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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 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Advanced Manufacturing of High-Performance Superconductor Wires for Next Generation Electric Machines

While the transition of RE-Ba-Cu-O (REBCO, RE = rare earth) wires from lab-scale to initial manufacturing demonstrations has been accomplished, the high manufacturing cost is a major impediment to a commercial market. At the onset of this project, commercial REBCO wires exhibiting a critical current of ~ 340 A/cm at 65 K, 1.5T (operating condition of superconducting rotating machines targeted in this project) costed about $\$$300/kA-m which is well above the cost of copper wire. In this project, the UH-led team employed multiple innovative techniques to meet the aggressive performance and cost targets established. The key technology that was developed in this project was advanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) to fabricate REBCO wires with films as thick as 5 µm and with excellent critical current performance at 65 K, 1.5 T. In addition to excellent performance in short samples, a major accomplishment of this project was to scale up the Advanced MOCVD technology to lengths of 50 meters while maintaining the superior critical current. Multiple 50-m-long tapes were demonstrated in the project with uniform critical current, that confirmed the viability of our technology for industrial manufacturing. Beyond scaling up our technology to long lengths, we worked with our industrial partners to design a REBCO-based motor coil, constructed one such coil and fabricated it using long tapes made in this project. This motor coil was successfully tested at 77 K and 65 K which affirmed the viability of high-performance REBCO wires made in this work for industrial applications. In addition to high critical current, we also demonstrated >4x precursor-to-film conversion efficiency in the advanced MOCVD process which has a first order impact on wire cost.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mechanical Design of the PIP-II ORBUMP Pulsed Dipole Magnet

The Proton Improvement Plan-II (PIP-II) is a vital upgrade to Fermilab's accelerator complex. The upgrade is designed to power the world s most intense high-energy neutrino beam in future experiments. The magnet pulse repetition rate of the PIP-II injection system is being upgraded from 15 Hz to 20 Hz and requires a roughly 30% increase in the magnetic field of the new Orbital Bump (ORBUMP) magnets in the Booster. The magnet is secured in a vacuum box and the core is made up of 0.127 mm thick, low carbon steel laminations with a C-5 inorganic coating. The core is clamped using external tie bars welded to the core end plates. ANSYS Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used to evaluate the clamping design to minimize the deflection of the core post welding of the tie bars. The water-cooled single turn coil is electrically isolated from the core using virgin PEEK insulating material in the gap. An investigation into the high voltage performance of the virgin PEEK insulator was conducted. The design of the coil which shapes the magnetic field by acting as the pole tips is critical for the integrated field homogeneity. The coil manufacturing tolerances and fabrication techniques were evaluated to ensure the magnetic properties of the magnet could be obtained. The ORBUMP magnet mechanical design is presented in this paper.

Karas, Dino [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000304340670)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hydronic Shell: An Affordable Solution for Multifamily Deep Energy Retrofit

Approximately 42% of multi-family buildings in the United States have do not have insulation as required by the building codes. Envelope retrofits of these buildings are needed to improve their thermal performance, provide thermal resilience, and enable a pathway to electrification of space heating systems. Hydronic shell (HS) is a retrofit technique where a stud wall layer is added to a masonry wall along with a convective coil and a fan coil unit fitted in the façade cavity which can provide both heating and cooling to the space. The HS system serves a dual purpose of 1) retrofitting the building envelope and 2) retrofitting the HVAC system and enabling electrification of space heating. The electrification of space heating is possible from the installation of a combination of hydronic system/fan coil unit system which uses a central heat pump as a source of heating water in the cavity between the existing wall and retrofit insulation layer. This study evaluates the performance of the HS system at varying outdoor conditions mimicked by a climate chamber and hot water supply temperature from a water bath. During the ramp-up period, the indoor chamber temperature could be increased from 66 ºF to 69.5 ºF within an hour using heating water at 120 ºF when the outdoor chamber temperature was at 0 ºF. When the indoor chamber temperature was maintained within a deadband, variation in cavity air temperature was mostly influenced by the duration when water was flowing through the cavity convector. It was seen from the testing that the hydronic system alone without use of fan in the system is able to maintain the space temperature at coldest outdoor condition used in the experiment (0 ºF) even at lowest hot water supply temperature chosen (90 ºF). During the ramp-down period, the fastest decline in temperature took 6.4 hours from temperature to drop from 69.6 ºF to 66 ºF which shows tremendous potential of thermal resilience and peak load shifting.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Snakes for the Hadron Storage Ring

The Electron Ion Collider calls for collisions of polarized proton and polarized helion beams on polarized electron beams. To preserve polarization of these polarized hadron beams during acceleration, six full helical snakes will be installed. As there are currently 4 snakes in RHIC, the remaining two snakes will be made from existing rotator magnet coils. The existing snakes are made from only right-handed helices where the rotator magnets are made from both right handed and left handed helicity magnets. In order for a sufficient stock of spare coils, one snake will be made of left handed coils. Simulations using Opera field maps in zgoubi show the left handed snake has sufficient range to provide the desired snake precession axes for helions and protons with the existing power supplies. This is an overview of the right and left handed snake assemblies and their effects.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

NFE-24-10417: Durability and Life-time Energy Performance Enhancement of Vapor Compression Systems

This project investigated the use of a Centrifugal Particle Separation (CPS) system to improve the durability and operational reliability of outdoor heat exchangers in vapor-compression based heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) systems. The developed method introduced a novel dust and fouling mitigation approach by integrating an ambient air pre-cleaner that employs centrifugal forces to remove particulate matter from incoming air before it reaches the heat exchanger. By reducing the accumulation of dust and debris on coil surfaces, the CPS system aims to lower maintenance requirements and extend equipment lifespan. The project specifically involves coupling a centrifugal air pre-cleaner with a single-zone ductless mini-split system and evaluating its effectiveness in maintaining cleaner coil surfaces. Additionally, the study examined the impact of CPS integration on system energy performance. Through controlled experimental testing and performance monitoring, this work seeks to validate CPS-based air pre-cleaning as a practical, efficient solution for mitigating outdoor coil dust accumulation and fouling in both residential and commercial HVACR applications.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Q2 Report for FY25 Theory and Simulation Performance Target: Development of an integrated modeling framework for fusion reactor design and assessment

This report describes the work and activities carried out towards the completion of each of the following milestones in FY25 Q2: 1. Demonstrate workflow for generating self-consistent CESOL plasma profiles + first wall and divertor loading prediction and generate the CAT plasma and neutron loading needed for further engineering analysis: $\circ$ Run CESOL with BOUT++/Hermes-3 and immersed boundary condition to directly map to wall: • Run BOUT++/Hermes-3 through the IPS workflow to find radial particle and energy diffusivities to match either the Eich or the physics-based scaling of the SOL heat flux width, and • Expand source of first wall heat flux to include charged particles, neutrals, and radiation from the core+edge. 2. Generate medium fidelity parametrized CAD: $\circ$ Develop the TRACER tool to read an existing CAD, regenerate the geometry based on vertex location and connectivity information, define vertex translation and parameters needed for scaling the CAD, and $\circ$ Utilize the FreeGS code to determine CAT PF coil placement, including minimizing the number of coils, coil current, and electromechanical stresses. 3. Utilize plasma loading for engineering analysis: $\circ$ Couple the plasma loading to input for OpenFOAM and demonstrate initial test of thermal analysis of CAT first wall loading with typical DCLL blanket component cooling boundary conditions. 4. Demonstrate nuclear analysis: $\circ$ Apply initial analysis of tritium transport in DCLL blanket by evaluating spatially resolved tritium generation rates, tritium diffusion and convection.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Making Wireless Power Matter (CRADA Final Report)

The Resonant Link project team investigated the integration of their novel, self-resonant magnetic structure for electromagnetic coils into inductive wireless power transfer systems. Relative to conventional wireless power coils, their multi-layer self-resonant structure (the “MSRS”) reduces losses by up to 6x and lowers to BOM cost by up to 10x. These power-dense, cost-effective coils are a promising path towards the first value-add wireless power systems in a variety of applications, from phones to medical devices to kitchen appliances to mobile robots to electric vehicles. The researchers explored development of the power electronics for wireless power transfer systems using the multi-layer self-resonant structure (MSRS) concept that efficiently transmits power over air gaps for in-home applications, including through-wall power transfer, appliances built around the Ki and Qi standards, and other potential use cases This project specifically focused on the power electronics design, development, and testing for these applications. Resonant Link’s proprietary wireless power technology holds the promise of matching the performance of wired chargers in size and efficiency, especially when operated from a DC distribution grid.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Assessment of Molybdate Based Corrosion Inhibitor for use at the Savannah River Tank Farm Cooling Water System

The Savannah River Site (SRS) has relied on 51 underground storage tanks, many dating back to the 1950s, to store radioactive liquid waste generated from nuclear processing and radionuclide production. These tanks use carbon steel cooling coils, cooled by soft, acidic water, to dissipate the decayed heat produced by radioactive waste. For decades, following historical industry practices, chromate has been added to the cooling water (~450 ppm at pH 9-11) to effectively inhibit corrosion, ensuring cooling coil longevity. Inspections of failed coils reveal that chromate-treated surfaces are generally well-preserved.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Designing Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer Corridors for Heavy Duty Battery Electric Commercial Freight Vehicles

The use of wireless power transfer systems, consisting of inductive electrical coils on the vehicle and the power source may be designed for dynamic operations where the vehicle will absorb energy at highway speeds from transmitting coils in the road. This has the potential to reduce the onboard energy storage requirements for vehicles while enabling significantly longer missions. This paper presents an approach to architecting a dynamic wireless power transfer corridor for heavy duty battery electric commercial freight vehicles. By considering the interplay of roadway power capacity, roadway and vehicle coil coverage, seasonal road traffic loading, freight vehicle class and weight, vehicle mobility energy requirements, on-board battery chemistry, non-electrified roadway vehicle range requirements, grid capacity, substation locations, and variations in electricity costs, we minimize the vehicle TCO by architecting the electrified roadway and the vehicle battery simultaneously. The idea optimizes battery size and chemistry so that the depth of discharge between recharge events and expected life are balanced, thus fully utilizing the energy available throughout the course of the battery system's life. The approach is illustrated by applying it to the I-75 freight corridor, where the framework developed may be expanded and applied to a larger interstate system, expanded regional corridor, or other transportation network.

Sujan, Vivek↗
DOE OSTI2020

Control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) with remote disconnect mechanism

The drive assembly includes annular drive magnets extending around a top end of a drive shaft and annular drive coils extending around the drive magnets, separated by a pressure boundary. A latch assembly is coupled to the drive magnets and engages with the drive shaft in response to actuation of the drive assembly. The drive coils also rotate the drive magnets and the engaged latch assembly to axially displace the drive shaft. Deactivating the drive coils disengages the latch assembly from the drive shaft, dropping a connected control rod assembly via gravity into a nuclear fuel assembly.

Lobscheid, Christian↗
DOE OSTI2021

Motor and drive arrangement for refrigeration system

A heat exchanger system includes a heat exchanger coil circulating a first heat transfer fluid therethrough, and a fan at least partially surrounded by the heat exchanger coil to urge a flow of air through the heat exchanger coil to dissipate thermal energy from the first heat transfer fluid. A brushless direct current fan motor is located the fan to urge rotation of the fan and an ancillary electrical component operably connected to the heat exchanger system and electrically isolated from the first heat transfer fluid.

Feng, Yinshan↗
DOE OSTI2021

Simulations of Grid-Responsive HVAC Cooling Measures via Ice/PCM storage

This study uses EnergyPlus building energy simulations to assess grid-responsive HVAC cooling measures during peak hours having high electricity price, including: lock the high capacity of a two-speed cooling coil during grid-response hours; and use ice/PCM energy storage to drive a chilled water coil and meet the cooling load, when shut off the main electric cooling coil. Here, the impacts on peak power reductions, energy and utility cost savings, and comfort levels in residential buildings of two U.S. cities were revealed.

Shen, Bo↗
DOE OSTI2022

Critical problems of energy frontier Muon Colliders: optics, magnets and radiation

This White Paper brings together our previous studies on a Muon Collider (MC) and presents a design concept of the 6 TeV MC optics, the superconducting (SC) magnets, and a preliminary analysis of the protection system to reduce magnet radiation loads as well as particle backgrounds in the detector. The SC magnets and detector protection considerations impose strict limitations on the lattice choice, hence the design of the collider optics, magnets and Machine Detector Interface (MDI) are closely intertwined. As a first approximation we use the Interaction Region (IR) design with beta-star=3 mm, whereas for the arcs we re-scale the arc cell design of the 3 TeV MC. Traditional cos-theta coil geometry and Nb3Sn superconductor were used to provide field maps for the analysis and optimization of the arc lattice and IR design, as well as for studies of beam dynamics and magnet protection against radiation. The stress management in the coil will be needed to avoid large degradation or even damage of the brittle SC coils. In the assumed IR designs, the dipoles close to the Interaction Point (IP) and tungsten masks in each IR (to protect magnets) help reducing background particle fluxes in the detector by a substantial factor. The tungsten nozzles in the 6 to 600 cm region from the IP, assisted by the detector solenoid field, trap most of the decay electrons created close to the IP as well as most of the incoherent electron-positron pairs generated in the IP. With sophisticated tungsten, iron, concrete and borated polyethylene shielding in the MDI region, the total reduction of background loads by more than three orders of magnitude can be achieved.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Analysis of Frost Prevention for Heat Recovery Ventilation in an Arctic Facility

Sub-Arctic environments present a unique challenge for the continuous operation of mechanical ventilation systems in occupied buildings where cold temperatures create complications for maintaining adequate air quality, efficiency, and system operability. Heat recovery ventilation is most difficult at the coldest temperatures, when there is the greatest availability to transfer heat between airstreams, due to the potential for frost accumulation in the exhaust airstream. Frost limits heat transfer and creates the potential for subsequent blockage of airflow. A successful frost prevention strategy is necessary to ensure that recovery ventilation systems function in locations with a large amount of annual heating degree days. Commonly, this is achieved by preheating outdoor air above freezing temperatures via airflow through a glycol-water mix hydronic coil before heat exchange occurs. Preheating the outdoor air proactively inhibits frost formation but is associated with a penalty to recovery efficiency. A commercial-scale heat recovery ventilator in a facility in Fairbanks, Alaska was analyzed for sensible recovery effectiveness and exhaust temperature at different winter conditions. The system utilized the common defrost strategy of preheating the air above-freezing with a static temperature control scheme. The heat transfer efficiency of the recovery ventilator was observed to be poor at various winter conditions with elevated exhaust temperatures indicating lost heat recovery effectiveness. Using prior findings on strategies for sub-freezing temperatures along with observed field conditions it was determined that a dynamic relationship between the coil and the exterior conditions would reduce the energy required to preheat the air and allow the heat exchanger to maximize effectiveness due to temperate difference. This reduction in preheated temperature of the air is achieved by modulating the temperature of the coil to keep the discharge air stream above a certain dewpoint temperature threshold, likely leading to energy savings for other sub-Arctic facilities using this frost control strategy.

ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flash ironmaking drop tube furnace system

A flash ironmaking drop tube furnace includes a primary reaction section having a refractory, an induction coil around the refractory, insulation located between the refractory and the induction coil, and a susceptor located inside the refractory, the susceptor being formed of a material that is heated by induction when electrical current flows through the induction coil, and having at least one interior channel through which particles can pass. The furnace further includes a muffle, located below the primary reaction section; an outer shell surrounding the muffle; at least one heater located adjacent to the muffle; insulation located between the at least one heater and the outer shell; at least one particle feeder that feeds a predetermined volume of particles into the furnace above the primary reaction section; and an inlet port for injecting gas into the furnace, the inlet port being located so that the gas flows through the susceptor and muffle in parallel with the particles.

Green, Edward↗
DOE OSTI2023

Conductor on molded barrel magnet assembly and associated systems and methods

A Conductor on Molded Barrel (COMB) magnet assembly optimized for High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) materials. The magnet assembly comprises a magnetic coil(s) carried by a conductor support structure and configured in cosine-theta geometry. Created using additive manufacturing, the conductor support structure features a continuous cable channel that fittedly carries and positions elongated straight portion(s) of the magnetic coil(s) parallel to a magnetic axis. The conductor support structure may be cylindrically shaped and longitudinally bored, with the continuous cable channel comprising an outer channel portion (distal on the cylinder) and an inner channel portion (proximal on the cylinder). A transition hole that joins the outer channel portion and the inner channel portion allows a single magnetic coil to be wound along both the outer and inner surfaces of the conductor support structure. The conductor support structure may be fabricated as longitudinally-symmetrical halves, and secured for operation using azimuthal and/or midplane shims.

Kashikhin, Vadim V.↗
DOE OSTI2024

System Modeling of Frost/Defrost Cycles in Heat Pumps

Accurately modeling frost/defrost cycles is crucial for guiding heat exchanger design, appropriately sizing the compressor, and quantifying seasonal energy consumption for heating. While previous modelling studies of frosting cycle have predominantly focused on the component level of fin-and-tube coils, there has been limited development of models for system defrosting cycles. This study enhances the existing knowledge by improving a detailed, segment-to-segment heat exchanger model to simulate frost/defrost cycles for both fin-and-tube coils and microchannel heat exchangers. Furthermore, it integrates this component-level model into a steady-state/quasi-steady-state system modeling framework to simulate complete frost/defrost processes, i.e. the ORNL Heat Pump Design Model (HPDM). This comprehensive approach will unveil differences in coil types, and their interactions with the outdoor fan. It will also predict energy consumption patterns and time intervals associated with these processes.

Shen, Bo↗
DOE OSTI2025

Shaping Peptide Assemblies Using Multifaceted Cyclic Tectons

Constructing distinct biomacromolecular assemblies typically necessitates target-specific selection and engineering of building blocks alongside optimization of assembly conditions. The challenge lies in achieving diverse morphological outcomes using simple, shared modules under identical conditions, a hallmark of natural systems that remains elusive in synthetic approaches. Here, in this work, we present a molecular scaffold-based strategy to instruct the coassembly of the same set of peptides into a variety of nanostructures across multiple dimensions. We create trifaceted cyclic scaffolds to manipulate two pairs of dimeric coiled-coil peptides prior to coassembly. These scaffolds, with addressable and orthogonal modules, allow controlled exposure of their cohesive faces, directing the formation of nanotriangles and fibrillar and lamellar assemblies. By tuning interpeptide arrangements that dictate scaffold geometry, we construct nonstraight fibrils with tunable curvature, which are rarely observed before. Notably, these scaffolds exhibit plasticity in adapting the sizes and orientations of cohesive faces to different assembly morphologies. The resultant nanostructures are consistent with the design and simulation results, demonstrating the reliability and predictability of this approach. Multifaceted cyclic scaffolds bridge the intellectual and physical gaps between building peptides and assemblies, holding promise for endowing various existing assembly systems with high tunability and versatility.

assembly morphology↗