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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

Atmospheric Mining in the Outer Solar System: Resource Capturing, Storage, and Utilization

Atmospheric mining in the outer solar system has been investigated as a means of fuel production for high energy propulsion and power. Fusion fuels such as helium 3 and hydrogen can be wrested from the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune and either returned to Earth or used in-situ for energy production. Helium 3 and hydrogen (deuterium, etc.) were the primary gases of interest with hydrogen being the primary propellant for nuclear thermal solid core and gas core rocket-based atmospheric flight. A series of analyses were undertaken to investigate resource capturing aspects of atmospheric mining in the outer solar system. This included the gas capturing rate for hydrogen helium 4 and helium 3, storage options, and different methods of direct use of the captured gases. Additional supporting analyses were conducted to illuminate vehicle sizing and orbital transportation issues.

Palaszewski, Bryan↗
NASA NTRS2012

Atmospheric Mining in the Outer Solar System: Resource Capturing, Storage, and Utilization

Atmospheric mining in the outer solar system has been investigated as a means of fuel production for high energy propulsion and power. Fusion fuels such as Helium 3 (3He) and hydrogen can be wrested from the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune and either returned to Earth or used in-situ for energy production. Helium 3 and hydrogen (deuterium, etc.) were the primary gases of interest with hydrogen being the primary propellant for nuclear thermal solid core and gas core rocket-based atmospheric flight. A series of analyses were undertaken to investigate resource capturing aspects of atmospheric mining in the outer solar system. This included the gas capturing rate for hydrogen helium 4 and helium 3, storage options, and different methods of direct use of the captured gases. Additional supporting analyses were conducted to illuminate vehicle sizing and orbital transportation issues.

Palaszewski, Bryan↗
DOE OSTI2020

Update on the Status of Deep Borehole Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste in Germany - 20285

The phase-out of nuclear energy in Germany will take place in 2022. A site for final disposal of high level radioactive waste (HLRW) has not yet been found, but a site selection process was restarted by Act on the Search for and Selection of a Site for a Disposal Facility for High-Level Radioactive Waste (Site Selection Act - StandAG 2017). This act was based on a recommendation by a commission which also advised to follow up the development of deep borehole disposal (DBD) as an alternative option for final disposal of HLRW. This paper summarizes briefly the status of DBD in Germany and if this option should be pursued in Germany. Although there are some merits of DBD, it can only be a real option if research and development is supported. The technical equipment for boreholes of the required size will only be developed if there is funding and a feasibility test. Furthermore, any concept of DBD and technology must be detailed further, and some requirements of the act must be reconsidered. The paper concludes that despite the possible merits of DBD, the political and financial support for R and D will only be provided for the time being if DBD is pushed by interested parties. Alternatively, if the site selection procedure is not progressing well, then the alternative option of DBD may find greater interest in the future. However, its availability will be severely limited due to the missing development of detailed concepts and its demonstration of feasibility. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Production Pathways for Medically Interesting Isotopes

Radioisotopes are commonly used in nuclear medicine for treating cancer and new, more effective treatment options are always desired. As a result, there is a national need for new radioisotopes and ways to produce them. A computer program was created that evaluates the daughters for all known reactions of projectiles (gamma rays, protons or neutrons) with every stable target isotope by comparing the cross-sections for each reaction at a desired energy, and outputs a list of the potential daughter isotopes that are most likely to be generated. The program then evaluates the decay chains of these daughters to provide a list of the possible decay chains that contain the radioisotope of interest. By knowing the daughter production and decay chain for each isotope, it is possible to go from the desired radioisotope to the stable isotope that can be used as a target for its production. This project would facilitate the search for new pathways to creating useful theranostic isotopes.

Hutton, A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Transportation and System Analysis Collaborations in Support of a Federal Consolidated Interim Storage Facility

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Integrated Waste Management (IWM) program under the Office of Nuclear Energy is planning for the future transportation, storage, and eventual disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) from nuclear power plant and waste custodian sites across the United States. To better enable informed decision-making regarding the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, the IWM program has been sponsoring the development and application of system analysis tools capable of analyzing various options for managing SNF and HLW. With these tools, integrated waste management system (IWMS) architecture analyses are being conducted to support the future deployment of a comprehensive nuclear waste management system that considers all major back-end aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle (i.e., transportation, storage, and disposal). System analyses and assessments typically use these modeling and simulation tools to investigate implications of changes in various assumptions and parameters such as acceptance rates, receipt logic, facility capacities and capabilities, use of standardized canisters, start and stop dates of facilities, etc. The Next Generation System Analysis Model (NGSAM) is an agent-based simulation toolkit that is used for a system-level simulation and analysis focused on SNF management in the United States. NGSAM’s primary purpose is to provide a system analyst with capabilities to model the IWMS and gain insights into SNF and HLW management alternatives including the impact of system choices, associated cost estimates, and development of integrated yet flexible approaches. An analyst using NGSAM can define several factors like the number of storage facilities, capacity at each facility, transportation schedules, shipment rates, and other conditions. IWM is also developing the Stakeholder Tool for Assessing Radioactive Transportation (START). START is a web-based geospatial tool developed to provide the visualization and initial evaluation of transportation options associated with future SNF and HLW shipment planning and operations. This includes characterizing safety, economic, and environmental conditions at and in proximity to shipment origins as well as along prospective transportation routes. Information from the START tool can be presented/shared as maps, graphics, geospatial files, and tabular form to enable easy data representation and export functionality. The system analysis, NGSAM, and START teams have been working closely for several years before formalizing this collaboration. START provides the SNF transportation routing information for use in NGSAM. System analysts use the NGSAM tool to generate results (schedule, costs, infrastructure acquisitions, shipment rates, etc.). Subject-matter experts and system analysts work together to inform how NGSAM should model the waste management system. Specifically, this paper discusses the collaborations between the system analysis, NGSAM, and START teams and their accomplishments over the past year. Some examples of these efforts include calibrating and adding data to the START output files to meet NGSAM needs, gaining a better understanding of START data used in NGSAM as well as how updates in START data could result in an improved NGSAM analysis. Detailed examples of various tasks that have been performed by the team will be discussed in the full paper. Continued efforts in this direction are expected in the coming years.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1983

Energetic closed-cycle gas core reactors for orbit raising

Closed-cycle gas core reactor power plants can be of two types. In the 'mixed flow' type, the gaseous nuclear fuel is intimately mixed with the working gas in the cavity. In the 'light bulb' type the fissioning plasma is enclosed in a transparent tube, and energy transfer to the separate working gas occurs by thermal radiation. The potentials of high temperature gas core reactors in terrestrial electric power generator applications have been considered, and a number of civilian power-beaming applications for gaseous fuel nuclear-MHD power plants in space have been suggested. Major conclusions of investigations related to the design of space power systems are discussed. Attention is given to options for conversion cycles, the power system specific mass, and research and technology issues.

Rosa, R. J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Path Toward a Breeding, Proliferation-Resistant, Thermal-Spectrum Molten Salt Reactor

Liquid-fueled, thermal-spectrum molten salt breeder reactors (TS-MSBRs) offer the potential for affordable, safe, inexhaustible energy with minimal potential for nuclear material misuse and without significant actinide waste generation. Realizing the full set of TS-MSBR capabilities is only now becoming possible with the advent of advanced fuel-salt processing techniques, improved materials, and a more detailed understanding of fuel-salt properties. Additionally, modern higher-fidelity modeling and simulation methods enable a more detailed evaluation of TS-MSBR design options. TS-MSBRs, however, remain immature and will require substantial, sustained development resources.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1991

The OAST space power program

The NASA Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) space power program was established to provide the technology base to meet power system requirements for future space missions, including the Space Station, earth orbiting spacecraft, lunar and planetary bases, and solar system exploration. The program spans photovoltaic energy conversion, chemical energy conversion, thermal energy conversion, power management, thermal management, and focused initiatives on high-capacity power, surface power, and space nuclear power. The OAST space power program covers a broad range of important technologies that will enable or enhance future U.S. space missions. The program is well under way and is providing the kind of experimental and analytical information needed for spacecraft designers to make intelligent decisions about future power system options.

Bennett, Gary L.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Los Alamos RAGE Simulations of the HAIV Mission Concept

The mitigation of potentially hazardous objects (PHOs) can be accomplished by a variety of methods including kinetic impactors, gravity tractors and several nuclear explosion options. Depending on the available lead time prior to Earth impact, non- nuclear options can be very effective at altering a PHOs orbit. However if the warning time is short nuclear options are generally deemed most effective at mitigating the hazard. The NIAC mission concept for a nuclear mission has been presented at several meetings, including the last PDC (2013).We use the adaptive mesh hydrocode RAGE to perform detailed simulations of this Hypervelocity Asteroid Intercept Vehicle (HAIV) mission concept. We use the RAGE code to simulate the crater formation by the kinetic impactor as well as the explosion and energy coupling from the follower nuclear explosive device (NED) timed to detonate below the original surface to enhance the energy coupling. The RAGE code has been well validated for a wide variety of applications. A parametric study will be shown of the energy and momentum transfer to the target 100 m diameter object: 1) the HAIV mission as planned; 2) a surface explosion and 3) a subsurface (contained) explosion; both 2) and 3) use the same source energy as 1).Preliminary RAGE simulations show that the kinetic impactor will carve out a surface crater on the object and the subsequent NED explosion at the bottom of the crater transfers energy and momentum to the target effectively moving it off its Earth crossing orbit. Figure 1 shows the initial (simplified) RAGE 2D setup geometry for this study. Figure 2 shows the crater created by the kinetic impactor and Figure 3 shows the time sequence of the energy transfer to the target by the NED.

Asteroid Mitigation↗
DOE OSTI2020

Preliminary Evaluation of Removing SNF from Nuclear Power Plant Sites - Pilgrim Site Visit - 20048

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Integrated Waste Management (DOE-IWM)a conducted an evaluation of removing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the Pilgrim site on November 4-8, 2019. The Pilgrim site is located on the western shore of Cape Cod Bay in the Town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, about 61 km southeast of Boston and 71 km east of Providence, Rhode Island. Participants in the site visit included the U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the state of Massachusetts, the Federal Railroad Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the Consolidated Group of Tribes and Organizations, the Council of State Governments-Eastern Regional Conference, the Pilgrim Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel, and the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad. The Pilgrim site was found to have two transportation mode options for the removal of SNF, offsite rail access and onsite barge access. Two offsite heavy haul truck to rail transload locations were evaluated, one in Middleborough, Massachusetts, about 35-47 km from the Pilgrim site, and a second location in Middleborough about 36-43 km from the Pilgrim site. A passenger railroad terminates in Plymouth, Massachusetts, about 11 km from the Pilgrim site; however, this location is not suitable for freight rail involving large SNF transportation casks. There is also an onsite barge facility located on the Pilgrim site that was used during construction and would require refurbishment to be used. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Selection of Components for the Remote, Canister-Monitoring System

This report documents the selection of components as part of the efforts initiated to develop a remote, canister-monitoring system (RCMS) for determining and monitoring environmental conditions within dry fuel storage canisters containing aluminum clad spent nuclear fuel (ASNF) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). These efforts are in support of Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) investigations into technical issues associated with extended dry storage (50+ years) of ASNF. The capability to establish and monitor the performance of ASNF in situ provides the opportunity to (1) evaluate the appropriate technologies for monitoring, (2) collect canister environment conditions as soon as possible, (3) verify and validate current laboratory-based study results and analytic modeling approaches, and (4) potentially identify additional dry storage options for ASNF at the INL site. The improved understanding of ASNF behavior gained by performing this work would also contribute to the safety basis for extended dry storage in current and future configurations as well as to provide information for future transportation, conditioning, and disposal of ASNF. The parameters to be monitored by the RCMS include temperature, relative humidity, hydrogen gas concentration and radiation environment (dose). Components are selected based on the expected environmental conditions within the canister and fuel storage area, and the desired performance of the RCMS. Several of these components have been purchased and received. Future activities include component testing and calibration, software development for operation of the integrated sensor module and fabrication of a representative test volume. The results of these tests and changes to desired performance characteristics will inform subsequent activities.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Criticality Consideration for Geologic Disposal of DOE-Owned Spent Nuclear Fuels - 20255

Decisions must be made relative to packaging spent nuclear fuel (SNF) for storage, transportation, and eventual disposal. This paper evaluates potential criticality-related loading and packaging considerations for Department of Energy (DOE)-owned SNF that could be impacted favorably or unfavorably by disposal uncertainties and proposes approaches to minimize such impacts. Using Al-Based SNF as an example and drawing on analyses performed in support of the Yucca Mountain Repository License Application (LA), this paper explores the role of natural barriers, engineered barriers, and waste form characteristics relative to reducing the potential for postclosure criticality. Several parameters important to postclosure criticality are considered in order to determine which are useful discriminators to support packaging decisions. Using these parameters, a qualitative assessment is performed relative to three options for managing DOE-owned SNFs. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1984

Dynamic Conversion Working Group Summary

The potential of dynamic conversion devices for use in solar and nuclear dynamic space power systems was addressed. Conversion systems considered were based on the use of Brayton, Stirling and Rankine cycles. Both organic and liquid metal Rankine cycles were included. The basic system considerations were: mission requirements, system attributes, system options, technology issues and constraints, and priorities of needed technology development. Mission requirements, where dynamic conversion was considered enabling technology, were identified along with the associated power levels and potential energy sources. When considering the system options special attention was given to recommend operating temperatures and other significant discriminators. A list of prioritized tasks considered important for the successful development of dynamic conversion systems for 1995 and beyond was compiled.

Chaffee, N.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS): An Award Winning Propulsion System Simulation Tool

The Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) is a full propulsion system simulation tool used by aerospace engineers to predict and analyze the aerothermodynamic behavior of commercial jet aircraft, military applications, and space transportation. The NPSS framework was developed to support aerospace, but other applications are already leveraging the initial capabilities, such as aviation safety, ground-based power, and alternative energy conversion devices such as fuel cells. By using the framework and developing the necessary components, future applications that NPSS could support include nuclear power, water treatment, biomedicine, chemical processing, and marine propulsion. NPSS will dramatically reduce the time, effort, and expense necessary to design and test jet engines. It accomplishes that by generating sophisticated computer simulations of an aerospace object or system, thus enabling engineers to "test" various design options without having to conduct costly, time-consuming real-life tests. The ultimate goal of NPSS is to create a numerical "test cell" that enables engineers to create complete engine simulations overnight on cost-effective computing platforms. Using NPSS, engine designers will be able to analyze different parts of the engine simultaneously, perform different types of analysis simultaneously (e.g., aerodynamic and structural), and perform analysis in a more efficient and less costly manner. NPSS will cut the development time of a new engine in half, from 10 years to 5 years. And NPSS will have a similar effect on the cost of development: new jet engines will cost about a billion dollars to develop rather than two billion. NPSS is also being applied to the development of space transportation technologies, and it is expected that similar efficiencies and cost savings will result. Advancements of NPSS in fiscal year 2001 included enhancing the NPSS Developer's Kit to easily integrate external components of varying fidelities, providing the initial Visual-Based Syntax (VBS) capability, and developing additional capabilities to support space transportation. NPSS was supported under NASA's High Performance Computing and Communications Program. Through the NASA/Industry Cooperative Effort agreement, NASA Glenn and its industry and Government partners are developing NPSS. The NPSS team consists of propulsion experts and software engineers from GE Aircraft Engines, Pratt & Whitney, The Boeing Company, Honeywell, Rolls-Royce Corporation, Williams International, Teledyne Continental Motors, Arnold Engineering Development Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, and the NASA Glenn Research Center. Glenn is leading the way in developing NPSS--a method for solving complex design problems that's faster, better, and cheaper.

Stauber, Laurel J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Focused Ion Beam analysis of non radioactive samples [PowerPoint]

The presentation includes various images to illustrate the analysis. Helios G4 Plasma FIB: Xe ion columns mills material 30 times faster than Ga; Options include: Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Wavelength Dispersive spectroscopy (WDS) Electron backscattered Diffraction (EBSD), Time of Flight Sims (ToF SIMS), Inert gas/vacuum sample transfer system; Excels at micromachining and collecting 3D datasets using various detection systems.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2006

Options for Affordable Planetary Fission Surface Power Systems

Nuclear fission systems could serve as "workhorse" power plants for the Vision for Space Exploration. In this context, the "workhorse" power plant is defined as a system that could provide power anywhere on the surface of the moon or Mars, land on the moon using a Robotic Lunar Exploration Program (RLEP)-developed lander, and would be a viable, affordable option once power requirements exceed that which can be provided by existing energy systems.

Houts, Mike↗
DOE OSTI2026

Microreactor Core Transportation Cask Model Description for Criticality Safety Validation Basis Assessment (Rev. 1)

Criticality safety analyses are completed on transportation casks used for microreactor whole core shipment to provide examples of models and analyses to industry, regulators, and nuclear community at large to be used in verification and validation analyses of similar applications. The microreactors considered are based on a Gas-Cooled Microreactor (GCMR) and a Heat-Pipe Microreactor (HPMR), both utilize HALEU fuel in the form of TRISO particles and various other design options considered in industry microreactor designs. Variant design options of GCMR and HPMR were also investigated to provide a wider application range for each technology. Criticality safety analyses for the GCMR and HPMR packages were performed using the CSAS6 sequence of SCALE 6.3.2 with the ENDF/B-VII.1-based continuous energy neutron libraries. Different scenarios were investigated, including normal operation and water flooded conditions to represent nominal and hypothetical accident scenarios. Sensitivity and similarity analyses are also performed using the TSUNAMI sequence of SCALE 6.3.2, and the similarity analysis uses all the experiments from the ICSBEP Handbook with Intermediate and mixed Enriched Uranium (IEU) and Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) systems, together with additional experiments that are sponsored by the DNCSH program. Many experiments were found marginally similar to the GCMR and HPMR models, with similarity index (ck) values greater than 0.8 but less than 0.9. Among all the experiments analyzed, no case has a ck value greater than 0.9, indicating that additional critical experiments might be needed to further validate the criticality safety models for microreactors transport packages.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS1998

Wind Power: A Renewable Energy Source for Mars Transit Vehicle

The Martian environment presents significant design challenges for the development of power generation systems. Nuclear-based systems may not be available due to political and safety concerns. The output of photovoltaics are limited by a solar intensity of 580 W/sqm as compared to 1353 W/sqm on Earth. The presence of dust particles in the Mars atmosphere will further reduce the photovoltaic output. Also, energy storage for a 12-hour night period must be provided. In this challenging environment, wind power generation capabilities may provide a viable option as a Martian power generation system. This paper provides an analysis of the feasibility of such a system.

Flynn, Michael↗