Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “program design”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Best Practices in Promoting Utility-based Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: Policy Options for Ukraine

The report summarizes best practices in utility obligations and energy efficiency resource standards, drawing lessons that can be helpful for the Ukrainian government in its ongoing reform efforts. This report describes the experience of the United States and European Union member states with instruments such as energy efficiency obligations, energy efficiency resource standards, and renewable portfolio standards. This report consists of two parts. The first part covers the utility-based energy efficiency requirements (called energy efficiency obligations in Europe and energy efficiency resource standards in the U.S.). Structurally and conceptually, energy efficiency obligations and energy efficiency resource standards are similar even though they carry different names in different countries. These mechanisms place obligations on utilities to find energy savings equivalent to a certain percentage of their energy sales; depending on the program design, utilities can invest in end-use efficiency with their customers, or purchase energy savings from third parties. Some schemes also allow for trading of the energy savings. The report provides an overall description of these mechanisms, key elements as well as best practices in program design. The second part of the report provides a brief overview of U.S. renewable portfolio standards, which are structurally similar to utilities’ energy efficiency requirements, but for renewable energy. This part starts with a general overview of promotion of utility renewable energy requirements and proceeds with a description of the main components of the scheme.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Strategic Energy Management Program Persistence and Cost Effectiveness An Analysis of the SEM Program Landscape

This study examines the relationship between strategic energy management (SEM) programs and their persistence and cost effectiveness, with analysis based on interview data from 24 SEM program administrators, SEM program evaluations, and other reports. The 80 interview questions focused on the topics of program design, energy savings, energy savings persistence, cost effectiveness, and customer SEM persistence. The generosity of interview respondents provided a wealth of data, resulting in a report of sufficient length to warrant inclusion of this brief guide of the report structure. The major sections are listed below with brief descriptions. Individual sections of this report are mainly stand-alone and do not require reading of other sections. As a result, there is some duplication between sections, but with differing levels of detail. Executive Summary: Presents three key conclusions of this work with a short description of potential actions to advance the understanding of each key finding. Brief Observations: Lists a large number of bulleted observations resulting from this research, arranged by the five major topic areas included in the interviews. Analysis details are provided in the Analysis of Interview Results section. Foundations for this Research: Provides an overview of SEM, SEM frameworks, SEM programs, the topics of persistence and cost effectiveness, and the focus of this research. Methodology: Details the approach and strategy of this research, providing background information relevant to the formulation of interview questions and the identification of which SEM programs to interview. Observations from Compiled Evaluations and Other Reports: Reports observations from the collection and analysis of program evaluations, annual reports, utility planning documents, and SEM-related white papers. This section, presented in bullet form, highlights challenges in data collection and ultimately a comparison of program practices as they pertain to persistence and cost effectiveness. Analysis of Interview Results: Presents detailed analysis of responses from SEM program administrators, arranged by the five major categories examined: program design, energy savings, energy savings persistence, cost effectiveness, and customer SEM persistence. Interview questions are generally grouped together into subsections when it makes sense to examine them together. SEM Programs Challenge Traditional Cost-Effectiveness Metrics: Details an analysis based on five key factors showing that applying traditional cost-effectiveness metrics to SEM programs is not straightforward. This invites the opportunity to consider whether traditional cost-effectiveness metrics are applicable to SEM programs, either individually or at large. Resolution of Research Hypotheses: Tabulates a set of hypotheses that were developed to address the fundamental nature of the research at hand. Analysis of responses to multiple questions informs an understanding of each hypothesis and can be used to better understand the SEM program environment at large.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2017

Energizing Government Decision-Makers with the Facts on Solar Technology, Policy, and Integration

The Solar Technical Assistance Team (STAT) is a network of solar technology and implementation experts who provide timely, unbiased expertise to assist policymakers and regulators in making informed decisions about solar programs and policies. Government officials can submit requests directly to the STAT for technical assistance. STAT then partners with experts in solar policy, regulation, finance, technology, and other areas to deliver accurate, up-to-date information to state and local decision makers. The STAT responds to requests on a wide range of issues -- including, but not limited to, feed-in tariffs, renewable portfolio standards, rate design, program design, workforce and economic impacts of solar on jurisdictions, and project financing.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Design trade-offs for residential retail tariffs and virtual power plants

Retail rate design and virtual power plants (VPPs) have the potential to shift customer electricity demand and provide economic benefits to utility customers. As the adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) and flexible loads increases, retail tariff and program design can impact Bonbright's rate design principles including affordability, fairness, and economic efficiency. We model the effects of residential retail rates and VPP programs on power system costs in Massachusetts under a potential future system with high renewable energy and DER adoption. We model interactions among retail rate design, demand flexibility, and utility costs and identify trade-offs across different rate designs and VPP programs. We estimate that time-of-use (TOU) rates and VPP programs designed to avoid critical peak rates can lower overall system costs by 3.5 %-4.8 %. These lower costs translate to lower electricity bills for 62 %-91 % of customers, depending on the scenario. Although TOU rates with a critical peak VPP program can benefit all customer segments and are economically efficient, a VPP program with flat rates leads to the lowest overall bills for customers. We find that customers with loads that align with peak demand and who participate in critical peak VPP programs can underpay for their contribution to utility costs and shift costs to other customers. While our assumptions about mandatory TOU and/or critical peak pricing likely impact the magnitude of the results, the results highlight the trade-offs of these tariffs and programs and the importance of tariff and program design as demand becomes more flexible and responsive.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1976

Space telescope optical telescope assembly/scientific instruments. Phase B: Preliminary design and program definition study. Volume 2A(3): Astrometry

Wide field measurements, namely, measurements of relative angular separations between stars over a relatively wide field for parallax and proper motion determinations, were made with the third fine guidance sensor. Narrow field measurements, i.e., double star measurements, are accomplished primarily with the area photometer or faint object camera at f/96. The wavelength range required can be met by the fine guidance sensor which has a spectral coverage from 3000 to 7500 A. The field of view of the fine guidance sensor also exceeds that required for the wide field astrometric instrument. Requirements require a filter wheel for the wide field astrometer, and so one was incorporated into the design of the fine guidance sensor. The filter wheel probably would contain two neutral density filters to extend the dynamic range of the sensor and three spectral filters for narrowing effective double star magnitude difference.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1977

Propeller design by numerical optimization

A computer program designed to optimize propeller characteristics was developed by combining two main programs: the first is the optimization program based on the gradient algorithm; the second is based on a propeller blade element theory and uses an aerodynamics subprogram to approximate the lift and drag characteristics of the NACA 16-series airfoil section. To evaluate the propeller program alone (with its aerodynamics subprogram), propeller characteristics were computed and compared to those from wind tunnel investigations conducted on three different NACA propellers. Although the thrust and power coefficients which were computed using the blade element theory were generally higher than the experimental results for two of the three propellers, the corresponding efficiencies showed good agreement for all three propellers. The propeller optimization program was then used to study the NACA 4-(5)(08)-03 propeller at various Mach numbers from 0.175 to 0.60. Improvements in propeller efficiency and thrust were obtained through the use of the propeller optimization program.

Mendoza, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Buckling and vibration of any prismatic assembly of shear and compression loaded anisotropic plates with an arbitrary supporting structure

The computer program designated 'VIPASA', which accurately treats buckling and vibration in prismatic plate assemblies with a response that varies sinusoidally in the longitudinal direction, has been found to be limited by the production of an in-plane shear loading of component plates that produces skewed mode shapes. These do not conform to desired support conditions. This problem is presently overcome through a coupling of the VIPASA stiffness matrices for different wavelength responses by means of the Lagrangian Multipliers method. The theory extends to supports at arbitrary locations, and even to the support provided by any elastic structure. The generality and capabilities of VIPASA have been retained in the computer program designated 'VICON', which permits constraints and a supporting structure consisting of any number of transverse beam columns.

Anderson, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS1984

General specifications for the development of a PC-based simulator of the NASA RECON system

The general specifications for the design and implementation of an IBM PC/XT-based simulator of the NASA RECON system, including record designs, file structure designs, command language analysis, program design issues, error recovery considerations, and usage monitoring facilities are discussed. Once implemented, such a simulator will be utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of simulated information system access in addition to actual system usage as part of the total educational programs being developed within the NASA contract.

Dominick, Wayne D.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Barriers and Opportunities for Energy Technology Adoption in Juneau, Alaska

This report presents findings from a qualitative study examining barriers and opportunities for air source heat pump (ASHP) and electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Juneau, Alaska, with a particular focus on manufactured and multifamily housing. The analysis draws on community insights from end users and middle actors to better understand how technology adoption unfolds in contexts with distinct logistical, infrastructural, and housing constraints. The report is organized according to key barriers and opportunities identified through stakeholder input, providing a structured understanding of adoption dynamics across technologies and housing types. These insights are intended to inform program design and support more effective electrification strategies tailored to local conditions. The study team employed qualitative methods to capture both in-depth and high-level perspectives on technology adoption. Data collection included: 1) two 2-hour focus groups with a total of five end users and seven middle actors, enabling detailed and structured discussion and 2) ten semistructured interviews with manufactured home owners, multifamily landlords, and one tenant, providing complementary insights across housing contexts. Focus groups captured accounts of shared challenges and opportunities while interviews offered more concise reflections on individual experiences. Together, these methods enabled a more comprehensive understanding of both systemic barriers and lived experiences with ASHPs and EVs. The findings reveal that adoption of electrification technologies is shaped by a combination of economic, logistical, and informational factors that vary across housing types, technology characteristics, user groups, and other demographic factors. Addressing these factors requires tailored strategies that reflect local conditions and user experiences. The insights in this report can provide a foundation for organizations such as AEL&P to refine program design, support more effective outreach, and anticipate shifts in energy demand associated with increased electrification. More broadly, the study highlights the importance of incorporating community perspectives when developing electrification initiatives to ensure they are both practical and responsive to real-world constraints.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Advanced Modeling and Simulation Methods for Evaluation of Thermal Neutron Scattering Materials

With the rise of interest in thermal neutron scattering data for advanced reactor, criticality safety, and shielding applications, new experimental data are required for evaluation of new materials or for re-evaluation (or validations) of previously evaluated materials. New experimental data are evaluated in a three-step process: (1) computing the phonon characteristics, (2) computing the dynamic structure factor (DSF) from the data, and (3) using the experimental setup to simulate the experimental data. All three steps have challenges, ranging from the need for a sufficiently general material simulation code—a processing code that can compute the corresponding DSF—to having a detailed layout of the instrument/beamline/facility where the data were measured. Whereas phonon characteristics of materials can be computed using various methods (molecular dynamics, density functional theory, etc.), a high-fidelity computation of the DSF and the simulation of the experiment based on the DSF is vital to the accuracy of the evaluation. The latter two steps can be achieved by using the two corresponding code systems developed by instrument scientists at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory: (1) OCLIMAX, a program that calculates the dynamic structure factor from DFT and MD simulation results, and (2) MCViNE, a Monte Carlo neutron ray-tracing program designed to simulate neutron scattering experiments. Recently, polyethylene and yttrium hydride were measured at the Wide Angular-Range Chopper (ARCS) and SEQUOIA instrument stations of the SNS. These experiments are simulated using the density functional theory code, the Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package (CASTEP), to compute its phonon characteristics (eigenvalues/vectors and PDOS), which is then processed using OCLIMAX to yield the DSF, and finally the data at each instrument station are simulated by the MCViNE for comparison to the measured data for evaluation. For comparison to conventional evaluation methods, the scattering data processed from OCLIMAX are compared against those processed from the LEAPR module of NJOY, and the results from MCViNE simulations are compared against previously used simplified beamline models implemented in the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Community Solar for the Southeast (Final Report)

The Community Solar for the Southeast project provided technical assistance for cooperative and municipal utilities in the southeastern United States that are considering community solar programs. The project provided generally applicable information for these utilities in the form of an implementation guide and other freely available materials. It also provided detailed technical assistance to specific utilities in the form of feasibility analyses for possible community-scale solar (and energy storage) projects and program designs for community solar programs, all at no direct cost to the utilities. By helping to spur development of community solar projects in a region that historically had not seen much community-scale solar development, the program provided proof-of-concept for other community solar projects in the region, and helped to open up a market segment (cooperative and municipal utilities) that may have otherwise lacked the resources to independently pursue community solar development. The overall goal of the project was an expansion of community solar capacity at municipal and cooperative utilities in the southeastern United States (in this case meaning Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi). The specific target was to spur the development of community solar at these utilities throughout the Southeast such that at least 200 MW of community-scale solar would be developed by 2020. In order to reach this goal the project team first aimed to develop useful materials and conduct outreach with utilities and other relevant stakeholders. The team then conducted technical assistance projects to help individual utilities evaluate and, in several cases, pursue development of projects. The team conducted nine technical assistance projects in total: five in North Carolina, two in Virginia, one in Georgia, and one in Kentucky. The team also responded to smaller scale information requests from southeastern utilities throughout the project period.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

New Jersey Transit Grid Distributed Generation Program. Cybersecurity Design Assurance Assessment

Superstorm Sandy caused a major disruption to passenger-rail and other commuter systems throughout New York and New Jersey. To address this issue, New Jersey Transit (NJT) established the NJ TRANSITGRID project, an effort designed to power bus, ferry, and limited passenger-rail service during natural or man-made disasters. Given the importance of these transportation systems, NJT partnered with Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) to assess the cyber-resilience of the information systems that monitor and control the electrical systems within the microgrid. The Sandia “tabletop” assessment is based on the most recent 20% design packages. From this assessment, the Sandia team identified several security areas that were undefined or did not implement industry best practices. Finally, the Sandia team presented possible follow-on assessment activities and recommended investigating multiple hardening technologies. Addressing these findings and adding state-of-the-art detection and mitigation technologies will help ensure the NJ TRANSITGRID is built with more comprehensive cyber-resilience features.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1971

Cooperative program for design, fabrication, and testing of graphite/epoxy composite helicopter shafting

The fabrication of UH-1 helicopter tail rotor drive shafts from graphite/epoxy composite materials is discussed. Procedures for eliminating wrinkles caused by lack of precure compaction are described. The development of the adhesive bond between aluminum end couplings and the composite tube is analyzed. Performance tests to validate the superiority of the composite materials are reported.

Wright, C. C.↗