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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 OSTI2026

Autonomous monitoring of algal biomass: Success stories and lessons learned from long-term field deployment

Autonomous, high-frequency monitoring of outdoor algal ponds is needed to quantify biomass productivity and detect culture decline in environments prone to contamination, grazers, and variable operating conditions. We report successes and lessons learned in translating a laboratory spectroradiometric monitoring approach to a multi-year autonomous field deployment at the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI). The system measures spectrally resolved pond reflectance by ratioing upwelling radiance from each raceway to simultaneous downwelling sky irradiance using fiber-coupled spectrometers. A physics-based reflectance model (ASHARP) is fit to each spectrum pair to estimate optical parameters, including a biomass-proxy coefficient (C a ) which enables near-real-time tracking of biomass accumulation and culture state at 2–5 min intervals. From May 2022 through September 2025 the platform operated continuously while scaling from two to six raceway ponds. Several strains of algae were monitored successfully, including the high productivity Tetraselmis striata and Picochlorum celeri. Transitioning data acquisition from a Windows laptop to a Raspberry Pi improved uptime from 57% (2022) to ~89% (2024–2025) and enabled routine real-time analysis. Further, we converted relative biomass estimates to absolute ash-free dry weight (AFDW) using experimentally-derived calibrations, providing field-relevant biomass predictions with conservative confidence bounds. These results demonstrate the feasibility of long-term, autonomous optical monitoring for well-mixed open-raceway algal cultivation and provide practical guidance for reliable field operation and scaling.

Katinas, Christopher Michael [Sandia National Labo↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advancing the HERO WEC Through Integrated Modeling, Testing, and Field Deployments

The Hydraulic and Electric Reverse Osmosis Wave Energy Converter (HERO WEC) was developed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies as a modular platform for advancing wave-powered desalination technologies. Designed to operate in either a hydraulic or electric configuration, the system enables direct comparison of mechanical-to-water and electrical-to-water conversion pathways using a single hardware architecture. Deployments in 2022 and 2024 at the Jennette's Pier test site in North Carolina demonstrated freshwater production between 60 and 300 gallons per day, including successful operation in wave heights as low as 0.25 m. A structured evaluation approach combining numerical modeling of hydrodynamic and power take-off response, controlled laboratory testing, and in-ocean field deployments has been used to characterize and refine system performance. Specifically, insights from these efforts are now informing the second-generation HERO WEC (V2) to increase robustness and overall survivability. Changes from the original prototype include improved drivetrain components, refined geometry, enhanced control systems, and design. The HERO WEC platform continues to serve as an open-access research asset supporting broader marine energy and desalination development.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Field-Deployable Magnetic Resonance Imaging Rhizotron for Modeling and Enhancing Root Growth and Biogeochemical Function

A collaborative team from Texas A&M AgriLife Research, ABQMR Inc., the Soil Health Institute, the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, and NIST developed low-field magnetic resonance imaging (LF-MRI) instrumentation capable of imaging intact soil-root systems. The system measured root biomass, architecture, 3D mass distribution, and growth rates, providing a non-destructive means to evaluate ideal plant characteristics based on root metrics. It also successfully generated three-dimensional images of soil water content, a key property influencing root growth and exploration. Operating much like an MRI used in a medical setting, the system functioned in field conditions without damaging plants, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods such as trenching, soil coring, and root excavation. Over the course of the project, the team designed and built three functional prototype systems. These prototypes provided new insights into root–water–soil interactions that drive processes such as nutrient uptake, water use, and carbon management. This information contributed to efforts to optimize plants for carbon sequestration without sacrificing economic yield. The project also supported the identification of desirable traits for energy sorghum, including high root growth rates, more vertical root angles, and enhanced drought resilience under water-limiting conditions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Restoration Insights Gained from a Field Deployment of Dithionite and Acetate at a Uranium In Situ Recovery Mine

Mining uranium by in situ recovery (ISR) typically involves injecting an oxidant and a complexing agent to mobilize and extract uranium in a saturated ore zone. This strategy involves less infrastructure and invasive techniques than traditional mining, but ISR often results in persistently elevated concentrations of U and other contaminants of concern in groundwater after mining. These concentrations may remain elevated for an extended period without remediation. Here, we describe a field experiment at an ISR facility in which both a chemical reductant (sodium dithionite) and a biostimulant (sodium acetate) were sequentially introduced into a previously mined ore zone in an attempt to establish reducing geochemical conditions that, in principle, should decrease and stabilize aqueous U concentrations. While several lines of evidence indicated that reducing conditions were established, U concentrations did not decrease, and in fact increased after the amendment deployments. We discuss likely reasons for this behavior, and we also discuss how the results provide insights into improvements that could be made to the restoration process to benefit from the seemingly detrimental behavior.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Distributed Acoustic Sensing for Whale Vocalization Monitoring: A Vertical Deployment Field Test

Abstract There is growing interest in floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) technology, where turbines are installed on floating structures anchored to the seabed, allowing wind energy development in areas unsuitable for traditional fixed-platform turbines. Responsible development requires monitoring the impact of FOWTs on marine wildlife, such as whales, throughout the operational lifecycle of the turbines. Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS)—a technology that transforms fiber-optic cables into vibration sensor arrays—has been demonstrated for acoustic monitoring of whales using seafloor telecommunications cables. However, no studies have yet evaluated DAS performance in dynamic, engineered environments, such as floating platforms or moving vessels with complex, dynamic strain loads, despite their relevance to FOWT settings. This study addresses that gap by deploying DAS aboard a boat in Monterey Bay, California, where a fiber-optic cable was lowered using a weighted and suspended mooring line, enabling vertical deployment. Humpback whale vocalizations were captured and identified in the DAS data, noise sources were identified, and DAS data were compared to audio captured by a standalone hydrophone attached to the mooring line and a nearby hydrophone on a cabled observatory. This study is unique in: (1) deploying DAS in a vertical deployment mode, where noise from turbulence, cable vibrations, and other sources posed additional challenges compared to seafloor DAS applications; (2) demonstrating DAS in a dynamic, nonstationary setup, which is uncommon for DAS interrogators typically used in more stable environments; and (3) leveraging looped sections of the cable to reduce the noise floor and mitigate the effects of excessive cable vibrations and strain. This research demonstrates DAS’s ability to capture whale vocalizations in challenging environments, highlighting its potential to enhance underwater acoustic monitoring, particularly in the context of renewable energy development in offshore environments.

Saw, Jaewon↗
DOE OSTI2021

Opening Up Transactive Systems: Introducing TESS and Specification in a Field Deployment

Transactive energy systems (TS) use automated device bidding to access (residential) demand flexibility and coordinate supply and demand on the distribution system level through market processes. In this work, we present TESS, a modularized platform for the implementation of TS, which enables the deployment of adjusted market mechanisms, economic bidding, and the potential entry of third parties. TESS thereby opens up current integrated closed-system TS, allows for the better adaptation of TS to power systems with high shares of renewable energies, and lays the foundations for a smart grid with a variety of stakeholders. Furthermore, despite positive experiences in various pilot projects, one hurdle in introducing TS is their integration with existing tariff structures and (legal) requirements. In this paper, we therefore describe TESS as we have modified it for a field implementation within the service territory of Holy Cross Energy in Colorado. Importantly, our specification addresses challenges of implementing TS in existing electric retail systems, for instance, the design of bidding strategies when a (non-transactive) tariff system is already in place. We conclude with a general discussion of the challenges associated with “brownfield” implementation of TS, such as incentive problems of baseline approaches or long-term efficiency.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Calibration and field deployment of low-cost sensor network to monitor underground pipeline leakage

Recent technological advances in methane detection have improved leak detection and repair. However, current methods to reliably measure methane concentrations rely on expensive instruments or demand significant labor input. There is interest in using affordable methane sensors that are responsive to ppmv level changes in methane concentrations in both urban and rural environments for monitoring underground natural gas pipeline leaks. This is especially relevant for situations where potentially significant leaks cannot be repaired immediately or smaller leaks that require long-term monitoring and further evaluation. In this work, a low-cost sensor unit, equipped with a metal oxide sensor, was designed, built, and calibrated over a wide range of methane concentrations and environmental conditions in preparation for field application. A network of these sensors was then installed at the test site and used to measure methane concentrations at ground level above known sub-surface natural gas emissions which emulated underground gas pipeline leaks. This low-cost sensor network measured over 4 days total for the two different known leakage rates. Results demonstrate that the sensors can continuously measure relative methane variability for extended periods but require calibration for a wide range of temperature and humidity conditions to properly determine absolute gas (i.e., methane) concentrations. Furthermore, when a regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of meteorological parameters on methane concentration, air temperature and wind speed have strong impacts on the concentration. Overall, the network approach allows improved identification of leak location and monitoring of underground natural gas leaks.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Field-Deployable Quantum Memory for Quantum Networking

High-performance quantum memories are an essential component for regulating temporal events in quantum networks. As a component in quantum-repeaters, they have the potential to support the distribution of entanglement beyond the physical limitations of fiber loss. This will enable key applications such as quantum key distribution, network-enhanced quantum sensing, and distributed quantum computing. Here, we present a quantum memory engineered to meet real-world deployment and scaling challenges. The memory technology utilizes a warm rubidium vapor as the storage medium, and operates at room temperature, without the need for vacuum- and/or cryogenic- support. Here, we demonstrate performance specifications of high-fidelity retrieval (95%) and low operation error (10 –2 ) at a storage time of 160 µs for single-photon level quantum memory operations. We further show a substantially improved storage time (with classical-level light) of up to 1ms by suppressing atomic diffusions. The device is housed in an enclosure with a standard 2U rackmount form factor, and can robustly operate on a day scale in a noisy environment. This result marks an important step toward implementing quantum networks in the field.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Experiment of Sea Breeze Convection, Aerosols, Precipitation, and Environment (ESCAPE) C-band Radar Deployment Field Campaign Report

Convective clouds play a critical role in the Earth’s climate system, acting as sinks of total water in the atmospheric column through precipitation, thereby contributing to the atmospheric energy balance. They serve as a primary mechanism for the transfer of heat, moisture, and momentum through the troposphere, significantly impacting the large-scale atmospheric circulation and local environment, and affecting the probability of subsequent cloud formation (e.g., Hartmann et al. 1984, Su et al. 2014, Sherwood et al. 2014). Convective characteristics including convective core size (reflectivity and updraft), cloud lifetime, precipitation intensity, total precipitation amount, precipitation efficiency, and lightning flash rates can be strongly related to environmental factors (e.g., wind shear, humidity). Since cumulus clouds evolve rapidly, their microphysical and dynamical properties and life cycles are challenging to resolve in models, and even in observations (e.g., Fridlind et al. 2017, Ladino et al. 2017).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Use of Hardware-in-the-Loop to De-Risk Field Deployment of Hydrogen Assets

Grid-forming assets are required in microgrids to act as voltage-frequency masters. These grid-forming assets can operate in two modes of operation: grid-following mode and grid-forming mode. In grid-following mode of operation, these assets will follow real power and reactive power setpoints and in grid-forming mode of operation these assets will follow voltage and frequency setpoints. Traditionally, diesel generators or natural gas-based generators are widely used to act as a voltage-frequency master. However, many utilities are aiming to replace generators with grid forming-inverters supplied by solar photovoltaics (PV), batteries or fuel cells. Since grid-forming assets need a long-term reliable energy source, fuel cells are a reasonable and viable choice to supply the grid-forming inverters, but some of the challenges facing the wide deployment of grid-forming fuel cell inverters need to be addressed. Specifically, in our proposed work, we aim to focus on the interconnection and interoperability requirements of grid-forming fuel cell inverters. Currently, state-of-the-art fuel cell inverters follow the general interconnection requirements of distributed energy resources (DERs) and general interoperability requirements of DERs, but these requirements were built with PV and battery systems in mind. Fuel cells have different operational requirements, and therefore these requirements need to be appropriately modified for the grid operators to use. These additional steps add to the investment and operational cost to the grid operators. Through the ARIES platform, this proposed project aims to bridge this gap and use power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) and controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) experiments to inform the creation of open-source interconnection and interoperability information that can aid in faster and cheaper installation and operation of grid-forming fuel cell inverters.

08 HYDROGEN↗