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DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating inkjet dispenser/liquid vortex capture-mass spectrometry for single-cell metabolomics in Hep G2 steatosis caused by tamoxifen

Single-cell mass spectrometry (MS) is advancing our understanding of metabolic pathways in heterogeneous cell populations; however, many techniques are slow or require disruptive sample preparations. This study evaluated coupling a modified HP D100 single-cell inkjet dispenser with liquid vortex capture-mass spectrometry (D100/LVC-MS). The D100 is a single-cell inkjet dispenser capable of titrating solutions and isolating single cells via disposable cassettes equipped with microfluidic channels and an impedance sensor. The LVC-MS enables high-throughput capture, lysis, and ionization of analytes for mass spectrometric analysis. The D100/LVC-MS system was characterized through titration and single-cell experiments. Propranolol titration demonstrated linearity across a broad concentration range using the D100/LVC-MS system. Additionally, Hep G2 hepatocarcinoma cells and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii algae were used to showcase the D100’s high-throughput or low-buffer-volume single-cell dispensing strategies. The D100/LVC-MS system’s performance was validated by evaluating tamoxifen-induced steatosis in Hep G2 cells. Tamoxifen, associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in breast cancer patients following long-term use, was tested in Hep G2 cells at 20 µM for 72 h against DMSO-treated controls. High-throughput analysis of 500 cells per condition, completed in 25 min per run, demonstrated the system’s efficiency. The D100/LVC-MS system simultaneously quantified tamoxifen and measured triglycerides and phosphatidylcholines. Triglycerides were upregulated in the tamoxifen-treated cells and the results indicated two distinct cell populations, differing in tamoxifen and phosphatidylcholines levels, suggesting heterogeneity within the treated population. In conclusion, these findings highlight the D100/LVC-MS system as a cost-effective, high-throughput platform for single-cell metabolomics and lipidomics, with significant potential for evaluating metabolic alterations.

Chromatography↗

DOE OSTI2026

Effect of magneto-mechanical synergism in the process-structure correlation in Fe–C alloys: A phase-field modeling approach

Applied magnetic fields can alter phase equilibria and kinetics in steels; however, quantitatively resolving how magnetic, chemical, and elastic driving forces jointly influence the microstructure remains challenging. We develop a quantitative magneto-mechanically coupled phase-field model for the Fe–C system that couples a CALPHAD-based chemical free energy with demagnetization-field magnetostatics and microelasticity. Here, the model reproduces single- and multi-particle evolution during the α → γ inverse transformation at 1023 K under external fields up to 20 T, including ellipsoidal morphologies observed experimentally at 8 T. Chemically driven growth is isotropic; a magnetic interaction introduces an anisotropic driving force that elongates γ precipitates along the field into ellipsoids, while elastic coherency promotes faceting, yielding elongated cuboidal or “brick-like” particles under combined magneto-elastic coupling. Growth kinetics increase with C content, and decrease with field strength and misfit strain. Multi-particle simulations reveal dipolar interaction-mediated coalescence for field-parallel neighbors and ripening for field-perpendicular neighbors. Incorporating field-dependent diffusivity from experiment slows kinetics as expected; a first-principles-motivated anisotropic diffusivity correction is estimated to be small (<2%). These results establish a process-structure link for magnetically assisted heat treatments of Fe–C alloys and provide guidance for microstructure control via chemo-magneto-mechanical synergism.

Magnetic field↗

DOE OSTI2022

Estimation of the time for steam generator trip due to cyber intrusions

The time required to trip a pressurized water reactor (PWR) by inserting malicious signals into its steam generator (SG) control system has been studied using the Generic PWR (GPWR) Simulator. A semi-analytical model is developed to approximately reproduce the simulator response and understand the dynamics of the control unit. A series of two proportional-integral controllers determines control action according to preset constants, the readings from the feedwater level sensor, and those from feedwater and steam flowrate transmitters. It is observed that the most important factor that determines whether a trip will occur is how much additional water is added to or withheld from the SG over time compared to normal operating conditions. In order to determine the effects of control action on the SG, changes in mass inventory are considered. This approach models the SG water level as a function of mass inventory and has a backward temporal memory. A Python interface is developed for the GPWR framework to automatically simulate different spoofing scenarios and post-process the related data. We observe that the trip times predominantly depend on flow mismatch and/or level errors. Controller parameters, including the integral time and gain constants, either speed up or slow down the rate of progression to a trip setpoint but do not cause a trip by themselves. The reactor can trip on a high-level signal when the reading crosses above 78%, increased from its reference level of 57%, or a low-level reading when it is below 25%. The present results show roughly how long the operators would have to respond to an attack, given a specific set of spoofing signals within the issue space analyzed. Furthermore, we have generated a simple surface by fitting a combination of exponential functions to the data obtained from the GPWR Simulator. In general, trips on a low level have been observed to occur faster than those on a high level.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

NASA NTRS2015

Characterization of Encapsulated Corrosion Inhibitors Containing Microparticles for Environmentally Friendly Smart Coatings

This poster presents the results obtained from experiments designed to evaluate the release properties, as well as the corrosion inhibition effectiveness, of several encapsulated corrosion inhibitors. Microencapsulation has been used in the development of environmentally friendly multifunctional smart coatings. This technique enables the incorporation of autonomous corrosion detection, inhibition and self-healing functionalities into many commercially available coating systems. Select environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors were encapsulated in organic and inorganic pH-sensitive microparticles and their release in basic solutions was studied. The release rate results showed that the encapsulation can be tailored from fast, for immediate corrosion protection, to slow, which will provide continued long-term corrosion protection. The incorporation of several corrosion inhibitor release profiles into a coating provides effective corrosion protection properties. To investigate the corrosion inhibition efficiency of the encapsulated inhibitors, electrochemical techniques were used to obtain corrosion potential, polarization curve and polarization resistance data. These measurements were performed using the free as well as the encapsulated inhibitors singly or in combinations. Results from these electrochemical tests will be compared to those obtained from weight loss and other accelerated corrosion experiments.

Coatings↗

DOE OSTI2026

Structural Heterogeneity and Hydrodynamics of an Intrinsically Disordered Protein Condensate

Biology demonstrates precise control over the free-energy landscape through the selective partitioning of biomacromolecules into membraneless organelles, enabling essential functions such as biochemical transformations, signaling cascades, and mechanical reinforcement. Although the function of these condensates depends on their underlying structure and hydrodynamics, molecular-scale information on these systems remains sparse. Here, in this study, neutron scattering is used to probe the organization and dynamics of the intrinsically disordered N-terminal domain of Galectin-3, an extracellular lectin responsible for facilitating liquid–liquid phase separation on the cellular surface, in both dilute and condensed phases. Dilute solutions contain isolated protein chains in equilibrium with mesoscopic clusters, whereas the condensed phase adopts a bicontinuous, microemulsion-like morphology. The dilute phase behavior is quantitatively described by coarse-grained polymer models from soft-matter physics, demonstrating their predictive power for complex biological proteins. At elevated concentrations, the proteins self-assemble akin to block copolymers, microphase separating through the aggregation of hydrophobic domains along the protein contour. The resulting condensate remains fluid-like despite a 25-fold increase in concentration; its internal hydrodynamics slow by only a factor of 3 relative to dilute protein chains. These results provide a molecular-level framework for how disordered proteins achieve both the structural complexity and dynamic fluidity of biomolecular condensates.

Carrick, Brian R. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technolo↗

DOE OSTI2024

Formation kinetics and thermodynamic stability of the Aurivillius compounds in Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 –BiFeO 3 system

Abstract The Aurivillius compounds in the Bi 2 O 3 –Fe 2 O 3 –TiO 2 system, combining ferroelectric, semiconducting, and ferromagnetic properties, have attracted particular interest. Formation kinetics and thermodynamic stability are the fundamental knowledge needed for modeling and predicting the temporal microstructure and property evolution during materials processing but have not yet been addressed by quantitative experimental measurement. This article focuses on the Bi n +1 Fe n –3 Ti 3 O 3 n +3 Aurivillius compounds on the Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 –BiFeO 3 tie‐line to elucidate the mechanisms and thermodynamic controls responsible for phase formation of compounds with various perovskite‐like layers. Five high‐purity Aurivillius compounds Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 , Bi 5 FeTi 3 O 15 , Bi 6 Fe 2 Ti 3 O 18 , Bi 7 Fe 3 Ti 3 O 21 , and Bi 8 Fe 4 Ti 3 O 24 with integer n = 3–7 values were synthesized and their phase transformation properties and enthalpies of formation were studied by X‐ray diffraction in situ, high temperature differential scanning calorimetry, and high temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry. Thermodynamic stability of the compounds decreases with increasing n , and formation kinetics gradually slow down, demonstrating the inherent difficulty to synthesize pure Aurivillius compounds with n larger than 8. This difficulty was confirmed by an impurity phase coexisting with Bi 9 Fe 5 Ti 3 O 27 .

Gong, Weiping↗

DOE OSTI2023

Understanding the Uncertainty in the Technical Performance Level Assessment for Wave Energy

In recent years, the design and development of wave energy converters (WECs) has been explored with intense interest, with highly varying design concepts emerging globally across both research enterprises and industry. The design space for WECs is vast - many concepts ranging in functionality, control systems, power development systems, materials, and scale have been ideated and prototyped, but WEC technology has yet to converge. One critical element of the technology trajectory that governs the speed of adoption is the performance of a WEC concept. In analogous but more-established industries (such as aerospace, and environmentally sustainable electronics design), performance assessment is a quantitative method, based on historical data, that is used as an iterative tool to improve the design of these systems early on in the design process. Though more nascent than these approaches, in wave energy R&D, WEC performance has been assessed using the Technology Performance Level (TPL) assessment, which provides designers with a quantitative score, situating a grid-scale WEC concept on a scale from 1-9 (1 being the lowest performance, and 9 being the highest, trending with the oft-used Technology Readiness Level, or TRL). The TPL assessment is designed to be used during design iteration, when a WEC concept is fully ideated, to enable designers to consider potential means of improving the downstream performance of the concept. One concern that may be slowing the adoption of TPL among WEC developers is the inherent uncertainty in the assessment, and how uncertainty in the individual questions asked as part of the assessment may contribute to perceived inaccuracies in the final score. In this work, we explore the uncertainty present in the assessment and quantify this uncertainty using both traditional mathematical operations and a Monte Carlo simulation. Results imply areas of improvement of the TPL assessment, where reducing uncertainty will be most helpful to end users, enabling both TPL practitioners and users to understand with more accuracy those design elements that can be improved to impact device performance most substantively.

techno-economic analysis↗

DOE OSTI2026

Rewarding Grid-Friendly Behavior: Estimating the Potential Bill Reduction and Load Shifting Benefits of Dynamic Prices

Shifting electric load from times of peak demand can be a key strategy to slow price growth as reducing peak demand avoids the cost of upgrading generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure. Utilities are releasing time-varying prices, such as time of use rates or dynamic prices, to incentivize grid-friendly load shifting. New dynamic price programs provide insight into the true cost of operating electricity grids and the potential economic benefits of load shifting. Program developers and device manufacturers need to understand the economic opportunities in terms of 1) the variation in prices across hours, days, and seasons; 2) the change in utility bills for customers who don’t shift load; and 3) the potential load shifted and economic value of different technologies if manufacturers or aggregators deploy price-responsive controls. This paper estimates possible impacts of dynamic price adoption and load shifting controls if customers paid the dynamic rate from one pilot program. Statistical analysis of historical prices identified annual and seasonal metrics as well as representative price curves for each circuit in the pilot. Simulations for residential technologies with price-responsive controls including unitary heat pump water heaters, central multifamily heat pump water heaters, heating & cooling + storage systems, and pool pumps estimated the potential impacts of highly dynamic prices both with and without load shifting controls. Results showed the potential to reduce electricity costs on representative days by 42-94% and reduce consumption during times of high electricity prices by 63-100% compared to baseline operation for those flex-friendly devices.

Grant, Peter↗

DOE OSTI2021

Reducing roughness and improving efficiency of MAPbI3 perovskite solar cells made by high-throughput photonic curing

For perovskite solar cells (PSCs) to be commercially viable, the slow and energy-insufficient thermal annealing step must be eliminated. Among the photo-irradiation methods proposed to replace thermal annealing, photonic curing is the fastest conversion method. Photonic curing delivers short (20 μs to 100 ms) but intense light pulses from a broadband (200-1500 nm) xenon flash lamp, making it the only method to convert perovskite under 20 ms. This processing time can be extrapolated to a roll-to-roll web speed of 40 m/min based on laboratory processing conditions. However, most reported PSCs made by photonic curing under 1 second have inferior performance (~10% PCE). Although SEM images show dense and pinhole-free perovskite films, AFM images indicate secondary wavy features of 500 nm-wide ridge and 80 nm-deep trenches on photonically cured perovskite films, the existence of which correlates with poor device performance. We suggest that this morphology feature is produced by volatile solvent evaporation during the fast photonic curing process. Two approaches have been made to remedy this issue: (1) adding CH2I2 as the third solvent in the conventional DMF-DMSO system and (2) applying a controlled air-blowing step before photonic curing to remove excess solvent further. Combining these two approaches produces photonically- cured perovskite films with a comparable film roughness and device performance. Alkyl halide additives have been reported to enhance PSC performance by modulated solvent-solute interactions and C-X (X = Cl, Br, and I) cleavage. Photonic curing can cleave CH2I2, producing disassociated iodide ions to replenish iodine loss induced by photonic curing, which is confirmed by EDX. As a co-solvent, the high boiling point of CH2I2 can also make the solvent less volatile, reducing surface roughness in photonically cured perovskite films. Additionally, photonically-cured perovskite films have longer PL lifetimes and a higher recombination resistance compared to thermally-annealed counterparts. As a result, we demonstrate that photonic curing is a suitable method to replace thermal annealing in high-throughput PSC fabrication.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Leveraging inter-firm influence in the diffusion of energy efficiency technologies: An agent-based model

Energy efficiency technologies (EETs) are crucial for saving energy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. However, the diffusion of EETs in small and medium-sized enterprises is rather slow. Literature shows the interactions between innovation adopters and potential adopters have significant impacts on innovation diffusion. Enterprises lack the motivation to share information, and EETs usually lack observability, which suppress the inter-firm influence. Thus, an information platform, together with proper policies encouraging or forcing enterprises to disclose EET-related information, should help harness inter-firm influence to accelerate EETs' diffusion. To explore whether and how such an information platform affects EETs' diffusion in small and medium-sized enterprises, this report builds an agent-based model to mimic EET diffusion processes. Based on a series of controlled numerical experiments, some counter-intuitive phenomena are discovered and explained. The results show that the information platform is a double-edged sword that notably accelerates EETs' diffusion by approximately 47% but may also boost negative information to diffuse even faster and delay massive adoption of EETs. Increasing network density and the intensity of inter-firm influence are effective to speed EET diffusion, but their impacts diminish drastically after reaching some critical values (0.05 and 0.15 respectively) and eventually harm the stability of the system. Ultimately, the findings implicate that EET suppliers should carefully launch their promising but immature products; policies that can reduce the perceived risk by enterprises and the effort to maintain an informative rather than judgmental information platform can prominently mitigate the negative side effects brought by high fluidity of information.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Litter Production and Foliar Nutrient Resorption in Pioneer and Non-Pioneer Species in a Selective Logging Experiment in the Central Amazon, BIONTE, ZF-2, Manaus, 2022-23

This dataset was collected near the city of Manaus, Brazil, at the Experimental Station of Tropical Forestry (EEST, aka “ZF2”), inside the BIONTE (BIOmass and NuTrient Experiment). The experiment included three levels of increasing selective logging intensity, along with control, with 1-hectare permanent plots (12 total) located at the center of 4-hectare treatment plots. The vegetation has a high floristic diversity, the soils of the region are poor in nutrients, and the topography is characterized by plateaus (where BIONTE is located), and also valley bottoms and slopes. Three treatments of differing logging intensities were applied in the BIONTE experiment (T1, T2 and T3). The study was conducted in Treatment 3 (Block I – permanent plot), which represents the most intensive logging treatment, with 69% of the basal area (m²∙ha⁻¹) removed in 1988. The present dataset spans the period from May 1, 2022, to May 1, 2023. The data package includes leaf_nutrient_data, litterfall_total_data, leaf_litterfall_species_specific_data, and species_info, all provided in .csv format. These formats allow users to process and analyze the data in various software applications and programming languages, such as Python and R. This dataset was collected to advance knowledge on nutrient cycling in Amazonian forests, specifically distinguishing between species with two distinct functional traits: fast-growing and slow-growing. It also aims to improve Earth System Models, such as the E3SM Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES). Additionally, it was used in a paper currently in preparation (Carvalho et al., in prep.), which aims to quantify seasonal litter production and foliar nutrient resorption in pioneer (fast-growing) and non-pioneer (slow-growing) tree species in the central Amazon. Specifically, it seeks to answer two key questions: 1) Is there a difference in leaf litter production, leaf nutrient flux and leaf nutrient concentration between pioneers and non-pioneers species? Is there a difference in the efficiency of foliar nutrient resorption between pioneers and non-pioneers species?

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Accelerating Nuclear Facility Mission Completion Through an Improved Chemical Hazard Control Strategy - 20460

Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) 10 CFR 830, Nuclear Safety Management [1], explicitly identifies hazardous materials in addition to radioactive materials when establishing the scope of materials that must be evaluated in Hazard Category (HC) 1, 2, and 3 nuclear facilities. This inclusion has led to a near decade-long progression of more and more rigorous application of chemical hazard controls in these facilities. The progressive addition of more rigorous chemical hazard controls has occurred across the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex, having been driven by contractors and regulators alike. However, chemical hazards in other DOE facilities have been, and continue to be, controlled using traditional industrial safety centered strategies. Thus, identical chemical hazards are controlled using dramatically different approaches based solely on the facility type. Not only are the controls different, the analysis and derivation rigor and requirements are also significantly different. In particular, chemical control derivation and application in non-nuclear facilities are much less onerous than the comprehensive hazard analysis process used in nuclear facilities, even in circumstances in which chemicals are not initiators to, or do not exacerbate a nuclear event. While the derivation and control approaches used in these two types of facilities are disparate, the safety results are similarly effective based on a review of reported chemical events from 2014 through 2018. While both approaches achieve comparable safety outcomes, the approach used in nuclear facilities results in significantly greater preparation costs and implementation costs. Furthermore, the problem with the differing approach is not relegated to the control preparation and implementation burden. The operational impact of potentially unnecessary controls slows mission completion without a corresponding increase in safety, not to mention the dilution of the importance of Technical Safety Requirements. The proposed solution must first include a critical and thorough examination of DOE Complex and top-tier chemical industry chemical hazard control practices, coupled with a similar examination of the driving facility regulatory requirements. Results from the examination can then be used to fuel a bold departure from current chemical control practices in Hazard Category 1, 2, and 3 nuclear facilities. Development of an improved and consistent chemical hazard control process would follow, one that continues to ensure safety while accelerating mission completion and significantly reducing the burden associated with chemical hazard control development and implementation. The improved process must establish a hierarchy where radiological hazards are addressed using safety class and safety significant controls and chemical hazards are addressed using overarching safety management programs (with limited unique exceptions). The improved Hazard Category 1,2, and 3 nuclear facility chemical hazard control strategy, while compliant with 10 CFR 830 [1], would be founded on the requirements in 10 CFR 851, Worker Safety and Health Program [2], and the complementary DOE O 151.1D, Comprehensive Emergency Management System [3]. In this way, the Hazard Category 1, 2, and 3 nuclear facility chemical hazard control strategy would, wherever appropriate, be the same process used at other DOE Complex facilities. Ultimately, the improved process will maintain safety and significantly reduce costs and life cycle risk through faster mission completion. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

NASA NTRS2003

Oxidation of Carbon Fibers in a Cracked Ceramic Matrix Composite Modeled as a Function of Temperature

The oxidation model simulates the oxidation of the reinforcing carbon fibers within a ceramic matrix composite material containing as-fabricated microcracks. The physics-based oxidation model uses theoretically and experimentally determined variables as input for the model. The model simulates the ingress of oxygen through microcracks into a two-dimensional plane within the composite material. Model input includes temperature, oxygen concentration, the reaction rate constant, the diffusion coefficient, and the crack opening width as a function of the mechanical and thermal loads. The model is run in an iterative process for a two-dimensional grid system in which oxygen diffuses through the porous and cracked regions of the material and reacts with carbon in short time steps. The model allows the local oxygen concentrations and carbon volumes from the edge to the interior of the composite to be determined over time. Oxidation damage predicted by the model was compared with that observed from microstructural analysis of experimentally tested composite material to validate the model for two temperatures of interest. When the model is run for low-temperature conditions, the kinetics are reaction controlled. Carbon and oxygen reactions occur relatively slowly. Therefore, oxygen can bypass the carbon near the outer edge and diffuse into the interior so that it saturates the entire composite at relatively high concentrations. The kinetics are limited by the reaction rate between carbon and oxygen. This results in an interior that has high local concentrations of oxygen and a similar amount of consumed carbon throughout the cross section. When the model is run for high-temperature conditions, the kinetics are diffusion controlled. Carbon and oxygen reactions occur very quickly. The carbon consumes oxygen as soon as it is supplied. The kinetics are limited by the relatively slow rate at which oxygen is supplied in comparison to the relatively fast rate at which carbon and oxygen reactions occur. This results in a sharp gradient in oxygen concentration from the edge where it is supplied to the nearest source of carbon, which is where the oxygen is quickly consumed. A moving reaction front is seen in which the outlaying carbon is consumed before the next inner layer of carbon begins to react.

Halbig, Michael C.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Correlating the Viscosity and Rate of Water Diffusion in Semisolid Gel-Forming Aerosol Particles

Aerosol particles are known to exist in highly viscous amorphous states at a low relative humidity and temperature. The slow diffusion of molecules in viscous particles impacts the uptake and loss of volatile and semivolatile species and the rate of heterogeneous chemistry. Recent work has demonstrated that in particles containing organic molecules and salts, the formation of two-phase gel states is possible, leading to observations of rigid particles that resist coalescence. The way that molecules diffuse and transport in gel systems is not well-characterized. In this work, we use an electrodynamic balance to levitate sample particles containing a range of organic compounds in mixtures with calcium chloride and measure the rate of water diffusion. Particles of the pure organics have been shown to form viscous amorphous states, while in mixtures with divalent salts, coalescence measurements have revealed the apparent solidification of particles, consistent with the formation of a gel state facilitated by ion–molecule interactions. We report in several cases that water transport can actually be increased in the rigid gel state relative to the pure compound that forms a viscous state under similar conditions. These measurements reveal the limitations of using viscosity as a metric for predicting molecular diffusion and that the gel structure that forms is a much stronger controlling factor in the rate of diffusion. In conclusion, this underscores the need for diffusion measurements as well as a deeper understanding of noncovalent molecular assembly that leads to supramolecular structures in aerosol particles.

organic-inorganic mixtures↗

NASA NTRS1944

Aerodynamic Tests of a Full-scale TBF-1 Aileron Installation in the Langley 16-foot High-Speed Tunnel

The failure of wing panels on a number of TBF-1 and TBM-1 airplanes in flight has prompted several investigations of the possible causes of failure. This report describes tests in the Langley 16-foot high-speed tunnel to determine whether these failures could be attributed to changes in the aerodynamic characteristics of the ailerons at high speeds. The tests were made of a 12-foot-span section including the tip and aileron of the right wing of a TBF-1 airplane. Hinge moments, control-link stresses due to aerodynamic buffeting, and fabric-deflection photographs were obtained at true airspeeds ranging from 110 to 365 miles per hour. The aileron hinge-moment coefficients were found to vary only slightly with airspeed in spite of the large fabric deflections that developed as the speed was increased. An analysis of these results indicated that the resultant hinge moment of the ailerons as installed in the airplane would tend to restore the ailerons to their neutral position for all the high-speed flight conditions covered in the tests. Serious aerodynamic buffeting occurred at up aileron angles of -10 degrees or greater because of stalling of the sharp projecting lip of the Frise aileron. The peak stresses set up in the aileron control linkages in the buffeting condition were as high as three times the mean stress. During the hinge-moment investigation, flutter of the test installation occurred at airspeeds of about 150 miles per hour. This flutter condition was investigated in some detail and slow-motion pictures were made of the motion of the wing tip and aileron. The flutter was found to involve simultaneous normal bending and chordwise oscillation of the wing and flapping of the aileron. The aileron motion appeared to be coupled with this flutter condition and was investigated in some detail and slow-motion pictures were made of the motion of the wing tip and aileron. The flutter was found to involve simultaneous normal bending and chordwise oscillation of the wing and flapping of the aileron. The aileron motion appeared to be coupled with the motion of the wing through the mass unbalance of the aileron in the normal-to-chord plane due to location of the hinge line 2.17 inches below the center of gravity of the aileron. Flutter did not occur when the installation was stiffened to prevent chordwise motion or when the bending frequency of the aileron system was appreciably higher than that of the wing as in the complete airplane installation.

Becker, John V↗

DOE OSTI2022

Probing electrolyte–silica interactions through simulations of the infrared spectroscopy of nanoscale pores

The structural and dynamical properties of nanoconfined solutions can differ dramatically from those of the corresponding bulk systems. Understanding the changes induced by confinement is central to controlling the behavior of synthetic nanostructured materials and predicting the characteristics of biological and geochemical systems. A key outstanding issue is how the molecular-level behavior of nanoconfined electrolyte solutions is reflected in different experimental, particularly spectroscopic, measurements. This is addressed here through molecular dynamics simulations of the OH stretching infrared (IR) spectroscopy of NaCl, NaBr, and NaI solutions in isotopically dilute HOD/D 2 O confined in hydroxylated amorphous silica slit pores of width 1–6 nm and pH ~2. In addition, the water reorientation dynamics and spectral diffusion, accessible by pump–probe anisotropy and two-dimensional IR measurements, are investigated. In this work, the aim is to elucidate the effect of salt identity, confinement, and salt concentration on the vibrational spectra. It is found that the IR spectra of the electrolyte solutions are only modestly blue-shifted upon confinement in amorphous silica slit pores, with both the size of the shift and linewidth increasing with the halide size, but these effects are suppressed as the salt concentration is increased. This indicates the limitations of linear IR spectroscopy as a probe of confined water. However, the OH reorientational and spectral diffusion dynamics are significantly slowed by confinement even at the lowest concentrations. The retardation of the dynamics eases with increasing salt concentration and pore width, but it exhibits a more complex behavior as a function of halide.

Mesoporous material↗

NASA NTRS1999

Time course of myosin heavy chain transitions in neonatal rats: importance of innervation and thyroid state

During the postnatal period, rat limb muscles adapt to weight bearing via the replacement of embryonic (Emb) and neonatal (Neo) myosin heavy chains (MHCs) by the adult isoforms. Our aim was to characterize this transition in terms of the six MHC isoforms expressed in skeletal muscle and to determine the importance of innervation and thyroid hormone status on the attainment of the adult MHC phenotype. Neonatal rats were made hypothyroid via propylthiouracil (PTU) injection. In normal and PTU subgroups, leg muscles were unilaterally denervated at 15 days of age. The MHC profiles of plantaris (PLN) and soleus (Sol) muscles were determined at 7, 14, 23, and 30 days postpartum. At day 7, the Sol MHC profile was 55% type I, 30% Emb, and 10% Neo; in the PLN, the pattern was 60% Neo and 25% Emb. By day 30 the Sol and PLN had essentially attained an adult MHC profile in the controls. PTU augmented slow MHC expression in the Sol, whereas in the PLN it markedly repressed IIb MHC by retaining neonatal MHC expression. Denervation blunted the upregulation of IIb in the PLN and of Type I in the Sol and shifted the pattern to greater expression of IIa and IIx MHCs in both muscles. In contrast to previous observations, these findings collectively suggest that both an intact thyroid and innervation state are obligatory for the attainment of the adult MHC phenotype, particularly in fast-twitch muscles.

Non-NASA Center↗

DOE OSTI2024

The Transactive Energy Network Template Metamodel

While transactive energy, which is defined as an allocation of electricity based on dynamically discovered values or prices, has been extensively studied, its uptake and use has been slow. This report describes a tool, the transactive network template, which should hasten the creation and uptake of transactive energy networks. Some basic principles of transactive energy are familiar from existing wholesale electricity markets. Locational prices are calculated today for zones within bulk electric transmission systems. Locational prices differ while accounting for the locational costs of electricity generation and the losses and constraints incurred when electricity is transmitted from generators and distributed to consumers. A transactive energy network might include these transmission zones. However, current research strives to apply transactive energy also in electricity distribution circuits, buildings, and even for individual generating and consuming devices. At the same time, researchers explore how to apply transactive energy in real time during increasingly shorter time intervals. Automated computational agents become necessary as transactive energy becomes applied to smaller circuit zones and at faster dynamic timescales. A transactive energy network is an example of a multi-agent system. Each zone in the network is represented by its transactive agent, which makes decisions for and acts on behalf of a business entity that is responsible for and manages one of the circuit regions. A transactive energy network is also an example of a decentralized, distributed control system. Control decisions and responsibilities are distributed among the network’s transactive agents. The transactive agents are independent; that is, there typically is no centralized authority or oversight function. Instead, transactive agents exchange transactive signals and thereby negotiate the prices and quantities of electricity that they will exchange. Initially, the circuit regions and responsibilities of transactive agents appear to be very dissimilar. Each circuit region may comprise transmission, distribution, or building-level circuits. Each has a unique position and electrical connectivity within the transactive energy network. Each possesses unique assets that either generate or consume electricity, and these (e.g., renewable energy generator, diesel generator, aggregate utility load, building load, space conditioning, refrigerator, etc.) may further differ in their price flexibility and in their strategies for responding to dynamic electricity prices. Given such diversity, an implementer’s first inclination might be to start from scratch to define all these devices and to engineer their seemingly unique interactions. Given that each implementer’s perspective may be narrow within a transactive energy network, it is unlikely that uniquely engineered systems would interact well. This is where the transactive network template is applicable. The transactive network template is a metamodel that has been developed to guide implementers as they configure their own transactive agent within a network of such agents. The object-oriented design of the transactive network template provides basic code object types that may be used and extended by implementers to represent each of the assets in their circuit region. These objects further facilitate the transactive agent’s necessary computations, which are divided among responsibilities to schedule power usage, balance electric supply and demand, and coordinate the exchange of electricity with the other transactive agents. This report addresses the conceptual transactive network template design. Implementers are directed to more formal design documents and reference implementations. A Python™-based1 reference implementation of the transactive network template has been coded, and three implementations have been configured to represent a national laboratory and two university campuses. Version 2 of the transactive node template generalizes the market class and its methods to facilitate multiple, and more diverse market coordination mechanisms than were facilitated by and demonstrated using Version 1. Version 3 includes new Appendix B, which addresses the designs of methods that would make dynamic prices track approved electricity rates. In the future, the author wishes to make the transactive network template more generally applicable to networks that require more accurate power flow. Development of the transactive network template is jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the DOE Office of Electricity. In late 2015, one of the first projects to be funded by the DOE Grid Laboratory Modernization Laboratory Consortium was the Clean Energy and Transactive Campus project, led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. DOE funds were matched by an investment by the Washington Department of Commerce through its Clean Energy Fund. The transactive network template was developed to guide the implementation of transactive energy networks within this project’s scope.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗