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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 559 records · Page 31
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Urban Combined Heat and Power with Integrated Renewables and Energy Storage

This project demonstrated how incorporating a diverse generation and storage portfolio allows an urban district energy system to improve its efficiency by at least 50% and increase its backup power by at least 40% with a return on investment of at least ten years. The improvement was evaluated against the baseline operations for two urban district energy systems (DESs): a synthetic DES and a George Washington University DES. The DES techno-economic framework we developed yields reliability, resilience, and vulnerability indices for urban DESs (including generation and storage) with designation of which technologies improve the security and resiliency metrics by at least 20% compared to the status quo. The indices are benchmarked against baseline scenarios, and cost projections (capital cost and return on investment) to achieve the 20% improvement are reported. The energy management system we developed to conduct these analyses was incorporated into a user-friendly interface that can be used for decision-making by a user with no technical or programming background.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

Desert-Urban System Integrated Atmospheric Monsoon (DUSTIEAIM) in the Southwestern United States Science Plan

The Desert-Urban System Integrated Atmospheric Monsoon (DUSTIEAIM) campaign is a groundbreaking, high-impact scientific mission that will transform how we understand and respond to energy and water challenges in one of America’s fastest-growing and most heat-stressed urban regions: Phoenix, Arizona. Starting in April 2026, this 18-month field campaign harnesses the full power of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility and an interdisciplinary science team including national laboratories, universities, and agencies with a broad range of subject-matter expertise. With cutting-edge instruments, active and passive ground-based sensors, radars, and integrated modeling, DUSTIEAIM will deliver the most comprehensive environmental data set ever collected for a desert-urban-agricultural interface.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Time Delay of Wide Area Damping Control in Urban Power Grid: Model-Based Analysis and Data-Driven Compensation

Due to the rapid development of economies, large urban cities consume an increasing amount of energy and have a higher requirement for power quality. Voltage source converter based high voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) is a promising device to transmit clean power from remote regions to urban power systems, while also providing wide area damping control (WADC) for frequency stabilization. However, the time-delay naturally existing in the VSC-HVDC system may degrade the performance of WADC and even result in instability. To address this issue, this paper develops a time-delay correction control strategy for VSC-HVDC damping control in urban power grids. First, a small signal model of WADC is built to analyze the negative impacts of time delay. Then, a data-driven approach is proposed to compensate for the inherent time delay in VSC-HVDC damping control. The extensive training data will be generated under various disturbances. After offline training, the long short-term memory network (LSTM) can be implemented online to predict the actual frequency deviation based on real-time measurements. Finally, the proposed method is validated through MATLAB-Simulink in a two-area four-machine system. The results indicate that the data-driven compensation has a strong generalization ability for random delay time constants and can improve the performance of WADC significantly.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Native Microalgae-Bacteria Consortia: A Sustainable Approach for Effective Urban Wastewater Bioremediation and Disinfection

Urban wastewater is a significant by-product of human activities. Conventional urban wastewater treatment plants have limitations in their treatment, mainly concerning the low removal efficiency of conventional and emerging contaminants. Discharged wastewater also contains harmful microorganisms, posing risks to public health, especially by spreading antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes. Therefore, this study assesses the potential of a native microalgae-bacteria system (MBS) for urban wastewater bioremediation and disinfection, targeting NH4+-N and PO43−-P removal, coliform reduction, and antibiotic resistance gene mitigation. The MBS showed promising results, including a high specific growth rate (0.651 ± 0.155 d−1) and a significant average removal rate of NH4+-N and PO43−-P (9.05 ± 1.24 mg L−1 d−1 and 0.79 ± 0.06 mg L−1 d−1, respectively). Microalgae-induced pH increase rapidly reduces coliforms (r > 0.9), including Escherichia coli, within 3 to 6 days. Notably, the prevalence of intI1 and the antibiotic resistance genes sul1 and blaTEM are significantly diminished, presenting the MBS as a sustainable approach for tertiary wastewater treatment to combat eutrophication and reduce waterborne disease risks and antibiotic resistance spread.

Sousa, Joana F.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Urban Land Surface Temperature Downscaling in Chicago: Addressing Ethnic Inequality and Gentrification

In this study, we developed a XGBoost-based algorithm to downscale 2 km-resolution land surface temperature (LST) data from the GOES satellite to a finer 70 m resolution, using ancillary variables including NDVI, NDBI, and DEM. This method demonstrated a superior performance over the conventional TsHARP technique, achieving a reduced RMSE of 1.90 °C, compared to 2.51 °C with TsHARP. Our approach utilizes the geostationary GOES satellite data alongside high-resolution ECOSTRESS data, enabling hourly LST downscaling to 70 m—a significant advancement over previous methodologies that typically measure LST only once daily. Applying these high-resolution LST data, we examined the hottest days in Chicago and their correlation with ethnic inequality. Our analysis indicated that Hispanic/Latino communities endure the highest LSTs, with a maximum LST that is 1.5 °C higher in blocks predominantly inhabited by Hispanic/Latino residents compared to those predominantly occupied by White residents. This study highlights the intersection of urban development, ethnic inequality, and environmental inequities, emphasizing the need for targeted urban planning to mitigate these disparities. The enhanced spatial and temporal resolution of our LST data provides deeper insights into diurnal temperature variations, crucial for understanding and addressing the urban heat distribution and its impact on vulnerable communities.

Lee, Jangho (ORCID:0000000289421092)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Identifying Urban Pluvial Frequency Flooding Hotspots Using the Topographic Control Index and Remote Sensing Radar Images for Early Warning Systems

Identifying areas that frequently experience post-rainfall ponding is essential for effective flood mitigation and planning. This study integrates Sentinel-1 radar imagery and the Topographic Control Index (TCI) to identify 378 flood-prone urban depressions in Beaumont, Texas. Out of 159 major rainfall events, only six had Sentinel-1 radar imagery acquired within six hours of peak rainfall, and these were used to generate the flood frequency map; the ground-based flood sensor data were used to verify that these selected events corresponded to actual peak rainfall and to validate radar-detected water pixels. Validation results showed 100% precision, 70.87% recall, an F1-score of 82.95%, and 71.32% overall accuracy. Approximately 84% of medium-to-high TCI depressions overlapped with Beaumont’s two-year inundation map, confirming a strong relationship between TCI and observed flooding. A total of 124 depressions retained significant water, and after excluding 25 engineered detention ponds, 99 natural depressions remained flood vulnerable. Among these, 74 depressions with medium or high TCI were identified as the highest-priority nuisance flooding hotspots. The results demonstrate that combining TCI with radar imagery provides a reliable and cost-effective approach for identifying areas prone to frequent urban ponding. This framework supports practical decision-making for drainage improvements, hotspot identification, and early-warning system development in urban flood-prone regions.

Sentinel-1 radar imagery↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantifying System Level Impact of Connected and Automated Vehicles in an Urban Corridor

Numerous studies have demonstrated significant energy reduction for an ego vehicle by up to 20% leveraging Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technologies [1-4]. Some studies have also analyzed the impact of such vehicles on the energy consumption of other vehicles in a suburban or a highway corridor [5, 6], but the impact in an urban setting has not been studied yet. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), in collaboration with Continental and Hyundai, is currently working on a Department of Energy funded project that is focused on quantifying the impact of multiple ego vehicles (smart vehicles) on the total energy consumption of the corridor under various traffic conditions, vehicle electrification level, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology penetration, and the number of smart (ego) vehicles in an urban setting. A six-kilometer-long urban corridor from Columbus, Ohio was modeled and calibrated with real-world data in PTV Vissim traffic microsimulation software. Five forward-looking powertrain models, consisting of two battery electric vehicles (BEVs), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), and two internal combustion engine (ICE) powered vehicles, were developed to estimate the energy consumption of vehicles on the corridor. A comprehensive full factorial simulation study was performed. The simulation results indicate that for a traffic mix based on projected new vehicles sales in 2025, a 15% corridor-level energy consumption reduction can be achieved. The paper details the development and validation of the simulation framework, design of experiments conducted, a discussion of challenges faced, and results under various test conditions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Seasonal variations in composition and sources of atmospheric ultrafine particles in urban Beijing based on near-continuous measurements

Abstract. Understanding the composition and sources of atmospheric ultrafine particles (UFPs) is essential in evaluating their exposure risks. It requires long-term measurements with high time resolution, which are scarce to date. We performed near-continuous measurements of UFP composition during four seasons in urban Beijing using a thermal desorption chemical ionization mass spectrometer, accompanied by real-time size distribution measurements. We found that UFPs in urban Beijing are dominated by organic components, varying seasonally from 68 % to 81 %. CHO organics (i.e., molecules containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) are the most abundant in summer, while sulfur-containing organics, some nitrogen-containing organics, nitrate, and chloride are the most abundant in winter. With the increase of particle diameter, the contribution of CHO organics decreases, while that of sulfur-containing and nitrogen-containing organics, nitrate, and chloride increases. Source apportionment analysis of the UFP organics indicates contributions from cooking and vehicle sources, photooxidation sources enriched in CHO organics, and aqueous/heterogeneous sources enriched in nitrogen- and sulfur-containing organics. The increased contributions of cooking, vehicle, and photooxidation components are usually accompanied by simultaneous increases in UFP number concentrations related to cooking emission, vehicle emission, and new particle formation, respectively, while the increased contribution of the aqueous/heterogeneous composition is usually accompanied by the growth of UFP mode diameters. The highest UFP number concentrations in winter are due to the strongest new particle formation, the strongest local primary particle number emissions, and the slowest condensational growth of UFPs to larger sizes. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of urban UFP composition and sources and offers valuable datasets for the evaluation of UFP exposure risks.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

CoURAGE Urban Gas-Phase NH3

1-second Picarro gas-phase ammonia (NH3) measurements were collected as part of a 3-month intensive operation period (IOP) from mid-March through mid-June that was funded by the DOE Biological and Environment Research project in conjunction with the DOE ARM CoURAGE deployment to the greater Baltimore region. To complement the NH3 measurements at the Mt. Airy regional background S2 site, the Picarro G2103 NH3 analyzer was deployed at the urban atmospheric chemistry supersite ( 39.32057 N, 76.6246 W) to be able to compare and contrast urban vs regional NH3 and urban vs regional aerosol physicochemical properties.

Aerosol Acidity↗
DOE OSTI2024

Collaborative Design of Robust Adaptation Pathways for Urban Flooding Resilience in Baltimore

Urban pluvial flooding poses a growing threat to the city of Baltimore, driven by changes in climate and rainfall, increased impervious area, aging infrastructure, and severe social inequity. Adaptations to urban flooding should strengthen community-scale resilience while navigating the uncertainties associated with future actions. However, the highly uncertain future climate and conflicting stakeholder objectives complicate the selection of effective and socially acceptable strategies. This study addresses these challenges through a community-informed Multi Objective Robust Decision Making (MORDM) process, coupled with Dynamic Adaptation Policy Pathways (DAPP). Community stakeholders are engaged on a large scale through community partnerships, including priority identification sessions, focus groups, and metric identification workshops. The combination of community partnership, MORDM, and DAPP will create an original set of adaptation pathways which are aligned with community goals and values, and furthermore are adjustable under changing future constraints and conditions. This framework will enhance the city's capacity to respond to evolving pluvial flood conditions while accounting for diverse stakeholder interests and will provide guidance for addressing both the immediate and long-term challenges of urban flooding in Baltimore.

BSEC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Community-Engaged Modeling of Urban Flood Adaptation Pathways

Climate change is intensifying the hydrologic cycle, leading to more frequent and severe rainfall-driven (pluvial) flooding in urban areas. In the mid-Atlantic US cities, aging and under-designed stormwater infrastructure is increasingly strained by these events, resulting in recurring damage to property and disruptions to transportation networks. In this study, we combine community engagement with hydrologic modeling to develop and evaluate potential urban flood adaptation strategies. Over a three-year period, local technical experts and community representatives met regularly to discuss flooding concerns, identify priorities, and co-develop adaptation strategies. These discussions informed the development of an urban flooding model (EPA Storm Water Management Model) for the Baltimore Harbor watershed, the focus location of this study. The flooding model integrates complex surface and subsurface stormwater infrastructure data, local expert knowledge, and community insights. We simulate stakeholder-prioritized adaptations, such as green and gray infrastructure strategies. Model results demonstrate that enhanced infrastructure maintenance is the most effective adaptation for reducing flood depths, but has varied effects across the watershed, and can increase flooding in some locations. Spatially concentrated greening provides limited benefit to the watershed as a whole, but moderate benefit in community priority areas. Together, these adaptations have the potential to reduce flood depths by as much as 58% in some locations, greatly reducing property damage and mobility impacts, primary concerns of stakeholders. Future work will implement robust optimization tools to search for adaptations which meet stakeholder objectives and perform highly under varied future climate conditions. This work contributes to the expanding literature on collaborative modeling and demonstrates that community-engaged approaches can enhance model credibility and generate more actionable insights for communities seeking to strengthen climate resilience.

Spangler, Ava [Pennsylvania State University] (ORC↗
NASA NTRS1970

Climatology of urban regional systems

The combining of remote sensing technologies to urban-regional energy climatology is studied. It was found to be three dimensional with a mosaic urban surface, each smaller surface with its own radiant and thermal properties. Urban patterns of radiant exchange were found to be constantly changing during diurnal and annual cycles. Results were derived from Barbados data using remote methods for monitoring and mapping radiation. Isoline maps of terrestrial radiation patterns were made generalizing the minute patterns of the scan image.

Pease, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Climatology of Urban-regional Systems

Urbanized areas have come to be significant if not dominant components of many regional land surfaces. They represent perhaps the most dramatic recent change man has made in his environment - a change that may well burgeon in the foreseeable future as greater percentages of world populations crowd into metropolitan areas. The climate of urban-regional systems is involved because temperature, air, and pollutants added to the air are significant aspects of this change. During the past two years, substantial progress has been made in the application of remote sensing techniques to the study of urban climatology by programs jointly sponsored by NASA and the United States Geological Survey. The initial effort has endeavored with considerable success to map terrestrial radiation emission or the general thermal state of the land surface with the aid of imaging radiometers (mechanical-optical scanners).

Pease, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Census Cities Project and Atlas of Urban and Regional Change

The Census Cities Project has several related purposes: (1) to assess the role of remote sensors on high altitude platforms for the comparative study of urban areas; (2) to detect changes in selected U.S. urban areas between the 1970 census and the time of launching of an earth-orbiting sensor platform prior to the next census; (3) to test the utility of the satellite sensor platform to monitor urban change (When the 1970 census returns become available for small areas, they will serve as a control for sensor image interpretation.); (4) to design an information system for incorporating graphic sensor data with census-type data gathered by traditional techniques; (5) to identify and design user-oriented end-products or information services; and (6) to plan an effective organizational capability to provide such services on a continuing basis.

Wray, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Urban and regional planning proposal no. Y-10-066-001

The author has identified the following significant results. An investigation is underway to determine the applicability of ERTS-1 data to urban and regional planning problems, using data for East Central Florida. Small scale land use mapping is feasible. Urban and commercial areas are sufficiently distinguishable that ERTS-1 appears to be a useful tool for monitoring urban and commercial growth. Development patterns of cities, growth patterns of cities, and distribution and changes in certain sectors within cities can be analyzed effectively. Digital analysis methods are proving useful.

Hannah, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Preparation of urban land use inventories by machine-processing of ERTS MSS data

Spectral classes of urban phenomena identified from ERTS multispectral scanner data in Milwaukee included Surburban, Inner City, Industry, Grassy (open area), Road, Wooded Suburb, Water, Cloud, and Shadow. The Milwaukee spectral class statistics were used to classify the Chicago area, within the same ERTS frame, and similar results were achieved. In another ERTS frame, Marion County (Indianapolis) data were classified into similar classes. The Marion County ERTS study was supported by a land use classification of an area near downtown Indianapolis that utilized 12-band MSS data collected by aircraft from 3000 feet. The results of the ERTS analyses suggest that satellite data will be a useful tool for the urban planner for monitoring urban land use.

Todd, W.↗
NASA NTRS1973

First look analyses of five cycles of ERTS-1 imagery over County of Los Angeles: Assessment of data utility for urban development and regional planning

Significant results have been obtained from the analyses of ERTS-1 imagery from five cycles over Test Site SR 124 by classical photointerpretation and by an interactive hybrid multispectral information extraction system (GEMS). The synopticity, periodicity and multispectrality of ERTS coverage, available for the first time to LA County planners, have opened up both a new dimensionality in data and offer new capability in preparation of planning inputs. Photointerpretation of ERTS images has produced over 25 overlays at 1:1,000,000 scale depicting regional relations and urban structure in terms of several hundred linear and areal features. To mention only one such result, a possible new fault lineament has been discovered on the northern slope of the Santa Monica mountains in the scene 1144-18015, composited of MSS bands 4, 5, 6,. GEMS analysis of the ERTS products has provided new or improved information in the following planning data categories: urban vegetation; land cover segregation; man-made and natural impact monitoring; urban design; and suitability. ERTS data analysis has allowed planners to establish trends that directly impact planning policies. This new source of information will not only assist current methods to be more efficient, but permits entirely new planning methodologies to be employed.

Raje, S.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Preparation of urban land use inventories by machine processing of ERTS MSS data

Spectral classes of urban phenomena identified from Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) multispectral scanner data in Milwaukee included suburban inner city, industry, grassy (open area), road, wooded suburb, water cloud, and shadow. The Milwaukee spectral class statistics were used to classify the Chicago area, within the same ERTS frame, and similar results were achieved. In another ERTS frame, Marion County (Indianapolis) data were classified into similar classes. The Marion County ERTS study was supported by a land use classification of an area near downtown Indianapolis that utilized 12-band MSS data collected by aircraft from 3000 feet. The results of the ERTS analyses suggest that satellite data will be a useful tool for the urban planner for monitoring urban land use.

Todd, W.↗