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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 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Delivering Energy Efficiency and Grid Services for Commercial Buildings on an IoT-Platform: Field Evaluation Plan

In FY20, the Commercial Buildings Integration Program (CBI) within Building Technologies Office (BTO) has funded PNNL to conduct field evaluation of the AIRCx and intelligent load control (ILC) using an Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform, VOLTTRON. The primary goal of the project is to show that software solutions deployed and delivered through an IoT-platform can identify energy efficiency opportunities and manage peak load in commercial buildings. There are also two secondary goals: 1) show that the energy efficiency solutions will result in identification of significant savings (10% to 30%) opportunities as well as energy cost reductions (10% to 15%) by managing the peak load in commercial buildings, and 2) show that an IoT-based software solution is more cost-effective in meeting the Re-tuning mandates than traditional retro commissioning (RCx) and there is a pathway for broader adoption of this approach. This report details how the field evaluation will be conducted, including what enhancements will be made to the software technologies, how PNNL will recruit energy service providers, types of buildings where the technology will be evaluated, metric of success for the field evaluation, and how the metric of success will be measured.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

Commercial Building HVAC Technology Challenge - Carrier (Final Report)

The purpose of this Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was to test two rooftop commercial heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems supplied by Carrier Corporation to determine if they met the laboratory test requirements of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) Commercial Building HVAC Technology Challenge (hereafter noted as “the Challenge”). Results of the laboratory testing completed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) demonstrated that the systems met all requirements of the Challenge. Carrier Corporation has successfully completed this aspect of the Challenge. This CRADA report will briefly describe the Challenge, the test plan created to measure the success of systems provided by Challenge participants, and the results of laboratory testing of the Carrier commercial rooftop systems.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

Improving Marine Energy Production Through Commercialization of a Low Cost, Drag-Reducing Slippery Coating (CRADA 679 Abstract)

Marine energy capture systems offer great promise for providing clean energy, but they operate in a challenging and dynamic environment and must be optimized to the highest extent possible. Computational studies predict that drag reduction on marine energy and blue economy systems will result in meaningful improvements in energy efficiency. Based on extensive coating experience, PNNL is proposing to bring to market a new drag-reducing coating called Superhydrophobic Lubricant-Infused Drag-Efficient Coating – SLIDE-Coat. PNNL has a deep knowledge base regarding this class of slippery coatings, and we have a group of enthusiastic industry partners who have committed to partnering, conducting field testing, and providing well over 50% cost share. In addition to validating the technology, the team will create a commercialization roadmap to ensure the commercial success of the technology after the government-sponsored two-year program is complete. The main technical goal is to design, manufacture, and experimentally validate a new coating that can reduce hydrodynamic skin friction drag by 20%. The main commercialization goal is to develop a roadmap that identifies activities needed to complete SLIDE-Coat’s development after the conclusion of this project. Year 1 will focus on adaptation and modification of the existing SLIC coating system to optimize drag reduction and assessment and quantification of drag reduction on relevant materials in a laboratory setting. Year 2 will focus on optimizing and demonstrating drag reduction with preferred coatings. The manufacturability, ease of application, adhesion to relevant surfaces, and consistency will be assessed. Quantification of drag reduction on prototype materials in a relevant marine field setting will be executed.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2017

Enzymes in Commercial Cellulase Preparations Bind Differently to Dioxane Extracted Lignins

Commercial fungal cellulases used in biomass-to-biofuels processes can be grouped into three general classes: native, augmented, and engineered. To evaluate lignin binding affinities of different enzyme activities in various commercial cellulase formulations in order to determine if enzyme losses due to lignin binding can be modulated by using different enzymes of the same activity We used water:dioxane (1:9) to extract lignin from pretreated corn stover. Commercial cellulases were incubated with lignin and the unbound supernatants were evaluated for individual enzyme loss by SDS=PAGE and these were correlated with activity loss using various pNP-sugar substrates. Colorimetric assays for general glycosyl hydrolase activities showed distinct differences in enzyme binding to lignin for each enzyme activity. Native systems demonstrated low binding of endo- and exo-cellulases, high binding of xylanase, and moderate ..beta..-glucosidase binding. Engineered cellulase mixtures exhibited low binding of exo-cellulases, very strong binding of endocellulases and ..beta..- glucosidase, and mixed binding of xylanase activity. The augmented cellulase had low binding of exocellulase, high binding of endocellulase and xylanase, and moderate binding of ..beta..-glucosidase activities. Bound and unbound activities were correlated with general molecular weight ranges of proteins as measured by loss of proteins bands in bound fractions on SDS-PAGE gels. Lignin-bound high molecular weight bands correlated with binding of ..beta..-glucosidase activity. While ..beta..-glucosidases demonstrated high binding in many cases, they have been shown to remain active. Bound low molecular weight bands correlated with xylanase activity binding. Contrary to other literature, exocellulase activity did not show strong lignin binding. The variation in enzyme activity binding between the three classes of cellulases preparations indicate that it is certainly possible to alter the binding of specific glycosyl hydrolase activities. It remains unclear whether loss of endocellulase activity to lignin binding is problematic for biomass conversion.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Simulation-Based Validation of An Open-Source, Scalable Framework for Building Energy Management in Small and Medium-Sized Commercial Buildings

Abstract: Small and medium-sized commercial buildings (SMCBs) represent 94% of U.S. commercial buildings but encounter substantial obstacles in adopting Building Energy Management (BEM) systems. Current approaches exhibit fundamental limitations: vendor-specific API platforms restrict interoperability through proprietary ecosystems; commercial automation software demands extensive technical expertise and licensing costs; open-source IoT solutions lack native support for building automation protocols and semantic models. This paper introduces a configuration-driven web interface framework addressing the gap between smart device advancements and accessible BEM software infrastructure for SMCBs. The framework leverages VOLTTRON middleware integrated with an automated converter that processes unified YAML configurations into heterogeneous system files, reducing required configuration artifacts from six separate files to a single unified specification. The system architecture enables vendor-agnostic operation through BACnet and Modbus protocols while supporting semantic building model integration via automated Brick Schema parsing. Configuration-driven interfaces automatically adapt to diverse HVAC types without custom development. Simulation-based validation using BOPTEST demonstrates automatic interface generation between fan coil and hydronic systems, with the automated converter successfully generating all platform-specific outputs from the single YAML input. The result demonstrates the framework's capability to streamline BEM system deployment through reduced configuration complexity. This work bridges simulation capabilities with operational deployment, demonstrating how virtual testbeds validate generalizable software frameworks for real-world building automation.

Chung, Jihoon [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000184880815)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assessing the limitations of commercial sensors and models for supporting marine carbon dioxide removal monitoring: a case study

Several unknowns remain surrounding marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) practices and capabilities. Current in-situ sensor technology is limited (primarily pH and pCO 2 ), requiring calculations and assumptions to estimate changes in carbonate chemistry parameters, including total alkalinity (TA). Considering that cost, energy consumption, and accuracy of commercial sensors can vary by orders of magnitude, understanding how well existing sensors perform in an mCDR context is important for this emerging community. Likewise, documenting sensor limitations and how relatively simple models can optimize sensor deployments will improve MRV efforts and support protocol development. Here we (1) compare performance a variety of commercially available sensors in a blind mesocosm experiment simulating ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), and how sensor performance impacted carbonate chemistry estimates; (2) evaluate if sensors can distinguish the OAE signal from natural variability during a small scale OAE field test in Sequim Bay, WA, USA, and (3) use an idealized ocean biogeochemistry model to explore optimal sensor network design based on (1) and (2). Our mesocosm results indicate that correctly constraining pH uncertainty will be critical for accurate TA estimates with current sensor technology compared to the less impactful variation caused by uncertainty in pCO 2 (pH data that are presented throughout are reported on the total scale (pH T ) unless otherwise noted). Our pilot field test demonstrated that sensors were capable of distinguishing mCDR signatures from natural variability under optimal real-world conditions. Idealized modeling simulations of the field test showed that a range of sparse and dense (3 to 100) sensors sampling areas of detectable increases will underestimate the net change in surface pH by at least 35–55%, at both realistic and highly elevated alkalinity input levels. We also highlight the limitations of current sensing technology for MRV, and the importance of ocean biogeochemistry models as critical tools for predicting when and where mCDR signals will be detectable using available sensors. Overall, our findings suggest that commercially available pCO 2 sensors and some pH sensors will form an important backbone for mCDR MRV tasks, though complete MRV characterization will require these data to be used in combination with other tools.

OAE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Generating Novel Aroma Phenotypes Using Commercial Wine Samples to Characterize an F1 Population

Due to their disease tolerance and cold hardy nature, interspecific hybrid grapes are widely grown in the Midwestern and Northeastern United States, with additional interest worldwide in the face of increased abiotic and biotic stresses from climate change. However, the aroma profile of these hybrids is unique and generally less popular in comparison with Vitis vinifera grapes. One of the challenges in any phenotyping project is first defining the traits of interest. As wine quality was our ultimate metric of interest, the aroma profile of commercial wines produced from the parents of a breeding population ( Vitis aestivalis derived ‘Norton’ x V. vinifera . ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’) was first assessed for traits of interest. We investigated 11 commercial wines each of Norton, a popular hybrid in Missouri and Cabernet Sauvignon (Cab) for their volatile profiles using the more inclusive metabolomics-based workflow. We then analyzed 21 Norton and 21 Cab grapes from different sites and vintages for the free and bound volatile compounds using HS-SPME-GCMS to validate the differences in wine. The GCMS data was processed using XCMS software to find features that were different between the two cultivars. The two cultivars were found to have differences in their volatile profiles, with 304 features different for wine volatiles, 418 features different for free volatiles, and 302 features different for bound volatiles at 0.05 significance level and with at least a 1.5-fold change between the two cultivars. Those features were used to identify several odor-active compounds in both grapes and wines, including β-damascenone, β-ionone, eugenol, 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene (TDN), and methyl salicylate. Some of the identified compounds were higher in Norton than Cab; however, several features were higher in Cab. Using the identified aroma compounds as markers, we phenotyped an F1 population of Norton and Cab. The F1 population was found to be segregating for many aroma compounds with some genotypes demonstrating an even higher concentration of aroma volatiles than either of the parents. Ultimately, using commercially available samples paired with untargeted analysis proved to be an efficient way to determine phenotypes of interest for further analysis and may offer an easy way to choose potential parents with desired traits for breeding.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Modeling-Based Flammable Risk Treatment of Refrigerant Leakage from a Commercial R-290 Refrigeration Machine

Because of serious concerns about global warming, manufacturers have started phasing out high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants in commercial refrigeration equipment (e.g., R-134a). As a potential replacement, propane (R-290) is an environmentally friendly refrigerant for commercial refrigeration equipment because its GWP is only three. However, propane is flammable and is therefore classified as a Class A3 refrigerant per ASHRAE Standards, so safety is a very important consideration when propane-based equipment is designed and deployed in buildings. In the event of a refrigerant leak, flammability of the refrigerant depends on the refrigerant’s local concentration, which is highly affected by the indoor air environment, including temperature and air flow. In this study, a ventilation system attached to a commercial R-290 refrigeration device was designed to eliminate the flammability risk. Moreover, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to investigate the refrigerant leak, thereby evaluating effects of the ventilation system. The CFD model can visualize the flammable zones owing to the leak.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hydroxyl Conducting Hydrogels Enable Low-Maintenance Commercially Sized Rechargeable Zn–MnO2 Batteries for Use in Solar Microgrids

Zinc (Zn)–manganese dioxide (MnO2) rechargeable batteries have attracted research interest because of high specific theoretical capacity as well as being environmentally friendly, intrinsically safe and low-cost. Liquid electrolytes, such as potassium hydroxide, are historically used in these batteries; however, many failure mechanisms of the Zn–MnO2 battery chemistry result from the use of liquid electrolytes, including the formation of electrochemically inert phases such as hetaerolite (ZnMn2O4) and the promotion of shape change of the Zn electrode. This manuscript reports on the fundamental and commercial results of gel electrolytes for use in rechargeable Zn–MnO2 batteries as an alternative to liquid electrolytes. The manuscript also reports on novel properties of the gelled electrolyte such as limiting the overdischarge of Zn anodes, which is a problem in liquid electrolyte, and finally its use in solar microgrid applications, which is a first in academic literature. Potentiostatic and galvanostatic tests with the optimized gel electrolyte showed higher capacity retention compared to the tests with the liquid electrolyte, suggesting that gel electrolyte helps reduce Mn3+ dissolution and zincate ion migration from the Zn anode, improving reversibility. Cycling tests for commercially sized prismatic cells showed the gel electrolyte had exceptional cycle life, showing 100% capacity retention for >700 cycles at 9.5 Ah and for >300 cycles at 19 Ah, while the 19 Ah prismatic cell with a liquid electrolyte showed discharge capacity degradation at 100th cycle. We also performed overdischarge protection tests, in which a commercialized prismatic cell with the gel electrolyte was discharged to 0 V and achieved stable discharge capacities, while the liquid electrolyte cell showed discharge capacity fade in the first few cycles. Finally, the gel electrolyte batteries were tested under IEC solar off-grid protocol. It was noted that the gelled Zn–MnO2 batteries outperformed the Pb–acid batteries. Additionally, a designed system nameplated at 2 kWh with a 12 V system with 72 prismatic cells was tested with the same protocol, and it has entered its third year of cycling. This suggests that Zn–MnO2 rechargeable batteries with the gel electrolyte will be an ideal candidate for solar microgrid systems and grid storage in general.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Development of 80- and 100- Mile Work Day Cycles Representative of Commercial Pickup and Delivery Operation

When developing and designing new technology for integrated vehicle systems deployment, standard cycles have long existed for chassis dynamometer testing and tuning of the powertrain. However, to this day with recent developments and advancements in plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicle technology, no true 'work day' cycles exist with which to tune and measure energy storage control and thermal management systems. To address these issues and in support of development of a range-extended pickup and delivery Class 6 commercial vehicle, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in collaboration with Cummins analyzed 78,000 days of operational data captured from more than 260 vehicles operating across the United States to characterize the typical daily performance requirements associated with Class 6 commercial pickup and delivery operation. In total, over 2.5 million miles of real-world vehicle operation were condensed into a pair of duty cycles, an 80-mile cycle and a 100-mile cycle representative of the daily operation of U.S. class 3-6 commercial pickup and delivery trucks. Using novel machine learning clustering methods combined with mileage-based weighting, these composite representative cycles correspond to 90th and 95th percentiles for daily vehicle miles traveled by the vehicles observed. In addition to including vehicle speed vs time drive cycles, in an effort to better represent the environmental factors encountered by pickup and delivery vehicles operating across the United States, a nationally representative grade profile and key status information were also appended to the speed vs. time profiles to produce a 'work day' cycle that captures the effects of vehicle dynamics, geography, and driver behavior which can be used for future design, development, and validation of technology.

100 mile↗
DOE OSTI2026

Commercialization of Reflected Target Non-Intrusive Assessment (ReTNA) Tool, for Indoor Optical Analysis of Heliostats

Under HelioCon, NLR began developing a new optical measurement system, called Reflected Target Non-Intrusive Assessment (ReTNA). ReTNA has shown promise towards addressing metrology gaps for heliostat used in concentrated solar thermal (CST) plant. This project is focused on advancing this measurement system from the laboratory into industry, where it can provide valuable information for heliostat developers during research, development, and qualification of a heliostat design, and be used for quality assurance during heliostat manufacture. Over the course of this project, ReTNA was deployed at several commercial heliostat facilities. The system developed and deployed with the primary project partner, Solar Dynamics LLC, is described in detail. The report discusses each project Milestone, the ending status, the achieved value, and how these Milestones improve and qualify the ReTNA measurement tool. Finally, the final report covers the market advancements, path forward, commercial successes, and lessons learned. Final Technical report for TCF Base Technology-Specific project TCF-23-20118, Commercialization of Reflected Target Non-Intrusive Assessment (ReTNA) tool, for indoor optical analysis of Heliostats.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1973

A business man views commercial ventures in space.

Paper reviews technical, resource planning and marketing steps an industrial organization must perform in arriving at a decision to undertake space development and production of commercial products or services for Users on the ground. Technical elements are supported by particular examples. Analysis of required resources emphasizes facility and financial inter-relationships between commercial organizations and NASA. Marketing planning covers elements of profitability. Paper addresses questions related to protection of corporate stockholders and public interest, investment decision timing, budget variations. Paper concludes with observations on timeliness of planning shuttle-based commercial ventures and on key industry/NASA problems and decisions.

Scarff, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1979

An economic analysis of a commercial approach to the design and fabrication of a space power system

This paper discusses a commercial approach to the design and fabrication of an economical space power system. With the advent of the space shuttle, steps can be taken to back away from the presently used space qualified approach in order to reduce cost of space hardware by incorporating, where possible, commercial design, fabrication, and quality assurance methods. Cost reductions are projected through the conceptual design of a 2 kW space power system built with the capability for having serviceability. The approach to system costing that has been used takes into account both the constraints of operation in space and commercial production engineering approaches. The cost of this power system reflects a variety of cost/benefit tradeoffs that would reduce system cost as a function of system reliability requirements, complexity, and the impact of rigid specifications. A breakdown of the system design, documentation, fabrication and reliability and quality assurance cost estimates are detailed.

Putney, Z.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Evaluation criteria for commercially oriented materials processing in space proposals

An approach and criteria for evaluating NASA funded experiments and demonstrations which have commercial potential were developed. Methods for insuring quick initial screening of commercial proposals are presented. Recommendations are given for modifying the current evaluation approach. New criteria for evaluating commercially orientated materials processing in space (MPS) proposals are introduced. The process for selection of qualified individuals to evaluate the phases of this approach and criteria is considered and guidelines are set for its implementation.

Moore, W. F.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Composite components on commercial aircraft

Commercial aircraft manufacturers are making production commitments to composite structure for future aircraft and modifications to current production aircraft. Flight service programs with advanced composites sponsored by NASA during the past 10 years are described. Approximately 2.5 million total composite component flight hours have been accumulated since 1970 on both commercial transports and helicopters. Design concepts with significant mass savings were developed, appropriate inspection and maintenance procedures were established, and satisfactory service was achieved for the various composite components. A major NASA/U.S. industry technology program to reduce fuel consumption of commercial transport aircraft through the use of advanced composites was undertaken. Ground and flight environmental effects on the composite materials used in the flight service programs supplement the flight service evaluation.

Dexter, H. B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Assessment of risk due to the use of carbon fiber composites in commercial and general aviation

The development of a national risk profile for the total annual aircraft losses due to carbon fiber composite (CFC) usage through 1993 is discussed. The profile was developed using separate simulation methods for commercial and general aviation aircraft. A Monte Carlo method which was used to assess the risk in commercial aircraft is described. The method projects the potential usage of CFC through 1993, investigates the incidence of commercial aircraft fires, models the potential release and dispersion of carbon fibers from a fire, and estimates potential economic losses due to CFC damaging electronic equipment. The simulation model for the general aviation aircraft is described. The model emphasizes variations in facility locations and release conditions, estimates distribution of CFC released in general aviation aircraft accidents, and tabulates the failure probabilities and aggregate economic losses in the accidents.

Fiksel, J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Composite components on commercial aircraft

The paper considers the use of composite components in commercial aircraft. NASA has been active in sponsoring flight service programs with advanced composites for the last 10 years, with 2.5 million total composite component hours accumulated since 1970 on commercial transports and helicopters with no significant degradation in residual strength of composite components. Design, inspection, and maintenance procedures have been developed; a major NASA/US industry technology program has been developed to reduce fuel consumption of commercial transport aircraft through the use of advanced composites.

Dexter, H. B.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Durability of commercial aircraft and helicopter composite structures

The development of advanced composite technology during the past decade is discussed. Both secondary and primary components fabricated with boron, graphite, and Kevlar composites are evaluated. Included are spoilers, rudders, and fairings on commercial transports, boron/epoxy reinforced wing structure on C-130 military transports, and doors, fairings, tail rotors, vertical fins, and horizontal stabilizers on commercial helicopters. The development of composite structures resulted in advances in design and manufacturing technology for secondary and primary composite structures for commercial transports. Design concepts and inspection and maintenance results for the components in service are reported. The flight, outdoor ground, and controlled laboratory environmental effects on composites were also determined. Effects of moisture absorption, ultraviolet radiation, aircraft fuels and fluids, and sustained tensile stress are included. Critical parameters affecting the long term durability of composite materials are identified.

Dexter, H. B.↗