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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Progress on Design and Production of Oxide Dispersion–Strengthened Alumina-Forming Austenitic Alloys for Nuclear Applications

Alumina-forming austenitic (AFA) alloys are a promising class of nuclear materials due to their high-temperature oxidation/corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. Unfortunately, these alloys are limited in use for core material applications, specifically in their use as nuclear fuel cladding. Improving these alloys through a fine dispersion of oxide precipitates and thus increasing the effective irradiation sink strength of the alloy system may mitigate many of the degradation phenomena expected during alloy deployment (such as high-temperature helium embrittlement for lead-cooled fast reactor applications). This work package has started using a combination of conventional and advanced manufacturing approaches to the fabrication of oxide dispersion–strengthened (ODS) AFA materials. As such, this report summarizes progress to date in the fabrication of new compositions of these ODS AFA materials with a focus on reactor-specific design and a multifaceted manufacturing approach. Two different compositions of AFA gas-atomized powders were procured, and 200 g of each have been prepared using mechanical alloying with the expectation of high-temperature consolidation in Q1 of FY24. In addition, an approach to use reactive cover gases to promote additional precipitate formation has been developed for implementation in FY24 as a direct comparison with conventionally manufactured alloys.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Toughening Brittle Bio‐P3HB with Synthetic P3HB of Engineered Stereomicrostructures

Abstract Poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB), a biologically produced, biodegradable natural polyester, exhibits excellent thermal and barrier properties but suffers from mechanical brittleness, largely limiting its applications. Here we report a mono‐material product design strategy to toughen stereoperfect, brittle bio or synthetic P3HB by blending it with stereomicrostructurally engineered P3HB. Through tacticity ([ mm ] from 0 to 100 %) and molecular weight ( M n to 788 kDa) tuning, high‐performance synthetic P3HB materials with tensile strength to ≈30 MPa, fracture strain to ≈800 %, and toughness to 126 MJ m −3 (>110× tougher than bio‐P3HB) have been produced. Physical blending of the brittle P3HB with such P3HB in 10 to 90 wt % dramatically enhances its ductility from ≈5 % to 95–450 % and optical clarity from 19 % to 85 % visible light transmittance while maintaining desirably high elastic modulus (>1 GPa), tensile strength (>35 MPa), and melting temperature (160–170 °C). This P3HB‐toughening‐P3HB methodology departs from the traditional approach of incorporating chemically distinct components to toughen P3HB, which hinders chemical or mechanical recycling, highlighting the potential of the mono‐material product design solely based on biodegradable P3HB to deliver P3HB materials with diverse performance properties.

Zhang, Zhen↗
DOE OSTI2023

Toughening Brittle Bio‐P3HB with Synthetic P3HB of Engineered Stereomicrostructures

Abstract Poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB), a biologically produced, biodegradable natural polyester, exhibits excellent thermal and barrier properties but suffers from mechanical brittleness, largely limiting its applications. Here we report a mono‐material product design strategy to toughen stereoperfect, brittle bio or synthetic P3HB by blending it with stereomicrostructurally engineered P3HB. Through tacticity ([ mm ] from 0 to 100 %) and molecular weight ( M n to 788 kDa) tuning, high‐performance synthetic P3HB materials with tensile strength to ≈30 MPa, fracture strain to ≈800 %, and toughness to 126 MJ m −3 (>110× tougher than bio‐P3HB) have been produced. Physical blending of the brittle P3HB with such P3HB in 10 to 90 wt % dramatically enhances its ductility from ≈5 % to 95–450 % and optical clarity from 19 % to 85 % visible light transmittance while maintaining desirably high elastic modulus (>1 GPa), tensile strength (>35 MPa), and melting temperature (160–170 °C). This P3HB‐toughening‐P3HB methodology departs from the traditional approach of incorporating chemically distinct components to toughen P3HB, which hinders chemical or mechanical recycling, highlighting the potential of the mono‐material product design solely based on biodegradable P3HB to deliver P3HB materials with diverse performance properties.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mono‐Materials Created by Engineering a Continuum of P3HB Stereomicrostructures in a One‐Step Catalytic Process

Multi-material products that combine multiple complementary polymers can create products with desired performance but present challenges to end-of-life (EoL) management. The emerging mono-material product design based on a single polymer type addresses the fundamental EoL issue, but challenges of delivering vastly tunable material properties by the single polymer still remain. Here, we introduce a simple strategy to produce biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB) materials with a wide range of material properties by engineering a stereomicrostructure continuum, achieved through polymerizing diastereomeric mixtures of racemic and meso-dimethyl diolides at various feed ratios with a single catalyst. This one-step, one-pot process produces biodegradable P3HB mono-materials ranging from rigid to flexible thermoplastics, to tough thermoplastic elastomers, to a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), which have been then combined to fabricate prototype all-P3HB PSA tapes, demonstrating the feasibility of designing mono-material products through engineering polymer stereomicrostructures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Production of Designer Xylose-Acetic Acid Enriched Hydrolysate from Bioenergy Sorghum, Oilcane, and Energycane Bagasses

Xylan accounts for up to 40% of the structural carbohydrates in lignocellulosic feedstocks. Along with xylan, acetic acid in sources of hemicellulose can be recovered and marketed as a commodity chemical. Through vibrant bioprocessing innovations, converting xylose and acetic acid into high-value bioproducts via microbial cultures improves the feasibility of lignocellulosic biorefineries. Enzymatic hydrolysis using xylanase supplemented with acetylxylan esterase (AXE) was applied to prepare xylose-acetic acid enriched hydrolysates from bioenergy sorghum, oilcane, or energycane using sequential hydrothermal-mechanical pretreatment. Various biomass solids contents (15 to 25%, w/v) and xylanase loadings (140 to 280 FXU/g biomass) were tested to maximize xylose and acetic acid titers. The xylose and acetic acid yields were significantly improved by supplementing with AXE. The optimal yields of xylose and acetic acid were 92.29% and 62.26% obtained from hydrolyzing energycane and oilcane at 25% and 15% w/v biomass solids using 280 FXU xylanase/g biomass and AXE, respectively.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Data for Production of Designer Xylose-Acetic Acid Enriched Hydrolysate from Bioenergy Sorghum, Oilcane, and Energycane Bagasses

Xylan accounts for up to 40% of the structural carbohydrates in lignocellulosic feedstocks. Along with xylan, acetic acid in sources of hemicellulose can be recovered and marketed as a commodity chemical. Through vibrant bioprocessing innovations, converting xylose and acetic acid into high-value bioproducts via microbial cultures improves the feasibility of lignocellulosic biorefineries. Enzymatic hydrolysis using xylanase supplemented with acetylxylan esterase (AXE) was applied to prepare xylose-acetic acid enriched hydrolysates from bioenergy sorghum, oilcane, or energycane using sequential hydrothermal-mechanical pretreatment. Various biomass solids contents (15 to 25%, w/v) and xylanase loadings (140 to 280 FXU/g biomass) were tested to maximize xylose and acetic acid titers. The xylose and acetic acid yields were significantly improved by supplementing with AXE. The optimal yields of xylose and acetic acid were 92.29% and 62.26% obtained from hydrolyzing energycane and oilcane at 25% and 15% w/v biomass solids using 280 FXU xylanase/g biomass and AXE, respectively.

Biomass Analytics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Northstar Accelerator Based Mo99 Production Facility Design Support

Facility design support in FY20 centered on transfer of the target insertion and design details to MBraun and Springs, the companies under contract via Northstar to do the hot cell, target insertion and the local target shielding. A significant number of changes have been introduced by these vendors which have been reviewed and critiqued. In addition, the company contracted to produce the Mo100 disks announced that the tolerance on the thickness of 0.5 mm would be ±25%. An alternative design of the target holder was proposed. Bulk shielding and local target shielding design work has continued also and will be reported. Ongoing design and cooling issues continue to arise as the facility takes shape and moves toward completion. LANL is part of the team identifying, analyzing and designing solutions to these issues. Many of these are covered in this report.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Automated Mini-Tubular Ceramic Production (Final Design Review)

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory need a way to increase the rate of manufacturing of mini-tubular ceramics to be used in testing particulate air filters. This document outlines our process from researching and writing an initial scope of work all the way to fabricating and testing a final prototype. This journey takes us through the background research, ideation process and selection of a final design. We also detail the desired engineering specifications and our concept selection process. We dedicate a significant portion of this report to discussion of our final design. We delve into how it was manufactured as well as the tests we performed and its successes and failures. We also propose potential areas for further development and next steps for sponsors. Overall, this document provides the reader with a comprehensive understanding of our design process and results.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED SECURITY AND SAFETY MONITORING SYSTEM FOR SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL AND HIGH-LEVEL WASTE TRANSPORTATION

This paper provides an overview of the progress to date, and discussion of the path forward, related to designing, fabricating, and testing an integrated security and safety monitoring system (ISSMS) for railcars used to transport spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) in the United States. The system will comply with the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Order 460.2B “Departmental Materials Transportation Management” and the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) standard S-2043 “Performance Specification for Trains Used to Carry High-level Radioactive Material” [1] developed specifically for railcars used to transport high-level radioactive material (HLRM). DOE is in the process of developing and testing an ISSMS that will satisfy both DOE requirements and AAR standards. DOE has already developed railcar designs for transportation of HLRM. In 2024, DOE’s Atlas railcar project completed the design, fabrication and testing of three railcar types: transportation cask-carrying, buffer, and security escort, resulting in AAR conditional approval to operate on freight rail networks in North America. DOE decided to combine the required security and safety systems into one system, and this combined system is the subject of the current effort. DOE is developing and proposes to implement the ISSMS for these railcars as part of the build out of the railcar fleet. DOE began planning for development of the ISSMS in February 2020. The project is divided into seven phases starting with conceptual design and continuing through production design, as shown in Figure 1. An earlier version of the system was tested as part of the Atlas railcar consist demonstration test run in 2023. This paper describes the design features and system testing using the Atlas project railcars, and laboratory testing completed to date. The paper will also describe the activities planned to support the DOE project to ship the High Burn-Up Research Cask (HBRC) in 2027.

Schultze, Michael [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000283205671)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enhanced Atmospheric Research at the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) (Final Report)

The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) was an international scientific expedition into the central Arctic sea ice to study the changing atmosphere-ice-ocean system and its key physical, chemical, and biological processes in a way that will support improved understanding and modeling of Arctic climate. The US Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Research Measurement (ARM) Program operated its second ARM Mobile Facility (AMF2) as a major contribution to the expedition, and the Atmospheric System Research (ASR) program supported this project to maximize the success of DOE’s involvement in MOSAiC. This project has enabled the successful collection of data through support of field operations plans, in-field operational implementation, oversight of real-time data quality, and representing DOE’s interests within the broader international MOSAiC endeavor. The project has promoted scientific research by facilitating and leading a number of efforts to develop value-added products that will support research, including products related to aerosol properties, trace gases, cloud properties, snowfall, the surface energy budget, and a merged product designed for model assessment. These products and related analyses have also contributed to numerous scientific publications on related themes as well as direct model evaluation. Lastly, the project has engaged in a great deal of communication and outreach activities that help to publicize and promote both MOSAiC and DOE’s specific contribution to a broad audience that includes the scientific community, program management, policy makers, and the general public.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimal Wind Turbine Design for H2 Production

NREL and industrial partners GE and Nel seek to advance affordable green hydrogen production by optimizing wind turbine design specifically for hydrogen production and validating designs using NREL's ARIES facilities. This project will couple wind turbine, wind plant, solar plant, and electrolyzer models to predict hydrogen production from variable, renewable power sources. It will then use gradient-based optimization with exact-analytic gradients to optimize wind turbine rotor diameter, hub height, and power rating for optimal hydrogen production. Finally, it will validate the optimal turbine designs using the ARIES research platform, where it will compare a baseline turbine to the optimal design for a variety of scenarios and resources.

electrolyzer↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Design for Remanufacturing Framework Incorporating Identification, Evaluation, and Validation: A Case Study of Hydraulic Manifold

In recent years, academic researchers and engineers in the industry have widely recognized the necessity of integrating remanufacturing considerations into product design iterations to advance sustainability objectives. Acknowledging the importance of design for remanufacturing (DfRem), efforts were made to develop tools and guidelines that could be implemented in practice. However, such methods largely rely upon experiential insights and qualitative assessments, leaving a gap in the ability to quantitatively assess the economic and environmental impacts of design choices. To bridge this gap, we investigate existing efforts and present a framework for DfRem that integrates established design and remanufacturing practices into a cohesive workflow with quantitative assessments. To demonstrate its efficacy for making practical design changes for remanufacturing, we apply the framework to a hydraulic manifold in a transmission system for heavy-duty tractors. Through this industry-relevant case study, we focus on showcasing the practical utility of our framework. Based on the identified design modifications from remanufacturability analysis, we estimate the reductions in life cycle costs, energy consumption, and emissions. Afterward, the modifications are tested using physical experiments with plans for integration into future iterations of the hydraulic manifold design and production. Here, we anticipate this framework can illustrate the process of remanufacturing that ensures improvements in sustainability while maintaining performance and reliability standards.

design for X↗
DOE OSTI2023

Manufacturing Demonstration Facility: Development and Evaluation of Hybrid Manufacturing Toolpaths

The integration of additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities on Computer Numerical Control (CNC) systems allows for the expansion of additive manufacturing to a wide range of part and tool repair operations. This multi-tasking integration, termed hybrid manufacturing, has been researched by others in the past, and Autodesk has been critical in developing process planning and toolpath algorithms for hybrid systems. Objectives and Tasks: Hybrid manufacturing systems enable both additive and subtractive capabilities in a single manufacturing workcell. These systems have the potential to impact a variety of industries, including the tool and die industry due to their repair, refurbishment, and complex geometry manufacturing capabilities. While there has been significant development of toolpath planning for both subtractive and additive processes independently, there has been little, if any, development of hybrid toolpath planning to integrate both processes during the manufacturing design and toolpath generation stage of a product’s lifecycle. Furthermore, additive toolpath planning has been limited to planar manufacturing, but this limitation could be overcome as hybrid CNC machines have multi-axis control. The objectives of this research include: - Development and demonstration of independent three-, four-, and five-axis toolpath generation algorithms for both additive and subtractive processes, and - Development, demonstration, and integration of three-, four-, and five-axis hybrid process planning and toolpath generation algorithms for hybrid additive and subtractive processes. The team will leverage the widely used Autodesk Fusion 360 product design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) platform to achieve these objectives. Autodesk will provide the expertise in CAD tools, as well as access to their new CAD/CAM manufacturing tools (3-, 4-, and 5-axis milling, additive toolpath generation). ORNL will provide expertise in additive manufacturing toolpath generation, process planning, and manufacturing validation. By the end of the program, the team will have developed and validated multi-axis milling, additive manufacturing, and hybrid manufacturing on an industrial hybrid CNC system (Mazak 500-VC).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Space Cooling: Recovery, Reuse, Recycling and Supply Chain Impacts

The global cooling sector has undergone tremendous growth in recent years, and cooling demand is projected to double or triple by 2050. Surging air conditioning demand will continue to be driven by increased populations, incomes and occurrences of extreme heat and humidity events. Cooling equipment growth has important pollution and material implications as they are made up of critical metals and precious raw materials - including ferrous metals, copper, aluminum and printed circuit boards composed of copper, silver, gold and palladium - that generate significant electronic waste at end-of-life. Air conditioning equipment also contains fluorinated gas (F-gas) refrigerants, which are potent gases that are thousands of times more heat-trapping than carbon dioxide (CO2). While recovery, reuse, and recycling strategies have been assessed for cold chain and refrigeration, there is currently limited analysis on how these strategies could be adopted for the global space cooling industry and potential supply chain implications. This paper aims to address this research gap by qualitatively evaluating product and material recovery, reuse and recycling frameworks from both demand and supply-side perspectives and with the support of cooling-specific case studies. It also focuses on quantitatively assessing potential energy, emissions and resource benefits of such strategies for space cooling equipment. This paper first analyzes how existing recovery, reuse and recycling frameworks can be applied to space cooling, with emphasis on the demand-side enablers (e.g., innovative business models, supporting policies and regulations) and changes in supply-side production network throughout the supply chain (e.g., design, production and distribution, end-of-life recovery) needed to overcome existing barriers. It will present case studies of innovative business models for space cooling technologies, including reuse and recycling, and how effective refrigerant reclamation and recovery programs have been operationalized. Lastly, the paper will highlight global modeling results of energy, emissions and material recovery from scenario analysis of selected strategies for air conditioners. The findings of this paper are intended to inform the development of product and material recovery, reuse and recycling strategies for a rapidly growing stock of space conditioning equipment by addressing existing organizational, economic and regulatory barriers and potential supply-chain bottlenecks.

Khanna, Nina↗