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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Diamondlike carbon - A bibliography of published papers and reports

A bibliography of references on investigations of diamond-like carbon (DLC) materials is presented. The list was developed over several years of active research and by computerized searches for the following keywords: diamondlike carbon, diamond-like carbon, hard carbon, i-carbon, A-C:H, and amorphous hydrogenated carbon. The bibliography has 241 citations, begins in 1956, includes an author index and was last updated in August 1985.

Woollam, J. A.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Data for "Soil carbon dynamics during drying vs. rewetting: Importance of antecedent moisture conditions"

This dataset contains data used for the paper "Soil carbon dynamics during drying vs. rewetting: importance of antecedent moisture conditions". The Related References field will be updated with a full citation when available.Soil moisture influences soil carbon dynamics, including microbial growth and respiration. The response of such ‘soil respiration’ to moisture changes is generally assumed to be linear and reversible, i.e. to depend only on the current moisture state. Current models thus do not account for antecedent soil moisture conditions when determining soil respiration or the available substrate pool. We conducted a laboratory incubation to determine how the antecedent conditions of drought and flood influenced soil organic matter (SOM) chemistry, bioavailability, and respiration. We sampled soils from an upland coastal forest, Beaver Creek, WA USA, and subjected them to drying and rewetting treatments. For the drying treatment, field moist soils were saturated and then dried to 75, 50, 35, and 5 % saturation. In the rewetting treatment, field moist soils were air-dried and then rewet to 35, 50, 75, and 100 % saturation. We measured respiration and water extractable organic carbon (WEOC) concentrations and used 1H-NMR and FT-ICR-MS to characterize the WEOC pool across the treatments. The drying vs. wetting treatment strongly influenced SOM bioavailability, as rewet soils (with antecedent drought) had greater WEOC concentrations and respiration fluxes compared to the drying soils (with antecedent flood). In addition, air-dry soils had the highest WEOC concentrations, and the NMR-resolved peaks showed a strong contribution of protein groups in these soils. Both NMR and FT-ICR-MS analyses indicated increased contribution of complex aromatic groups/molecules in the rewet soils, compared to the drying soils. We suggest that drying introduced organic matter into the WEOC pool via desorption of aromatic molecules and/or by microbial cell lysis, and this stimulated microbial mineralization rates. Our work indicates that even short-term shifts in antecedent moisture conditions can strongly influence soil C dynamics at the core scale. The predictive uncertainties in current soil models may be reduced by a more accurate representation of soil water and C persistence that includes a mechanistic and quantitative understanding of the impact of antecedent moisture conditions.This dataset contains a compressed (.zip) archive of the data and R scripts used for this manuscript. The dataset includes files in .csv and .txt format, which can be accessed and processed using MS Excel or R. NMR data are provided as raw output data (accessed in Bruker TopSpin or MestreNova) as well as the MestreNova-processed files. This archive can also be accessed on GitHub at https://github.com/kaizadp/hysteresis_and_soil_carbon (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4432885).

1H-NMR↗
DOE OSTI2025

Developing a Prototype Methodology to Rank CO2-EOR Wells and Assess Their Reuse Potential for Geologic Carbon Storage

This paper presents a prototype methodology to assess the possible transition of Class II carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) wells to Class VI wells. The focus is on wellbore construction materials—casing, cement, tubing, and the packer—and includes comprehensive workflows to evaluate these materials, with primary emphasis on compliance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Class VI well construction and conversion guidelines. These workflows systematically assess material properties and performance criteria to ensure regulatory compliance and optimize long-term wellbore integrity and functionality. Utilizing Python scripts and JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) representations, the study automates checks on digitized Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC) data to rank wells based on workflow criteria. By emphasizing critical factors such as casing integrity, cementing techniques, tubing compatibility, and packer selection, the methodology helps well owners and operators prioritize wells for potential reuse as CO2 injection wells. Given limitations in digitized data, manual user verification is required in some sections. Future improvements include integrating non-digitized data through web scraping and machine learning techniques. This research serves as a practical guide for stakeholders, supporting environmental compliance and sustainable well operations.

geologic carbon sequestration↗
NASA NTRS1988

The violet and ultraviolet opacity problem for carbon stars

The paper considers the longstanding problem of the 'violet opacity' in cool carbon stars by testing, through synthetic spectra, many new and previously suggested opacity sources, based on currently available model atmospheres for carbon stars and M giant stars. While several bound-free edges of neutral metals are important opacity sources, those of Na I at at 2413 A, Mg I at 2514 A, and particularly Ca I at 2940 A are especially significant. Collectively, thousands of atomic lines are important, and the enormous line of Mg I at 2852 A influences the spectrum well into the visible. The pseudocontinuum of C3 and the photoionization continuum of CH both play noticeable but secondary roles. Synthetic spectra form the carbon star models with and without polyatomic molecules fit nicely the collected observations of the well-observed carbon star TX Psc.

Johnson, Hollis R.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Disturbance and the Carbon Balance of US Forests: A Quantitative Review of Impacts from Harvests, Fires, Insects, and Droughts

Disturbances are a major determinant of forest carbon stocks and uptake. They generally reduce land carbon stocks but also initiate a regrowth legacy that contributes substantially to the contemporary rate of carbon stock increase in US forestlands. As managers and policy makers increasingly look to forests for climate protection and mitigation, and because of increasing concern about changes in disturbance intensity and frequency, there is a need for synthesis and integration of current understanding about the role of disturbances and other processes in governing forest carbon cycle dynamics, and the likely future of this and other sinks for atmospheric carbon. This paper aims to address that need by providing a quantitative review of the distribution, extent and carbon impacts of the major disturbances active in the US. We also review recent trends in disturbances, climate, and other global environmental changes and consider their individual and collective contributions to the US carbon budget now and in the likely future. Lastly, we identify some key challenges and opportunities for future research needed to improve current understanding, advance predictive capabilities, and inform forest management in the face of these pressures. Harvest is found to be the most extensive disturbance both in terms of area and carbon impacts, followed by fire, windthrow and bark beetles, and lastly droughts. Collectively these lead to the gross loss of about 200 Tg C y(exp -1) in live biomass annually across the conterminous US. At the same time, the net change in forest carbon stocks is positive (190 Tg C y(exp -1)), indicating not only forest resilience but also an apparently large response to growth enhancements such as fertilization by CO2 and nitrogen. Uncertainty about disturbance legacies, disturbance interactions, likely trends, and global change factors make the future of the US forest carbon sink unclear. While there is scope for management to enhance carbon sinks in US forests, tradeoffs with other values and uses are likely to significantly limit practical implementation. Continued and expanded remote sensing and field-based monitoring capabilities and manipulative experimentation are needed to improve understanding of the US forest carbon sink, and assess how disturbance processes are responding to the pressures of global environmental change. In addition, continued development and application of holistic, decision support tools that consider a range of forest values are needed to enable managers and policy makers to use the best available information for guiding forest resources now and into the future.

Williams, Christopher A.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Boosting the activity of non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst for the reduction of oxygen via dual-ligated atomically dispersed precursors immobilized on carbon supports

This paper describes the use of both atomically dispersed precursors (ADPs) and conductive carbon dispersion towards the synthesis of iron-based single atom electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). For non-platinum group metal (non-PGM) catalysts, single iron, cobalt or manganese atoms coordinated with nitrogen are the most active structures towards the ORR. Achieving a high density of active sites made of single atoms is still challenging, requiring careful controls of pyrolysis to reduce the sintering of metal active sites. Herewith, we present a new strategy to synthesize iron-based single atom ORR electrocatalysts using a two pronged approach. We first designed a dual-ligated metal organic framework (MOF) precursor. This MOF was then immobilized onto Ketjen black carbon that serves as a conductive dispersion medium for creating the highly dispersed single atom sites. In this work, we demonstrate a near complete dispersion of the iron sites without obvious formation of nanoparticles. The activity of the resulting electrocatalyst exhibited an onset potential of 0.96 V and a half-wave potential of 0.84 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Self-re-adhering alkali-activated cement composite and its ability to mitigate corrosion of carbon steel in 300 °C hydrothermal environment

Cement-steel interface is a weak point of cement sheath integrity under the environments of high-temperature geothermal wells. This paper presents carbon steel (CS) adherence behaviors of 300 °C-autoclaved alkali-activated Calcium-Aluminate-Cement (CAC)/fly ash F (FAF) (Thermal Shock Resistant Cement, TSRC), granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS)/SiO 2 , and Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)/SiO 2 blends. The composites’ ability to preserve the bond under the conditions of thermal shock (TS) and strong acid attack (pH 0.6 H 2 SO 4 /brine at 90 °C) as well as their ability to recover the damaged bond and provide steel corrosion protection after additional short-time 5-day curing at 300 °C were evaluated. GBFS/SiO 2 sheath underwent catastrophic failure in the first TS cycle; OPC/SiO 2 lost 78 % and TSRC 51 % of the bond strength in 6 cycles. Only TSRC-CS bond survived 30 days of strong acid exposure; OPC/SiO 2 bond failed after 18 days and GBFS/SiO 2 after 20 days. Addition of micro-glass fibers (MGF) to TSRC further improved its bond strength and CS corrosion protection. Samples of TSRC-CS cured for 30 days at 300 °C before the bond damage recovered 49 % of the damaged bond strength after additional short-time curing. The CS protected by the re-adhered TSRC showed low corrosion rate of 0.13 mm/year (TSRC-MGF), 0.2 mm/year (TSRC) vs. 0.64 mm/year for OPC/SiO 2 protected CS.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Static and dynamic modeling of steam integration for a NuScale small modular reactor and pulp and paper mill coupling for carbon-neutral manufacturing

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are reactor designs producing less than 300 MWe and are generally planned for deployment as multimodule nuclear power plants. The possibility of factory-manufactured, flexibly sized plants expands the opportunities for nuclear power to different communities and industries, including manufacturing plants that currently utilize fossil fuels to produce both steam and electricity. This paper examines the feasibility of coupling a NuScale SMR with a midsize pulp and paper mill in the Southeastern United States. A steady-state mill model was developed in Aspen HYSYS, based on real data from the operation of the mill, and modified it to include the SMR while maintaining steam quality requirements and making as few changes as possible to existing equipment. Dynamic plant models were also developed Dymola to demonstrate possible plant conditions, using three configurations. Preliminary results suggest that, while SMR coupling is physically feasible, its economic feasibility is limited by the differences in steam and electricity demands. Because of limitations in the amount of steam the mill can take from the SMR, sizing the SMR for the plant’s steam demand may result in an electricity deficit, or vice versa. Furthermore, dynamic analyses show that the addition of a thermal storage system could reduce such deficits, but this entails its own challenges. Each plant must determine the best configuration and control scheme for itself, based on its electricity and heat needs, including the peak duration and intensity for both. Ultimately, an implementation of SMRs with manufacturing processes would benefit from partnering with a local utility to purchase excess electricity generated by the SMR. This will help manufacturing facilities meet their environmental and cost-savings goals, in addition to meeting the need for cost-effective baseload power across the United States.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRS1983

The ultraviolet spectra of three N-type carbon stars

The paper reports the successful detection of the ultraviolet spectra of three N-type carbon stars: BL Ori, TX Psc, and T Ind. Exposures of approximately 2-3 hours with the LWR camera of the IUE Satellite at low dispersion were necessary to record the ultraviolet flux. The shortward extension of the photospheric continuum is well exposed down to about 2800 A, with strong molecular and atomic absorption features. The spectrum appears not to be seriously affected by the unknown opacity source which blankets N stars (especially redder ones) in the violet. Emission lines of Mg II (h and k) and C II (2325 A) are conspicuous, indicating the presence of chromospheres in the stars. The ratios of integrated fluxes in the Mg II lines and C II lines to bolometric flux are respectively much smaller and slightly smaller than values observed in oxygen-rich M giants and supergiants.

Johnson, H. R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Four simple ocean carbon models

This paper briefly reviews the key processes that determine oceanic CO2 uptake and sets this description within the context of four simple ocean carbon models. These models capture, in varying degrees, these key processes and establish a clear foundation for more realistic models that incorporate more directly the underlying physics and biology of the ocean rather than relying on simple parametric schemes. The purpose of this paper is more pedagogical than purely scientific. The problems encountered by current attempts to understand the global carbon cycle not only require our efforts but set a demand for a new generation of scientist, and it is hoped that this paper and the text in which it appears will help in this development.

Moore, Berrien, III↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurements of hadron production in 90 GeV/𝑐 proton-carbon interactions

This paper presents the multiplicity of neutral and charged hadrons produced in 90 GeV/𝑐 proton-carbon interactions from a dataset taken by the NA61/SHINE experiment in 2017. Particle identification via d⁢𝐸/d⁢𝑥 was performed for the charged hadrons 𝜋 ± , 𝐾 ± , and $p/\bar{p}$; the neutral hadrons $K^0_S$, $Λ$, and $\bar{Λ}$ were identified via an invariant mass analysis of their decays to charged hadrons. Double-differential multiplicity results as a function of laboratory momentum and polar angle are presented for each particle species; these results provide vital constraints on the predicted neutrino beam flux for current and future long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1976

Material development aspects of an oxidation protection system for a reinforced carbon-carbon composite

The paper describes the procedures which led to selection of a diffusion-coated siliconized oxidation-resistant reinforced carbon-carbon composite as a candidate for use in the leading edge structure of the Space Shuttle for the purpose of providing thermal protection. Materials were evaluated on the basis of oxidation-inhibitor performance, strength properties, and fabricability. Compounds of titanium, tantalum, zirconium, silicon, hafnium, aluminum, and boron were compounded with the reinforced carbon-carbon material in two different processing techniques to discover an oxidation-inhibited system which provided multicycle protection at temperatures up to 4000 F. Details of the manufacture and testing of the reinforced carbon-carbon composites are provided.

Rogers, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Co-Adsorption of Ammonia and Formaldehyde on Regenerable Carbon Sorbents for the Primary Life Support System (PLSS)

Results are presented on the development of a reversible carbon sorbent for trace-contaminant (TC) removal for use in Extravehicular Activities (EVAs), and more specifically in the Primary Life Support System (PLSS). The current TC-control technology involves the use of a packed bed of acid-impregnated granular charcoal, which is deemed non-regenerable, while the carbon-based sorbent under development in this project can be regenerated by exposure to vacuum at room temperature. Data on concurrent sorption and desorption of ammonia and formaldehyde, which are major TCs of concern, are presented in this paper. A carbon sorbent was fabricated by dry impregnation of a reticulated carbon-foam support with polyvinylidene chloride, followed by carbonization and thermal oxidation in air. Sorbent performance was tested for ammonia and formaldehyde sorption and vacuum regeneration, with and without water present in the gas stream. It was found that humidity in the gas phase enhanced ammonia-sorption capacity by a factor larger than two. Co-adsorption of ammonia and formaldehyde in the presence of water resulted in strong formaldehyde sorption (to the point that it was difficult to saturate the sorbent on the time scales used in this study). In the absence of humidity, adsorption of formaldehyde on the carbon surface was found to impair ammonia sorption in subsequent runs; in the presence of water, however, both ammonia and formaldehyde could be efficiently removed from the gas phase by the sorbent. The efficiency of vacuum regeneration could be enhanced by gentle heating to temperatures below 60 deg.

Wojtowicz, Marek A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Transmission electron microscopic examination of phosphoric acid fuel cell components

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to physically characterize tested and untested phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) components. Those examined included carbon-supported platinum catalysts, carbon backing paper, and Teflon-bonded catalyst layers at various stages of fabrication and after testing in pressurized PAFC's. Applicability of electron diffraction and electron energy loss spectroscopy for identifying the various phases was explored. The discussion focuses on the morphology and size distribution of platinum, the morphology and structural aspects of Teflon in catalyst layers, and the structural evidence of carbon corrosion. Reference is made to other physical characterization techniques where appropriate. A qualitative model of the catalyst layer that emerged from the TEM studies is presented.

Pebler, A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

An intercomparison of aircraft instrumentation for tropospheric measurements of carbonyl sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon disulfide

This paper reports results of NASA's Chemical Instrumentation and Test Evaluation (CITE 3) during which airborne measurements for carbonyl sulfide (COS), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and carbon disulfide (CS2) were intercompared. Instrumentation included a gas chromatograph using flame photometric detection (COS, H2S, and CS2), a gas chromatograph using mass spectrometric detection (COS) and CS2), a gas chromatograph using fluorination and subsequent SF6 detection via electron capture (COS and CS2), and the Natusch technique (H2S). The measurements were made over the Atlantic Ocean east of North and South America during flights from NASA's Wallops Flight Center, Virginia, and Natal, Brazil, in August/September 1989. Most of the intercomparisons for H2S and CS2 were at mixing ratios less than 25 pptv and less than 10 pptv, respectively, with a maximum mixing ratio of about 100 pptv and 50 pptv, respectively. Carbonyl sulfide intercomparisons were at mixing ratios between 400 and 600 pptv. Measurements were intercompared from data bases constructed from time periods of simultaneous or overlapping measurements. Agreement among the COS techniques averaged about 5%, and individual measurements were generally within 10%. For H2S and at mixing ratio greater than 25 pptv, the instruments agreed on average to about 15%. At mixing ratios less than 25 pptv the agreement was about 5 pptv. For CS2 (mixing ratios less than 50 pptv), two techniques agreed on average to about 4 pptv, and the third exhibited a bias (relative to the other two) that varied in the range of 3-7 pptv. CS2 mixing ratios over the ocean east of Natal as measured by the gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer technique were only a few pptv and were below the detection limits of the other two techniques. The CITE 3 data are used to estimate the current uncertainty associated with aircraft measurements of COS, H2S, and CS2 in the remote troposphere.

Gregory, Gerald L.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Supercritical, liquid, and gas CO 2 reactive transport and carbonate formation in portland cement mortar

In this paper, we investigate carbonate formation and reactive transport rate in variably saturated portland cement mortars when high concentrations of gas, liquid, or supercritical CO 2 flow through their pore network. Xray computed tomography completed during CO 2 flow is used to quantify the microstructural evolution as the mortar carbonates. After in situ tests, higher resolution scans, thermogravimetric analysis, and desorption isotherm analysis are performed to further quantify microstructural changes. We found that at dry conditions supercritical CO 2 moves more rapidly through the pore space and precipitates more carbonates than liquid or gas CO 2 . However, at 50% degree of saturation (DOS) the CO 2 state did not affect the rate of transport in that each specimen exposed to a different CO 2 state carbonated within the first hour of CO 2 exposure. When the pore space is at 50 or 100% DOS, supercritical CO 2 did not react with hydration products more rapidly nor did it result in more carbonate formation during exposure compared to gas or liquid CO 2 . The amount of Ca(OH) 2 that contributes to CaCO 3 formation is correlated to the DOS. For the mortar composition analyzed, Ca(OH) 2 contributes to approximately 40% of the carbonates formed in the 50% DOS specimens and 15% in the 100% DOS specimens. In other words, as the amount of moisture in the pore space increases, phases other than Ca(OH) 2 contribute to more than 50% of the total CaCO 3 formed.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2013

Fracture in Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator

This paper describes the development of a novel technique to understand the failure mechanisms inside thermal protection materials. The focus of this research is on the class of materials known as phenolic impregnated carbon ablators. It has successfully flown on the Stardust spacecraft and is the thermal protection system material chosen for the Mars Science Laboratory and SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Although it has good thermal properties, structurally, it is a weak material. To understand failure mechanisms in carbon ablators, fracture tests were performed on FiberForm(Registered TradeMark) (precursor), virgin, and charred ablator materials. Several samples of these materials were tested to investigate failure mechanisms at a microstructural scale. Stress-strain data were obtained simultaneously to estimate the tensile strength and toughness. It was observed that cracks initiated and grew in the FiberForm when a critical stress limit was reached such that the carbon fibers separated from the binder. However, both for virgin and charred carbon ablators, crack initiation and growth occurred in the matrix (phenolic) phase. Both virgin and charred carbon ablators showed greater strength values compared with FiberForm samples, confirming that the presence of the porous matrix helps in absorbing the fracture energy.

Agrawal, Parul↗
DOE OSTI2020

Atomically Dispersed Nickel(I) on an Alloy‐Encapsulated Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanotube Array for High‐Performance Electrochemical CO 2 Reduction Reaction

Abstract Single‐atom catalysts (SACs) show great promise for electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CRR), but the low density of active sites and the poor electrical conduction and mass transport of the single‐atom electrode greatly limit their performance. Herein, we prepared a nickel single‐atom electrode consisting of isolated, high‐density and low‐valent nickel(I) sites anchored on a self‐standing N‐doped carbon nanotube array with nickel–copper alloy encapsulation on a carbon‐fiber paper. The combination of single‐atom nickel(I) sites and self‐standing array structure gives rise to an excellent electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction performance. The introduction of copper tunes the d‐band electron configuration and enhances the adsorption of hydrogen, which impedes the hydrogen evolution reaction. The single‐nickel‐atom electrode exhibits a specific current density of −32.87 mA cm −2 and turnover frequency of 1962 h −1 at a mild overpotential of 620 mV for CO formation with 97 % Faradic efficiency.

Zhang, Tianyu↗