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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
DOE OSTI2020

Physical Sciences Vistas (Issue 3 2020)

In this issue, highlights of our outstanding R&D supporting the Laboratory’s nuclear security mission include the following. 1. The essential nuclear materials science contributions of MST’s Materials Properties Team to a range of Lab missions, operations, and initiatives. 2. Work in the Sigma Complex supporting NNSA’s Advanced Manufacturing Development milestones by members of Sigma Division and colleagues across the Laboratory and other NNSA sites. 3. Greg Dale’s role in the Lab’s molybdenum program and today as a technical lead on the Scorpius project. 4. Measurements that reveal the role thermal interfaces play in dynamic compression experiments. 5. The first-ever synthesis of an actinide framework, which offers opportunities for understanding these structures as potential radioactive waste forms and provides new models of actinide species transport in the environment. This issue also showcases, as part of our commitment to simultaneous excellence in mission operations and community relations, the successful high-hazard repair of the LANSCE accelerator, which resulted in a large team Laboratory Distinguished Performance Award, and a virtual Summer Physics Camp for Young Women that brought together participants from around the world, even as COVID kept them socially distant in their homes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Network traffic control for multi-homed end-hosts via SDN

Software-defined networking (SDN) is an emerging technology of efficiently controlling and managing computer networks, such as in data centres, wide-area networks, as well as in ubiquitous communication. In this study, the authors explore the idea of embedding the SDN components, represented by SDN controller and virtual switch, in end-hosts to improve network performance. In particular, the authors consider load balancing across multiple network interfaces on end-hosts with different link capacity scenarios. The authors have explored and implemented different SDN-based load-balancing approaches based on OpenFlow software switches, and have demonstrated the feasibility and the potential of this approach. The proposed system has been evaluated with MultiPath transmission control protocol (MPTCP). Furthermore, the proposed results demonstrated the potential of applying the SDN concepts on multi-homed devices resulting in an increase in achieved throughput of 55% compared to the legacy single network approach and 10% compared to the MPTCP.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Approach to High-Performance Affordable Housing Using Point-Source Space Conditioning

In cooperation with the Building America Program, The Levy Partnership explored a variety of options to reduce space-conditioning energy consumption, working with partners to design, manu- facture, and build test homes in three states. The Levy Partnership tested the use of minisplit ductless heat pumps in combi- nation with small through-wall transfer fans to provide space conditioning in small single-story homes, including manufactured homes and homes built by Habitat for Humanity. The team set out to achieve 50% less energy consumption, compared to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, while maintaining home afford- ability and thermal comfort. The strategy also included a highly efficient thermal envelope to reduce space-conditioning loads.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantum Programming Paradigms and Description Languages

Here, this article offers perspective on quantum computing programming languages, as well as their emerging runtimes and algorithmic modalities. With the scientific high-performance computing (HPC) community as a target audience, we describe the current state of the art in the field, and outline programming paradigms for scientific workflows. One take-home message is that there is significant work required to first refine the notion of the quantum processing unit in order to integrate in the HPC environments. Programming for today’s quantum computers is making significant strides toward modern HPC-compatible workflows, but key challenges still face the field.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1999

Terrestrial EVA Suit = Fire Fighter's Protective Clothing

Firefighters want to go to work, do their job well, and go home alive and uninjured. For their most important job, saving lives, firefighters want protective equipment that will allow more extended and effective time at fire scenes in order to perform victim search and rescue. A team, including engineers at NASA JSC and firefighters from Houston, has developed a list of problem areas for which NASA technology and know-how can recommend improvements for firefighter suits and gear. Prototypes for solutions have been developed and are being evaluated. This effort will spin back to NASA as improvements for lunar and planetary suits.

Foley, Tico↗
NASA NTRS2000

Crew Factors in Flight Operations: A Survey of Fatigue Factors in Corporate/Executive A Viation Operations - 8

Corporate flight crews face unique challenges including unscheduled flights, quickly changing schedules, extended duty days, long waits, time zone changes, and peripheral tasks. Most corporate operations are regulated by Part 91 FARs which set no flight or duty time limits. The objective of this study was to identify operationally significant factors that may influence fatigue, alertness, and performance in corporate operations. In collaboration with the National Business Aircraft Association and the Flight Safety Foundation, NASA developed and distributed a retrospective survey comprising 107 questions addressing demographics, home sleep habits, flight experience, duty schedules, fatigue during operations, and work environment. Corporate crewmembers returned 1,488 surveys. Respondents averaged 45.2 years of age, had 14.9 years of corporate flying experience, and 9,750 total flight hours. The majority (89%) rated themselves as 'good' or 'very good' sleepers at home. Most (82%) indicated they are subject to call for duty and described an average duty day of 9.9 h. About two-thirds reported having a daily duty time limit and over half (57%) reported a daily flight time limit. Nearly three-quarters (71%) acknowledged having 'nodded off' during a flight. Only 21% reported that their flight departments offer training on fatigue issues. Almost three-quarters (74%) described fatigue as a 'moderate' or 'serious' concern, and a majority (61%) characterized it as a common occurrence. Most (85%) identified fatigue as a 'moderate' or 'serious' safety issue.

Rosekind, Mark R.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tracking Volumetric Units in Modular Factories for Automated Progress Monitoring Using Computer Vision

The construction industry is increasingly adopting off-site and prefabricated methods due to advantages offered in safety, quality, and lead time. Applying industrialized methods for plant management in offsite construction factories requires the collection of large volumes of production process data, which is a tedious task when performed manually. Recent attempts to automate this process have relied on sensor-based data collection methods which are susceptible to noise, expensive, and difficult to validate. Computer vision methods, however, enable process data collection from videos without the limitations of the other sensor-based methods. This technology has not been applied for offsite construction except in very few instances and therefore, this study proposes a novel method to reliably collect the production process data using computer vision method in near real-time from widely used surveillance cameras in offsite construction. The proposed method allows the user to annotate the workstations of interest on the video as ground truths and process these areas throughout the entire video to track the units entering and leaving stations, while continuously updating a near real-time schedule of the production line. This framework was validated by implementing on the surveillance videos of the production process of modular home manufacturing in a factory. The results consistently provided 100% accuracy, after denoising, for all the videos processed including 60 h of work for a station. The developed method enables real-time tracking of station performance, which can enable continuous improvement methods for factory management and resource allocation.

computer vision↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Effects of Chronic Sleep Restriction on Multiple Object Tracking

The ability to simultaneously track numerous moving objects in the presence of irrelevant stimuli is essential for carrying out a variety of tasks. Sleep loss has been found to impair neurocognitive functioning and, as a result, attentional processing capacity is reduced. A common form of sleep loss is chronic sleep restriction (CSR), in which an inadequate amount of sleep is obtained over consecutive days. The objective of the current study was to determine if performance on the multiple object tracking (MOT) task was adversely impacted by a week of CSR. Twelve healthy participants (6 males, 6 females) kept a fixed sleep-wake schedule, with a constant waketime, at home for four weeks (activity monitors worn on the participant’s nondominant wrist were used to confirm compliance). Weeks one and three were deemed washout weeks, during which participants maintained a 9-hour sleep-wake schedule. Weeks two and four were deemed experimental weeks, during which participants were randomly assigned a 5-hour (CSR) and 9-hour (sleep satiation) sleep-wake schedule. Following night seven of each experimental week, participants completed a 13-hour laboratory visit under dim light (less than 15 lux) where they maintained a constant posture and were provided with hourly isocaloric snacks. MOT was presented at approximately 6 and 8 hours after waking. Participants were required to track four, five, or six moving targets in the presence of identical distractors (always 12 total objects). It was found that participants slept significantly less during the week of CSR compared to the week of sleep satiation. There was no difference in the overall proportion of correct MOT responses following the CSR and sleep satiation weeks. However, an additional analysis examining only the 6 target condition found that the proportion of correct responses was significantly lower following the week of CSR. These findings suggest that CSR has an adverse impact on tracking performance when the cognitive demand was higher. This has implications for individuals, such as air traffic controllers and truck drivers, who must visually track multiple moving objects under high workload situations, often while chronically sleep deprived.

sleep restriction↗
DOE OSTI2023

A New State of the Art: Zero Energy Modular Multifamily Construction

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office (BTO) launched the Advanced Building Construction (ABC) Initiative. This initiative aimed to integrate energy efficiency into high-production construction practices. One focus area of the initiative is off-site construction, an approach that may achieve scalable, efficient, and high-performing construction buildings through process standardization. This report presents the findings and recommendations from our ABC Initiative project: A New State of the Art: Zero-Energy Modular Multifamily Construction System. The objectives of the BTO-funded project are to: 1) Achieve energy performance 50% better than the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). 2) Achieve this level of energy performance at no additional cost VEIC worked with Louisiana State University (LSU), National Renewal Energy Lab (NREL), [the project team], and industry partners at the Mod Coach, KBS, and Solar Home Factory to identify and analyze multifamily business designs and modular construction practices. These designs and processes hold the promise of achieving the goals set out by the DOE.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS1979

Residential solar-heating system-design package

Design package for modular solar heating system includes performance specifications, design data, installation guidelines, and other information that should be valuable to those interested in system (or similar systems) for projected installation. When installed in insulated "energy saver" home, system can supply large percentage of total energy needs of building.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1985

Spacelab 2

The most promising new technology for scientific research is America's Space Transportation System; the space shuttle and its companion facility, Spacelab. Spacelab is a versatile laboratory designed specifically to accommodate scientists and their instruments in low-Earth orbit. In a space laboratory, scientists can perform experiments that are impossible on Earth. They can also use very large instruments aboard the Shuttle, with the added benefit of bringing all their equipment, experiment samples, and data home for analysis. Spacelab 2 is one in a series of missions that gives the world's scientists a chance to do research in a well-equipped laboratory in space.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1993

Columbus system support for telescience operations

With the given constraints of the space environment, the telescience concept aims at providing a space mission user with optimum flexibility and responsiveness for spaceborne investigations. The concept includes automated system management functions, which allocate and monitor planned resources and time windows, within which the investigator can perform his science interactively responding 'on-line' to experimental data. During the telescience operation, the user is given the capability to send telecommands to the payload from the User Home Base with transparency to the rest of the system. Any violation of the 'booked' time and resources will be detected by the system and reported back to the user for appropriate action. Ultimately, the system will react to maintain the integrity of the system and its payload. Upon completion of the telescience session, the system management function reverses the system configuration and deallocates resources automatically.

Lytton, David W.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Lab Homes

This dataset includes processed data from the Lab Homes (LH) Test Facility located on the PNNL campus in Richland, WA. This a set of 2 identical homes that allow for the side-by-side comparison/performance evaluation of different technologies under the same weather at any given time. The dataset spans December 6, 2021 to December 27, 2021 and represents a series of tests performed; calibration, set-point excitation, pre-heating, free-floating and warm up. The measurements correspond to whole building electrical power, HVAC energy use, water heating, appliances and lighting, as well as space temperatures, space humidity, window glass surface temperatures, through glass solar radiation, and meterological data from an onsite meteorological weather station. In addition to the measurements, a metadata .json file, a .ttl file to visualize the data as per BRICK schema, and a detailed .pdf description of the dataset are also provided.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

DE‐SC0022708 RESEARCH PERFORMANCE FINAL REPORT

GismoPower’s Final Research Report documents the outcomes of a DOE SBIR Phase II project focused on advancing the MEGA® (Mobile Electricity Generating Appliance), a trailerable, plug-in solar canopy appliance designed to deliver appliance-class electricity generation for homes, small businesses and renters. The project’s core objective was to remove the technical and regulatory barriers that have historically prevented plug-in solar systems from being safely certified, permitted, and interconnected in the United States.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Residential Facade Retrofits Modeling: Results and Documentation

Utilizing NREL's ResStock analysis tool and datasets, we performed an economic analysis for various facade upgrade combinations and strategies. This analysis considers the combined life-cycle cost of re-siding and window and insulation upgrades including both home value impacts and recurring bill savings estimates from a ResStock analysis, for varying years of home ownership.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Next generation retrofit wall panels with integrated vacuum insulation panels

Approximately two-thirds of residential buildings in the United States were constructed before the Department of Energy established energy conservation measures. These buildings present major opportunities for improving energy efficiency, though retrofitting them remains technically and economically challenging. This study presents the development and the durability evaluation of an innovative retrofit panel system that integrates vacuum insulation panels (VIP) with a nail-base panel (called a retrofit insulated panel) to enhance thermal performance with minimal disruption to occupants and without altering standard nail-based panel installation practices. Hygrothermal simulations were conducted to assess the moisture behavior of wall assemblies before and after retrofit installation under varying water vapor control strategies and climate conditions. Results indicate that, with appropriate moisture control strategy, the retrofit system effectively prevents moisture accumulation, keeping mold index values and relative humidity levels below critical thresholds. Additionally, Guarded Hot Box testing was performed to compute the effective R-value of the panel under different coverage areas that demonstrates its effectiveness in enhancing both thermal and moisture performance in existing residential buildings.

Iffa, Emishaw [ORNL]↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Light as a Reactive Countermeasure to Sleep Inertia: Translating Laboratory Findings to the Field

Sleep inertia describes the brief period of impaired alertness, mood, and cognitive performance experienced after waking. Under laboratory settings, light exposure upon waking during a habitual sleep period has been shown to improve sleep inertia symptoms. We investigated whether a field-deployable light-emitting device would help to mitigate sleep inertia in a real-world setting. Thirty-six participants (18 female; 26.6 years ± 6.1) completed an at-home, within-subject, randomized crossover study. Participants followed their habitual sleep-wake schedule for five nights before an adaptation and experimental night. Forty-five minutes after bedtime on the experimental night, participants received a phone call and were instructed to wear light-emitting glasses with the light either on (light condition) or off (control). A 5-minute psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), visual analog scales of mood (VASmood), and a 3-minute descending subtraction task (DST) were performed starting at +2, +12, +22, and +32 minutes after the call. Participants then went back to sleep and were called 45 minutes after lights out for the opposite condition. A series of mixed-effects models were performed with fixed effects of test bout, condition, test bout × condition, and a random effect of participant. Covariates included pre-sleep baseline scores, randomization order, sex, and sleep history. Participants rated themselves as more alert and energetic in the light condition compared to the control condition (VASalert-sleepy p = .01; VASlethargic-energetic p = .001). There was no effect of condition for DST outcomes, but there was a significant improvement in DST total responses in the light condition in a subset of participants waking from N3 (p = .03). There was a significant effect of condition for PVT outcomes, with faster responses (p < .001) and fewer lapses (p < .001) in the control condition. Our results under naturalistic at-home settings suggest that, similar to the in-laboratory study findings, the light intervention improved subjective alertness and mood, while working memory improved after waking from N3. Future studies of light interventions should include measures of visual acuity and comfort to assess the full feasibility and efficacy of interventions in real-world environments.

sleep inertia↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Light as a Reactive Countermeasure to Sleep Inertia: Translating Laboratory Findings to the Field

Sleep inertia describes the brief period of impaired alertness, mood, and cognitive performance experienced after waking. Under laboratory settings, light exposure upon waking during a habitual sleep period has been shown to improve sleep inertia symptoms. We investigated whether a field-deployable light-emitting device would help to mitigate sleep inertia in a real-world setting.\ Thirty-six participants (18 female; 26.6 years ± 6.1) completed an at-home, within-subject, randomized crossover study. Participants followed their habitual sleep-wake schedule for five nights before an adaptation and experimental night. Forty-five minutes after bedtime on the experimental night, participants received a phone call and were instructed to wear light-emitting glasses with the light either on (light condition) or off (control). A 5-minute psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), visual analog scales of mood (VASmood), and a 3-minute descending subtraction task (DST) were performed starting at +2, +12, +22, and +32 minutes after the call. Participants then went back to sleep and were called 45 minutes after lights out for the opposite condition. A series of mixed-effects models were performed with fixed effects of test bout, condition, test bout × condition, and a random effect of participant. Covariates included pre-sleep baseline scores, randomization order, sex, and sleep history. Participants rated themselves as more alert and energetic in the light condition compared to the control condition (VASalert-sleepy p = .01; VASlethargic-energetic p = .001). There was no effect of condition for DST outcomes, but there was a significant improvement in DST total responses in the light condition in a subset of participants waking from N3 (p = .03). There was a significant effect of condition for PVT outcomes, with faster responses (p < .001) and fewer lapses (p < .001) in the control condition. Our results under naturalistic at-home settings suggest that, similar to the in-laboratory study findings, the light intervention improved subjective alertness and mood, while working memory improved after waking from N3. Future studies of light interventions should include measures of visual acuity and comfort to assess the full feasibility and efficacy of interventions in real-world environments.

sleep inertia↗