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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 sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2021

Advanced Computing, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence Research Opportunities for Energy-Focused Transportation Science

The Energy Efficient Mobility Systems (EEMS) technology landscape is complex and rapidly evolving, which provides both tremendous opportunities and formidable challenges. Significant alterations to the mobility landscape are underway due to the advent of vehicle and infrastructure connectivity, autonomous driving, and rapid passenger- and freight-vehicle electrification. Advanced computing will play an increasingly important role in enabling the EEMS program to understand and identify the most important levers to improve the energy productivity of future integrated mobility systems. It is also driving new approaches to mobility and the research to unlock an affordable, efficient, safe, and accessible transportation future. Driving much of this change is the collection, analysis, and strategic use of massive amounts of diverse, complex data from infrastructure and vehicles with on-board sensors and data storage and transmission capabilities. Diverse and representative data are key to implementing approaches to maximize mobility energy productivity. While high-fidelity modeling of integrated transportation networks has strengthened our understanding of dynamic movement and behavior patterns, existing tools must be expanded beyond their current focus. This work necessitates data infrastructure investments (e.g., secure-streaming data platforms driven by ubiquitous sensors and video analytics) as well as investments in critical capabilities for large-scale automated analysis and organization using modern machine learning, statistics, and artificial intelligence. Other chief needs include agile, large-scale storage that can be quickly searched and queried for relevant data to support validation and model development, data-sharing agreements, and formatting standards for key data types. The future of public transit must be explored in greater detail, research must inform design, and opportunities must be identified for improving the mobility productivity of public transit in both urban and rural America.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Perspective Chapter: Safe Disposal and Storage of Nuclear Waste

The use of nuclear energy inevitably generates nuclear waste as the byproduct of fission reactions. Depending on the initial composition of the fuel that goes into the reactor and the subsequent burn-up level, the chemistry of the resulting nuclear waste can vary substantially. This waste typically exhibits a broad spectrum of radioactivity and half-lives, making effective management one of the most critical challenges for global nuclear energy. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the origin and classification of nuclear waste and various strategies for its safe immobilization and disposal. The short- and long-term storage of waste with varying radioactivity is addressed. The significant technical and political complexities involving primarily long-term disposal are also discussed. To ensure the safe and permanent disposal of hazardous waste with extremely long half-lives, future efforts should focus on both technical innovation and public engagement.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1972

Snap dynamics

Computer program calculates normal vibration modes of complex structures elimating excessively large amounts of input data, run time, and core storage. Provision for accuracy improvement is also included.

Kiefling, L.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Digital imaging technology assessment: Digital document storage project

An ongoing technical assessment and requirements definition project is examining the potential role of digital imaging technology at NASA's STI facility. The focus is on the basic components of imaging technology in today's marketplace as well as the components anticipated in the near future. Presented is a requirement specification for a prototype project, an initial examination of current image processing at the STI facility, and an initial summary of image processing projects at other sites. Operational imaging systems incorporate scanners, optical storage, high resolution monitors, processing nodes, magnetic storage, jukeboxes, specialized boards, optical character recognition gear, pixel addressable printers, communications, and complex software processes.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1994

SolSTUS: Solar Source Thermal Upper Stage

This paper was written by members of the Utah State University (USU) Space Systems Design class, fall quarter 1993. The class is funded by NASA and administered by the University Space Research Association (USRA). The focus of the class is to give students some experience in design of space systems and as a source of original ideas for NASA. This paper is a summary of the work done by members of the Space Systems Design class during the opening phase of the course. The class was divided into groups to work on different areas of the Solar Thermal Rocket (STR) booster in order to produce a design reference mission that would identify the key design issues. The design reference mission focused upon a small satellite mission to Mars. There are several critical components in a Solar Thermal Rocket. STR's produce a very low thrust, but have a high specific impulse, meaning that they take longer to reach the desired orbit, but use a lot less fuel in doing it. The complexity of the rocket is discussed in this paper. Some of the more critical design problems discussed are: (1) the structural and optical complexity of collecting and focusing sunlight onto a specific point, (2) long term storage of fuel (liquid hydrogen), (3) attitude control while thrusting in an elliptical orbit and orienting the mirrors to collect sunlight, and (4) power and communications for the rocket and it's internal systems. The design reference mission discussed here is a very general mission to Mars. A first order trajectory design has been done and a possible basic science payload for Mars has been suggested. This paper summarizes the design reference mission (DRM) formulated by the USU students during fall quarter and identifies major design challenges that will confront the design team during the next two quarters here at USU.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2010

Developing NDE Techniques for Large Cryogenic Tanks - Year 2 Report

The Shuttle Program requires very large cryogenic ground storage tanks in which to store liquid oxygen and hydrogen. The existing Launch Complex-39 Pad tanks, which will be passed onto future launch programs, are over 40 years old and have received minimal refurbishment and only external inspections over the years. The majority of the structure is inaccessible without a full system drain of cryogenic liquid and insulation in the annular region. It was previously thought that there was a limit to the number of temperature cycles that the tanks could handle due to possible insulation compaction before undergoing a costly and time consuming complete overhaul; therefore the tanks were not drained and performance issues with these tanks, specifically the Pad B LH2 tank, were accepted. There is a need and an opportunity, as the Shuttle program ends and work to upgrade the launch pad progresses, to develop innovative non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques to analyze the current tanks. Techniques are desired that can aid in determining the extent of refurbishment required to keep the tanks in service for another 20+ years. A non-destructive technique would also be a significant aid in acceptance testing of new and refurbished tanks, saving significant time and money, if corrective actions can be taken before cryogen is introduced to the systems. Year one of this project concentrated on analysis of the current tanks located at LC-39 while cryogen was present. Year two of this project concentrated on analysis of detectable thermal variations on the outer surface of the tanks as the cryogen was drained and the inner vessel warmed to ambient conditions. Two techniques have been deployed in the field to monitor the tank. The first consisted of a displacement sensor to monitor for any expansions at the base of the tank during warm-up that could indicate a compaction issue with the insulation. The second technique was continued thermal monitoring of the tank through and after warm up. The indications noted in the thermal images were compared to bore-scope images of the annular region taken once the tank was inert and warmed to ambient conditions. Similar thermal imaging was performed on a smaller tank where an insulation void was induced to compare the effectiveness of thermal imagining on a different tank geometry.

Arens, Ellen↗

NASA NTRS2024

Revisiting the petrogenesis of pyroclastic glass bead deposits at the Apollo 15 and 17 sites

The Apollo 15 low-titanium and Apollo 17 high-titanium pyroclastic glass beads are amongst the most primitive magmatically derived samples obtained from the Moon. Two key samples, the low-Ti Apollo 15426 green glass clod and the high-Ti Apollo 74220 orange glass are morphologically distinct, where the Apollo 15 beads are larger (~ 107 μm along maximum axis) and more fractured, and the Apollo 17 are smaller (~42 μm) and less fractured. In this study, holohyaline beads as well as crystallized beads were examined from both samples. Crystallized beads show compositional variability in major, minor, and trace elements and enable examination of magmatic mineral fractionation processes during cooling of both deposits. The Apollo 15426 beads experienced variable olivine crystallization, whereas the Apollo 74220 beads experienced both olivine and ilmenite crystallization. Holohyaline beads from both deposits show more limited major, minor, and trace element variability than their crystallized counterparts. Trace element abundance data for individual holohyaline beads show that in Apollo 74220, they are tightly clustered at ~30 × Carbonaceous Ivuna chondrite [CI] with negative Eu anomalies and subchondritic Nb/Ta, and interpreted to reflect the presence of late-stage magma ocean cumulate overturned into an otherwise primitive mantle source. Incompatible trace element abundances for holohyaline beads in 15426 are supra-chondritic from ~8 × CI, to >80 × CI, with pronounced relative depletions in Sr and Eu for the most incompatible element enriched beads, which represent a distinct bead group within the deposit. Apollo 15426 beads have elevated Ni and Co abundances at the edges of the beads compared to their centers. These data are interpreted to reflect a more complex magmatic evolution of the 15426 deposit, beginning with: (i) initial magma generation, storage and assimilation within shallower low-Ca and high-Ca pyroxene bearing magma ocean cumulates (15B,C); (ii) mobilization of the earlier magmas by more recently generated primitive magmas (15A); (iii) eruption and crystallization of some beads (15D,E), and (iv) later jumbling of the deposit, possible impact contamination and addition of exotic bead components (J Group). In contrast, the 74220 data shows no discernable difference between Ni and Co abundances at the edges and centers supporting prior observations for limited melt fractionation and an absence of meteoritic components. It is further suggested that both deposits are likely to have been formed in the presence of a transient atmosphere. Using 74220 melt compositions from this study, post-entrapment crystallization abundances range from 266 to 1130 micrograms/g for H 2 O, 36 to 68 micrograms/g for F, 441 to 832 micrograms/g for S, and zero to 2.31 micrograms/g for Cl, consistent with prior studies and suggesting up to ~0.1 wt.% H 2 O in the melt, with considerably less in the source. The role that late-stage magma ocean cumulates rich in ilmenite, apatite and high-Ca pyroxene might play in modifying this volatile element estimate, however, casts remaining doubt on the volatile element abundance and evolution of the primitive Moon.

Moon↗

DOE OSTI2024

VPP Participation Models: What is the Objective?

Virtual power plants (VPPs) can provide grid services by aggregating and controlling many distributed energy resources. However, their design, operation, level of participation, and outcomes depend on the regulatory and market environments they operate in, DER owner preferences, grid service value, and technical capabilities (e.g., communications, forecasting, controls, user interfaces). Although VPPs are inherently complex, they could enable high shares of behind-the-meter solar plus storage and reduce the cost of electrifying, e.g., personal vehicles and space heating.

demand response↗

DOE OSTI2024

Chemical Framework to Design Linear-like Relaxors toward Capacitive Energy Storage

ABO 3 -type perovskite relaxor ferroelectrics (RFEs) have emerged as the preferred option for dielectric capacitive energy storage. However, the compositional design of RFEs with high energy density and efficiency poses significant challenges owing to the vast compositional space and the absence of general rules. Here, we present an atomic-level chemical framework that captures inherent characteristics in terms of radius and ferroelectric activity of ions. By categorizing A/B-site ions as host framework, rattling, ferroelectrically active, and blocking ions and assembling these four types of ions with specific criteria, linear-like relaxors with weak locally correlated and highly extendable unit-cell polarization vectors can be constructed. As example, we demonstrate two new compositions of Bi 0.5 K 0.5 TiO 3- based and BaTiO 3- based relaxors, showing extremely high recoverable energy densities of 17.3 and 12.1 J cm –3 , respectively, both with a high efficiency of about 90%. Further, the role of different types of ions in forming heterogeneous polar structures is identified through element-specific local structure analysis using neutron total scattering combined with reverse Monte Carlo modeling. Further, our work not only opens up new avenues toward rational compositional design of high energy storage performance lead-free RFEs but also sheds light on atomic-level manipulation of functional properties in compositionally complex ferroelectrics.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

NASA NTRS1978

High temperature thermal energy storage in moving sand

Several high-temperature (to 500 C) heat-storage systems using sand as the storage medium are described. The advantages of sand as a storage medium include low cost for sand, widespread availability, non-toxicity, non-degradation characteristics, easy containment, and safety. The systems considered include: stationary sand with closely spaced tubes throughout the volume, the use of a fluidized bed, use of conveyor belt transporter, and the use of a blower rapid transport system. For a stationary sand bed, very close spacing of heat transfer tubes throughout the volume is required, manifesting as high power related system cost. The suggestion of moving sand past or around pipes is intended to reduce the power related costs at the penalty of added system complexity. Preliminary system cost estimates are offered. These rough calculations indicate that mobile sand heat storage systems cost less than the stationary sand approach.

Turner, R. H.↗

DOE OSTI2024

The Polarity of Co-solvents Regulates the Charge Storage Mechanisms in Supercapacitors with Concentrated Electrolytes

Developing better energy storage devices depends on comprehending the underlying mechanisms involved in charge storage. With the continuous conception of new electrolytes, this task becomes progressively more urgent and complex. An example is the utilization of co-solvated concentrated solutions. While these show promising electrochemical responses, their dynamic properties (especially under confinement) and their relationships with performance are not fully understood. Here, we combined modified step potential electrochemical spectroscopy and quasielastic neutron scattering to investigate systems composed of activated mesoporous carbon (AMC) and concentrated solutions of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide in acetonitrile co-solvated with either toluene or acetone. Further, we report that acetone does not impair surface-controlled mechanisms, contrary to the case with toluene, which competes with charged species to populate the AMC’s pores without contributing to charge storage. In turn, toluene promotes a greater overall capacitance owing to Faradaic processes, which may be related to changes in the solvation structures under confinement.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2024

Assessing Suitable Geologic Carbon Storage Sites Across Utah

Utah has a wealth of potential geological reservoirs for carbon dioxide storage (CS) and a long history of geologic research resulting in an abundance of available subsurface data to evaluate CS potential. Reservoirs may include sandstone, carbonate, and basalt; these rock types are plentiful in Utah’s subsurface and the complex Phanerozoic history throughout the state requires evaluating each geologic region individually for promising reservoir-seal pairs for CO2 storage. Classifying Utah by geologic provinces (or “geo-regions”) allows for customized thinking about suitable CS reservoir and seal distribution, CO2 point sources, land use, and existing infrastructure. Preliminary results from this study highlight the geologic CS potential across 15 geo-regions. Four regions stand out as having high CS potential: the Uinta Basin, San Rafael Swell, Paradox Basin, and the southern Basin and Range Province. The Uinta Basin and San Rafael Swell geo-regions are well suited for CS and have several projects ongoing to evaluate Cretaceous Frontier and Naturita Formations, Jurassic Navajo Sandstone and Entrada Sandstone, and Permian Weber Sandstone reservoir units that lie beneath robust sealing units like the ~5000-ft-thick Mancos Shale and Carmel Formation. Reservoirs such as the Navajo and Weber Sandstones have been demonstrated to be suitable reservoirs through a long history of oil and gas exploration in Utah. New areas of interest include the southern Basin and Range in southwest Utah, where the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone is overlain by the sealing Carmel Formation at suitable depths (>3000 ft), and has good porosities based on outcrop analogue data. Just to the north (e.g., central Basin and Range), legacy wells and 2D seismic data show possible salt and subsurface basalt flows that may provide additional possible CS reservoirs and seals. This geo-region also has the advantage of being coupled with geothermal energy resources that may be used to power burgeoning direct air capture technologies. In the Paradox Basin of southeastern Utah, the Leadville Limestone is a potential storage reservoir beneath the thick (4000–5000 ft), salt-bearing Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation. Although the northern and western parts of Utah offer CS potential, these areas typically contain less infrastructure and subsurface penetrations, creating geologic uncertainty associated with subsurface seals and reservoirs due to a lack of data. Overall, this statewide assessment and ranking is the first step to aid in evaluating CS potential across Utah and provides a foundation for future research in the most favorable locations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

A deep learning-based battery sizing optimization tool for hybridizing generation plants

Hybrid generation and energy storage systems offer the ability to increase flexibility of the combined asset. This flexibility can be used to increase provision of services already provided by the generation asset, such as timing sale of electricity to the energy market during high price periods, and also enable provision of additional services, such as ancillary services or contribute to resource adequacy. From a generation asset owner perspective, the decision to hybridize includes selecting an energy storage system that, among other factors, maximizes financial performance of the energy storage investment. Yet, existing tools to optimize energy storage sizing are either too rudimentary (i.e., based on “rules of thumb”) or too complex to implement (i.e., require specialized engineering and software knowledge and a high-performance computer to run). This work presents a novel deep learning-based battery sizing optimization tool that is designed to help generation asset owners easily assess preliminary sizing considerations for potential battery investments to hybridize their generation facility. The tool uses deep learning to predict revenue over a broad search space of potential battery sizes, estimates capital and operating costs (including accounting for battery degradation), and computes financial performance of each potential battery system investment, recommending a system with maximum financial performance. The tool is tested and validated for hydropower assets. Finally, this tool will help a greater cross-section of industry consider investments in battery systems, increasing their revenue and helping them compete in rapidly evolving electrify markets.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Corrosivity Screening of Pyrolysis Bio-Oils by Short-Term Alloy Exposures. Laboratory Analytical Procedure (LAP), Issue Date: May 12, 2022

Bio-oils contain organic acids and oxygenated compounds that can lead to corrosion issues during bio-oil processing and storage. This Laboratory Analytical Procedure (LAP) allows for rapid screening of a bio-oil's corrosivity without the need for complex equipment and long-term exposures. A robust and repeatable method for assessing the corrosivity of bio-oils is necessary in order to remove materials degradation as an obstacle to research, upgrading, use and storage of bio-oils. This LAP involves the incubation of a representative alloy, 410 stainless steel (410 SS), specimen in bio-oil over a period of 48 hours at 50 degrees C in a sealed container. The corrosive species in the bio-oil react with and deplete alloy elements such as iron (Fe) and/or chromium (Cr) from the specimen into the bio-oil solution. The depletion of Fe and Cr from the specimen results in a significant mass loss that can be recorded. The mass loss is directly correlated to the corrosivity of a bio-oil. Examples of bio-oils in scope include the ones produced by fast pyrolysis and catalytic fast pyrolysis, as well as liquids produced from hydrothermal liquefaction.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

NASA NTRS2021

Center for High-Efficiency Electrical Technologies for Aircraft (CHEETA)

The aeronautics industry has been challenged on many fronts to increase efficiency, reduce emissions, and decrease dependency on carbon-based fuels. With subsonic transports serving as the dominant contributor to the fuel consumption and carbon footprint of global aviation, the need for environmentally-responsible transportation has been met with a boom of research in the field of aircraft propulsion electrification across industry, government, and academic organizations. However, adoption of electrified propulsion systems for large commercial aircraft today is unattainable, due to the lack of motors and power electronics appropriately sized for these vehicles, high weight requirements of conventional electrical energy storage systems, and new principles required to design these classes of aircraft. The mission of the Center for High-Efficiency Electrical Technologies for Aircraft (CHEETA) program is to develop, mature, and design disruptive technologies for electric commercial aviation. The associated technologies being researched include distributed aero-propulsion system integration, high-efficiency electrochemical power conversion, flight-weight electric machines and power electronics, materials and systems for superconducting high-efficiency power transmission, and methods for complex system integration and optimization. Additionally, the current program is investigating the use of unconventional energy storage and power generation architectures, such as liquid hydrogen fuel and high-efficiency fuel cell systems. The research program provides a direct line-of-sight to not only achieving, but potentially even exceeding the aviation community goals for transition to alternative propulsion and energy through convergence of various novel technologies. The end result of maturation and integration of these technologies is an aircraft system with a quiet, efficient propulsion system that produces zero carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter emissions at the vehicle level.

Koushik Datta↗

DOE OSTI2025

Hydromechanical Modeling of Fault Rupture in Geologic CO 2 Sequestration: A Comparison of Two Failure Criteria

Abstract The large‐scale implementation of geological carbon sequestration has raised concerns about potential fault activation and induced seismicity, which could compromise storage integrity and pose seismic risks. We theoretically compared two failure criteria, Mohr‐Coulomb (MC) and Modified Cam‐Clay criteria (MCC), to assess fault rupture during CO 2 storage. Both criteria characterize fault behavior in a specific stress regime but differ in reducing the complexity of fault rupture to a few key mechanisms. Using a coupled hydromechanical model, we demonstrate that the choice of a failure criterion and the physics of fault weakening associated with these criteria strongly condition fault response to a given fluid injection. MC mainly relates rupture to friction, while MCC relates rupture to fault poro‐plasticity. Our findings highlight that the selection of a failure criterion, being inherently subjective, can significantly alter the predicted fault behavior during CO 2 storage, thereby impacting the reliability of geomechanical risk assessments.

Cao, M. [Energy Geosciences Division Lawrence Berk↗

DOE OSTI2023

Electrolytes in Multiple-Phase Hydrogen Storage Reactions

Multiple-phase hydrogen storage materials such as metal alanates and borohydrides, and destabilized systems offer the possibility of high hydrogen storage capacity with favorable thermodynamics. However, the multiphase nature of these materials intrinsically limits the kinetics due to the required transport of species between phases, which are typically in dry powder form. To address this limitation, the influence of added electrolytes is explored. This approach is motivated by analogy with similar multiphase battery reactions that show reduced kinetic limitations while necessarily containing electrolytes. Previous experimental results showing improved kinetics for MgH2/Sn (using a LiBH4/KBH4 eutectic electrolyte) and NaAlH4 (using a diglyme electrolyte) are further analyzed in terms of this analogy. The results show that the analogy is useful and rate constants are increased. Importantly, the inclusion of an electrolyte also appears to alleviate the continuously decreasing rates with the extent of reaction, which is characteristic of many multiphase hydrides. Instead, reaction rates are approximately constant until near completion. Together, these effects can lead to >10× shorter overall reaction times. In addition, new results are presented for the hydrogenation of MgB2 using Li/K/CsI and Li/K/CsCl eutectic electrolytes, where >60% conversion to Mg(BH4)2 was demonstrated at 350 bar.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2020

Update on Full-Scale Retrieval and Transfer System Testing for Pneumatic Conveyance of High-Level Calcine Waste - 20241

The Idaho National Laboratory processed spent nuclear fuel from 1953 to 1994. The process used solvent extraction to separate uranium, resulting in a liquid waste. A calcination process was used to convert the liquid waste to a high-level radioactive solid powder, referred to as calcine. The calcine is stored in stainless steel bins contained within concrete vaults called the Calcined Solids Storage Facilities. There are a total of seven CSSFs. The Calcine Retrieval Project is tasked with retrieving the calcine from the bins of CSSF 1 and pneumatically transferring it to the bins of CSSF 6. CSSF 1 was constructed to be a final calcine repository with no forethought of retrieval. It represents the greatest technical hurdle to calcine extraction of all the CSSFs. The challenges inherent with accessing the calcine, safely extracting it, and securely transporting it are copious and complex. Once the calcine is removed from CSSF1, that facility may be closed, reducing the footprint of waste storage at the INL. The same process for removing Calcine from CSSF1 may then be utilized to remove the calcine from the remaining CSSFs for final treatment and transport to a long-term storage facility. To overcome these inherent challenges with accessing CSSF 1 and extracting the calcine in a timely manner, a full-scale integrated mockup has been constructed. The mockup includes a full-size model of a concentric group of bins from CSSF 1 and a storage vessel representing CSSF 6. All essential elements of the transport design are represented in the Mockup, including motive and makeup air supply (air compressor), a replica of the CSSF6 cyclone, pre-filter, HEPA filter, vacuum pump, and retrieval control devices. Construction on the Mockup was completed in 2018 and testing began in February 2019. It has already proven very beneficial to the CRP. Experience in running the Mockup have aided in the development of retrieval and transport methodologies and the selection of process parameter values. It has also uncovered some unforeseen technological challenges and will continue to be valuable to the testing team as these hurdles are overcome and the process is proven effective. Operations personnel have also benefitted from its use as a training tool and will continue to use the Mockup as a simulator to reproduce problems encountered during extraction and transfer of Calcine from CSSF 1. The knowledge gained during this process will also be of continued benefit as future work is done to remove various types of calcine from the remaining CSSFs. The methodology of safe and secure transfer of radioactive material may be of benefit to others throughout the U.S. Department of Energy complex. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗