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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 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Robust Dissimilar Metal Friction Welded Spool for Enhanced Capability for Steam Power Components (Final Program Report)

This project successfully demonstrated the feasibility and advantages of producing durable, friction-welded dissimilar-metal spools, both with and without transition pieces, as well as the use of advanced oxidation-protective coatings for steam power applications. The work encompassed the optimization and full-scale production of NFA tubing, overcoming manufacturing and processing challenges to achieve enhanced strength, creep, and fatigue properties validated by extensive microstructural characterization. Optimized welding techniques were developed and refined for joining dissimilar materials, resulting in defect-free welds optimized for both low- and high-pressure boiler circuits. Systematic evaluation of welding parameters, coupled with heat treatments, ensured reliable performance and minimized weld defects such as banding and cracking. Comprehensive mechanical and non-destructive testing, including tensile, bend, fatigue, and CT scanning, confirmed the superior integrity and durability of the friction-welded joints under representative service conditions. To address oxidation-related degradation, a range of protective alloy coatings—such as IN625, APMT, Duplex 2507, and FeCrAlY—were selected and evaluated for their ability to counteract oxide notch formation at dissimilar metal interfaces. These coatings demonstrated improved oxidation resistance and long-term stability under thermal cycling, thereby extending weld service life. Thermal cyclic testing and long-term studies captured the phase stability and diffusion behavior of coated and uncoated configurations. Validated models for low-cycle fatigue (LCF), creep, and thermal mechanical fatigue (TMF) were developed to predict component life and failure modes. These models confirmed that friction-welded configurations exhibited significantly enhanced performance compared to conventional gas-tungsten arc welding (GTAW), with up to 7× improvement in creep resistance and at least 2× enhancement in fatigue properties. The introduction of a tailored transition piece further reduced thermally induced strains, enhancing fatigue life. The results demonstrate a robust pathway for retrofitting existing steam fleet components and upgrading future equipment to deliver substantially improved cold-start cycling behavior and reduction of unplanned outages due to premature weld failures.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Drag viscosity of metals and its connection to Coulomb drag

Recent years have seen a surge of interest in studies of hydrodynamic transport in electronic systems. We investigate the electron viscosity of metals and find a component that is closely related to Coulomb drag. By using linear-response theory, viscosity, which is a transport coefficient for momentum, can be extracted from the retarded correlation function of the momentum flux, i.e., the stress tensor. There exists a previously overlooked contribution to the shear viscosity from the interacting part of the stress tensor which accounts for the momentum flow induced by interactions. This contribution, which we dub drag viscosity, is caused by the frictional drag force due to long-range interactions. It is therefore linked to Coulomb drag which also originates from the interaction-induced drag force. Starting from the Kubo formula and using the Keldysh technique, we compute the drag viscosity of two- and three-dimensional metals along with the drag resistivity of double-layer two-dimensional electronic systems. Both the drag resistivity and drag viscosity exhibit a crossover from quadratic-in-$\textit{T}$ behavior at low temperatures to a linear behavior at higher temperatures. Although the drag viscosity appears relatively small compared with the normal Drude component for the clean metals, it may dominate hydrodynamic transport in some systems, which are discussed in the conclusion.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Perspectives on the FESAC transformative enabling capabilities: Priorities, plans, and Status

In early 2017, the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC), an advisory committee to the United States Department of Energy, was charged with identifying transformative enabling capabilities (TECs) “that could promote efficient advance toward fusion energy, building on burning plasma science and technology.” A subcommittee with broad expertise was formed and sought feedback from scientific experts, including experts from outside the fusion community. Three workshops were conducted, and a report was approved by FESAC in 2018 that identified four of the “most promising” TECs: advanced algorithms, high-critical-temperature superconductors, advanced materials and manufacturing, and novel technologies for tritium fuel cycle control. In addition, one “promising” TEC was identified: fast flowing liquid metal plasma-facing components. This paper will give details on the promising TECs and an overview on considerations of these TECs in the United States since the publication of the report.

Lumsdaine, Arnold↗
NASA NTRS2006

Effect of Composite Substrates on the Mechanical Behavior of Brazed Joints in Metal-Composite System

Advanced composite components are being considered for a wide variety of demanding applications in aerospace, space exploration, and ground based systems. A number of these applications require robust integration technologies to join dissimilar materials (metalcomposites) into complex structural components. In this study, three types of composites (C-C, C-SiC, and SiC-SiC) were vacuum brazed to commercially pure Ti using the active metal braze alloy Cusil-ABA (63Ag-35.3Cu-1.75Ti). Composite substrates with as fabricated and polished surfaces were used for brazing. The microstructure and composition of the joint, examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), showed sound metallurgical bonding in all systems. The butt strap tensile (BST) test was performed on bonded specimens at room and elevated temperatures. Effect of substrate composition, interlaminar properties, and surface roughness on the mechanical properties and failure behavior of joints will be discussed.

Singh, M.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Numerical Analysis of Liquid Metal MHD Flow and Heat Transfer for Open-Surface Li Divertor in FNSF

Within the ongoing U.S.-based program on the development of liquid metal plasma-facing components, numerical simulations and analyses are performed to address the feasibility of the open-surface Li divertor. In the previous scoping studies (Smolentsev, 2021), heat-removal capabilities of the divertor were assessed using a simplified flow model for a slug-type velocity profile and constant flow thickness. Here, new analyses take into account forces acting on the flowing Li layer. Three reduced-order mathematical models are applied under the conditions of the U.S. Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) to access magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow development effects, velocity distribution, and surface waves: 1) fully developed MHD flow; 2) quasi-2-D developing MHD flow; and 3) multiphase MHD flow. The obtained results for MHD flows and the surface heat flux computed with the plasma code scrape-off layer plasma simulation for ITER (SOLPS-ITER) are then used as input data to compute the temperature distribution in the divertor by solving the convection–diffusion energy equation.

Smolentsev, Sergey↗
NASA NTRS1987

Source of the optical red-slope in iron-rich meteorites

The relationship between ordinary chondrites and S-type asteroids is an unresolved issue in meteorite science. S-type asteroids exhibit a positively red-sloped spectrum that is interpreted to indicate the presence of elemental iron on the surfaces. The characteristic red-sloped spectrum of iron-rich meteorites is produced by only the specular component of the reflectance. Complex metallic surfaces can be modeled as linear mixtures of specular and nonspecular components. It is the geometry of the metal on a surface and its interaction with surrounding material, rather than the absolute amount of metal, that determine the redness of resulting spectra. In order to distinguish between ordinary chondrite and differentiated parent bodies it is important to understand how regolith processes affect the nature and form of metal on asteroid surfaces.

Britt, Daniel T.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) Lifetime Estimation with Impulse-Based Testing in PV Inverter Systems

Surges caused by lightning strikes could damage electrical components in photovoltaic (PV) systems. Metal oxide varistors (MOVs) are commonly used to protect PV systems from lightning strikes. This paper proposes a holistic impulse-based MOV lifetime estimation framework. The impacts of peak current and fault duration induced by lightning events are considered in the MOV lifetime estimation framework. Moreover, the impact of different parameter combinations on MOV lifetime estimation is analyzed. The effectiveness of the proposed work is validated in a PV inverter test system developed in MATLAB/Simulink.

lifetime estimation↗
DOE OSTI2021

Two-component electronic phase separation in the doped Mott insulator Y 1-x Ca x TiO 3

One of the major puzzles in condensed matter physics has been the observation of a Mott-insulating state away from half-filling. Several theoretical proposals aimed to elucidate this phenomenon have been put forth, a notable one being phase separation and an associated percolation-induced Mott insulator-metal transition. In the present work we study the prototypical doped Mott-insulating rare-earth titanate YTiO 3 , in which the insulating state survives up to a large hole concentration of 35%. Single crystals of Y 1-x Ca x TiO 3 with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5, spanning the insulator-metal transition, are grown and investigated. Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy, a powerful technique capable of probing element-specific electronic states, we find that the primary effect of hole doping is to induce electronic phase separation into hole-rich and hole-poor regions. The data reveal the formation of electronic states within the Mott-Hubbard gap, near the Fermi level, which increase in spectral weight with increasing doping. From a comparison with DFT+U calculations, we infer that the hole-poor and hole-rich components have charge densities that correspond to the insulating x = 0 and metallic x ~ 0.5 states, respectively, and that the new electronic states arise from the metallic component. Our results indicate that the doping-induced insulator-metal transition in Y 1-x Ca x TiO 3 is indeed percolative in nature, and thus of inherent first-order character.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1978

Advanced composite stabilizer for Boeing 737 aircraft

Activities related to development of an advanced composites stabilizer for the Boeing 737 commercial transport are reported. Activities include discussion of the design and weight status, stiffness requirements, the finite element model, test programs, quality assurance, and manufacturing producibility studies. Design details of the graphite/epoxy components are virtually complete. Emphasis is placed on the metal and fiberglass trailing edge components. The bending and torsional stiffness properties are satisfactory for both stability/control and for flutter requirements. The finite element model input geometry is revised to reflect the latest changes to production drawings.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1963

Feasibility of liquid-metal vacuum seals

A basic component of any ultrahigh-vacuum system is a seal capable of isolating a test chamber from its higher pressure surroundings. Two of the most common vacuum seals now in use are the elastomer O-ring seal and the metallic shear seal. The former has the problem of outgassing and gas permeation; the latter requires a large force per unit seal-length to maintain the sealing action. The search for a seal which would provide minimal virtual and real leak rates in a chamber, without requiring a large force to consummate the seal, led to investigation of a liquid-metal seal.

SEALANT↗
DOE OSTI2021

Recent advances in hybrid metal oxide–zeolite catalysts for low-temperature selective catalytic reduction of NOx by ammonia

A hybrid catalytic system comprised of metal oxide and Cu or Fe exchanged zeolite components represents a potential advancement of state-of-the-art for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx by ammonia, including an elegant solution to the current challenge of improving the low-temperature efficiency of SCR catalysts. The idea is to enable in-situ NO oxidation over metal oxide component and concomitant fast SCR over zeolite component in the so-called “bifunctional mechanism”. This review is presented in the wake of growing interest in this innovative catalytic system. We begin this review by presenting key parameters that contribute to the synergy between metal oxide and zeolite components. Then, we discuss the materials selection for both components and their possible interactions in the system, followed by a summary of recent NH3-SCR investigations over multiple metal oxide–zeolite pairs and additional discussion on pairing techniques potentially explorable in upcoming studies. Finally, we end the review by providing the perspectives on future challenges in the development of this catalytic system.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

AFRL Additive Manufacturing Modeling Series: Challenge 1, Characterization of Residual Strain Distribution in Additively-Manufactured Metal Parts Using Energy-Dispersive Diffraction

A machine component fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM) of metal powders often possesses steep residual stress gradients with significant magnitudes due to large temperature gradients that transpire within a localized area during fabrication. These processing-induced residual stresses can cause distortion of the part, and if they are of significant magnitude, they could induce cracking of the component, degrade printability, and/or diminish subsequent mechanical performance. The ability to predict these residual stresses imparted by AM is an important step in permeating AM technology for advanced manufacturing. Calibration and validation of AM process models used for prediction are, therefore, a critical step in understanding the origin and mitigating the challenges associated with residual stresses inherent to the AM process. In the present work, the residual strain distributions in components with simple geometries fabricated by a laser powder bed fusion (LBPF) process were characterized non-destructively using energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction in support of the US Air Force Research Laboratory Additive Manufacturing Modeling Challenge Series Groeber et al. (JOM 70:441-448, 2018). The measurement setup and approach are described in detail so that the data can be used as a benchmark to calibrate and validate models for the prediction of macro-scale residual stresses due to the LPBF process.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Methods of forming metals using ionic liquids

A method of forming an elemental metal (e.g., a rare-earth element) includes forming a multicomponent solution comprising an ionic liquid, a secondary component, and a metal-containing compound. The multicomponent solution is contacted with at least a first electrode and a second electrode. A current is passed between the first electrode to the second electrode through the multicomponent solution. The metal-containing compound is reduced to deposit the elemental metal therefrom on the first electrode.

Baek, Donna L.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Structural Flexibility of Metal Chelate Complexes and Its Relation to Supramolecular Chemistry

In this study, crystal structures of metal chelate and related complexes in the Cambridge Structural Database have been analyzed, with respect to their use as components in supramolecular metal-organic compounds. In β-diketonate complexes, the distribution of angles between ligands is relatively broad; other ligands, such as 2,2'-bipyridine, yield significantly narrower distributions. According to the principle of structure correlation, these distributions reflect the ease of distorting the various families of complexes. A comparison through density functional theory calculations also indicates that angular distortions require significantly less energy for M(β-diketonate) 3 than for M(2,2'-bipyridine) 3 . The differences are likely to affect the construction of supramolecular systems from different combinations of metals and ligands, including the likelihood that the desired structures will be obtained.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Assessment of Additive Manufacturing of Particle Accelerator [Slides]

Metal additive manufacturing of copper components has been commercialized on multiple printing modalities; including Bound Metal Deposition (BMD), Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), and Electron Beam Melting (EBM). BMD was selected at the primary printing modality for this TED because of the availability of the Markforged Metal X machine within the LANL E-2 AM research lab. Linear accelerator (LINAC) structures are similarly demonstrated technology. Accelerator structures are typically made of high purity oxygen-free electronic copper owing to the material’s high electrical and thermal conductivity. Conventionally machined and brazed, welded, or bolted designs are difficult to manufacture and require long lead times.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

SDSS-IV MaNGA: the chemical co-evolution of gas and stars in spiral galaxies

ABSTRACT We investigate archaeologically how the metallicity in both stellar and gaseous components of spiral galaxies of differing masses evolve with time, using data from the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey. For the stellar component, we can measure this evolution directly by decomposing the galaxy absorption-line spectra into populations of different ages and determining their metallicities. For the gaseous component, we can only measure the present-day metallicity directly from emission lines. However, there is a well-established relationship between gas metallicity, stellar mass, and star formation rate which does not evolve significantly with redshift; since the latter two quantities can be determined directly for any epoch from the decomposition of the absorption-line spectra, we can use this relationship to infer the variation in gas metallicity over cosmic time. Comparison of present-day values derived in this way with those obtained directly from the emission lines confirms the validity of the method. Application of this approach to a sample of 1619 spiral galaxies reveals how the metallicity of these systems has changed over the last 10 billion yr since cosmic noon. For lower-mass galaxies, both stellar and gaseous metallicity increase together, as one might expect in well-mixed fairly isolated systems. In higher-mass systems, the average stellar metallicity has not increased in step with the inferred gas metallicity, and actually decreases with time. Such disjoint behaviour is what one might expect if these more massive systems have accreted significant amounts of largely pristine gas over their lifetimes, and this material has not been well mixed into the galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Apparatus and method for intrachannel defouling of a heat exchanger using induction heaters

An apparatus comprising a heat exchanger and one or more induction heating elements is disclosed. The heat exchanger comprises a coolant side conduit and a process side conduit, the process side conduit being susceptible to fouling by at least partial desublimation, condensation, crystallization, deposition, or combinations thereof of a fouling component of a circulating process fluid. An electrically conductive first metal is disposed adjacent to the process side conduit. The one or more induction heating elements are disposed proximate to the heat exchanger. The one or more induction heating elements are connected to a source of electrical current. When the electrical current flows through the induction heating elements, eddy currents are induced in the first metal, heating the first metal such that the fouling component sublimates, melts, absorbs, or a combination thereof into the circulating process fluid.

42 ENGINEERING↗