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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
NASA NTRS1992

Energy for lunar resource exploitation

Humanity stands at the threshold of exploiting the known lunar resources that have opened up with the access to space. America's role in the future exploitation of space, and specifically of lunar resources, may well determine the level of achievement in technology development and global economic competition. Space activities during the coming decades will significantly influence the events on Earth. The 'shifting of history's tectonic plates' is a process that will be hastened by the increasingly insistent demands for higher living standards of the exponentially growing global population. Key to the achievement of a peaceful world in the 21st century, will be the development of a mix of energy resources at a societally acceptable and affordable cost within a realistic planning horizon. This must be the theme for the globally applicable energy sources that are compatible with the Earth's ecology. It is in this context that lunar resources development should be a primary goal for science missions to the Moon, and for establishing an expanding human presence. The economic viability and commercial business potential of mining, extracting, manufacturing, and transporting lunar resource based materials to Earth, Earth orbits, and to undertake macroengineering projects on the Moon remains to be demonstrated. These extensive activities will be supportive of the realization of the potential of space energy sources for use on Earth. These may include generating electricity for use on Earth based on beaming power from Earth orbits and from the Moon to the Earth, and for the production of helium 3 as a fuel for advanced fusion reactors.

Glaser, Peter E.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Three‐Tier Hierarchical Structures for Extreme Pool Boiling Heat Transfer Performance

Abstract Boiling is an effective energy‐transfer process with substantial utility in energy applications. Boiling performance is described mainly by the heat‐transfer coefficient (HTC) and critical heat flux (CHF). Recent efforts for the simultaneous enhancement of HTC and CHF have been limited by an intrinsic trade‐off between them—HTC enhancement requires high nucleation‐site density, which can increase bubble coalescence resulting in limited CHF enhancement. In this work, this trade‐off is overcome by designing three‐tier hierarchical structures. The bubble coalescence is minimized to enhance the CHF by defining nucleation sites with microcavities interspersed within hemi‐wicking structures. Meanwhile, the reduced nucleation‐site density is compensated for by incorporating nanostructures that promote evaporation for HTC enhancement. The hierarchical structures demonstrate the simultaneous enhancement of HTC and CHF up to 389% and 138%, respectively, compared to a smooth surface. This extreme boiling performance can lead to significant energy savings in a variety of boiling applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2019

Structural Analysis of Test Flight Vehicles for Application of Multifunctional Energy Storage System

Under the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Convergent Aeronautical Solutions (CAS) project, NASA Glenn Research Center has been leading Multifunctional Structures for High Energy Lightweight Load-bearing Storage (M-SHELLS) research efforts. The technology of integrating load-carrying structures with electrical energy storage capacity has the potential to reduce the overall weight of future electric aircraft. The proposed project goals were to develop M-SHELLS in the form of honeycomb coupons and subcomponents, integrate them into the structure, and conduct low-risk flight-tests onboard a remotely piloted small aircraft. Experimental M-SHELLS energy-storing coupons were fabricated and tested in the laboratory for their electrical and mechanical properties. In this report, finite element model development and structural analyses of two small test aircraft candidates are presented. The finite element analysis of the initial two-spar wing is described for strain, deflection, and weight estimation. After a test aircraft Tempest was acquired, a load-deflection test of the wing was conducted. A finite element model of the Tempest was then developed based on the test aircraft dimensions and construction detail. The component weight analyses from the finite element model and test measurements were correlated. Structural analysis results with multifunctional energy storage panels in the fuselage of the test vehicle are presented. Although the flight test was cancelled because of programmatic reasons and time constraints, the structural analysis results indicate that the mid-fuselage floor composite panel could provide structural integrity with minimal weight penalty while supplying electrical energy. To explore potential future applications of the multifunctional structure, analyses of the NASA X-57 Maxwell electric aircraft and a NASA N+3 Technology Conventional Configuration (N3CC) fuselage are presented. Secondary aluminum structures in the fuselage sub-floor and cargo area were partially replaced with reinforced five-layer composite panels with M-SHELLS honeycomb core. The N3CC fuselage weight reduction associated with each design without risking structural integrity are described. The structural analysis and weight estimation with the application of composite M-SHELLS panels to the N3CC fuselage indicate a 3.2% reduction in the fuselage structural weight, prior to accounting for the additional weight of core material required to complete the energy storage functionality.

Mukhopadhyay, Vivek↗
DOE OSTI2023

Membranes in Solar-Driven Evaporation: Design Principles and Applications

In this study, solar-driven evaporation process brings exciting opportunities to recover clean water and resources in a sustainable way from diverse sources like seawater and wastewater. Separation membranes, as a vital material in many environmental and energy applications, can contribute significantly to this process owing to their structural features. However, the unique roles of membranes in solar evaporator construction and process design are seldom recognized and not summarized yet from scientific principles and application demands, which forms the motivation of this review. Herein, the roles of membranes in different processes based on solar-driven evaporation are focused and the design principles of membrane materials and devices to meet the requirements of these applications are discussed. Fabrication strategies for photothermal membranes are introduced primarily, followed by a discussion on how to design membrane materials, devices, and processes to pursue optimal performance and realize advanced functions accompanied by evaporation. Furthermore, the future of this field is forecast with both challenges and opportunities.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

A Play-Based Exploration of CO 2 Storage in the Illinois Basin: Development and Application of the Play-Based Exploration Workflow

This report documents the workflow developed and applied for a play-based exploration (PBE) of carbon capture and storage (CCS) potential in the Illinois Basin, conducted under U.S. Department of Energy Cooperative Agreement DE-FE0032366. The project was led by the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in collaboration with Visage Energy. The goal of this workflow is to identify locations where subsurface, surface, and societal conditions align to support safe and effective geologic CO 2 storage. To achieve this, the project team developed a systematic, seven-step workflow for conducting play-based exploration: (1) defining play elements, (2) collecting data, (3) constructing a geodatabase, (4) defining suitability criteria, (5) conducting suitability mapping, (6) generating Common Risk Segment (CRS) maps, and (7) creating composite play maps. The workflow is designed to be repeatable and adaptable for CCS assessments in other regions or for alternative subsurface energy applications such as hydrogen or natural gas storage.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2021

Performance Validation of Pulsed Thermal Imaging System for In-Service Applications

Additive manufacturing (AM) is an emerging method for cost-efficient fabrication of complex topology nuclear reactor parts from high-strength corrosion resistance alloys, such as stainless steel and Inconel. AM of metallic structures for nuclear energy applications is currently based on laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process, which has the capability of melting metallic powder and net shaping the structures with relatively high precision. Some of the challenges with using LPBF method for nuclear manufacturing include the possibility of introducing pores into metallic structures. Integrity of AM structures needs to be evaluated nondestructively because material flaws could lead to premature failures in high temperature nuclear reactor environment. Currently, there exist limited capabilities to evaluate actual AM structures non-destructively. Pulsed Thermography Imaging (PTI) provides a capability for non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of subsurface defects in arbitrary size structures. The PTI method is based on recording material surface temperature transients with infrared (IR) camera following thermal pulse delivered on material surface with flash light. The PTI method has advantages for NDE of actual AM structures because the method involves one-sided non-contact measurements and fast processing of large sample areas captured in one image. Following initial qualification of an AM component for deployment in a nuclear reactor, a PTI system can also be used for in-service nondestructive evaluation (NDE) applications. In this report, we describe recent progress in enhancing PTI capabilities in detecting microscopic defects in metallic specimens. SS316 and IN718 specimens were developed with a pattern of subsurface calibrated flat bottom hole (FBH) defects with diameters from 500µm to 200µm. FBH’s were created with EDM (electron discharge machining) drill. PTI imaging data was processed Spatial Temporal Denoised Thermal Source Separation (STDTSS) unsupervised machine learning (ML) algorithm. We show that defects as small as 200µm in SS316 and IN718 can be detected with STDTSS algorithm. To the best of our knowledge, these are the smallest detected defects which are reported in literature.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Qualification Framework Evaluations, Status Quo, and Recommendations

The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology (AMMT) program develops cross-cutting technologies in support of a broad range of nuclear reactor technologies and maintains U.S. leadership in materials and manufacturing technologies for nuclear energy applications. The overarching vision of AMMT is to accelerate the development, qualification, demonstration, and deployment of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies to enable reliable and economical nuclear energy. The acceleration of qualification processes is one of the key aspects and qualification processes for the nuclear industry is not necessarily equivalent or benchmarked against other industries.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Preliminary Characterization and Evaluation on FFF Manufactured 316H and ODS Steels

The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology (AMMT) program develops cross-cutting technologies in support of a broad range of nuclear reactor technologies and maintains U.S. leadership in materials and manufacturing technologies for nuclear energy applications. The overarching vision of AMMT is to accelerate the development, qualification, demonstration, and deployment of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies to enable reliable and economical nuclear energy. Solid-state advanced manufacturing techniques can overcome some of the challenges in liquid-based additive manufacturing (AM) processes and should therefore be considered in material design and manufacturing as well. The work presented in this report forms part of a study on solid-state AM techniques of 316 stainless steels (SS) and oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel components and supports the vision and goals of the AMMT program relevant to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced manufacturing processes. Achieving this can provide a safety improvement through larger safety margins, economic benefit for higher efficiency during operation, and a cost reduction through more effective manufacturing processes and less waste. This study provides preliminary information on development of the fused-filament fabrication (FFF) process using different powder types to demonstrate the sensitivity, and therefore the characterization of these sample components. The full solid-state manufacturing feasibility study will be completed and reported in a final feasibility evaluation during 2025. The study investigation used two 14YWT ODS powder batches, which provided information and the effect of different powder morphologies on manufacturability. The two 316SS powders demonstrated the effect of powder size on the manufacturability using FFF. Two product forms, namely a honeycomb structure and flat samples, were manufactured to demonstrate the flexibility of product form.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Preliminary Characterization and Evaluation on ShAPE Manufactured 316H and ODS Steels

This study provides the first- of- a- kind results of direct tube formation through shear assisted processing and extrusion (ShAPE) for oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel material; previously only bar was successfully made. The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology (AMMT) program develops cross-cutting technologies in support of a broad range of nuclear reactor technologies and maintains U.S. leadership in materials and manufacturing technologies for nuclear energy applications. The overarching vision of AMMT is to accelerate the development, qualification, demonstration, and deployment of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies to enable reliable and economical nuclear energy. Solid-state advanced manufacturing techniques can overcome some of the challenges in liquid-based additive manufacturing processes and should therefore be considered in material design and manufacturing as well. The work presented in this report forms part of a study on solid-state additive manufacturing techniques of 316 stainless steels and ODS steel components and supports the vision and goals of the AMMT program relevant to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced manufacturing processes. Achieving this can provide a safety improvement through larger safety margins, economic benefit for higher efficiency during operation, and a cost reduction through more effective manufacturing processes and less waste.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Defect modeling in semiconductors: the role of first principles simulations and machine learning

Abstract Point defects in semiconductors dictate their electronic and optical properties. Vacancies, interstitials, substitutional defects, and defect complexes can form in the semiconductor lattice and significantly impact its performance in applications such as solar absorption, light emission, electronics, and catalysis. Understanding the nature and energetics of point defects is essential for the design and optimization of next-generation semiconductor technologies. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of research on point defects in semiconductors, focusing on the application of density functional theory (DFT) and machine learning (ML) in accelerating the prediction and understanding of defect properties. DFT has been instrumental in accurately calculating defect formation energies, charge transition levels, and other defect-related properties such as carrier recombination rates and lifetimes, and ion migration barriers. ML techniques, particularly neural networks, have emerged as powerful tools for enabling rapid prediction of defect properties at DFT-accuracy in order to overcome the expense of using large supercells and advanced functionals. We begin this article with a discussion of different types of point defects and complexes, their impact on semiconductor properties, and the experimental and DFT approaches typically used for their characterization. Through multiple case studies, we explore how DFT has been successfully applied to understand defect behavior across a variety of semiconductors, and how ML approaches integrated with DFT can efficiently predict defect properties and facilitate the discovery of new materials with tailored defect behavior. Overall, the advent of ‘DFT+ML’ promises to drive advancements in semiconductor technology, catalysis, and renewable energy applications, paving the way for the development of high-performance semiconductors which are defect-tolerant or have desirable dopability.

Rahman, Md Habibur (ORCID:000000027705984X)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling Dynamic Evolution of Oxygen Vacancies in Solid Oxide Materials

SOEC is a promising H 2 generation technology for mitigating climate change. Novel material design and optimization strategies, such as oxygen vacancy chemistries, can enhance SOEC efficiency. In this study, Monte Carlo-ReaxFF and eReaxFF simulations were used to study oxygen vacancies (O v ) and electron migration in BZY20 solid oxide material. Our results shows that O v migrate towards the surface, increasing surface O v concentration by 10%. Yttrium restricts electron mobility and functions as an electron trapping site, while Zr accelerates electron mobility and migration. These insights could improve solid-state electrolytes’ electrochemical performance in renewable energy applications.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Fast All-sky Radiation Model for Solar applications (FARMS) [SWR-16-18]

The Fast All-sky Radiation Model for Solar applications (FARMS) is used to compute cloudy irradiance. Radiative transfer (RT) models simulating broadband solar radiation have been widely used by atmospheric scientists to model solar resources for various energy applications such as operational forecasting. Due to the complexity of solving the RT equation, the computation under cloudy conditions can be extremely time consuming though many approximations (e.g. two-stream approach and delta-M truncation scheme) have been utilized. Thus, a more efficient RT model is crucial for model developers as a new option for approximating solar radiation at the land surface with minimal loss of accuracy. We have developed a fast all-sky radiation model for solar applications (FARMS) using the simplified clear-sky RT model, REST2, and simulated cloud transmittances and reflectances from the Rapid Radiation Transfer Model (RRTM) with a sixteen-stream Discrete Ordinates Radiative Transfer (DISORT). Simulated lookup tables (LUTs) of cloud transmittances and reflectances were created by varying cloud optical thicknesses, cloud particle sizes, and solar zenith angles. Equations with optimized parameters were fitted to the cloud transmittances and reflectances to develop the model. Using this model the all-sky solar irradiance at the land surface can be computed rapidly by combining REST2 with the cloud transmittances and reflectances. This new RT model is more than 1000 times faster than those currently utilized in solar resource assessment and forecasting since it does not explicitly solve the RT equation for each individual cloud condition. Our results indicate the accuracy of the fast radiative transfer model is comparable to or better than two-stream approximation in term of computing cloud transmittance and solar radiation.

Xie, Yu↗
DOE OSTI2023

2022 American Conference on Neutron Scattering (ACNS 2022)

The 11th American Conference on Neutron Scattering (ACNS 2022) will be held on June 5-9, 2022, in Boulder, CO. The Conference will provide essential information on the breadth and depth of current neutron-related research worldwide. Hosted by the Neutron Scattering Society of America, this year’s Conference will feature a combination of invited and contributed talks, poster sessions, and tutorials. Topics of the conference are: Advances in Neutron Facilities, Instrumentation and Software: Developments in sources, instrumentation, sample environments and control software. Hard Condensed Matter: Magnetism, correlated metals, quantum/topological materials, superconductors, ferroelectrics, multiferroics, glasses, and disorder phenomena. Submissions outlining examples of neutron scattering in industrial and engineering applications involving hard condensed matter systems are also encouraged. Soft Matter: Neutron studies of soft materials and related fields including in situ and in operando studies. Polymers, surfactants, emulsions, gels, nanoparticles, colloidal suspensions and more. Submissions of computational studies or applications of machine learning beneficial to neutron scattering experiments, as well as examples of neutron scattering in industrial and engineering applications are strongly encouraged. Biology, Biophysics and Biotechnology: Neutron studies of biological and biologically relevant systems. Proteins, bio membranes, biological assemblies, natural materials, nucleic acids, drug-delivery platforms and biomedical systems. Submissions of computational studies or applications of machine learning beneficial to biological neutron scattering experiments, as well as examples of neutron scattering in applied research involving biological systems, are strongly encouraged. Materials Chemistry and Energy: Neutron-based studies of functional materials and materials for energy applications. Examples include porous materials such as metal organic frameworks (MOFs), zeolites; phosphors; novel pigments; electrolytes; catalysts; ionic conductors/cathode materials; photovoltaic materials (hybrid perovskites); thermoelectrics; magnetocalorics/electrocalorics. Structural Materials and Engineering: Neutron scattering studies of materials and engineering processes including structural materials, concrete and metals, as well as engineering processes including combustion, corrosion, additive manufacturing, and others. Neutron Physics: Fundamental physical studies of the neutron and related areas. Emerging Applications in Neutron Scattering: Machine Learning and Data Science: Advances in computing power have contributed to rapidly evolving machine learning and data science fields that can be leveraged to the benefit of the neutron scattering community. The purpose of this session is to highlight recent advances in machine learning and data science and to serve as the foundation of a parallel data and computation track highlighting computation advances and applications in neutron scattering throughout the conference.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Survey Corrosion Testing Methodologies for Additively Manufactured Materials – PNNL

The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology (AMMT) Program intends to develop cross-cutting technologies in support of a broad range of nuclear reactor technologies, and to maintain U.S. leadership in materials and manufacturing technologies for nuclear energy applications. The overarching vision of the AMMT Program is to accelerate the development, qualification, demonstration, and deployment of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies to enable reliable and economical nuclear energy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fast All-sky Radiation Model for Solar applications (FARMS) 2023 [SWR-16-18]

The Fast All-sky Radiation Model for Solar applications (FARMS) is used to compute cloudy irradiance. Radiative transfer (RT) models simulating broadband solar radiation have been widely used by atmospheric scientists to model solar resources for various energy applications such as operational forecasting. Due to the complexity of solving the RT equation, the computation under cloudy conditions can be extremely time consuming though many approximations (e.g. two-stream approach and delta-M truncation scheme) have been utilized. Thus, a more efficient RT model is crucial for model developers as a new option for approximating solar radiation at the land surface with minimal loss of accuracy. We have developed a fast all-sky radiation model for solar applications (FARMS) using the simplified clear-sky RT model, REST2, and simulated cloud transmittances and reflectances from the Rapid Radiation Transfer Model (RRTM) with a sixteen-stream Discrete Ordinates Radiative Transfer (DISORT). Simulated lookup tables (LUTs) of cloud transmittances and reflectances were created by varying cloud optical thicknesses, cloud particle sizes, and solar zenith angles. Equations with optimized parameters were fitted to the cloud transmittances and reflectances to develop the model. Using this model the all-sky solar irradiance at the land surface can be computed rapidly by combining REST2 with the cloud transmittances and reflectances. This new RT model is more than 1000 times faster than those currently utilized in solar resource assessment and forecasting since it does not explicitly solve the RT equation for each individual cloud condition. Our results indicate the accuracy of the fast radiative transfer model is comparable to or better than two-stream approximation in term of computing cloud transmittance and solar radiation.

Xie, Yu↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Multi-variable, Multi-value Hydrodynamic Modeling Approach to Support Marine Energy and Coastal Resilience Applications

Funded by the Marine Energy Seedling Laboratory Program, the study reported on here aimed to develop a multi-variable, multi-value hydrodynamic modeling approach based on the Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM) to support a wide range of marine renewable energy and coastal resilience applications. We migrated the marine hydrokinetic energy module to simulate tidal energy extraction by tidal turbines under wave-current interactions. We explored the particle tracking module in FVCOM and applied it to Sequim Bay, Washington, to illustrate the surface current field and mimic the pollutant transport near the surface. A tracer-water age module was added to FVCOM to examine water exchange through the entrance. Lastly, a user-specified vertical coordinate option was added to FVCOM to improve simulation of the effect of floating turbines on surface currents and scalar transport. The above-described model development has been tested using a simplified model domain and demonstrated in real-world coastal systems. The outcome of this project will provide a useful modeling code and approach for marine renewable energy and coastal resilience research and applications.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗