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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 OSTI2019

Field-to-farm gate greenhouse gas emissions from corn stover production in the Midwestern U.S.

Measured field data were used to compare two allocation methods on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from corn (Zea mays L.) stover production in the Midwest U.S. We used publicly-available crop yield, nitrogen fertilizer, and direct soil nitrous oxide emissions data from the USDA-ARS Resilient Economic Agricultural Practices research program. Field data were aggregated from 9 locations across 26 site-years for 3 stover harvest rates (no removal; moderate removal – 3.1 Mg ha –1 ; high removal – 7.2 Mg ha –1 ) and 2 tillage practices (conventional; reduced/no-till). Net carbon uptake by crops was computed from measured plant carbon content. Monte Carlo simulations sampled input distributions to assess variability in farm-to-gate GHG emissions. The base analysis assumed no change in soil organic carbon stocks. In all cases, net CO 2 uptake during crop growth and soil-respired CO 2 dominated system emissions. Emissions were most sensitive to co-product accounting method, with system expansion emissions ~15% lower than mass allocation. Regardless of accounting method, lowest emissions occurred for a moderate removal rate under reduced/no-till management. The absence of correlations between N fertilization rate and stover removal rate or soil N 2 O emissions in this study challenges the use of such assumptions typically employed in life cycle assessments Storage of all carbon retained on the field as SOC could reduce emissions by an additional 15%. Furthermore, our results highlight how variability in GHG emissions due to location and weather can overshadow the impact of farm management practices on field-to-farm gate emissions. Graphical abstract

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of doping some lanthanide oxides on optical and radiation shielding properties of cadmium borate glasses

Ce{sub 2}O{sub 3}, La{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Nd{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Sm{sub 2}O{sub 3} doped in the cadmium borate host glass were prepared. Some optical and physical properties such as density, molar volume, optical band gap energy, the width of the band tails (Urbach energy) and radiation shielding properties were measured. In addition, the attenuation parameters, are calculated at different photon energies using the XCOM program and practical before and after irradiation. A correlation between the results from density, UV–Vis and FTIR measurements indicates that CdO plays a role as a network modifier and alter within the atomic structure is attributable to the formation of BO{sub 4} units. The attenuation parameters are calculated at different photon energies using the XCOM program and measured in experiments. These values show that there is a correlation between theoretical and experimental values. Hence, these results indicate that the samples have gamma-ray shielding in this energy range.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Interdisciplinary Research Collaborative Trains Students to See Through Turbulent Systems

Despite the availability of interdisciplinary academic training programs, the practice of environmental science is often hampered by a lack of convergence across diverse disciplines. This gap is particularly salient in settings characterized by complex environmental issues, such as multiple-use coastal ecosystems. In response, we developed and implemented a training, research, and communication framework to provide undergraduates with an authentic operative experience working at the interface of interdisciplinary science and public decision-making within a case study of marine renewable energy. In our program, students gained hands-on experience with the scientific process and learned how to make information relevant, useful, and accessible to diverse stakeholder groups. Application of this framework demonstrates that the process of integrating data from biological (visual and acoustic monitoring of fish and marine mammals), physical (hydrodynamics), and social (local ecological knowledge) sciences can provide a more complete understanding of complex and turbulent ecosystems for better informed decision-making. We offer several recommendations to facilitate the adaptation and implementation of our interdisciplinary framework to diverse research contexts, with a focus on interdisciplinary training for the next generation of marine scientists.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Guide for Joint Participation in a DOE Complex Wide SAVY-4000 Surveillance Program

This document describes LANL Storage Program best practices when working with other User Sites to implement DOE M441.1-1 Manual requirements through the use of the SAVY nuclear material packaging system. It is a Manual directive for Field Element Managers to review and approve the SAVY-4000 container series design (with supporting technical basis) as a packaging system for use at their respective sites. This review and approval incorporates an evaluation of the User Site methodology for SAVY surveillance and the process for documenting its nuclear materials storage program. This document aims to assist the Field Element Mangers and User Sites in the processes necessary to credit LANL SAVY surveillance for key elements of the User Site surveillance plan.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Women as a Force Multiplier for Bringing Nuclear Forensic Capabilities to the International Stage

In 2009, the US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Program initiated a new nuclear forensics outreach effort under its Confidence Building Measures Program. Little did they know that the timing could not have been better. This article focuses on the early years (2009–2015) of the NNSA’s international nuclear forensics outreach, specifically the efforts and experiences of the women who helped establish this program, building it from a fledgling, bilateral effort into an enduring technical capacity provider engaging with dozens of countries and multilateral organizations. At the onset of the program, nuclear forensics was an emerging priority within the US Government and receiving increased focus from international organizations through high-level diplomatic efforts such as the Nuclear Security Summit and Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. Additionally, working-level initiatives were gaining traction through the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group. Over the next 6 years, a small team comprising a uniquely large number of women NNSA federal, contract, and national laboratory staff served as key leaders engaging with the international community to strengthen global technical nuclear forensics capacity and best practices. The program continues today under the Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence Program as Investigation Support. The experiences shared here detail a unique time period when the new technical discipline of nuclear forensics was beginning to mature and gain international traction. The authors have made every effort to remember history correctly and be as inclusive as possible. A wealth of training, guidance, and exercise documentation was developed in the 2009–2015 time frame, much of which still serves as the foundation for today’s even more extensive program and community of dedicated technical and diplomatic practitioners.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2024

Women as a force multiplier for bringing nuclear forensic capabilities to the international stage

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy / National Nuclear Security Administration’s (DOE/NNSA) Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) Program initiated a new nuclear forensics outreach effort under its Confidence Building Measures Program. Little did they know that the timing could not have been better. This article focuses on the early years (2009-2015) of the NNSA’s international nuclear forensics outreach, specifically the efforts and experiences of the women who helped establish this program, building it from a fledgling bilateral effort into an enduring technical capacity provider engaging with dozens of countries and multilateral organizations. At the onset of the program, nuclear forensics was an emerging priority within the U.S. Government and receiving increased focus from international organizations through high-level diplomatic efforts such as the Nuclear Security Summit and Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. Additionally, working-level initiatives were gaining traction through the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group. Over the next six years, a small team comprised of a uniquely large number of women NNSA federal, contract, and national laboratory staff served as key leaders engaging with the international community to strengthen global technical nuclear forensics capacity and best practices. The program continues today under the Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence Program as Investigation Support. The experiences shared here detail a unique time period when the new technical discipline of nuclear forensics was beginning to mature and gain international traction. The authors have made every effort to remember history correctly and be as inclusive as possible. A wealth of training, guidance, and exercises documentation was developed in the 2009-2015 timeframe, much of which still serves as the foundation for today’s even more extensive program and community of dedicated technical and diplomatic practitioners.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2015

Roofline model toolkit: A practical tool for architectural and program analysis

We present preliminary results of the Roofline Toolkit for multicore, many core, and accelerated architectures. This paper focuses on the processor architecture characterization engine, a collection of portable instrumented micro benchmarks implemented with Message Passing Interface (MPI), and OpenMP used to express thread-level parallelism. These benchmarks are specialized to quantify the behavior of different architectural features. Compared to previous work on performance characterization, these microbenchmarks focus on capturing the performance of each level of the memory hierarchy, along with thread-level parallelism, instruction-level parallelism and explicit SIMD parallelism, measured in the context of the compilers and run-time environments. We also measure sustained PCIe throughput with four GPU memory managed mechanisms. By combining results from the architecture characterization with the Roofline model based solely on architectural specifications, this work offers insights for performance prediction of current and future architectures and their software systems. To that end, we instrument three applications and plot their resultant performance on the corresponding Roofline model when run on a Blue Gene/Q architecture.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Resources, Training, and Education Under the Heliostat Consortium: Industry Gap Analysis and Building a Resource Database

Concentrating solar power is not a widely deployed or known technology area, and the heliostat workforce community in the United States is currently small, with knowledge and expertise not widely available. The resource, training, and education (RTE) topic within the Heliostat Consortium (HelioCon) was established to address this. RTE encompasses resources, practices, and programs to ensure that (1) newcomers to the heliostat development community have an adequate knowledge base and training to conduct R&D efforts, (2) outsiders to the field are provided with resources and opportunities to join the workforce, and (3) the workforce community is a productive, healthy, and fulfilling environment for all workers. In the first year of the project, a roadmap study was conducted, in which the major gaps in RTE were identified by consulting experts in the industry, with the top gap being the lack of public accessibility to concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) knowledge. Here, to address this, the HelioCon team has been developing a centralized web-based resource database, containing a reference library, educational videos, lists of components suppliers and software/metrology tools, a power tower plant database, and information on existing standards/guidelines.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-J-162: Quality Assurance Procedures for MR Guided Focused Ultrasound Treatment of Bone Metastasis

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to develop and verify our quality assurance (QA) procedures to ensure the safety and efficacy of MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment of bone metastases. Methods: A practical QA program was developed. Monthly and daily QA (DQA) procedures were performed. The major QA items included the checks of the machine hardware, software and patient safety features. Briefly, these checks/tests include: 1) the cooling system reservoir and treatment table; 2) power to the treatment table; 3) the MR coil; 4) the transducer position with MRI; 5) image display on the treatment work station; 6) the effective focal spot in 3 directions using MR thermometry; and 7) all the safety devices including a sonication lamp, and the emergency stop-sonication switches. In order to avoid patient skin burn, it is important to remove gas bubbles in the interfaces between the treatment table and the gel pad, and the gel pad and patients skin during the patient setup. Our QA procedures have been verified and evaluated through patient treatments. Seven patients with scapula, humeral head, sacrum, ilium, pubic ramus and acetabular bone metastases were treated using MRgFUS. Results: Our study showed that all seven patients tolerated the MRgFUS treatment well. No skin toxicity or other complications were observed. The pain score (0–10) using the visual analog scale (VAS) was significantly reduced from 8.0 ± 1.1 before treatment to 4.7 ± 3.0, 3.0 ± 1.5, 3.2 ± 2.8 and 3.4 ± 1.5 at one day, one month, two months and three months after the MRgFUS treatment, respectively. Conclusion: We demonstrated that with the appropriate QA procedures, MRgFUS is a safe, effective and noninvasive treatment modality for palliation of bone metastases.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-48: Automated Quality Assurance for XML Controlled Linacs

Purpose: To automate routine imaging QA procedures so that complying with TG 142 and TG 179 can be efficient and reliable. Methods: Two QA tests for a True Beam Linac were automatized. A Winston Lutz test as described by Lutz et al{sup 1} using the Winston Lutz test kit from BrainLab, Germany and a CBCT Image Quality test as described in TG 179 using the EMMA phantom, Siemens Medical Physics, Germany were performed in our True Beam. For each QA procedure tested, a 3 step paradigm was used. First, the data was automatically acquired using True Beam Developer Mode and XML scripting. Second, the data acquired in the first step was automatically processed using in-home grown Matlab GUIs. Third, Machine Learning algorithms were used to automatically classify the processed data and reports generated. Results: The Winston Luzt test could be performed by an experienced medical physicist in 29.0 ± 8.0 min. The same test, if automated using our paradigm, could be performed in 3.0 ± 0.1 min. In the same lieu, time could be substantially saved for image quality tests. In this case, the amount of time saved will depend on the phantoms used and the initial localization method. Additionally, machine learning algorithms could automatically identify the roots of the problems if any and possibly help reduce machine down time. Conclusion: Modern linear accelerators are equipped with advanced 2D and 3D imaging that are used for patient alignment substantially improving IGRT protocols. However, this extra complexity exponentially increases the number of QA tests needed. Using the new paradigm described above, not only bare minimum but best practice QA programs could be implemented with the same manpower. This work is supported by Varian, Palo Alto, CA.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

User-Assisted Store Recycling for Dynamic Task Graph Schedulers

The emergence of the multi-core era has led to increased interest in designing effective yet practical parallel programming models. Models based on task graphs that operate on single-assignment data are attractive in several ways: they can support dynamic applications and precisely represent the available concurrency. However, they also require nuanced algorithms for scheduling and memory management for efficient execution. In this paper, we consider memory-efficient dynamic scheduling of task graphs. Specifically, we present a novel approach for dynamically recycling the memory locations assigned to data items as they are produced by tasks. We develop algorithms to identify memory-efficient store recycling functions by systematically evaluating the validity of a set of (user-provided or automatically generated) alternatives. Because recycling function can be input data-dependent, we have also developed support for continued correct execution of a task graph in the presence of a potentially incorrect store recycling function. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that our approach to automatic store recycling incurs little to no overheads, achieves memory usage comparable to the best manually derived solutions, often produces recycling functions valid across problem sizes and input parameters, and efficiently recovers from an incorrect choice of store recycling functions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2014

Benchmark Report on Key Outage Attributes: An Analysis of Outage Improvement Opportunities and Priorities

Advanced Outage Control Center (AOCC), is a multi-year pilot project targeted at Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) outage improvement. The purpose of this pilot project is to improve management of NPP outages through the development of an AOCC that is specifically designed to maximize the usefulness of communication and collaboration technologies for outage coordination and problem resolution activities. This report documents the results of a benchmarking effort to evaluate the transferability of technologies demonstrated at Idaho National Laboratory and the primary pilot project partner, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The initial assumption for this pilot project was that NPPs generally do not take advantage of advanced technology to support outage management activities. Several researchers involved in this pilot project have commercial NPP experience and believed that very little technology has been applied towards outage communication and collaboration. To verify that the technology options researched and demonstrated through this pilot project would in fact have broad application for the US commercial nuclear fleet, and to look for additional outage management best practices, LWRS program researchers visited several additional nuclear facilities.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Evaluation of U.S. Building Energy Benchmarking and Transparency Programs: Attributes, Impacts, and Best Practices

In the last decade, a new policy area has emerged to boost energy efficiency in buildings that focuses on the simple action of measuring energy use as compared to buildings of similar type and size, and making that data publicly available. These efforts, referred to as benchmarking and transparency (B&T) policies, seek to unlock new energy efficiency opportunities in the country’s existing buildings by promoting data-driven decision-making and creating stronger market signals. This report focuses on the 24 state and local jurisdictions that (as of December 31, 2016) require owners of privately owned commercial buildings, multifamily buildings, or both to comply with a B&T policy. The report provides a summary of U.S. B&T policy design and implementation characteristics, reports results and impacts for jurisdictions with B&T policies, and discusses opportunities for increasing the efficacy of B&T policies, as well as suggested areas for further research. Among the findings, all but one of the B&T policy evaluation studies reviewed indicate some reduction (from 1.6% to 14%) in energy use, energy costs, or energy intensity over the two- to four-year period of the analyses. More specifically, most of the studies reviewed indicate 3% to 8% reductions in gross energy consumption or energy use intensity over a two- to four-year period of B&T policy implementation. Two additional evaluation studies indicate that there is a causal relationship between B&T policies and energy savings or energy cost savings. These documented impacts should be reviewed with some caution. While consistently showing energy savings benefits associated with B&T policies, these savings estimates should be considered preliminary because of the limited period of analyses and inconsistencies in analysis methods for the various studies. A nationally standardized method for data collection, reporting, and evaluation of B&T policies—developed with an advisory group of state and local jurisdictions, energy efficiency and evaluation experts, building owner and real estate associations, and other stakeholders—could improve the consistency and quality of B&T impact studies, providing policymakers and others with a more complete understanding of the present and future impacts of these policies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Aggregated Distributed Energy Resources in 2024: The Fundamentals

This report builds upon existing literature and leading examples of ADER pricing and programs in practice to equip commissioners and staff at Public Utilities Commissions (PUCs) and State Energy Offices with the fundamentals of ADER grid services, valuation options, and approaches to compensation. Examples, active debates, and opportunities for further reading are highlighted throughout the document for readers to explore. This report does not seek to outline a specific objective for ADERs in the electricity system nor does it recommend any specific policies for ADERs—it seeks to provide helpful information to inform policymakers’ own ADER strategies and priorities.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Endemic Seroprevalence and Farmer Control Measures of Anthrax Among Ruminate Animals in Pakistan

Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis), is an important zoonotic disease of livestock that poses a threat to public safety. The present study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Bacillus anthracis in sheep and cattle in endemic areas (Punjab and Balochistan provinces) of Pakistan by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Crosssectional survey was also done to assess the control measures of the farmers. Out of 401 serum samples from sheep and cattle, a total of 68 (16.9%) samples were seropositive for anti-PA antibodies; seroprevalence of B. anthracis in sheep and cattle was 22.11% (48/217) and 10.86% (20/184), respectively. Seroprevalence was significantly higher (p<0.05) in Baluchistan province (33.3%, 44/132) compared to Punjab province (8.92%, 24/269). Most farmers (65.90%, 29/44) were not disposing carcasses as recommended. Around 77.28%, 17/22 of the veterinary officials reported the nonavailability of vaccine against anthrax and 63.63% (14/22) stated the lack of cold chain for the vaccine storage and transportation. We concluded that seroprevalence of B. anthracis in unvaccinated sheep and cattle is evidence that the pathogen is circulating in Baluchistan and Punjab provinces. So must applied an active surveillance and, strengthened veterinary practices vaccination programs to control anthrax outbreaks in endemic areas.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Verified! How Performance-Based Procurement Can Boost New Construction Program Savings and Empower Building Owners

Most utility new construction programs depend on modeled projections and deemed savings based on individual technologies. The industry has established ways to evaluate these programs based on the promise - not the actual performance - of these buildings post- occupancy. Deeper savings from a more integrated design with continuous performance monitoring are left on the table, locking out the higher performance for the lifetime of the building. This paper will demonstrate how performance-based procurement can empower utility incentive offerings to drive deep energy savings and reduce administrative costs. The key is to incentivize a change in the building owner's procurement process and reward actual building energy performance rather than incentivizing specific measures. The paper looks at strategies to transition new construction programs from technology-based verification to actual measurement of performance outcomes. Accelerate Performance, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded initiative, changes the building procurement approach, which spurs innovation and motivates the design and contracting industry to achieve deep energy savings in new construction - in the case of DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory Research Support Facility (NREL) in Golden, CO, 50% without increasing initial costs. Utility programs in three states, Illinois, Minnesota, and Connecticut, are actively piloting the approach with leading-edge owners. The paper will share savings results and lessons learned from the three different utility pilot programs. The paper provides practical guidance for utility program managers about how to apply the Accelerate Performance approach to supplement their current new construction program offerings.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗