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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 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Fission Product Gas Monitoring During Fuel Drying Operations - 20094

The goal of the project was to devise and implement a method of accurately qualifying any noble gas emitted during fuel drying operations (part of the dry fuel storage process) in order to provide the data needed to validate the off-site dose calculations. The imputes of the project was the NRC publishing Information Notice 18-01, 'Noble Fission Gas Releases During Spent Fuel Cask Loading Operations' in February 2018. The information notice describes some industry events that occurred during vacuum drying operations as part of a dry fuel campaign. The solution was devised by Fort Calhoun Station staff in partnership with Mirion Technologies technical staff. The monitoring was accomplished by directing all the effluent from the fuel storage cask vacuum drying machine through a sample chamber containing a compact ISOCS characterized CZT based gamma spectrometer connected to a Mirion Data Analyst. This resulted near real-time quantification of the radionuclides of concern. (authors)

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Total Residual Radiation Source Term Produced by the Hiroshima Detonation

Residual radiation from a nuclear detonation consists of fission products and activation products produced by the excess neutrons released during the explosion. The ability to accurately predict nuclear fallout begins with a calculation of the residual radiation source term. The intent of this paper is to define the residual radiation source term for the Hiroshima detonation. The calculation was performed using the Livermore Weapon Activation Code (LWAC), which is a simplified three-region model that estimates the residual radiation associated with the fission products, the unburnt fuel, and activation products produced in the weapon components, the surrounding air, and the ground in the vicinity of ground zero. For the Hiroshima detonation, ~1200 radionuclides were produced. A time-dependent solution for the total activity of each of the major residual radiation source terms is provided in the Appendices. In addition, the timedependent exposure rates produced by the activation rings are included in the report.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2022

NETL Energy Related Diagrams - 2021 Edition [Slides]

This report uses Sankey type diagrams to illustrates energy use and CO 2 generation within the U.S. for the year 2020. The diagrams show primary energy consumption from coal, natural gas, nuclear, petroleum, and renewables for the electric, residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors, fossil fuel trade/domestic production, and CO 2 generation by fuel and end user.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

NETL Energy Related Diagrams: 2022 Edition [Slides]

This report uses Sankey type diagrams to illustrates energy use and CO 2 generation within the U.S. for the year 2022. The diagrams show primary energy consumption from coal, natural gas, nuclear, petroleum, and renewables for the electric, residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors, fossil fuel trade/domestic production, and CO 2 generation by fuel and end user.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

NETL Energy Related Diagrams: 2023 Edition [Slides]

This illustrative report uses Sankey type diagrams to illustrates energy use and CO 2 generation within the U.S. for the year 2023. The diagrams show primary energy consumption from coal, natural gas, nuclear, petroleum, and renewables for the electric, residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors; fossil fuel trade/domestic production; and CO 2 generation by fuel and end user.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

NETL Energy Related Diagrams 2024 Edition [Slides]

This illustrative report uses Sankey type diagrams to illustrates energy use and CO 2 generation within the U.S. for the year 2024. The diagrams show primary energy consumption from coal, natural gas, nuclear, petroleum, and renewables for the electric, residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors; fossil fuel trade/domestic production; and CO 2 generation by fuel and end use.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Combined Algae Processing (CAP): Progress, Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Directions

This white paper summarizes the historical progress and perspectives on future opportunities for Combined Algae Processing (CAP), a conversion approach centered around fractionating microalgae biomass and producing a slate of fuels and products. We discuss the critical challenges associated with the commercialization of algal biofuels and demonstrate how the CAP approach is uniquely suited to overcome these barriers. The versatility of applying CAP to various sources of algae is highlighted along with conversion to various fuels and product options.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Solution combustion synthesis of iron-based alumina nanocomposites for clean production of hydrogen from fossil fuels

Iron-based alumina nanocomposites are promising materials for microwave-assisted thermocatalytic dehydrogenation of fossil fuels, which has been proposed for the production of hydrogen with no CO2 emissions. Solution combustion synthesis (SCS) is an attractive technique for the fabrication of these materials because it has been used for synthesis of many nanoscale oxides. However, SCS can be carried out using different organic fuels and different heating equipment, and it is important to determine which fuel and heating mode generate materials with the best properties for dehydrogenation, such as maximized specific surface area. In the present work, the iron-based alumina nanocomposites were obtained by SCS using two different fuels (citric acid and glycine) and two different heating modes (a hotplate and a muffle furnace). The precursors/oxidizers were iron nitrate and aluminum nitrate. They were mixed with the fuel according to stoichiometry and dissolved in water. Heating the solution resulted in combustion synthesis. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis, laser diffraction particle size analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The experiments have shown that the specific surface area of the iron-based alumina nanocomposites obtained by SCS can be dramatically increased by using citric acid instead of glycine, and additionally by using a muffle furnace instead of a hotplate.

Solution combustion synthesis, Nanoscale metal oxi↗
DOE OSTI2020

The TRANSCEND Consortium - In-situ Identification of Surface Corrosion Products on Spent Nuclear Fuels - 20276

The management of spent nuclear fuel is a major ongoing concern for the UK owing to the cessation of reprocessing operations at Sellafield and the large, complex inventory arising from Magnox, AGR, PWR and prototype reactors. Retrieval and relocation operations for legacy fuels are imminent and therefore, any models that enhance our understanding of fuel evolution will help mitigate the risks associated with fuel storage and disposal. The TRANSCEND Consortium on nuclear waste management comprises four work packages, within this current paper we provide a summary overview of progress to date and illustrative results from Theme 3: Spent Nuclear Fuels. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS2020

Analysis of a 100-W Regenerative Fuel Cell Demonstration

A 100-W regenerative fuel cell (RFC) demonstration was successfully completed at the NASA Glenn Research Center on December 11, 2014. This effort was funded by Advanced Space Power Systems milestone and represented the first demonstration of passive laboratory-scale stacks arranged as an RFC, consisting of a non-flow-through fuel cell and a static-feed electrolyzer. Once developed, these stacks present the potential to minimize system mass, volume, and parasitic power in comparison to existing terrestrial electrochemical systems and nonnuclear power generation options. Testing involved the fuel cell powering a simulated load then recycling fuel cell product water by subsequently electrolyzing it to regenerate hydrogen and oxygen gases for fuel cell operations. A total of five cycles were completed over a 2-week period, yielding cell voltage data for stack performance and quality measures for regenerated reactants. Overall, round-trip efficiency was calculated to be 47.4 percent. Gas crossover was observed in electrolyzer gas products, as residual gas analysis showed 1.1 percent hydrogen in oxygen and 0.4 percent oxygen in hydrogen. Fuel cell product water was determined to be more acidic and conductive and have a higher fluoride content when compared to deionized water.

fuel cell↗
DOE OSTI2026

Comparing Tandem Cell Designs for Electrochemical CO 2 Reduction to Ethylene

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO 2 R) is a promising approach for the decentralized production of fuels such as ethylene (C 2 H 4 ). However, the use of Cu, the most efficient metal CO 2 R catalyst for the generation of C 2 H 4 known to date, generally yields a product stream with poor selectivity. In an effort to increase selectivity, the reaction from CO 2 to C 2 H 4 can be broken down into two steps using tandem CO 2 R electrolyzers: formation of CO from CO 2 and subsequent reduction of CO to C 2 H 4 . Here, in this study, we present two novel tandem electrolyzer architectures that closely integrate two cathodes, one for CO generation and one for conversion to C 2 H 4 , while still enabling independent electrical control of the cathodic surfaces. Cathode segmentation in each of these designs also permits the controlled sequencing of mass flow of chemical intermediates in the order of Au to Cu cathode catalysts, in contrast to earlier work relying on uncontrolled, passive diffusion to facilitate the flow of chemical intermediates between catalysts. When comparing the performance of the newly developed electrolyzer cell designs with a dual electrolyzer system, we found that the dual electrolyzer system yields the highest C 2 H 4 faradaic efficiencies (FEs) of 31% and C 2 H 4 concentrations (∼8 mol %). However, a single Cu-containing electrolyzer outperformed all three tandem systems in terms of C 2 H 4 FE (34%). Our findings, enabled by independent control of the two tandem cathode surfaces, indicate that tandem CO 2 R systems need to be evaluated carefully by testing them at various relevant current densities.

C2H4↗
DOE OSTI2021

H2@Scale 2.0: Realizing the Benefits of a Hydrogen-Based Energy System

Throughout the world, hydrogen is increasingly recognized as the critical, central component for a clean, sustainable, efficient, and economic energy system. Hydrogen is remarkable for its ability to carry, store, and interconvert energy - its chemical energy can be used for clean and efficient chemical conversions to products and fuels; electricity generation; and heat generation. Hydrogen can be used as a storage medium, even for seasonal storage, to enable larger-scale deployment and use of renewable electricity. As an energy carrier, hydrogen is central to cross-sector coupling and clean, efficient transportation fuels and industrial processes, enabling decarbonization of products and services while meeting customer expectations.

chemical conversions↗
DOE OSTI2022

AGR Program TRISO Fuel Topical Report Dialog

AGR Program Overview and Current Activities Fission Product Transport Data Short-Lived Fission Product Release Fuel Performance Margin Data Oxidation Testing Data

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Microalgae Hydrothermal Liquefaction and Biocrude Upgrading: 2022 State of Technology

A preliminary techno-economic analysis (TEA) was developed for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 state of technology (SOT) assessment to evaluate the benefits and risks of using demonstrated, high-productivity algae strains for fuels generation, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In 2022, the marine algal strain, Picochlorum celeri, which demonstrated the highest outdoor biomass productivities reported to date in the DOE-funded open-pond raceway testbed at the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI), was tested for continuous hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) processing at PNNL. HTL testing results demonstrated a biocrude yield of 0.33 g/g algae on an ash-free dry weight (AFDW) basis from P. celeri. The hydrotreatment testing of the HTL biocrude from P. celeri was also conducted to investigate the production of jet fuel from marine algal biomass. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of jet fuel production from autotrophically grown marine algal biomass. The current hydrotreating testing demonstrated approximately 22.7 wt% of the hydrotreated oil within the typical boiling-point range of jet fuel (150–250 °C). Initial testing of the jet fuel cut (JFC) showed that the physical properties under investigation were within typical ranges for petroleum-based jet fuels. The experimental work of this study closes the gap between outdoor algae cultivation and algae conversion to critical transportation fuels using the same algae strain for both cultivation and conversion testing. The continuous HTL and the upgrading testing described herein demonstrate the potential of producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from algae cultivated in open-pond systems using the primary inputs of sunlight and carbon dioxide.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Improving tolerance of yeast to lignocellulosic-derived feedstocks and products

Combined substrate-product toxicity remains one of the main obstacles hampering the scale-up and cost-effectiveness of bioprocesses harnessing lignocellulosic feedstocks, the most abundant, renewable terrestrial resource. Hydrolytic pretreatments release numerous inhibitors impinging on cell viability: the three most acute to yeast S. cerevisiae (the industry dominant biocatalyst) — and universal to all plant sources — are furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and acetic acid. Likewise, desired fermentation products, such as fuel ethanol or commodity organic acids, are toxic to microbes, typically via unknown biological mechanisms. Here, we have engineered both hydrolysate and end-product tolerance in yeast by combining previously-shown alcohol protective modifications with evolved genetic activities targeting the major pretreatment inhibitors. When tested on a wide sampling of genuine lignocellulosic feedstocks, ethanol production increased by >30% on average to titers >100 g/L, achieving parity with clean-sugar equivalents where conditions permit. Furthermore, we designed the tolerance capability to be fully transferable to pre-existing metabolic chassis strains. As such, we “drop-in” hydrolysate competence into one producing lactic acid, demonstrating the first-ever production of a cellulosic plastic at industrial titers. Our advances thus renew the potential of cellulosic biomass utilization for sustainable fuel and non-fuel products at scale.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Volatile Fatty Acid Recovery from Arrested Anaerobic Digestion for the Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel: A Review

The process of producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from organic waste involves the use of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) as intermediates that are obtained via arrested anaerobic digestion (AAD) and VFA recovery. This recovery process often requires several steps, including dewatering, filtration, extraction, and purification. The recovery of VFAs is crucial for their upgrading and can pose a challenge in the production of SAF from organic waste due to high costs and compatibility issues. This review discusses various dewatering methods, including centrifuges, belt filter presses, and screw presses, and explores conditioning technologies that can improve dewatering performance. It also introduces filtration technologies, with a focus on dynamic filtration, which shows promise in addressing the issue of membrane fouling. Additionally, the review describes extraction technologies such as electrodialysis, adsorption, and liquid–liquid extraction (LLE). By providing insights into these different techniques, the review aims to contribute to the development of an integrated VFA recovery process with low carbon footprint.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Separation, Recovery and Upgrading of 2,3-Butanediol from Fermentation Broth

2,3-Butanediol (BDO) is a bio-derived building block available from biomass through biochemical methods in high titers (>120 g L-1) making it an attractive target for production and further upgrading to chemical products and fuels such as sustainable aviation fuel. A key challenge to enable the adoption of BDO as a precursor is the effective separation and isolation of this molecule from the fermentation broth. 2,3-Butanediol has a boiling point higher than that of water (177 degrees C), and as a consequence, separation via distillation methods is an energy-intensive and therefore costly approach. We have improved the BDO separation through conversion to a 1,3-dioxolane directly in fermentation broth via reaction with bio-derived aldehydes catalyzed by a solid acid catalyst. The resulting dioxolane phase separates from the fermentation broth, allowing for easy decantation and isolation in >90% isolated yield. Isolated dioxolane can be used directly as a compression iginition fuel, trans-acetalized to recover high-purity BDO or used directly in a catalytic process as a BDO synthon to produce methyl ethyl ketone with aldehyde recovery in near quantitative yield.

aviation fuel↗
NASA NTRS1993

Fuel injector design for high temperature aircraft engine

The objective of the Innovative High Temperature Aircraft Engine Fuel Nozzle Program was to design and evaluate a nozzle capable of operating at a combustor inlet air temperature of 1600 F (1144 K) and a fuel temperature of 350 F (450 K). The nozzle was designed to meet the same performance requirements and fit within the size envelope of a current production dual orifice fuel nozzle. The design approach was to use improved thermal protection and fuel passage geometry in combination with fuel passage surface treatment to minimize coking at these extreme fuel and air temperatures. Heat transfer models of several fuel injector concepts were used to optimize the thermal protection, while sample tube coking tests were run to evaluate the effect of surface finish, coatings and tube material on the coking rate. Based on heat transfer analysis, additional air gaps, reduced fuel passage flow area and use of ceramic tip components reduced local fuel wetted wall temperatures by more than 200 F (100 K) when compared to a current production fuel nozzle. Sample tube coking test results showed the importance of surface finish on the fuel coking rate. Therefore, a one micro-inch (0.025 micron) roughness was specified for all fuel passage surfaces. A novel flow divider valve in the tip was also employed to reduce weight, allow room for additional thermal protection, and provide back pressure to reduce the risk of fuel vaporization. The fuel nozzle was fabricated and evaluated in a series of high temperature coking tests. Initial results of these tests indicate that thermal protection and surface treatments were partially successful in preventing nozzle fouling, but additional refinement of the internal flowpath is needed to prevent buildup of coke particles that partially blocked the spin slots which meter the nozzle fuel flow.

R. W. Stickles↗