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

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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Clean Water Production in Cooling Towers

This project developed and demonstrated a novel technology that produces clean water from cooling tower recirculating water by using the natural evaporation and condensation cycle inside cooling towers. The system captures the escaping plume and converts blowdown quality water into high purity water suitable for on-site reuse such as boiler feed. The technology uses electric fields to ionize exhaust plumes, charge the entrained droplets, and direct them toward collection electrodes where they coalesce and flow downward. This allows water recovery at a low energy cost while reducing visible plume emissions. In addition, we developed a complementary software platform that improves overall cooling tower performance. The system uses wireless sensors and physics-based machine learning algorithms to optimize key parameters of the cooling process. For power generation facilities, this increases the thermal efficiency of the cooling loop and condenser, resulting in measurable cycle efficiency gains. Improvements of one percent or more can deliver significant increases in electricity production for the same fuel input.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2023

An Intelligent Metasurface-Based Wireless Power Transfer System

Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems are getting more popular in recent years in a wide range of application areas. However, the performance of wireless power transfer systems is adversely affected by coil misalignment and increased power transfer distance. To overcome the limitations, the proposed method in this paper will place an intelligent controllable metasurface between the transmitter and receiver coils. The goal is to establish the feasibility of a metasurface-assisted, intelligent WPT charging system by variable coil design and angle of arrival estimation using machine learning for multiple misalignment cases. We will feed these angles of arrival data to reconfigure the metasurface. The inclusion of a controllable metasurface will improve efficiency and increase the power transfer distance.

Aydin, Emrullah↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Review of High-Power Wireless Power Transfer

High-power wireless power transfer (HPWPT) is a key enabling technology for the adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). As the technology has matured from year to year, discussions of standardization and many commercial partners have come to the area. Much research has been done in this area, and the realization of high-power charging has been furthered by the introduction of new techniques and devices. Here, current high-power WPT systems are reviewed and the passive elements, devices, subsystems, and techniques that have been developed to reach high-power levels are briefly detailed.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS2017

Abstract - Belbas, Nicholas (EC2)

Originally, I was brought into the Design and Analysis Branch in the Crew and Thermal Systems to work on administrative tasks like archiving and scheduling. However, I ended up splitting my time between secretarial tasks and a technical project. My technical project was originally meant to be a wireless sensor package for the 20ft Spacecraft Thermal Vacuum Chamber in the B7 High Bay. I would be using a miniature wifi development board and a temperature/humidity sensor along with custom 3D modeling to accomplish this. However, after some discussion with my technical mentor, the plan was changed to a mobile autonomous self-charging sensor platform. A mobile platform will allow the sensors to be moved around without depressurizing the chamber. Also, the self-charging aspect of the package allows for almost unlimited time in the chamber. If the on-board battery runs low, the robot can easily be driven to its charging dock and continue to transmit while charging. The driving base is based around a Raspberry Pi 3 board with a 12C PMW DC Motor controller and a PWM controller driving two small gear motors. The sensor transmitter itself is a RHT03 temperature and humidity sensor and Cozir CO2 sensor connected to an ESP8266 Huzzah board. The power distribution system utilizes a pair of 3.7v 3600mah lipo batteries wired to Powerboost 500 boards. Also, the self-charging mechanism utilizes two 12v-max inductive charging coils wired into the same Powerboost boards as the battery. The Raspberry pi is running Python 3.3 for the driving base and Javascript MJPEG library for transmitting live video from the onboard camera. The sensor package is running Arduino-based C++ and the program capturing the data is running PyqtGraph Python and HTML. The shell of the robot itself is a 3D printed case that will (work in progress) snap together. The photo to the left shows the two halves separated from each other. The black shell contains the power distribution boards and connectors while the white shell contains the driving base and data systems.

Belbas, Nicholas↗
DOE OSTI2018

Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Opportunities in Power Electronics

The report objective is to explore the Wide Bandgap (WBG) Power Electronics (PE) market, applications, and potential energy savings in order to identify key areas where further resources and investments of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (DOE EERE) would have the most impact on U.S. competiveness. After considering the current market, several potential near-term application areas were identified as having significant market and energy savings potential with respect to clean energy applications: (1) data centers (uninterruptible power supplies and server power supplies); (2) renewable energy generation (photovoltaic-solar and wind); (3) motor drives (industrial, commercial and residential); (4) rail traction; and, (5) hybrid and electric vehicles (traction and charging). After the initial explorative analyses, it became clear that, SiC, not GaN, would be the principal WBG power device material for the chosen markets in the near future. Therefore, while GaN is discussed when appropriate, this report focuses on SiC devices, other WBG applications (e.g., solid-state transformers, combined heat and power, medical, and wireless power), the GaN market, and GaN specific applications (e.g., LiDAR, 5G) will be explored at a later date. In addition to the market, supply and value chain analyses addressed in Section 1 of this report, a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) analysis and potential energy savings analysis was conducted for each application area to identify the major potential WBG application area(s) with a U.S. competitiveness opportunity in the future.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electric Vehicles

Burak Ozpineci sees a future where electric vehicles charge while we drive them down the road, thanks in part to research under way at ORNL.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1999

STS-96 Mission Highlights

In this second part of a three-part video mission-highlights set, on-orbit spacecrew activities performed on the STS-96 Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery and the International Space Station are reviewed. The flight crew consists of Kent V. Rominger, Commander; Rick D. Husband, Pilot; and Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa, Tamara E. Jernigan, Daniel T. Barry, Julie Payette (Canadian), and Valery Ivanovich Tokarev (Russian). The primary goals of this mission were to work on logistics and resupply the International Space Station. This second part in the mission series features video from Flight Day 4-7 (FD 4-7). FD 4 of STS-96 presents astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry completing the second longest space walk in shuttle history. Footage includes Jernigan and Barry transferring and installing two cranes from the shuttle's payload bay to locations on the outside of the station. The astronauts enter the International Space Station delivering supplies and prepare the outpost to receive its first resident crew, scheduled to arrive in early 2000 on FD 5. The video also captures the crew involved in logistics transfer activities within the Discovery/ISS orbiting complex. FD 6 includes footage of Valery Tokarev and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette charging out the final six battery recharge controller units for two of Zarya's power-producing batteries and all crew members' involvement in logistics transfer activities from the SPACEHAB module to designated locations in the International Space Station. With the transfer work of FD 6 all but complete, the astronauts conduct some additional work, installing parts of a wireless strain gauge system that will help engineers track the effects of adding modules to the station throughout its assembly. Moving the few remaining items from Discovery to the ISS, then closing a series of hatches within the station's modules leading back to the shuttle are the primary activities contained in FD 7. Final coverage features Discovery's astronauts finishing their work inside the International Space Station, closing all of the hatches and readying the shuttle's small thrusters to be fired to raise the entire complex's orbit in preparation for the undocking and departure set for FD 8.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2016

EV-Grid Integration (EVGI) Control and System Implementation - Research Overview

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are being increasingly adopted in industry today. Microgrid applications of PEVs require the development of charging and discharging algorithms and individual characterization of vehicles including the on-board chargers and vehicle mobility. This study summarizes the capabilities of the Electric Vehicle Grid Integration (EVGI) Team at NREL and underlines different recent projects of the Team. Our studies include V1G, V2G, and V2H control of PEVs as well as test and analysis of stationary and dynamic wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. The presentation also includes the future scope of study which implements real-time simulation of PEVs in a microgrid scenario. The capabilities at Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility (VTIF) and Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) were described within the scope of the EVGI research.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Case Study on the Challenges and Opportunities for the Deployment of PHM Capabilities in Existing Engineering Systems

The field of Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) of engineering systems has experienced considerable growth over the last decade. From benefits associated with faster and more powerful hardware in the form of wireless sensors, edge devices, and general computing capabilities (GPU’s and cloud computing), to development of powerful algorithms for anomaly detection and remaining useful life (RUL) estimation, the number of engineering systems featuring advanced diagnostics and prognostics capabilities continues to grow at an increasingly faster pace. However, the deployment of PHM capabilities as part of the upgrade of existing engineering systems presents multiple challenges to the PHM practitioner charged with retrofitting such systems. Issues include a lack of specific instrumentation needed to capture the signals of interest; insufficient data and sampling rates required for fault detection and diagnosis, and for detection of failure/degradation indicators; and difficulties in the identification of a system’s nominal behavior as a result of age induced degradation. Today’s PHM practitioner must be able to quickly identify and assess these types of issues to effectively evaluate and select the optimal PHM strategies required to achieve the desired results. This paper presents results from the preliminary evaluation of the High-Pressure Gas Facility (HPGF) infrastructure at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi. This evaluation is part of a feasibility study conducted prior to the deployment of prognostics and diagnostics capabilities in the pumps skids of the liquid nitrogen (LN2) system of the HPGF.

Condition Based Maintenance↗
DOE OSTI2025

A virtual Frisch-grid geometry-based CZT gamma detector for in-field radioisotope identification

Here, we present a Virtual Frisch-Grid geometry-based CZT gamma detector developed for identifying different radioisotopes over an energy range from a few keV up to 2 MeV, and useful for efficient characterization of CZT crystals. The detector is built with a 3 x 3 matrix of CZT crystals, each measuring approximately 6 mm x 6 mm x 15 mm. The charge generated within the sensor’s active volume is read out via an anode connected directly to the AVG3_Dev integrated circuit. A current signal induced by charge drift is collected on side pads of the crystals, enabling reconstruction of a 3D interaction position. This paper discusses the design, development, and performance of the standalone, mobile detector system, which integrates the AVG3_Dev readout IC developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory, a high-speed FPGA-based with per-channel digital signal processing, and embedded system capabilities. The device is compact, battery-powered, and supports wireless data streaming, making it suitable for field operations for radioisotope identification.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Electron beams for radiation belt remediation - 25527

One consequence of a high altitude nuclear explosion (HANE) is the creation of an artificial radiation belt that can have severe consequences for space-based infrastructure in low Earth orbit (LEO). A HANE-generated radiation belt is produced when radioactive debris ions beta decay to produce an intense population of magnetically-trapped, high-energy electrons that can affect satellites through increased total dose rates and/or internal charging. Recent results from NASA's Van Allen Probes mission has shown how electromagnetic waves can scatter radiation belt electrons decreasing their intensity and effects. Radiation Belt Remediation (RBR) seeks to exploit those processes to rapidly deplete the intensity of either natural or HANE-produced radiation belts by artificially injecting waves to enhance electron scattering and loss rates. One promising option for producing the required waves is to use modulated medium energy electron beams as a type of 'wireless transmitter'. (author)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS2013

NASA Tech Briefs, April 2013

Topics covered include: Fully Integrated, Miniature, High-Frequency Flow Probe Utilizing MEMS Leadless SOI Technology; Nanoscale Surface Plasmonics Sensor With Nanofluidic Control; Advanced Dispersed Fringe Sensing Algorithm for Coarse Phasing Segmented Mirror Telescopes; Neural Network Back-Propagation Algorithm for Sensing Hypergols; Bulk Moisture and Salinity Sensor; Change-Based Satellite Monitoring Using Broad Coverage and Targetable Sensing; Circularly Polarized Microwave Antenna Element with Very Low Off-Axis Cross-Polarization; Ultra-Low Heat-Leak, High-Temperature Superconducting Current Leads for Space Applications; Flash Cracking Reactor for Waste Plastic Processing; An Automated Safe-to-Mate (ASTM) Tester; Wireless Chalcogenide Nanoionic-Based Radio-Frequency Switch; Compute Element and Interface Box for the Hazard Detection System; DOT Transmit Module; Composite Aerogel Multifoil Protective Shielding; Li-Ion Electrolytes with Improved Safety and Tolerance to High-Voltage Systems; Polymer-Reinforced, Non-Brittle, Lightweight Cryogenic Insulation; Controlled, Site-Specific Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes with Diazonium Salts; Regenerable Sorbent for CO2 Removal; Sprayable Aerogel Bead Compositions With High Shear Flow Resistance and High Thermal Insulation Value; Lexan Linear Shaped Charge Holder with Magnets and Backing Plate; Robotic Ankle for Omnidirectional Rock Anchors; Wind, Wave, and Tidal Energy Without Power Conditioning; An Active Heater Control Concept to Meet IXO Type Mirror Module Thermal-Structural Distortion Requirement; Waterless Clothes-Cleaning Machine; Integrated Electrical Wire Insulation Repair System; LVGEMS Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry on Satellites; Surface Inspection Tool for Optical Detection of Surface Defects; Per-Pixel, Dual-Counter Scheme for Optical Communications; Certification-Based Process Analysis; Surface Navigation Using Optimized Waypoints and Particle Swarm Optimization; Smart-Divert Powered Descent Guidance to Avoid the Backshell Landing Dispersion Ellipse; Estimating Foreign-Object-Debris Density from Photogrammetry Data; Adaptive Sampling of Spatiotemporal Phenomena with Optimization Criteria; Building a 2.5D Digital Elevation Model From 2D Imagery; Eyes on the Earth 3D; Target Trailing With Safe Navigation for Maritime Autonomous Surface Vehicles; Adams-Based Rover Terramechanics and Mobility Simulator - ARTEMIS; ISTP CDF Skeleton Editor; Uplink Summary Generator (ULSGEN) Version 1.0; Robotics On-Board Trainer (ROBoT); Software Engineering Tools for Scientific Models; Automatic Data Filter Customization Using a Genetic Algorithm; Tracker Toolkit; Towards Efficient Scientific Data Management Using Cloud Storage; On a Formal Tool for Reasoning About Flight Software Cost Analysis; A Nanostructured Composites Thermal Switch Controls Internal and External Short Circuit in Lithium Ion Batteries; Spacecraft Crew Cabin Condensation Control; and Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Signals Measure Neuronal Activity in the Cortex.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2009

Carbon Nanotube Based Chemical Sensors for Space and Terrestrial Applications

A nanosensor technology has been developed using nanostructures, such as single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), on a pair of interdigitated electrodes (IDE) processed with a silicon-based microfabrication and micromachining technique. The IDE fingers were fabricated using photolithography and thin film metallization techniques. Both in-situ growth of nanostructure materials and casting of the nanostructure dispersions were used to make chemical sensing devices. These sensors have been exposed to nitrogen dioxide, acetone, benzene, nitrotoluene, chlorine, and ammonia in the concentration range of ppm to ppb at room temperature. The electronic molecular sensing of carbon nanotubes in our sensor platform can be understood by intra- and inter-tube electron modulation in terms of charge transfer mechanisms. As a result of the charge transfer, the conductance of p-type or hole-richer SWNTs in air will change. Due to the large surface area, low surface energy barrier and high thermal and mechanical stability, nanostructured chemical sensors potentially can offer higher sensitivity, lower power consumption and better robustness than the state-of-the-art systems, which make them more attractive for defense and space applications. Combined with MEMS technology, light weight and compact size sensors can be made in wafer scale with low cost. Additionally, a wireless capability of such a sensor chip can be used for networked mobile and fixed-site detection and warning systems for military bases, facilities and battlefield areas.

Li, Jing↗
NASA NTRS2007

Wireless Data-Acquisition System for Testing Rocket Engines

A prototype wireless data-acquisition system has been developed as a potential replacement for a wired data-acquisition system heretofore used in testing rocket engines. The traditional use of wires to connect sensors, signal-conditioning circuits, and data acquisition circuitry is time-consuming and prone to error, especially when, as is often the case, many sensors are used in a test. The system includes one master and multiple slave nodes. The master node communicates with a computer via an Ethernet connection. The slave nodes are powered by rechargeable batteries and are packaged in weatherproof enclosures. The master unit and each of the slave units are equipped with a time-modulated ultra-wide-band (TMUWB) radio transceiver, which spreads its RF energy over several gigahertz by transmitting extremely low-power and super-narrow pulses. In this prototype system, each slave node can be connected to as many as six sensors: two sensors can be connected directly to analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) in the slave node and four sensors can be connected indirectly to the ADCs via signal conditioners. The maximum sampling rate for streaming data from any given sensor is about 5 kHz. The bandwidth of one channel of the TM-UWB radio communication system is sufficient to accommodate streaming of data from five slave nodes when they are fully loaded with data collected through all possible sensor connections. TM-UWB radios have a much higher spatial capacity than traditional sinusoidal wave-based radios. Hence, this TM-UWB wireless data-acquisition can be scaled to cover denser sensor setups for rocket engine test stands. Another advantage of TM-UWB radios is that it will not interfere with existing wireless transmission. The maximum radio-communication range between the master node and a slave node for this prototype system is about 50 ft (15 m) when the master and slave transceivers are equipped with small dipole antennas. The range can be increased by changing to larger antennas and/or greater transmission power. The battery life of a slave node ranges from about six hours during operation at full capacity to as long as three days when the system is in a "sleep" mode used to conserve battery charge during times between setup and rocket-engine testing. Batteries can be added to prolong operational lifetimes. The radio transceiver dominates the power consumption.

Lin, Chujen↗
NASA NTRS2012

Wireless Electrical Device Using Open-Circuit Elements Having No Electrical Connections

A wireless electrical device includes an electrically unconnected electrical conductor and at least one electrically unconnected electrode spaced apart from the electrical conductor. The electrical conductor is shaped for storage of an electric field and a magnetic field. In the presence of a time-varying magnetic field, the electrical conductor so-shaped resonates to generate harmonic electric and magnetic field responses. Each electrode is at a location lying within the magnetic field response so-generated and is constructed such that a linear movement of electric charges is generated in each electrode due to the magnetic field response so-generated.

Woodard, Stanley E.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Deployable Wireless Camera Penetrators

A lightweight, low-power camera dart has been designed and tested for context imaging of sampling sites and ground surveys from an aerobot or an orbiting spacecraft in a microgravity environment. The camera penetrators also can be used to image any line-of-sight surface, such as cliff walls, that is difficult to access. Tethered cameras to inspect the surfaces of planetary bodies use both power and signal transmission lines to operate. A tether adds the possibility of inadvertently anchoring the aerobot, and requires some form of station-keeping capability of the aerobot if extended examination time is required. The new camera penetrators are deployed without a tether, weigh less than 30 grams, and are disposable. They are designed to drop from any altitude with the boost in transmitting power currently demonstrated at approximately 100-m line-of-sight. The penetrators also can be deployed to monitor lander or rover operations from a distance, and can be used for surface surveys or for context information gathering from a touch-and-go sampling site. Thanks to wireless operation, the complexity of the sampling or survey mechanisms may be reduced. The penetrators may be battery powered for short-duration missions, or have solar panels for longer or intermittent duration missions. The imaging device is embedded in the penetrator, which is dropped or projected at the surface of a study site at 90 to the surface. Mirrors can be used in the design to image the ground or the horizon. Some of the camera features were tested using commercial "nanny" or "spy" camera components with the charge-coupled device (CCD) looking at a direction parallel to the ground. Figure 1 shows components of one camera that weighs less than 8 g and occupies a volume of 11 cm3. This camera could transmit a standard television signal, including sound, up to 100 m. Figure 2 shows the CAD models of a version of the penetrator. A low-volume array of such penetrator cameras could be deployed from an aerobot or a spacecraft onto a comet or asteroid. A system of 20 of these penetrators could be designed and built in a 1- to 2-kg mass envelope. Possible future modifications of the camera penetrators, such as the addition of a chemical spray device, would allow the study of simple chemical reactions of reagents sprayed at the landing site and looking at the color changes. Zoom lenses also could be added for future use.

Badescu, Mircea↗
DOE OSTI2015

A novel synthetic single crystal diamond device for in vivo dosimetry

Purpose: Aim of the present work is to evaluate the synthetic single crystal diamond Schottky photodiode developed at the laboratories of “Tor Vergata” University in Rome in a new dosimeter configuration specifically designed for offline wireless in vivo dosimetry (IVD) applications. Methods: The new diamond based dosimeter, single crystal diamond detector (SCDD-iv), consists of a small unwired detector and a small external reading unit that can be connected to commercial electrometers for getting the detector readout after irradiation. Two nominally identical SCDD-iv dosimeter prototypes were fabricated and tested. A basic dosimetric characterization of detector performances relevant for IVD application was performed under irradiation with {sup 60}Co and 6 MV photon beams. Preirradiation procedure, response stability, short and long term reproducibility, leakage charge, fading effect, linearity with dose, dose rate dependence, temperature dependence, and angular response were investigated. Results: The SCDD-iv is simple, with no cables linked to the patient and the readout is immediate. The range of response with dose has been tested from 1 up to 12 Gy; the reading is independent of the accumulated dose and dose rate independent in the range between about 0.5 and 5 Gy/min; its temperature dependence is within 0.5% between 25 and 38 °C, and its directional dependence is within 2% from 0° to 90°. The combined relative standard uncertainty of absorbed dose to water measurements is estimated lower than the tolerance and action level of 5%. Conclusions: The reported results indicate the proposed novel offline dosimeter based on a synthetic single crystal diamond Schottky photodiode as a promising candidate for in vivo dosimetry applications with photon beams.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Testing and Assessment of EMFs and Touch Currents from 25-kW IPT System for Medium-Duty EVs

Inductive power transfer (IPT) technology has gained massive attention for electric vehicle charging due to the associated reliability, convenience, and safety. Nevertheless, the loose coupling between the transmitter and receiver generates intensive electromagnetic fields (EMFs) around the system, which may influence living objects' safety if the typical limits are exceeded. Moreover, these fields induce voltages in the vehicle body, which may lead to touch current passing through the human body when it gets in contact with two metal parts or one part and the ground. Following the international standards and recommendations, this study presents comprehensive test guidelines for the near-EMFs and touch currents from a commercial 25-kW wireless charger from Momentum Dynamics, which was installed in an electric shuttle operating at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) campus. The paper investigates the measuring devices, test setup, test points and standard limits. The impact of the misalignments on the measurements is considered during testing. EMFs are measured in areas around and inside the shuttle and near the power supply and compared with the reference levels defined by the international standards, including ICNIRP 2010, IEEE C95.1 and ACGIH TLV 2017. Touch currents are evaluated among different metal parts and ground in comparison with the standard limits. The results show that both EMFs and touch currents comply with the standard limits. Moreover, thermal inspection for the system after installation was provided. Finally, a 5-day of operation data for the wireless charger are collected and presented.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗