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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 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Packaging of an 8-kV Silicon Carbide Diode Module with Double-Side Cooling and Sintered-Silver Joints

Packaging innovations are needed for medium-voltage wide bandgap power semiconductor modules to enable their adaptation in grid applications. A unique challenge for packaging medium-voltage power modules is managing the trade-off between insulation demand and heat dissipation. The focus of this work was on developing a packaging innovation that improves the module heat dissipation and offers more flexibility to its insulation design. Two strategies were explored for the packaging of an 8-kV SiC diode rectifier module:(1) double-side cooling and (2) sintered-silver bonding. Double-side cooling was realized by using short metal posts rather than long and thin wire bonds for device interconnection, forming a low-profile package with devices sandwiched between two insulated metal substrates. Sintered-silver bonding enabled the devices to function reliably at over 250 °C. Simulations of the packaged module showed a low interconnect inductance of 2.67 nH and a 50% less heat transfer coefficient required to cool the chips. Prototypes of the module were fabricated, and preliminary electrical testing results validated the package design.

27 ARPA - Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy↗
NASA NTRS1985

Generative engineering databases - Toward expert systems

Engineering data management, incorporating concepts of optimization with data representation, is receiving increasing attention as the amount and complexity of information necessary for performing engineering operations increases and the need to coordinate its representation and use increases. Research in this area promises advantages for a wide variety of engineering applications, particularly those which seek to use data in innovative ways in the engineering process. This paper presents a framework for a comprehensive, relational database management system that combines a knowledge base of design constraints with a database of engineering data items in order to achieve a 'generative database' - one which automatically generates new engineering design data according to the design constraints stored in the knowledge base. The representation requires a database that is able to store all of the data normally associated with engineering design and to accurately represent the interactions between constraints and the stored data while guaranteeing its integrity. The representation also requires a knowledge base that is able to store all the constraints imposed upon the engineering design process.

Rasdorf, W. J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Regulatory Innovations Platforms for Public Utilities

This paper is about the design, functions, and implementation of regulatory innovations platforms for public utility. Such platforms are intended to enable the rapid testing of new technologies and business models, incorporating at least some regulatory flexibility as necessary to facilitate testing, while managing and limiting exposure to associated risks. The platforms are also designed to ensure rapid learning for all participating parties, including innovators, utility companies, and utility regulators.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Complete Evaluation of ION Cost Reduction Opportunities for LWRS Pathways

The Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), plays a pivotal role in enhancing the sustainability, safety, and economic viability of the nation's fleet of nuclear power plants. This program collaborates extensively with industry, vendors, suppliers, regulatory agencies, and research and development organizations within the nuclear energy sector. The overarching goals of the LWRS program are twofold: to provide innovative science and technology-based solutions to the nuclear industry, surpassing current performance models, and to manage the aging of systems, structures, and components (SSCs) to extend the operational lifetimes of nuclear power plants safely, efficiently, and economically. The program focuses on five research and development pathways: Plant Modernization: This pathway seeks to enhance the economic viability of nuclear power plants in evolving energy markets through innovation, efficiency improvements, and digital transformation. The integration of digital technologies into plant operations is a central theme, aiming to create a seamless digital environment that improves plant economics and safety. Flexible Plant Operation and Generation: Research efforts in this pathway explore opportunities for light-water reactors (LWRs) to directly supply energy to industrial processes, diversifying revenue generation approaches and improving economic sustainability.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1998

Testing, Requirements, and Metrics

The criticality of correct, complete, testable requirements is a fundamental tenet of software engineering. Also critical is complete requirements based testing of the final product. Modern tools for managing requirements allow new metrics to be used in support of both of these critical processes. Using these tools, potential problems with the quality of the requirements and the test plan can be identified early in the life cycle. Some of these quality factors include: ambiguous or incomplete requirements, poorly designed requirements databases, excessive or insufficient test cases, and incomplete linkage of tests to requirements. This paper discusses how metrics can be used to evaluate the quality of the requirements and test to avoid problems later. Requirements management and requirements based testing have always been critical in the implementation of high quality software systems. Recently, automated tools have become available to support requirements management. At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), automated requirements management tools are being used on several large projects. The use of these tools opens the door to innovative uses of metrics in characterizing test plan quality and assessing overall testing risks. In support of these projects, the Software Assurance Technology Center (SATC) is working to develop and apply a metrics program that utilizes the information now available through the application of requirements management tools. Metrics based on this information provides real-time insight into the testing of requirements and these metrics assist the Project Quality Office in its testing oversight role. This paper discusses three facets of the SATC's efforts to evaluate the quality of the requirements and test plan early in the life cycle, thus preventing costly errors and time delays later.

Rosenberg, Linda↗
DOE OSTI2026

Microbial inoculants for soil restoration: A Risk-Proportional Stewardship Framework Integrating Strain-Resolved Genomics and Adaptive Governance

Global soil degradation and increasing reliance on chemical inputs threaten agricultural sustainability, driving interest in microbial inoculants as tools for soil restoration. These biological products have the potential to enhance nutrient cycling, improve soil structure, and support plant resilience, but their environmental release raises important safety and stewardship considerations. Here, we propose a risk-proportional framework for the responsible deployment of microbial inoculants grounded in release-based stewardship. The framework integrates genome-resolved strain identification, exclusionary hazard screening, bioassay-based risk triage, ecological testing under realistic conditions, and monitored field deployment. Drawing on evidence from microbial ecology and invasion biology, we highlight how inoculants can alter resident microbial communities, influence ecosystem function, and, in some cases, facilitate gene flow, underscoring the need for risk assessment. We further outline a federated, genome-informed data infrastructure to support traceability, cross-jurisdiction learning, and adaptive management. Together, this approach provides a scalable and scientifically grounded pathway to balance innovation and safety, enabling microbial technologies to contribute to soil restoration and climate-resilient agriculture.

Edlund, Anna [OATH Inc]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Calculating topological properties of artificial graphene in B-field

SAND2025-03258O Calculating topological properties of artificial graphene in B-field is a user-friendly tool designed to analyze artificial graphene systems influenced by magnetic fields. It helps researchers understand the unique properties of these materials by calculating the local Chern marker, a key indicator of their behavior. With just one file, this software runs easily on any device with Matlab, making it accessible for scientists and engineers. It provides valuable insights into the electronic characteristics of artificial graphene, which supports advancements in material science and technology, paving the way for innovative applications in electronics and beyond. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Spataru, Dan [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Liver↗
DOE OSTI2021

Sorption of Iodine Species on SRS Wetland Soils

This research work has been supported by the DOE-FIU Science & Technology Workforce Development Initiative, an innovative program developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) and Florida International University’s Applied Research Center (FIU-ARC). During the summer of 2021, a DOE Fellow intern, Phuong Pham, spent 10 weeks doing a summer internship at Savannah River National Laboratory under the supervision and guidance of Hansell Gonzalez-Raymat. The intern’s project was initiated on May 24, 2021, and continued through July 30, 2021, with the objective of gaining a better understanding of the dominant attenuation mechanisms for 129 I in the wetlands, the strength of the attenuation, and what conditions would influence it.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Automation of the Receipt Inspection of Criticality Control Overpacks (CCO)

This research work has been supported by the DOE-FIU Science & Technology Workforce Development Initiative, an innovative program developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) and Florida International University’s Applied Research Center (FIU-ARC). During the spring of 2022, a DOE Fellow intern, Philip Moore, spent 16 weeks doing a spring internship at Savannah River National Lab under the supervision and guidance of Corey Hopper. The intern’s project was initiated on January 24, 2022, and continued through April 2, 2022, with the objective of contributing to a robotic system for automation of CCO inspection.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling of Chemical Slurry Rheology in DWPF Sludge Batch (SB) 10 Simulants

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) treats high-activity radionuclides from sludge through a process called vitrification. This process converts radioactive liquid waste currently stored in tank farms into a solid glass form that is suitable for long-term storage and disposal. Due to the complexities involved in vitrifying this waste within each operation of the Chemical Processing Cell (CPC), waste rheology is studied to characterize the fluid-mechanical properties as it passes through the CPC and into the Melter. To better understand the waste and validate flow behavior, slurry rheology of simulants that represents the waste was studied at various acid stoichiometry percentages and solids concentrations to determine the simulant’s yield stress and viscosity. This research work has been supported by the DOE-FIU Science & Technology Workforce Development Initiative, an innovative program developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) and Florida International University’s Applied Research Center (FIU-ARC). During the spring of 2022, a DOE Fellow intern, Brendon Cintas, spent 10 weeks doing a summer internship at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRS) under the supervision and guidance of Dan Lambert, Chemical Flowsheet Development. The intern’s project was initiated on June 6, 2022, and continued through August 11, 2022 with the objective of assisting scientists at SRNL’s Rheology and Grout Laboratory at Aiken Country Technology Lab (ACTL) better understand the sludge composition on the rheology of a simulant slurry using a HAAKE RheoStress 6000 rheometer and extrapolate the results to the real-waste data.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Advanced Characterization to Inform Sustainable Recovery of Critical Minerals from Fossil Energy Waste Feedstocks

Rare earth elements (REE) and other critical minerals (CM, e.g., Co, Li) have important uses in green energy and modern technologies, yet are vulnerable to potential supply chain disruptions. One potential domestic source of CM is fossil energy wastes, such as acid mine drainage (AMD) and treatment solids (AMD solids), coal combustion ash, and Oil and Gas (O&G) drilling wastes (drill cuttings and produced waters). CM recovery from these waste feedstocks is promising due to their abundances and fast availability as waste products. On the other hand, the CM occurrence in these wastes is in small quantities compared to traditional ore bodies. Thus, novel and strategic separation and extraction processes are under exploration. Researchers at DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) are collecting and analyzing CM data for aforementioned fossil energy wastes, and utilizing advanced geochemical characterization (e.g., synchrotron microprobe and sequential extraction) to understand the CM speciation and binding environments in these materials to better inform sustainable and effective recovery. Successful examples discussed in this talk include: (1) the discovery of easily mobile REE phases in Ca-rich coal combustion ash and developing a patented REE recovery process from Ca-rich Powder River Basin coal ash; (2) the successful identification of REE/Co/Ni/Zn hosting phases in acid mine drainage treatment solids (AMD solids) with diverse chemical composition (Al, Mn, or Fe-rich) informing the sequential recovery of different REE/CMs from AMD solids; (3) the recovery potential of Li and other CMs in O&G produced waters and drill cuttings. The innovations driven by characterization have the potential to offset the cost of waste management and wastewater treatments while reducing the cost and environmental footprint of CM extraction.

characterization and extraction↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization Inform Sustainable Recovery of Critical Minerals from Fossil Energy Waste Feedstocks

Rare earth elements (REE) and other critical minerals (CM, e.g., Co, Ni, Li) have important uses in green energy and modern technologies, yet are vulnerable to potential supply chain disruptions. One potential domestic CM source is fossil energy wastes, such as acid mine drainage (AMD) and treatment solids (AMD solids), coal combustion ash, and Oil and Gas (O&G) drilling wastes (drill cuttings and produced waters). While they can contain lower CM concentrations then traditional ore, the quantity and fast availability as waste feedstock makes them a promising CM resource. To explore their promise, researchers at DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have collected and analyzed CM data for aforementioned fossil energy wastes, and utilized advanced geochemical characterization (e.g., synchrotron microprobe and sequential extraction) to identify the CM speciation and binding environments, and developed sustainable and targeted CM recovery. Successful examples include: (1) the discovery of easily mobile REE phases in Ca-rich coal combustion ash and developing a patented REE recovery process from Ca-rich Powder River Basin coal ash; (2) the successful identification of REE/Co/Ni/Zn hosting phases in acid mine drainage treatment solids (AMD solids) with diverse chemical composition (Al, Mn, or Fe-rich) informing the sequential recovery of different REE/CMs from AMD solids; (3) the recovery potential of Li and other CMs in O&G produced waters and drill cuttings. The innovations driven by characterization have the potential to offset the cost of waste management and wastewater treatments while reducing the cost and environmental footprint of CM extraction.

Stuckman, Mengling↗
DOE OSTI2022

Design and Performance of lithium-Ion Batteries for Achieving Electric Vehicle Takeoff, Flight, and Landing

Today, the burgeoning drive towards global urbanization with over half the earth’s population living in cities, has created major challenges with regards to intracity and intercity transit and mobility. This problem is compounded due to the fact that almost always urbanization and increase in standard of living drives individual automobile ownerships. Over 95% of automobiles are presently powered by some form of fossil fuel and as an unintended consequence, urban centers have also been centers for peak greenhouse gas emissions, a major contributor to global climate change. A revolutionary solution to this conundrum is flight capable electric automobiles or electric aerial vehicles that can tackle both urban mobility and climate change challenges. For such advanced electric platforms, energy storage and delivery component is the vital component towards achieving takeoff, flight, cruise, and landing. The requirements and duty cycle demands on the energy storage system is drastically different when compared to the performance metrics required for terrestrial electric vehicles. As the widely deployed lithium ion-based battery systems are often the primary go-to energy storage choice in electric vehicle related applications, it is imperative that performance metrics and specifications for such batteries towards areal electric vehicles need to be established. In this nascent field, there exists ample opportunities for battery material innovations, understanding degradation mechanism, battery design, development and deployment of battery control and management systems. Thus, this chapter comprehensively discusses battery requirements and identifies battery material chemistries suitable for handling aerial electric automobile duty cycles. The chapter also discusses the battery cell-level metrics pertaining to electrochemical, chemical, mechanical, and structural parameters. Furthermore, specific models for battery degradation, state of health (SOH), capacity and models for full cell performance and degradation are also discussed here. Finally, the chapter also discusses battery safety and future directions of batteries that would power these next generation urban electric aircrafts.

Amin, Ruhul↗
NASA NTRS1981

Solar-terrestrial research for the 1980's

The solar-terrestrial system is described. Techniques for observations involving all relevant platforms: spacecraft, the Earth's surface, aircraft, balloons, and rockets are proposed. The need for interagency coordination of programs, efficient data management, theoretical studies and modeling, the continuity of long time series observations, and innovative instrument design is emphasized. Examples of the practical impact of interactions between solar terrestrial phenomena and the environment, including technological systems are presented.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

VME rollback hardware for time warp multiprocessor systems

The purpose of the research effort is to develop and demonstrate innovative hardware to implement specific rollback and timing functions required for efficient queue management and precision timekeeping in multiprocessor discrete event simulations. The previously completed phase 1 effort demonstrated the technical feasibility of building hardware modules which eliminate the state saving overhead of the Time Warp paradigm used in distributed simulations on multiprocessor systems. The current phase 2 effort will build multiple pre-production rollback hardware modules integrated with a network of Sun workstations, and the integrated system will be tested by executing a Time Warp simulation. The rollback hardware will be designed to interface with the greatest number of multiprocessor systems possible. The authors believe that the rollback hardware will provide for significant speedup of large scale discrete event simulation problems and allow multiprocessors using Time Warp to dramatically increase performance.

Robb, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Novel Vibration Damping of Ceramic Matrix Composite Turbine Blades Developed for RLV Applications

The Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) represents the next generation of space transportation for the U.S. space program. The goal for this vehicle is to lower launch costs by an order of magnitude from $10,000/lb to $1,000/lb. Such a large cost reduction will require a highly efficient operation, which naturally will require highly efficient engines. The RS-2200 Linear Aerospike Engine is being considered as the main powerplant for the RLV. Strong, lightweight, temperature-resistant ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials such as C/SiC are critical to the development of the RS-2200. Preliminary engine designs subject turbopump components to extremely high frequency dynamic excitation, and ceramic matrix composite materials are typically lightly damped, making them vulnerable to high-cycle fatigue. The combination of low damping and high-frequency excitation creates the need for enhanced damping. Thus, the goal of this project has been to develop well-damped C/SiC turbine components for use in the RLV. Foster-Miller and Boeing Rocketdyne have been using an innovative, low-cost process to develop light, strong, highly damped turbopump components for the RS-2200 under NASA s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field is managing this work. The process combines three-dimensionally braided fiber reinforcement with a pre-ceramic polymer. The three-dimensional reinforcement significantly improves the structure over conventional two-dimensional laminates, including high through-the-thickness strength and stiffness. Phase I of the project successfully applied the Foster-Miller pre-ceramic polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process to the manufacture of dynamic specimens representative of engine components. An important aspect of the program has been the development of the manufacturing process. Results show that the three-dimensionally braided carbon-fiber reinforcement provides good processability and good mechanical stiffness and strength in comparison to materials produced with competing processes as shown in the graphs.

Min, James B.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Lessons Learned from the Development and Implementation of the Atmosphere Resource Recovery and Environmental Monitoring Project

The Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Program's Atmosphere Resource Recovery and Environmental Monitoring (ARREM) Project have been developing atmosphere revitalization and environmental monitoring subsystem architectures suitable for enabling sustained crewed exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). Using the International Space Station state-of-the-art (SOA) as the technical basis, the ARREM Project has contributed to technical advances that improve affordability, reliability, and functional efficiency while reducing dependence on a ground-based logistics resupply model. Functional demonstrations have merged new process technologies and concepts with existing ISS developmental hardware and operate them in a controlled environment simulating various crew metabolic loads. The ARREM Project's strengths include access to a full complement of existing developmental hardware that perform all the core atmosphere revitalization functions, unique testing facilities to evaluate subsystem performance, and a coordinated partnering effort among six NASA field centers and industry partners to provide the innovative expertise necessary to succeed. A project overview is provided and the project management strategies that have enabled a multidiscipinary engineering team to work efficiently across project, NASA field center, and industry boundaries to achieve the project's technical goals are discussed. Lessons learned and best practices relating to the project are presented and discussed.

Roman, Monsi C.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Insights from PPL's DERMS Implementation

PPL Electric Utilities’ Keystone Solar Future Project (KSFP) is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewables, Energy Enabling Extreme Real-time Grid Integration of Solar Energy (ENERGISE) grant. The three-year project, beginning in October, 2017, funded an innovative pilot program to develop and evaluate a technology platform and framework for managing high levels of distributed energy resources (DER), and improving future DER interconnection. The KSFP aimed to bridge gaps between existing and future technology, including Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS), by monitoring, managing, and optimizing a system with high penetration of solar and other DER. Specifically, the project worked to make Demand Management Systems (DMS) applications, devices, and real-time communications technology DER-aware to allow for advanced applications for utility operations. Here, by installing and implementing a DERMS, project designers transformed how DERs interact with PPL’s distribution system, offering learnings and results worth sharing industry-wide.

Leader, Jared↗