industrializing, dam-building economies while providing reserve and flexibility to co-manage fledgling wind and solar resources in high income countries. Driven by river flows, conventional hydropower is exposed to the vagaries of weather and climate, motivating drought and climate change hydropower impact studies at large spatial scales. Here we review methods of climate-driven hydropower simulation at large spatial scales, specifically multi-basin regions to global. We identify four types of approach based on complexity of tools and richness of data applied to the problem. Since the earliest attempts to model climate-driven hydropower at continental scale almost two decades ago, the field has transitioned from one of scientific curiosity to practical application, with studies increasingly motivated by the need to inform power grid expansion planning and operation. As the hydrological and water management models used in large-scale hydropower studies become more sophisticated, new opportunities will emerge to study the impacts of changing hydropower on power system reliability and performance at large power grid scale. To grasp these opportunities, the water resources community must continue to enhance data and models for representing river flows and anthropogenic water use and management at subcontinental to global scales.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Verification Testing and Veg-05 Tomato Crop Production on the International Space Station

Production of fresh, nutritious, and tasty produce for astronauts during spaceflight may provide health-promoting, bioavailable nutrients and enhance the dietary experience as we move into longer-duration missions. Growing and caring for plants may also reduce the psychological stresses associated with spaceflight and enhance connections to Earth. Requirements to consistently grow a diversity of crops under spaceflight environmental conditions remain poorly defined. The VEG-05 experiment is part of a series of experiments with pick-and-eat salad crops to better define best practices for crop production and handling in space. VEG-05 and predecessor experiments VEG-04A and VEG-04B, use the Veggie vegetable production facilities on the International Space Station to grow salad crops under different spectral compositions. In VEG-04A and B, mizuna mustard was cultivated with two different red: blue light treatments, and in VEG-05 we are cultivating ‘Red Robin’ dwarf cherry tomatoes under the same light spectra. Light can impact the growth habit, yield, nutritional composition, microbial levels, and even flavor attributes within crops, and our team will assess these characteristics for this crop during VEG-05. Prior to launch and installation on ISS in late 2022, both a science verification test (SVT), and an experiment verification test (EVT) were conducted at Kennedy Space Center in ISS Environment Simulator Chambers. Science verification testing, and a previous fertilizer test, grew plants in both plant pillows and PONDS (Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System) units and tested two different fertilizer treatments in both sets of hardware, with each test under only one of the light conditions. Because of challenges validating the PONDS hardware on ISS, and with good crop production in plant pillows, the EVT moved forward using only plant pillows with the highest fertilizer composition tested during SVT, and two Veggie units were utilized. One Veggie had light settings consisting of equal levels of red: blue light (150 µmol/m2/s for each color) plus green light (30 µmol/m2/s) while the second Veggie had a 90:10 ratio of red: blue light (270 µmol/m2/s red and 30 µmol/m2/s blue) plus green, so each unit provided 330 µmol/m2/s of photosynthetically active radiation to the tomato crops on average. Our original plan, based on prior ground testing, was to grow the crop for 104 days and harvest at 80, 90 and 104 days after initiation. For SVT, under the equal red: blue light treatment, fruit ripening in plant pillows was delayed and fruit were not ripe by day 80, so actual harvest days were days 90, 97, and 104. For EVT we saw fruit ripening earlier, especially in the high red treatment, and so we harvested at days 83, 90, and 99 days after initiation. In SVT we had mostly daily watering, and this led to excess water in plant pillows, which leaked out. This excess water also caused fungus to grow on one leaf and a couple of plant stems. To reduce this excess moisture, we throttled back the watering for EVT, and used the root mat reservoir more frequently. This led to watering only every other day, reducing crew time needed for plant care, however, two wilting events occurred during this EVT, at days 51 and 75. Plants recovered from these wilting events, but these events may have influenced the rate of fruit ripening and flower formation. Regardless, more than 10 fruit were produced from each plant on average, with the high red treatment producing slightly heavier fruit. Microbial testing from fruit during SVT indicated that fruit were safe for consumption with microbial levels below detection limits. VEG-05 flight and ground operations are expected to run between December 2022 and March 2023. This research was co-funded by the Human Research Program and Space Biology (MTL#1075) in the ILSRA 2015 NRA call.

Gioia D. Massa↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Seeding Method for Velocimetry and Visualization of Supersonic Retropropulsion Nozzle Plumes

In the current work, the “Venturi seeder” method for nozzle plumes is improved and studied to determine suitability for particle image velocimetry. This seeding method involves independently pressurizing the primary flow path and a separate seed liquid reservoir, connecting them at the throat of a Venturi contraction upstream of the nozzle. The pressure differential at the throat causes the liquid to enter the nozzle channel where it is atomized into particles by strong shearing forces. This new seeding system was characterized by conducting a series of diagnostics using different exit nozzle pressure ratios and seed reservoir pressures. Shadowgraph imaging confirmed the nozzle plumes to be underexpanded jets. A particle sizing device determined that generated DEHS oil particles had median aerodynamic diameters of 0.67, 0.69, and 0.73 μm for seed liquid reservoir pressure supplies of 0.67, 0.60, and 0.93 MPa and primary flow path pressures of 0.67, 0.76, and 0.93 MPa measured downstream of the Venturi throat, respectively. These diameters were within the threshold for acceptable response time in typical gas flows (≤ 1 μm). PIV experiments were conducted on the nozzle plume for all presented cases; mean axial and transverse velocities appeared as expected for the underexpanded jet structure, including the Mach disk and re-acceleration regions. Additional sizing analysis based on the particle response times across the normal shock again showed particle diameters to be well less than 1 μm for all cases. The results suggest that this method is an inexpensive and relatively simple solution to the problem of seeding nozzle plumes. The method will be used in testing of supersonic retropropulsion models in the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at The NASA Langley Research Center in 2022.

particle image velocimetry↗
DOE OSTI2022

Drivers of Future Physical Water Scarcity and Its Economic Impacts in Latin America and the Caribbean

Future water scarcity is a global concern with significant impacts on the energy, water, and land (EWL) sectors. Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are significant producers of agricultural goods consumed around the world, so disruptions resulting from land and water scarcity in LAC are a source of global supply chain risk. Understanding where water scarcity in LAC could occur and what could drive that scarcity to emerge is critical for strategic resource management and planning, both regionally and globally. Assessing future water scarcity impacts in LAC is challenging given the multisector dynamic interactions among the EWL sectors and the multiple uncertainties acting across different spatial scales. We use scenario discovery to explore the drivers of future water scarcity, considering assumptions related to climate, socioeconomics, and the EWL sectors. Understanding what factors drive uncertainty across outcomes can help stakeholders in targeting long-term solutions and future data collection efforts. To illuminate these dynamics, we use a database consisting of a large ensemble of scenarios representing diverse worlds simulated using the Global Change Analysis Model. We quantify future water scarcity and its economic impacts across the scenarios using three metrics: (1) physical water scarcity, (2) water price, and (3) crop profit. We find that physical water scarcity and water price are driven primarily by reservoir storage capacity assumptions, highlighting the importance of strategic water infrastructure development in maintaining future water availability and accessibility. Crop profit is driven by a combination of water supply and demand assumptions, which emphasizes the complex nature of EWL multisector dynamics. While most of LAC is poised to have abundant land and water resources available for development, water basins in Mexico and along the Pacific coast of South America experience high levels of severity and uncertainty across the future scenarios for at least one of the metrics. We find that the drivers of extreme scarcity vary spatially and across the metrics, further highlighting the heterogeneity of the region and the importance of considering multiple metrics to assess water scarcity vulnerability.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Reservoir Simulations and Accuracy Measures for CO 2 and Pressure Plumes for the Broom Creek Formation in Central North Dakota

Conference paper presented at 17th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-17), Calgary, Alberta, Canada, October 20–24, 2024. This study estimated the accuracy of the predicted 5-year carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and pressure plumes for a hypothetical geological storage project injecting CO 2 into the Broom Creek Formation near central North Dakota.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
NASA NTRS2011

Poorly Crystalline, Iron-Bearing Aluminosilicates and Their Importance on Mars

Martian rocks and sediments contain weathering products including evaporite salts and clay minerals that only form as a result of interaction between rocks and water [1-6]. These weathering products are key to studying the history of water on Mars because their type, abundance and location provide clues to past conditions on the surface of the planet, as well as to the possible location of present-day reservoirs of water. Weathering of terrestrial volcanic rocks similar to those on Mars produces nano-sized, variably hydrated aluminosilicate and iron oxide minerals [7-10] including allophane, imogolite, halloysite, hisingerite, and ferrihydrite. The nanoaluminosilicates can contain isomorphically substituted Fe, which affects their spectral and physical properties. Detection and quantification of such minerals in natural environments on earth is difficult due to their variable chemical composition and lack of long-range crystalline order [9, 11, 12]. Despite the difficulty in characterizing these materials, they are common on Earth, and data from orbital remote sensing and rover-based instruments suggest that they are also present on Mars [9, 10, 13-17]. Their accurate detection and quantification require a better understanding of how composition affects their spectral properties. We present here the results of XAFS spectroscopy; these results will be corroborated with planned Mossbauer and reflectance spectroscopy.

Baker, L. L.↗