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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 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Achieving Energy Savings in Small- and Medium-Sized Public Facilities: A Strategic Approach to Prioritizing and Financing

This resource is for state, local government, and K-12 school staff managing small- and medium-sized facilities. Readers will learn to address the unique challenges of smaller energy-saving projects and make informed decisions about financing. Section 1 provides tools for obtaining the information required to prioritize potential energy upgrades. Section 2 presents financing options for energy upgrades, as well as insights that will help decision makers select the right financing model for their project and jurisdiction. Section 3 summarizes key takeaways and highlights additional resources for small- and medium-sized public facilities.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Energy Savings Performance Contracting for Small Projects

Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) is a budget-neutral approach to make building improvements that reduce energy and water use and increase operational efficiency. ESPC can help public-sector planners use tomorrow’s energy savings to fund today's facility and infrastructure upgrades. This resource highlights strategies and case studies for implementing ESPC in smaller towns, rural counties, and small school districts to complete energy upgrades and maximize energy and cost savings.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Employee Spotlight: Christopher Graham

Christopher Graham of Special Security IT and Cyber Operations (SSO-3) makes medieval armor using a combination of old-school techniques and tools with modern accouterments, such as a blacksmith’s gas-powered forge and a power hammer.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2021

WWII Lab opened a daycare to have ‘womanpower’ on staff

To address the need for child care and perhaps further incentivize women, Groves approved a partially government-funded nursery. “[T]he obvious and sufficient justification is the release of womanpower, which the [nursery] school makes possible,” according to a 1943 financial report. The documents and others, as well as photos, are part of the collections in the Lab’s National Security Research Center, which also curates legacy materials.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Closing the Loop on Automotive Carbon Fiber Prepreg Manufacturing Scrap

The project demonstrated how to “close the loop” on carbon fiber by integrating industrial carbon fiber scrap into new functional components in an automotive lightweighting application. The project serves as a validation of discontinuous recycled carbon fiber in a commercial context, while generating comprehensive material data throughout the production chain. To this end, the project exhibited increasing complexity as material evaluation progressed from benchtop to commercial scale through full-scale part production, with key material properties thoroughly characterized throughout the process. Of particular focus was the form of the fiber that was fed into compounding, as recycled fiber has historically been problematic to feed at commercial-scale. Carbon fiber is energy-intensive to manufacture, so reuse of existing fiber material can reduce costs and increase sustainability. Additionally, by integrating recovered short fiber into a thermoplastic, regrind processes can be used to provide feedstock for later generations of product. While regrind plastics are not “infinitely recyclable”, reusing the manufacturing scrap over several generations of products can greatly increase material sustainability and lower the fractional embodied energy of each successive product. As such, this project supports the IACMI technical goals of (1) 25% lower carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) cost, (2) 50% reduction in CFRP embodied energy, and (3) 80% composite recyclability into useful products. The initial stage of the project involved down selecting surface treatment (sizing) chemistries. Sizing evaluations were performed on Vartega’s chemically recycled intermediate modulus fiber along with standard modulus dry scrap which was oversized with sizing provided by Michelman. More dramatic improvements from sizing were found on the standard rather than the intermediate modulus fibers. The strength of the chemically recycled individual fibers were evaluated by Michelman and ORNL through single fiber testing and found to be comparable to similarly evaluated virgin fibers. UDRI’s mechanical testing on injection molded test specimens identified similar mechanical properties and fiber distribution relative to benchmark specimens. Additional surface chemistry tests and visualizations were performed by the Colorado School of Mines to confirm close conformance between the benchmark and recycled-fiber specimens. As the mechanical test results exceeded the 80% threshold established as the go/no-go(GNG), the project scale was increased to use commercial-scale equipment that would both better characterize the manufacturing utility of the target product format and allow qualitative assessment of a complex commercial part. An upscaled compounding evaluation was performed with a 27 mm twin-screw compounding extruding using oversized standard modulus fibers that were formatted to improve bulk solids transfer. The project team anticipated that milestone mechanical benchmarks could be achieved given the favorable performance of the sized standard modulus material identified in the initial micro-compounding trials. While the mechanical performance did meet the milestone target for that phase of the project, mechanical properties for this standard modulus-based compound were still less than those of the Ford specification. To compare the performance, the project team oversized intermediate modulus dry fibers and compounded them with the project resin at BASF using a 40 mm compounder. Test specimen mechanical performance exceeded the targets laid out in both the project milestone and the Ford specification. A series of prototype parts were successfully molded, albeit with instances of short shot components due to the high thermal conductivity of the carbon fiber compared to glass fiber for which the prototype tool was designed for. The project demonstrated that recycled carbon fiber is a viable option in fiber reinforced compound, providing greatly increased strength and modulus for applications that require them. The “agglomerated” format that facilitated effective bulk solids transfer of recovered fiber showed promise for industrial application.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

PACE: Producing Algae for Co-Products and Energy (Final Report)

The PACE (Producing Algae for Co-Products and Energy) consortium was comprised of scientists from national laboratories (Los Alamos National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), research institutions (New Mexico Consortium), academic institutions (Arizona State University, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Washington State University) and private companies (Reliance Industries, PanPacific, Genifuel and Sonosop) dedicated to making process improvements in algal biotechnology, with an emphasis on renewable fuels and co-products from biomass. The scope of work was focused on improving algal cultivation and processing to achieve an overall energy return on investment (EROI) >3, a carbon index less than 55 grams carbon dioxide per megajoule (gCO2/MJ) and a nearly two-fold reduction in fuel cost to ≤$5 per gallon of gasoline equivalent (gge). The PACE project was originally focused on using two strains of Chlorella sorokiniana (Cs1412 and Cs1230), but later grew to encompass marine strains of Nannochloropsis and algal production strains from Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enabling New Approaches to Low-Cost Dopant Patterning for Interdigitated Back Contact Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells: Cooperative Research and Development, CRADA Number CRD-17-00665 (Final Report)

NREL is sub to the Department of Energy (DOE) Photovoltaic Research & Development (PVRD) project, titled "New Approaches to Low-Cost Scalable Doping for Interdigitated Back Contact Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells", awarded to Colorado School of Mines. The goal of this project was to develop an industrially relevant dopant patterning technique that enable high performing, cost efficient Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) solar cells based on n-Cz silicon wafer. Several possibilities were explored at the beginning of the project and the masked plasma deposition was deselected as the most promising and industrially relevant. This method was thoroughly explored ion the course of the project, its limitations revealed and mitigated. NREL successfully the masked deposition integrated into the cell's process flow and produced the cells, alongside with numerous process development steps and application of in-house advanced characterization techniques. The report describes these developments by the task and in detail.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Completing the Circuit: Workforce Development for Advanced Building Construction and Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

This paper will present key findings from a future-oriented qualitative study investigating likely futures for the next 5-10 years in the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations industry. This research offers an original contribution to the buildings industry by articulating an actionable framework to more effectively build connections between built environment fields. Whereas the ideal of interdisciplinary, research driven practice underlies the approach to pedagogy at many schools of architecture, innovation in the profession, such as the integrated design process, has been limited. This project applies Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) to the analysis of data gathered from interviews and a review of industry reports.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Improving Fission Products at CARIBU: Near Field Detection (Q2/FY22 Quarterly Progress Report)

We continued our work on preparation for the upcoming branching ratio measurements. The CARIBU facility has not been delivering radioactive beams since January this year due to an issue with the magnet that is used for mass separation. The parts needed to be replaced to fix the issue has been since ordered, shipped from Germany, and installed at CARIBU. The CARIBU is now operational and the first experiments that are ran will be those that had to be cancelled in January due to the facility complications, and we are in a position to schedule our next sample collection. In the meantime, we have been continuing work on data analysis of fission product mass measurements in the Canadian Penning Trap. This analysis is now complete. We continue our outreach to recruit a graduate student who would be interested in working with us on this project. In the past month, we have a conversation with a potential student at UC Berkeley and Texas A&M. There students are still to decide if they would accept the offer to these graduate schools.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Preliminary Assessment of Potential for Wind Energy Technology on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Reservation

Wind energy can provide renewable, sustainable electricity to rural Native homes and power schools and businesses. It can even provide tribes with a source of income and economic development. The purpose of this research is to determine the potential for deploying community and utility-scale wind renewable technologies on Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa tribal lands. Ideal areas for wind technology development were investigated, based on wind resources, terrain, land usage, and other factors. This was done using tools like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Wind Prospector, in addition to consulting tribal members and experts in the field. The result was a preliminary assessment of wind energy potential on Turtle Mountain lands, which can be used to justify further investigation and investment into determining the feasibility of future wind technology projects.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Sister Rod Destructive Examinations (FY2021) Appendix J: Leaching of High Burnup Used Nuclear Fuel in De-ionized Water

As a part of the DOE NE High Burnup Spent Fuel Data Project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is performing destructive examinations (DEs) of high burnup (HBU) (>45 GWd/MTU) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) rods from the North Anna Nuclear Power Station operated by Dominion Energy. The SNF rods, called sister rods or sibling rods, are all HBU and include four different kinds of fuel rod cladding: standard Zircaloy-4 (Zirc-4), low-tin Zirc-4, ZIRLO, and M5. The leaching experiment was a part of a larger study by Yadukrishnan Sasikumar in defending his doctoral thesis at The Open University, School of Engineering and Innovation [13]. It utilized post-CIRFT Sister Rod test specimens that were slated for disposal. The leaching experiment aims to understand the trends in the radiolytic dissolution of High Burnup Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) when exposed to water (e.g., in-reactor or in-pool cladding failures). Specimens from a baseline M5-clad rod and a heat-treated M5 rod were cut from the fractured CIRFT specimens and placed in 100 mL de-ionized water for a period of 128 days. Both radial and axial sections were cut to provide different surface areas of fuel in contact with the leachate. During the four-month exposure period, aliquot samples of the leachate were analyzed gamma spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analysis quantified the amount of fuel leached into the solutions and provided individual isotopic release fractions (of 30+ isotopes) which were compared as a function of time and surface area of fuel exposed.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Structural engineering Graduate Degree Program with specialization in structural health monitoring & non-destructive evaluation [Slides]

The promotional presentation discusses the graduate degree program at the University of California, San Diego, Jacobs School of Engineering, related to structural engineering. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) encompasses the integration of a broad range of technologies from sensing/actuating, data interrogation, and statistical modeling to enable system-level or component-level health assessment and predictive modeling. The course is available via distance learning to Los Alamos National Laboratory engineers.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Industrial Assessment Center – integration of education and practice. Final progress report

The goal of the DOE’s Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) program is twofold: first, to help US manufacturing competitiveness by providing assessments and recommendations for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on energy efficiency, productivity, sustainability and competitiveness – including measuring the impacts of these recommendations on reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and second, to address a growing shortage of engineering professionals with applied energy and manufacturing-related skills by training a diverse cross-section of engineering students through hands-on involvement in these assessments. IUPUI has an IAC, which was established in 2011, in the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI. The IAC has won the awards twice. We have built the center that has the expertise and infrastructure for quality energy assessments to manufactures and commercial building owners and aligned our current research and teaching activities to the DOE’ training mission with programs to train the next generation of industrial energy efficiency experts, with theory and hands-on experience in conducting energy assessment for small and median manufacturing enterprises. We have made recommendations that have the potential to save about $20M annually. We also initiated research projects to meet DOE priorities, specifically in the areas of smart manufacturing and cybersecurity. On the energy assessment side, the Center has provided energy assessments to 144 qualified companies, primarily located in Indiana. On the training side, the center has trained students in various programs, such as the department’s Bachelor of Science (BS) programs in Mechanical Engineering (ME) and BS in Energy Engineering (EEN), both are ABET accredited engineering programs, as well as a graduate level Energy Management and Assessment certificate program. At the present, the center has trained 95 students, 43 or them received the DOE issued certificates. Research projects were developed within the center to advance energy efficiency related technologies, which provided excellent opportunities for our trainees. The center has also been building a professional network with utilities, Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), government agencies, and manufacturing companies, to increase our client base and promote collaborations. The center received the 2019 Center of Excellence of the Year Award and three students received the “Outstanding Achievement in Energy Engineering by an IAC Student” awards in the past five years.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

AI-Enabled Robots for Automated Nondestructive Evaluation and Repair of Power Plant Boilers. Final Report

Boiler failure could cause loss of life and safety issues, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment repairs, property damage and production losses, and drive up the cost of electric power. Boiler maintenance is challenging and risky for inspectors working on scaffolding in confined hazardous spaces inside of a boiler and sometimes the space is hard to access. The operation is also time-consuming due to the large area of vertical structures for inspection and the tremendous effort needed for scaffolding. Recently, the use of robotics (e.g., drones and crawlers) in power plants for maintenance is growing rapidly. However, the existing robotics solutions show two notable technological gaps: no live repair capability, and no Artificial Intelligence (AI) for smart autonomy. The objective of this project is to develop an integrated autonomous robotic platform that is equipped with compact non-destructive evaluation (NDE) sensors to perform live inspection, operates onboard repair devices to perform live repair, and uses AI for intelligent data fusion and predictive analysis for automated and smart spatiotemporal inspection, analysis and repair of the furnace walls in coal-fired boilers. The approach to achieve the objective includes developing NDE sensors with signal processing techniques, designing and evaluating repair devices for robots based on fusion and solid-state technologies, and an autonomous robotic platform that can attach to and navigate on boiler furnace walls using magnetic drive tracks. The robot is also powered by AI to automate data gathering (e.g., 3D mapping and damage localization) and predictive analysis. This project has advanced the state-of-the-art by providing technological breakthroughs including compact NDE and repair tools for robots, AI capabilities for smart autonomy, and a robotic platform for automated boiler maintenance. This project has great potential to result in significant benefits including limiting or eliminating the need to send operators to assess difficult-to-access or hazardous areas, enabling automated live inspection and repair, avoiding time consuming scaffolding (especially for partial maintenance during unplanned outage), collecting comprehensive and well-organized data smartly, and avoiding or limiting the need for onsite or remote piloting technicians. The impacts can be tremendous in terms of the time and cost savings, reducing the risk for human operators, and increasing boiler reliability, usability, and efficiency. In addition, by developing the new technologies on the autonomous inspection and repair robot, by involving multiple undergraduate and graduate students working together with the faculty members on this project, and by generating knowledge and building up collaborations with industrial partners, this effort will significantly update the education capabilities, support long-term fundamental research, and maintain the leadership of Colorado School of Mines and Michigan State University in energy fields.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

US Fallout Shelter

Being indoors (sheltering) reduces radiation exposures resulting from nuclear fallout or a power-plant accident. However, most US building types, particularly non-residential buildings, lack quantitative estimates. We provide here a high-level modeling analysis of modern US building protection based on a novel radiation protection building attribute taxonomy, a new building protection model, compilation of prior experimental results, and nationally representative building survey data. This approach provides a consistent, quantitative understanding of US building protection and, when combined with the distribution of people among different buildings, can assist in selecting emergency response strategies. We find that indoor radiation protection varies by orders of magnitude. Most people in non-residential buildings are adequately protected, particularly below ground or in the building center. Residential buildings are less protective and those with lighter weight walls lack adequate, above ground protection. This work also highlights key areas where further investigation will improve the current results. These include the improving the understanding of residential basement protection, additional experimental data on non-residential buildings (particularly schools and industrial buildings), and the frequency of brick veneer and stucco exterior residential buildings.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Safeguards by Design Projects (Final Report-FY-22)

This University Engagement project challenged engineering students at universities, that do not have Bachelor degree programs in nuclear engineering but do have research reactors and some nuclear engineering coursework, to incorporate Safeguards by Design concepts into their Senior Capstone Design Project. This University Engagement project was part of the U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, Office of International Nuclear Safeguards, Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI), Human Capital Development (HCD): University Engagement Program. This program exposed university students with Mechanical Engineering majors and Nuclear Engineering minors to the concepts of international nuclear safeguards. In FY22, three teams at the University of Rhode Island and two teams at the University of Texas - Austin participated in researching, designing, building, and testing projects to support international nuclear safeguards measurements or verification. The projects involved engaging in activities at the university’s research reactors. All the projects engaged students with prototyping a design and/or tool for application at the Universities’ reactor. At the end of the course, most of the students expressed the experience was positive and they learned more about international nuclear safeguards and applying requirements than they had previously encountered. This school year the projects were further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both universities had limited in classes on campus, still relying on Zoom classes, and limited direct student/professor interactions. Furthermore, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) greatly restricted travel, therefore making it impossible to visit the students at the end of the semester for the review of their design projects. The final design and review meeting for the projects happened via meetings over the internet. Additionally, the teams did build and test some prototypes but could only do so in a limited capacity.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterizing Connected Lighting Systems

In the context of evaluating a lighting control system, characterization refers to the identification and description of key attributes and distinctive features of that system. NGLS has to date characterized both the form and function of 14 lighting control systems installed in the Living Lab at Parsons School of Design in New York City. The goal of NGLS characterizations in the Living Lab has been to achieve a broad understanding of “these types of systems” as a class, rather than a detailed description of any individual system.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗