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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

CFD modeling of high-flux plate-and-frame membrane modules for industrial carbon capture

In this work, we study the application of membrane-based separation systems for carbon capture, considering plate-and-frame membrane modules. The successful deployment of membrane CO2 capture system relies on high-performing membranes as well as effective membrane modules that can fully exploit the developed membranes. A plate-and-frame membrane module is especially attractive for CO2 capture from industrial flue gas due to its lower pressure drop compared to its counterparts such as spiral wound modules and hollow fiber modules. To design better plate-and-frame modules, we investigate their basic unit - a single membrane stack through a combination of computational modeling and experimental investigations. The modeling approach is based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to represent a multiphysics problem, including the fluid flow and diffusion processes within a membrane module. We use experimental data collected under different operating conditions to validate the CFD model. Numerical results suggest a good agreement between experiments and model outputs for the CO2 recovery, CO2 mole fraction in the retentate and permeate, and stage-cut. The CFD model is able to predict accurately the flow behavior, providing valuable insights on the effects of fluid dynamics on mass transfer of CO2. We also carry out a sensitivity analysis to identify the effect of key parameters on the CO2 recovery and the CO2 purity of the outlet streams.

Dosso, Cheick↗
DOE OSTI2025

Joining Study for Formed Plate Heat Exchangers (Final Report)

Plate heat exchangers (PHEs) have been used in numerous industrial applications, such as HVAC systems, power generation, transportation and manufacturing. The performance of plate heat exchangers is frequently undermined by corrosion, fouling, and scaling. These phenomena not only diminish heat transfer efficiency but also lead to increased operational costs, maintenance demands, and reduced equipment lifespan. In this project, the team addressed the widespread challenges of corrosion, fouling, and scaling, and explored alternative material solutions. While commonly used materials like stainless steel and titanium offer notable benefits, they can still experience corrosion under certain operating conditions. The advancement of new materials and surface engineering technologies, such as advanced coating, ceramics, composites materials, and high entropy alloys are promising for can help solve these issues, enable longer lifetime and high performance of plate heat exchangers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Jupiter Experiments: High-240 Plutonium Metal Plates Separated by Lead and Reflected by Copper

Each layer consisted of a 6 by 6 matrix of either these fuel-filled containers or solid blocks of copper of the same outer dimensions. An example of this arrangement, along with one of the copper inner reflectors, is shown in Figure 1.4. This figure shows the same aluminum containers from Figure 1.3 but with the aluminum containers completely closed. The lifting rings shown on the copper inner reflector were only for assembly and were not present for the measurement (in which the holes were filled with copper plugs). Figure 1.5 shows the loading arrangement of the aluminum containers, along with aluminum shims around the container arrays to ensure a tight fit between these layers and the surrounding reflectors. All plates were in the same orientation; none were rotated in any fashion. Additional loading information for the PAHN plates and plate loading respective to the room entrance are provided in Figures 1.6 and 1.7, respectively.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

TEX-Chlorine Assemblies: Highly Enriched Uranium Plates with Sodium Chloride Absorbers Using Polyethylene Moderator and Polyethylene Reflector

This evaluation documents highly enriched uranium (HEU) experimental critical configurations with polyethylene moderators and sodium chloride absorbers conducted as part of the United States Nuclear Criticality Safety Program’s Thermal/Epithermal eXperiments (TEX) program. HEU-MET-MIXED-021 provides the benchmark evaluation of five TEX experiments designed to establish baseline configurations with HEU Jemima plates moderated by high density polyethylene (HDPE). The TEX-HEU experiments were designed to cover five different fission energy regimes by varying the thickness of the interstitial HDPE moderator, with varying fractions of thermal, intermediate, and fast fissions, and to be easily modified to accommodate test materials of interest. HEU-MET-INTER-013 documents the first TEX-HEU variation, incorporating hafnium in seven different experimental configurations. This evaluation covers an additional variant that incorporates absorber plates of compacted high-purity sodium chloride salt. These experiments were motivated by a criticality safety need for validation data for uranium purification by means of electrorefining with chloride salts, especially thermal and intermediate energy configurations resulting from moderator upset conditions, and their design was optimized by matching sensitivity profiles from application cases. All three experimental configurations are judged to be acceptable as benchmark cases. The main parameter varied between the configurations is the thickness of the polyethylene moderators and the sodium chloride absorbers between the HEU plates. Varying the thickness of the polyethylene tunes the neutron energy spectrum between majority thermal (Case 1 and 2) and intermediate (Case 3). The fission fractions, presented in Table 1, are determined calculationally. Case 3 is cross listed as HEU-MET-INTER-014.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Evaluation of RMI Ejecta Sourcing from Reconstructed Interfaces in 2D FLAG Flyer-Plate Simulations

This study investigates the performance of RMI ejecta sourcing from a reconstructed interface in two-dimensional FLAG ejecta flyer-plate simulations. Enabling the RMI ejecta model to operate on reconstructed interfaces has been a longstanding challenge in FLAG, limiting its applicability to experiments in which interface reconstruction is not required. Addressing this limitation is therefore an important step toward expanding the model’s predictive capability. The first phase of this effort focused on identifying a flyer-plate/target configuration that produces large ejecta clouds from two distinct shocks using the standard RMI ejecta model. A series of simulations examined the effects of flyer composition, layer thickness, and mesh resolution on shock structure and ejecta formation. VISAR traces were used to evaluate shock timing and identify configurations that produced a clear double-shock response. A copper middle-layer flyer with a doubled tin layer yielded the most favorable shock characteristics and was selected as the baseline configuration. After confirming this configuration performed as expected when running a reference FLAG version, it became the basis for three simulations: (1) a standard two-dimensional ejecta flyer-plate calculation using a reference FLAG version, (2) the same calculation with the reconstructed interface option enabled, and (3) a calculation employing ALE strategies to force the ejecta model to operate on the reconstructed interface. While the baseline simulation produced the expected ejecta response, the reconstructed interface approach did not result in measurable ejecta, indicating that this capability remains under development. These results highlight both the progress made and the remaining challenges in extending the RMI ejecta model to reconstructed interfaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Distinct Dynamics of Lithium Intercalation and Plating on Graphite Anode for Li‐Ion Batteries in eVTOL Applications

In the absence of viable high-energy-density battery alternatives, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries remain essential for enabling electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) platforms in advanced air mobility. Unlike Li-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and portable electronics, eVTOL battery systems operate under distinct high-power demands, which necessitate an independent assessment of material degradation mechanisms. This study presents a case analysis of graphite anode evolution under high-power cycling conditions. The findings reveal lithium entrapment within graphite particles, potentially resulting from incomplete Li-ion de-intercalation during a high-rate discharge event that is characteristic of eVTOL take-off and landing. This phenomenon leads to a progressive reduction in graphite-specific capacity and, over time, promotes lithium metal plating on the anode. Notably, the Li-metal plating observed in this study differs from that associated with fast-charging conditions, as it is primarily governed by concentration polarization-induced overpotential in the latter case. In conclusion, these findings highlight the inherent challenges of utilizing graphite in high-power Li-ion battery applications and elucidate the unique degradation mechanisms that arise due to the sluggish reaction kinetics of Li-ion intercalation and de-intercalation within graphite.

Li plating↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal Dynamics and Lithium Plating Detection in High‐Power Li‐Ion Batteries for eVTOL Applications

The rapid electrification of aerial transportation is driving the need for high‐performance Li‐ion batteries that can operate reliably under stringent thermal and safety constraints. The unique mission profile of electric Vertical Take‐off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft necessitates a focused investigation into the thermal behavior and safety characteristics of these batteries. Here, in this study, operando isothermal microcalorimetry is employed to examine the thermal evolution of Li‐ion batteries under cycling conditions representative of eVTOL operations. These findings reveal that high‐power discharge events—such as those during take‐off and landing—shift the thermal response toward exothermic behavior, in contrast to the typically endothermic response expected under near‐equilibrium cycling conditions. Additionally, the results suggest that advanced electrolyte formulations may help suppress excess heat generation, thereby improving battery safety. Notably, the calorimetric results exhibit a distinct thermal signature associated with lithium plating, offering a potential diagnostic for detecting Li plating during eVTOL operation. Overall, this study demonstrates the utility of isothermal microcalorimetry as a valuable tool for assessing thermal risks in Li‐ion batteries for eVTOL applications, and highlights the importance of targeted design strategies to mitigate safety hazards during high‐power demand scenarios.

Li plating↗
DOE OSTI2024

Numerical simulation of involute-plate research reactor flow behavior using RANS, LES and DNS

This paper investigates the flow behavior of involute-plate research reactors by performing Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes simulation (RANS), Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of the channel flow between fuel plates. By modeling turbulence with different numerical approaches, this study provides data with three levels of fidelity. For the RANS simulation, three widely used turbulence models, i.e., k-ε, k-ω, Reynolds Stress Turbulence model (RST) are applied by using the commercial CFD code STAR-CCM +. For LES and DNS, the open-source CFD code, Nek5000, is used given its outstanding scalability on High Performance Computer (HPC) and high-order technique. The results from RANS simulations are compared with that from LES and DNS for benchmarking. Both macroscale parameters and turbulence statistics, such as velocity magnitude, lateral velocity and turbulence kinetic energy, are presented and analyzed. The results from RANS simulation achieve good agreement with LES and DNS on velocity and turbulence kinetic energy prediction. The RST turbulence model predicts the most similar flow pattern of lateral velocity as compared to LES and DNS. The Lambda-2 (λ2) criterion with a reasonable threshold is used to demonstrate the instantaneous vortices distribution in the involute channel from both LES and DNS calculation. The DNS simulation captures more detailed turbulence especially near the corner, which explains the discrepancy between LES and DNS results near the corner. The normalized RMS error are defined and calculated to assess the performance of those turbulence models. The RST model captures the anisotropic feature of turbulence, which enable it to outperform other turbulence models for predicting the flow behavior in an involute channel. Although some discrepancies are found between LES and DNS results in the corner, the overall deviations between LES and DNS are found to be small. In conclusion, given that the computational cost of DNS calculation is an order of magnitude higher, using LES data for benchmarking RANS model is a cost-effective approach.

DNS↗
DOE OSTI2025

All-alumina quarter-wave plate coatings fabricated by glancing angle deposition using serial bideposition

Anisotropic phase retarders, used in high power laser facilities to perform polarization smoothing, can be obtained by the glancing angle deposition (GLAD) coating process. Due to its high laser resistance, the coatings are mainly made of silica. Therefore, limited attention has been given to other dielectric materials. Here we present a study on alumina GLAD anisotropic coatings; a material with high laser resistance, higher birefringence and lower environmental sensitivity than silica. Since the anisotropy is related to the coatings microstructure through the deposition angle, samples were coated at angles varying from ± 68° to ± 82° using the serial bideposition technique. They were characterized by ellipsometry, polarimetry, spectrophotometry and electron microscopy. We showed that the highest birefringence is obtained at a deposition angle of ± 76° with an in-plane value of 0.053. Based on these results, a quarter-wave plate at 351 nm was designed as a multilayer with seven pairs of anisotropic layers deposited at ± 76° and isotropic layers deposited at 0°. The fabricated coating exhibited a uniform retardance of 88.51 ± 0.45 nm. The alumina GLAD wave plates presented here, open the door to new possibilities in the laser field and especially in the field of fusion energy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

SPC-70804 Rev 1 Zircar ZAL-45 Alumina Standoff Plates for Use in MARVEL

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is developing a microreactor to produce electrical power utilizing a small nuclear core and Stirling engines under the Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) program. This procurement specification defines the requirements for fabrication of the MARVEL ZAL-45 standoff plates manufactured by Zircar. The design requires eight (8) ceramic standoff plates; however, the requested quantity shall be twelve to account for required testing after receipt of materials. Any conflict between this specification and referenced Codes and Standards, or any supplementary specifications in the procurement documents requires written clarification from the Contractor prior to proceeding with any work. Any deviation from the procurement documents requires approval by the Contractor with the change request process.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Chemo‐Mechanics Interplay Dictates Interface Instability and Asymmetry in Plating and Stripping of Sodium Metal Electrodes

Abstract The development of practical sodium (Na) metal batteries is hindered by key challenges including dendrite growth, dead metal formation, and unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) growth. A fundamental understanding of the chemo‐mechanical interactions at the Na/SEI interface is critical for designing stable Na metal electrodes. In this work, the coupled electrochemical‐mechanical processes governing the morphological evolution and stability of Na metal during plating and stripping are investigated. The heterogeneous nature of transport and morphological interactions at the Na/SEI interface is revealed to result in nonuniform mechanical overpotentials and reaction fronts, eventually leading to Na filaments or pits. The spatio‐temporal evolution of stress heterogeneities during Na plating and stripping is shown to be asymmetric, manifesting in varying morphological nonuniformities and instability modes. The crucial role of external pressure in modulating the electrochemical‐transport interactions, the mechanical response of Na, and the localized reaction currents and stresses at the Na/SEI interface is demonstrated. At different external pressure conditions, the correlation between transport heterogeneities in the SEI and the onset and propagation of interface instability has been delineated. This work highlights the need for synergistic tailoring of external pressure and SEI heterogeneity toward achieving stable electrodeposition and dissolution in Na metal electrodes.

Singla, Aditya [School of Mechanical Engineering P↗
DOE OSTI2024

Transient Chemo‐Mechanical Model of Lithium Plating Impacted by External Pressure

Abstract Lithium anodes show great promise in commercial applications, but are hindered by lithium plating and dendrite growth which cause safety concerns during long‐term cell operation. Stack pressure is experimentally observed to improve cell lifetime; however, the relationship between stress and lithium deposition has remained difficult to elucidate. In this work, a transient, 3D, finite‐element model of the evolution of a lithium anode due to stripping and plating is developed. The evolution of a microscale protrusion on the anode surface is tracked over one charge‐discharge cycle with respect to stack pressure and lithium yield strength. Lithium plastic deformation, nonconformal anode‐separator contact, and separator porosity effects are accounted for. Over the course of several hours of stripping/plating, the anode surface evolves to a similar morphology under pressure regardless of the initial conditions due to lithium plastic deformation and hardening. The rate of this evolution highly depends on the applied pressure and assumed lithium yield strength.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

A critical review of the history of fabricating monolithic U-Mo fuel plates

The fabrication of monolithic uranium-molybdenum alloy fuels, specifically those developed for high-performance research and test reactors, began in the early 2000s. The primary fuel form consists of uranium alloyed with 10-wt% molybdenum in a thin foil coated with zirconium and encapsulated in aluminum-6061 cladding. Over the years, the process has evolved with different types of casting, heat treatments, rolling schedules, and cladding applications. This review examines the history of these fabrication processes and their impact on microstructure and fuel-swelling performance. Even though various fabrication methods were used, we found little correlation between fabrication variation and fuel swelling. This insensitive relationship between fabrication variation and fuel swelling is primarily due to inhomogeneous microstructures that formed during casting and grain refinement that occurred during rolling. We conclude that the fabrication processes we examined produced similar microstructures, indicating that the fuel microstructure is somewhat insensitive to the fabrication parameters evaluated. However, the relatively small amount of historic data, such as those for grain sizes, limited this analysis. More recently fabricated materials, such as those from ongoing irradiation experiment, Mini-Plate-1 and Mini-Plate-2, were also excluded from this analysis and are intended to be reviewed separately. The findings, that fuel microstructure is somewhat insensitive to the fabrication parameters, do not imply that any fabrication method is acceptable, given the uncertainties in data and fuel-swelling observations. For example, only arc melting and vacuum induction melting casting processes were previously explored in the historic fabrication efforts. In conclusion, the findings should not be extrapolated to other casting processes.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Understanding ion-selective Li/Na metal plating behavior in hybrid Li-Na battery

This study investigates ion-selective Li/Na metal plating behavior in hybrid Li-Na battery systems, revealing the critical role of electrolyte solvents in these processes. Using a hybrid battery design with a LiFePO 4 cathode, Na metal anode, and NaPF 6 -based electrolytes, we observed contrasting effects of carbonate- and ether-based electrolyte solvents. While ether-based electrolytes showed expected Na plating/stripping, carbonate-based electrolytes surprisingly favored a Li-dominant plating/stripping reaction despite the Na-rich environment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that this selectivity is linked to the composition of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer, with carbonate electrolytes forming Li-based inorganic-rich SEI layers that facilitate Li-ion diffusion while screening Na ions. In conclusion, these findings challenge the conventional understanding of metal plating in multi-ion environments and offer insights for designing future hybrid battery systems.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

The porosity surrounding carbides and second phase stringers in monolithic U-10Mo fuel plate after irradiation

Post-irradiation microstructure characterization plays an important role in qualifying the low-enriched uranium (LEU) monolithic U-10 wt%Mo plate-type fuel for United States high-performance research reactors (USHPRRs) program. Inhomogeneous features resulting from manufacturing and irradiation processes, including carbides, second phase stringers, and extensive void spaces caused by the combining of small porosities, may increase the risk of heat concentration in local regions of the fuel plate over the operating conditions. In this study, characteristics of carbides, stringers, and porosity after multiple levels of irradiation at varying fission densities were studied by electron microscopes to decipher the morphology of pores and the porosity evolution in U-10 wt%Mo. For carbides, the result shows that porosities start forming on UMo grain boundaries, then on UMo/carbides interfaces as the burn-up going higher. However, the porosities surrounding carbides grow larger than the ones on UMo grain boundaries. The porosities around the uranium carbides could interconnect to form larger void space. The study revealed that the void spaces larger than 5 µm were found around uranium carbides after high burnup, while no evidence was observed to support the similar voids formed near second phase stringers even though the size of the stringers (> 50 µm) was much larger than uranium carbides (< 20 µm). The evolution of porosities suggests that the formation of second phase stringers may not create more significant porosities compared to regular uranium carbides regions during fuel operating conditions.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Anode Potential Evolution During Zinc Metal Plating and Stripping in Dual-Solvent Battery Electrolytes

In the field of battery electrolyte research, the importance of the working cation solvation environment has become increasingly more apparent. To optimize bulk properties and, especially, interfacial reactions, multisolvent electrolytes (electrolytes containing two different solvents) have become more prevalent in battery research and development. In this work, we elucidate the relationship between cation solvation and interfacial electrochemistry, demonstrating that preferential solvation of Zn 2+ by a strong coordinating solvent such as 2-methoxyethylamine or ethylenediamine as opposed to a weaker solvent such as 3-methylsulfolane or acetonitrile leads to dynamic evolution in the interfacial energetics during Zn plating and stripping due to local changes in solvent composition and coordination. In some instances, interfacial solvation evolution can shift the reversible potential of Zn plating by as much as 1 V under relatively mild rate conditions. Through these investigations, we establish the generality of this phenomenon, highlight its importance as a consideration in dual-solvent battery electrolytes, and provide direction for tailoring electrochemistry through solvent design.

Hahn, Nathan T.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Learning robust parameter inference and density reconstruction in flyer plate impact experiments

Estimating physical parameters or material properties from experimental observations is a common objective in many areas of physics and material science. In many experiments, especially in shock physics, radiography is the primary means of observing the system of interest. However, radiography does not provide direct access to key state variables, such as density, which prevents the application of traditional parameter estimation approaches. Here we focus on flyer plate impact experiments on porous materials, and resolving the underlying parameterized equation of state (EoS) and crush porosity model parameters given radiographic observation(s). We use machine learning as a tool to demonstrate with high confidence that using only high impact velocity data does not provide sufficient information to accurately infer both EoS and crush model parameters, even with fully resolved density fields or a dynamic sequence of images. We thus propose an observable data set consisting of low and high impact velocity experiments/simulations that capture different regimes of compaction and shock propagation, and proceed to introduce a generative machine learning approach which produces a posterior distribution of physical parameters directly from radiographs. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach in estimating parameters from simulated flyer plate impact experiments, and show that the obtained estimates of EoS and crush model parameters can then be used in hydrodynamic simulations to obtain accurate and physically admissible density reconstructions. Finally, we examine the robustness of the approach to model mismatches, and find that the learned approach can provide useful parameter estimates in the presence of out-of-distribution radiographic noise and previously unseen physics, thereby promoting a potential breakthrough in estimating material properties from experimental radiographic images.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrolytic gold plating, stripping, and ion transport dynamics through a solid-state iodide perovskite

The pronounced electrochemical reactivity between halide perovskites and metal electrodes can introduce mobile extrinsic metal ions which can cause device instability or enable novel functionalities. Here we systematically investigate the kinetics of gold cation (Au + ) migration in indium tin oxide (ITO)/methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI 3 )/Au model devices under long-term potentiostatic biasing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density functional theory (DFT) analyses reveal that Au + ions, electrochemically generated at the Au anode, traverse the perovskite layer with diffusion coefficients on the order of 10 −11 to 10 −10 cm 2 s −1 and are subsequently reduced at the cathode as Au 0 clusters, resembling metal plating behavior in electrolytic cells and solid-state batteries during charging. Furthermore, reversing the applied bias strips the plated Au 0 , revealing reversibility suitable for bipolar resistive switching devices and providing direct evidence of the electrochemical and ionic nature of Au transport within the perovskite matrix. Quantitatively determining diffusion coefficients and ion concentrations provides foundational inputs for future drift-diffusion modelling opportunities and allows us to relate our findings to implications on long term operation of devices like photovoltaic modules. These results clearly demonstrate the solid-state electrochemical nature of perovskite devices, highlight methods to be more quantitative about ion transport properties, provide and emphasize the importance of disentangling electro-, photo-, photoelectrochemical processes for understanding device performance and unlocking new functionalities.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗