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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

Developing a Strategic Plan for NASA JSC's Technology Investments

Human space exploration has always been heavily influenced by goals to achieve a specific mission on a specific schedule. This approach drove rapid technology development, the rapidity of which adds risks as well as provides a major driver for costs. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is now approaching the extension of human presence throughout the solar system by balancing a proactive yet less schedule-driven development of technology with opportunistic scheduling of missions as the needed technologies are realized. This approach should provide cost effective, low risk technology development that will enable efficient and effective manned spaceflight missions. As a first step, the NASA Human Spaceflight Architecture Team (HAT) has identified a suite of critical technologies needed to support future manned missions across a range of destinations, including in cislunar space, near earth asteroid visits, lunar exploration, Mars space, and Mars exploration. The challenge now is to develop a strategy and plan for technology development that efficiently enables these missions over a reasonable time period, without increasing technology development costs unnecessarily due to schedule pressure, and subsequently mitigating development and mission risks. NASA fs Johnson Space Center (JSC), as the nation's primary center for human exploration, is addressing this challenge through an innovative approach allocating Internal Research and Development funding to projects that have been prioritized using four focus criteria, with appropriate importance weighting. These four focus criteria are the Human Space Flight Technology Needs, JSC Core Technology Competencies, Commercialization Potential, and Partnership Potential. The inherent coupling in these focus criteria have been captured in a database and have provided an initial prioritization for allocation of technology development research funding. This paper will describe this process and this database, and the preliminary technology development prioritization results.

Stecklein, Jonette M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Hydrocarbon Rocket Technology Impact Forecasting

Ever since the Apollo program ended, the development of launch propulsion systems in the US has fallen drastically, with only two new booster engine developments, the SSME and the RS-68, occurring in the past few decades.1 In recent years, however, there has been an increased interest in pursuing more effective launch propulsion technologies in the U.S., exemplified by the NASA Office of the Chief Technologist s inclusion of Launch Propulsion Systems as the first technological area in the Space Technology Roadmaps2. One area of particular interest to both government agencies and commercial entities has been the development of hydrocarbon engines; NASA and the Air Force Research Lab3 have expressed interest in the use of hydrocarbon fuels for their respective SLS Booster and Reusable Booster System concepts, and two major commercially-developed launch vehicles SpaceX s Falcon 9 and Orbital Sciences Antares feature engines that use RP-1 kerosene fuel. Compared to engines powered by liquid hydrogen, hydrocarbon-fueled engines have a greater propellant density (usually resulting in a lighter overall engine), produce greater propulsive force, possess easier fuel handling and loading, and for reusable vehicle concepts can provide a shorter turnaround time between launches. These benefits suggest that a hydrocarbon-fueled launch vehicle would allow for a cheap and frequent means of access to space.1 However, the time and money required for the development of a new engine still presents a major challenge. Long and costly design, development, testing and evaluation (DDT&E) programs underscore the importance of identifying critical technologies and prioritizing investment efforts. Trade studies must be performed on engine concepts examining the affordability, operability, and reliability of each concept, and quantifying the impacts of proposed technologies. These studies can be performed through use of the Technology Impact Forecasting (TIF) method. The Technology Impact Forecasting method is a normative forecasting technique that allows the designer to quantify the effects of adding new technologies on a given design. This method can be used to assess and identify the necessary technological improvements needed to close the gap that exists between the current design and one that satisfies all constraints imposed on the design. The TIF methodology allows for more design knowledge to be brought to the earlier phases of the design process, making use of tools such as Quality Function Deployments, Morphological Matrices, Response Surface Methodology, and Monte Carlo Simulations.2 This increased knowledge allows for more informed decisions to be made earlier in the design process, resulting in shortened design cycle time. This paper will investigate applying the TIF method, which has been widely used in aircraft applications, to the conceptual design of a hydrocarbon rocket engine. In order to reinstate a manned presence in space, the U.S. must develop an affordable and sustainable launch capability. Hydrocarbon-fueled rockets have drawn interest from numerous major government and commercial entities because they offer a low-cost heavy-lift option that would allow for frequent launches1. However, the development of effective new hydrocarbon rockets would likely require new technologies in order to overcome certain design constraints. The use of advanced design methods, such as the TIF method, enables the designer to identify key areas in need of improvement, allowing one to dial in a proposed technology and assess its impact on the system. Through analyses such as this one, a conceptual design for a hydrocarbon-fueled vehicle that meets all imposed requirements can be achieved.

Stuber, Eric↗
NASA NTRS2017

ESTO Investments in Innovative Sensor Technologies for Remote Sensing

For more then 18 years NASA Earth Science Technology Office has been investing in remote sensing technologies. During this period ESTO has invested in more then 900 tasks. These tasks are managed under multiple programs like Instrument Incubator Program (IIP), Advanced Component Technology (ACT), Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST), In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST), Sustainable Land Imaging - Technology (SLI-T) and others. This covers the whole spectrum of technologies from component to full up satellite in space and software. Over the years many of these technologies have been infused into space missions like Aquarius, SMAP, CYGNSS, SWOT, TEMPO and others. Over the years ESTO is actively investing in Infrared sensor technologies for space applications. Recent investments have been for SLI-T and InVEST program. On these tasks technology development is from simple Bolometers to Advanced Photonic waveguide based spectrometers. Some of the details on these missions and technologies will be presented.

Babu, Sachidananda R.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Quantitative Technology Assessment in Space Mission Analysis

New technologies will need to be developed to create feasible concepts for NASA's ambitious missions of the future, but quantitative assessments of the impacts that technologies have on systems or architectures are sporadic and often inadequate. The Space Mission Analysis Branch at NASA's Langley Research Center is developing a quantitative technology assessment framework to address this issue with a vision of being able to understand the mission and system architecture impacts of technology development activities. A phased approach is being pursued to answer technology needs assessment and technology forecasting questions. First, the integration of subject matter experts, data collection, and data analysis techniques ensures that the framework is accessible and analyzable. Second, systems analysis determines the impact of key technologies from the first phase on systems, architectures, and campaigns. The goal of a quantitative technology assessment framework is to accelerate technology assessments, to improve the accuracy of those assessments, and to provide deeper insights into the impact of new technologies. Keywords: technology assessment, data analysis, systems analysis.

Arney, Dale C.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Solar Power System and Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generation Technologies at Jupiter-Saturn-Uranus Environments: New Insights and Paradigms

Power system selection for outer planet destinations, such as Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus and beyond, is complex, involving and dependent on many interdisciplinary factors such as power system mass, specific power, cost, mechanical and electrical integration, and natural radiation environment. Low solar irradiance at Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus systems (i.e., 50, 15, and 4 W/m2 , respectively) makes solar power systems challenging in mechanical / electrical integration and accommodating radiation environments. More costly radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) systems can help proposed missions overcome radiation environment and spacecraft control challenges at Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has recently made significant strides in demonstrating high-efficiency, radiation-hard solar cell technologies for low-irradiance, low-temperature (LILT) applications, and high-efficiency thermoelectric (TE) materials and modules for higher-specific-power RTGs. Stateof-art multi-junction solar cells now routinely demonstrate high efficiencies of 30-34% at LILT (9.5AU and -165°C), making solar arrays a viable option for many near-term Saturn mission concepts. Emerging technologies like LILToptimized solar cells have recently demonstrated even higher efficiencies of 37% at 9.5AU and -165°C and 30% lower mass than the state-of-art, offering the prospect of ~3W/kg array-level, end-of-life specific powers under Saturn conditions. Having already demonstrated the tremendous utility of RTGs on Mars and in deep-space missions (e.g., Galileo at Jupiter, New Horizons at Pluto), NASA is now developing and demonstrating new TE materials and modules (e.g., skutterudites, La3-x Te4, and Zintls) for increasing RTG specific power (up to >8.5 W/kg), which strongly impacts an RTG’s mass, fuel utilization, and modularity in the power system trade domain. New accomplishments in both areas highlight the renewed requisite for updated comparisons and trade-offs in power output, specific power and mass, cost, mechanical and electrical integration, new technology timelines, and natural radiation impacts between new LILT-optimized photovoltaic technologies and next-generation RTG technologies. This work discusses and demonstrates how new LILT-based technologies are now allowing one to consider and design solar power systems for Saturn orbit and beyond, and are changing the potential cost-mass trade-offs between emerging solar power technologies and newly-envisioned RTG technologies. Key updated system mass and cost trade-offs between high-performance LILT solar technologies and new RTG technologies are presented, reinforcing and refining power selection criteria supporting possible future NASA deep-space science and exploration missions to Mars, the Jupiter system (Europa, Ganymede), the Saturn system (Titan, Enceladus), Uranus, and beyond. Key trade-offs in other above-mentioned interdisciplinary factors between these two power technologies are also discussed.

Bairstow, Brian K.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

PTD: Enabling New Space Technologies

Significant advances in the capabilities of small spacecraft over the past 20 years, coupled with improved access to space from a variety of launch platforms have created new opportunities for scientific exploration and commercial application using these high-value (and yet low cost) platforms. Continued development and demonstration of key technologies are improving the performance of the 3U and 6U class CubeSats while expanding the small spacecraft reach into larger platforms, such as 12U and ESPA class missions. The availability and relatively low cost of CubeSat spacecraft allows key technologies to be flight qualified, bridging the TRL 6/7 gap and making truly novel and enabling technologies available to much larger missions in the planning stages at NASA. The key is connecting the technologists with the flight opportunity in a time and cost efficient manner. NASA’s Small Satellite Technology (SST) program is using existing commercial spacecraft to provide a common bus for technology demonstration, taking advantage of their proven platforms and system with proven flight heritage and extensive infrastructure. In this paper we discuss the Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) series of four spacecraft and the CubeSat Laser Infrared CrosslinK (CLICK) series of three spacecraft, the approach SST took in facilitating the missions, the successes of those missions as well as lessons learned in the process. NASA’s PTD spacecraft series is demonstrating a variety of new technologies on-orbit, providing proof of the maturity of these significant new technologies, and enhancing the performance of future CubeSats. Each of the four PTD mission consists of one 6-unit (6U) CubeSat weighing approximately 12 kilograms and measuring approximately 30 centimeters x 25 centimeters x 10 centimeters, characterizing its payload within 90 days of orbit insertion. The spacecraft bus, integration and test, and mission operations services are being provided by Terran Orbital. The PTD missions have demonstrated a novel nano-spacecraft compatible propulsion systems (enabling deep space and maneuverable Cubeat missions) and an optical communications system (enabling high data rate collection and communications) already. The CLICK missions are demonstrating compact space-to-space optical communications first with the CLICK A technology demonstrator (already flown) and finally with the CLICK BC dual spacecraft mission. Both projects are part of the SST program within the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate. SST is chartered to develop and demonstrate technologies to enhance and expand the capabilities of small spacecraft with a particular focus on enabling new mission architectures through the use of small spacecraft, expanding the reach of small spacecraft to new destinations, and augmenting future missions with supporting small spacecraft.

J. Hanson↗
NASA NTRS2025

State-of-the-Art Small Spacecraft Technology

The objective of this report is to assess and provide an overview of the state of the art in small spacecraft technologies for use by mission designers, project managers, technologists, and students, connecting current small spacecraft missions to available technologies. This report focuses on the spacecraft system in its entirety, provides current best practices for integration and key considerations for the reader where possible, and presents devices from publicly available sources for each specific spacecraft subsystem. This report is a survey of small spacecraft technologies sourced from open literature; it is not an original source. In addition, this report only considers literature in the public domain. Information presented in this report is limited to SmallSat technology that is publicly available as of September 30, 2024. It does not include information on instrumentation, science payloads, or advances or developments that have not been publicly disclosed. Commonly used sources for data include manufacturer data sheets, press releases, conference papers, journal papers, public filings with government agencies, news articles, presentations, the compendium of databases accessed via NASA’s Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute (S3VI) Information Search, and engagement with companies. Data not appropriate for public dissemination, such as proprietary, export controlled, or otherwise restricted data, are not considered. We encourage the SmallSat community to publish mission outcomes and technology development milestones in publicly available conference papers, press releases, or company websites so they can be reflected in future editions of this report. This report is funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). It was first commissioned by the Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) program within NASA’s STMD in mid2012 in response to the rapid growth in interest in using small spacecraft for low-Earth orbit, lowcost missions. The report was subsequently updated in 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 to capture SmallSat technology growth and maturation. In addition to reporting currently available state-of-the-art technologies that have achieved Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 or above, a prognosis is provided describing technologies as "on the horizon" if they are being considered for future application.

Sasha V Weston↗
DOE OSTI2022

National Smart Manufacturing Strategic Plan: To Facilitate More Rapid Development, Deployment and Adoption of Smart Manufacturing Technologies

Smart manufacturing technologies provide real-time data and insight to improve the productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing, creating the potential for new jobs in the manufacturing sector. These technologies can support U.S. manufacturers’ ability to increase throughput and energy efficiency, and decrease waste, defects, and costs. A wide range of manufacturing and industrial subsectors, particularly energy-intensive and energy-dependent industries, have the potential to benefit from smart manufacturing technologies. There are technical improvements still needed to reduce the costs and barriers (trained workforce and upskilling, software-hardware integration, cost, and technical barriers to deployment of advanced sensors, computing, and communication technologies for existing manufacturing assets) to the adoption of smart manufacturing technologies, especially to small and medium-sized manufacturers, and subsequently, increase the overall adoption rate of smart manufacturing technologies. This report outlines the Department of Energy’s (DOE) strategic plan to accelerate the development and implementation of smart manufacturing technologies in the United States and the actions DOE has taken to use these technologies in smart manufacturing for the United States. DOE’s plan to facilitate more rapid development, deployment and widespread adoption of smart manufacturing technologies derive from the 2018 Strategy for American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing. The strategy outlines a vision for America’s leadership in advanced manufacturing including the development of intelligent manufacturing systems to optimize manufacturing facilities and support the manufacturing of transformative materials. DOE’s Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), a Manufacturing USA Institute, focuses on accelerating the development and adoption of advanced sensors, controls, platforms, and models needed for smart manufacturing. The objective is to enhance U.S. manufacturing productivity and global competitiveness through the research and development of these technologies. Smart manufacturing has the potential to improve the overall performance, energy productivity, and efficiency of manufacturing, fostering the economic competitiveness of the manufacturing sector.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Demonstration and Evaluation of the Human-Technology Integration Function Allocation Methodology

There is an imminent need for the existing nuclear power plants to reduce their operating and maintenance (O&M) costs to remain economically viable. Digital technology, including automation, provides a significant opportunity for the existing nuclear power plant fleet to transform the way in which work is accomplished, reducing O&M costs, and allowing the fleet to remain economically competitive. One notable opportunity to significantly reduce O&M costs pertains to modifications to the plant equipment and main control room (MCR). Existing instrumentation and control (I&C) technologies in the MCR are highly analog, costly to operate and maintain, and demand a high cognitive and physical workload from plant staff (i.e., operators). Digitalizing the MCR has a range of broad economic benefits, including improved plant performance and reduced manual work. Further, digital I&C systems can fundamentally change the way in which plant staff operate the plant; this is the concept of operation. Human-technology integration is important to ensure that impacts to the concept of operation are done in a way that account for capabilities of people and technology. Human-technology integration employs human factors engineering (HFE) methods and principles to maximize the benefits of digital technology, reducing human error, improving overall decision-making and usability. The U.S. Department of Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program is applying human-technology integration research to ensure digital technologies are safe, reliable, and efficient. This paper documents the demonstration of the human-technology guidance developed by the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program from a first-of-a-kind digital I&C upgrade, specifically addressing function analysis and allocation for a new digital I&C system that included changes in automation levels. The program’s specific approach is included in this work, following lessons learned. This document serves as a resource for industry to follow in applying human-technology integration and HFE to digital modifications, specific to function analysis and allocation. The lessons learned should be considered in the planning and execution of HFE activities that support such digital modifications.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Solar Energy Technical Publications Catalog: Solar Thermal Technology

The research and development described in these documents was conducted within the U.S . Department of Energy's (DOE) Solar Thermal Technology Program. The goal of this program is to advance the engineering and scientific understanding of solar thermal technology and to establish the technology base from which private industry can develop solar thermal power production options for introduction into the competitive energy market. Solar thermal technology concentrates the solar flux using tracking mirrors or lenses onto a receiver where the solar energy is absorbed as heat and converted into electricity or incorporated into products as process heat. The two primary solar thermal technologies, central receivers and distributed receivers, employ various point and line-focus optics to concentrate sunlight. Current central receiver systems use fields of heliostats (two-axis tracking mirrors) to focus the sun's radiant energy onto a single, tower- mounted receiver. Point focus concentrators up to 17 meters in diameter track the sun in two axes and use parabolic dish mirrors or Fresnel lenses to focus radiant energy onto a receiver. Troughs and bowls are line-focus tracking reflectors that concentrate sunlight onto receiver tubes along their focal lines. Concentrating collector modules can be used alone or in a multimodule system. The concentrated radiant energy absorbed by the solar thermal receiver is transported to the conversion process by a circulating work fluid. Receiver temperatures range from l00 degrees C in low-temperature troughs to over 1500 degrees C in dish and central receiver systems. The Solar Thermal Technology Program is directing efforts to advance and improve each system concept through solar thermal materials, components, and subsystems research and development and by testing and evaluation. These efforts are carried out with the technical direction of DOE and its network of field laboratories that works with private industry. Together they have established a comprehensive, goal-directed program to improve performance and provide technically proven options for eventual incorporation into the nation's energy supply. To successfully contribute to an adequate energy supply at reasonable cost, solar thermal energy must be economically competitive with a variety of other energy sources. The Solar Thermal Technology Program has developed components and system-level performance targets as quantitative program goals. These targets are used in planning research and development activities, measuring progress, assessing alternative technology options, and developing optimal components. These targets are pursued vigorously to ensure a successful program. This catalog represents part of an effort to provide information on publications about solar thermal research and development activities conducted by DOE's laboratories. Publications listed include technical and research reports and special publications. The following national laboratories are represented in this edition: Sandia National Laboratories, Solar Energy Research Institute, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This catalog is a product of the DOE Solar Technical Information Program, which is dedicated to providing information to scientific and industrial users in ways most convenient and useful to them. This catalog focuses on solar thermal technologies, and its purpose is to keep the scientific and industrial communities informed of the latest developments in federally sponsored research in this technology.

140000* -- Solar Energy↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Mars Technology Program

Future Mars missions require new capabilities that currently are not available. The Mars Technology Program (MTP) is an integral part of the Mars Exploration Program (MEP). Its sole purpose is to assure that required technologies are developed in time to enable the baselined and future missions. The MTP is a NASA-wide technology development program managed by JPL. It is divided into a Focused Program and a Base Program. The Focused Program is tightly tied to the proposed Mars Program mission milestones. It involves time-critical deliverables that must be developed in time for infusion into the proposed Mars 2005, and, 2009 missions. In addition a technology demonstration mission by AFRL will test a LIDAR as part of a joint NASNAFRL experiment. This program bridges the gap between technology and projects by vertically integrating the technology work with pre-project development in a project-like environment with critical dates for technology infusion. A Base Technology Program attacks higher riskhigher payoff technologies not in the critical path of missions.

technology Mars exploration lander rover sample re↗
DOE OSTI2025

Packages of Distributed Energy Technologies Demonstrating Demand Flexibility at Community Scale

The combination of increased electric load growth across all sectors, deferred electrical infrastructure investment, and other factors resulting in variable electric power supply, has created technical challenges to maintaining a resilient and reliable grid. Many federal, regional, and local efforts are in play to modernize the electric grid, including advancing building technologies and distributed energy resources (DERs) that are utilizing smarter controls to become responsive to both occupant and grid needs. This report reviews ten pilot projects demonstrating how groups of buildings combined with behind-the-meter (BTM) DERs such as electric vehicle (EV) charging, battery storage, flexible HVAC and domestic hot water systems, and photovoltaic systems can reliably and cost effectively provide grid services. Each of the ten pilot projects aim to deliver both energy efficiency and demand flexibility (DF) while supporting load growth. The ten demonstration teams are piloting flexible DER packages across diverse communities of residential and commercial buildings to address a variety of regional grid needs. The outcomes of these pilot projects will be used to inform future scaling through utility program development. This paper characterizes the ten teams, showcasing the decision-making process used by each group to develop their packages (Section 2), the grid services they plan to deliver (Section 3), the types of DER packages selected for deployment within building sectors (Section 4) and trends between building sector, DER types, and grid services In order to achieve community scale benefits, the pilot projects must utilize aggregated control mechanisms for coordinating buildings and DERs together. Several types of coordinated control architectures have evolved amongst the teams, influenced by use type, existing market conditions, and integration type. Three coordinated controls architectures have been characterized, highlighting their use cases, benefits, challenges, and tradeoffs in their design. These insights can aid utilities, control vendors, and developers in scaling community-level energy systems (Paul, 2024). Ultimately, the technology packages selected by the ten teams will be coordinated to provide power system services, also known as grid services. Insights from these demonstrations will be useful for grid operators, regulators, aggregators and other stakeholders as they look to deploy demand flexible resources as grid services in the future. The grid services that each team is targeting for demonstration are described in Section 3 and Section 4. Methods for evaluating the grid services have been described in the paper Metrics for Evaluating Grid Service Provision from Communities of Grid-interactive and Efficient Buildings and other DER (MacDonald, 2023). To identify technology packages for demonstration, Section 2 shows that project teams used a range of analysis approaches, including building energy modeling, AMI data analysis, cost-benefit frameworks, and utility pilot data. Some teams emphasized technical modeling to quantify grid impacts and demand reduction potential, while others prioritized economic evaluations, stakeholder input, or exploratory pilots to inform deployment decisions. This diversity reflects the need to tailor selection methods to project goals, available data, and organizational context. Section 5 discusses trends between the DER technologies deployed and the grid service provisions from each team. Residential buildings (multifamily and single family) lean towards technologies that enhance energy efficiency (e.g. weatherization upgrades, smart thermostats) and onsite power generation integration (e.g. solar PV). Commercial building demonstrations prioritize technologies that ensure operational reliability (e.g. battery storage) and centralized energy management systems and optimization solutions. Teams that are deploying controllable storage-based technologies are more likely to provide grid services that require a near real-time response. Teams incorporating load shifting technologies like smart thermostats with HEMs are likely to include energy markets participation and customer bill management offerings. Campus demonstrations are adopting diverse sets of DERs to emphasize renewable generation, paired with centralized control. This section also describes technologies that were considered during project planning but ultimately excluded from final deployment. These demonstrations reveal that effective DER package design should be tailored to building type, customer segment, and construction vintage. Multifamily buildings benefit from centralized HVAC upgrades and supervisory controls, while single-family homes are well-suited for individualized technologies like solar, storage, and smart home energy monitors. Commercial and campus settings prioritize EMIS integration and load optimization. New construction enables cost-effective integration of DER-ready infrastructure, whereas retrofits require deployments aligned with owner and tenant value streams. For utility program planners, early coordination with developers and building owners, paired with segmented and modular program offerings, can improve adoption, scalability, and grid impact.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Clean Energy Technology Applications on US Mine Land: Technical Analysis

As the United States transitions toward a clean energy economy, an opportunity exists for redeveloping the more than 17,000 mine land sites located across the nation with clean energy technologies, which have a combined potential for generating more than 85 GW of clean electricity. This report provides an overview of the potential of demonstrating and deploying clean energy projects on current and former mine land. Clean energy project refers to a project that demonstrates one or more of the following technologies: solar; microgrids; geothermal; direct air capture; fossil-fueled electricity generation with carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration; energy storage, including pumped storage hydropower and compressed air energy storage; and advanced nuclear technologies. The report discusses the following technologies and their potential for creating jobs and generating tax revenue that would result in direct and indirect benefits to the local economy: Solar photovoltaics (PV) is being developed on current and former mine land in various parts of the world, including the United States. This approach is attractive because it requires limited infrastructure investment and would utilize the bare surfaces of mines and tailing ponds. Solar resource availability may be greater in the southern regions, including the Interior and Appalachian Basins and the southwestern United States. However, since some mine land sites include areas of significant change in elevation, the deployment of PV on mine land may require sophisticated planning to account for shading and irradiance, or may require regrading of the areas. PV does not create significant environmental risks and generally does not face public resistance; Geothermal systems are often spatially and genetically associated with ore deposits, and in some cases, they have been discovered while in search for epithermal mineral resources. Numerous diverse geothermal applications have been employed at mine land around the world, including power generation, mineral extraction from geothermal brines, process heating, direct use for other mining operations, and direct use for non-mining operations and subsurface energy storage, including geothermal heat pumps. Case studies highlighting these applications provide key lessons relating to identifying drivers and barriers to geothermal resource deployment and can be used to create screening tools for identifying the types and locations of mine land most amenable to utilizing geothermal resources; Carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration technologies include direct air capture (DAC) and enhanced weathering. DAC technologies include air contactors, regeneration systems, and CO 2 compression systems. Captured CO 2 can be converted to valuable feedstocks or possibly injected into abandoned subsurface mines where it would be absorbed by alkaline rock waste and mine tailings or by the porous minerals along the walls of the mine. DAC systems can be coupled with energy sources such as wind, solar, grid, or geothermal. Many DAC systems require a source of water or steam; however, some are expected to be net producers of water. Local impacts of DAC systems are expected to be low, and are related to land footprint, material disposal, and upstream impacts of energy and material production; Compressed air energy storage is an established energy storage technology in salt caverns. It has the potential for implementation in underground mines by pressurizing and storing a large amount of air using electrical compressors when excess electricity is available. When a need for discharge emerges, the air is used to spin turbines and produce the necessary volume of electricity. Abandoned or unused mine openings, including shafts, adits, access tunnels, and mined workings of any orientation, offer potential for vast amounts of compressed air energy storage if the site characteristics meet operational requirements; Pumped hydropower storage can be implemented in surface and subsurface mines. In surface mine applications, both reservoirs may be located in a mine pit or artificial reservoirs made of excavated materials. In subsurface mines, the lower reservoir may be implemented by waterproofing and flooding mine shafts and tunnels. The water is then pumped from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir during periods of low load and high production, and it is discharged through the turbines during periods of peak demand. The potential environmental damages associated with acidity of mine water or the presence of toxic chemicals incentivizes the development of closed-loop technologies, in which water circulates inside the pumped hydropower facility without being discharged into the external water basins; Advanced nuclear energy technologies include small modular reactors, which can be deployed locally to produce electricity and heat. Such units require seismic stability and a supply of cooling water, but population constraints may exist in some areas. Therefore, remote mine land could represent an optimal location for siting advanced nuclear energy technologies.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Technology Development and Integration for Volume Production of High Purity Rare Earth Metals from Phosphate Processing

Under this project and in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Florida International University (FIU), and Mosaic, the FIPR Institute successfully developed and demonstrated on laboratory batch scale a complete processing technology for production of high-purity rare earth elements (REE) in the form of mixed rare earth oxides (MREO) and rare earth metals (REM) using phosphoric acid sludge (a byproduct from phosphate mining) as the REE feedstock. Based on the research results, a technical research plan has been developed with expanded team members to elevate the technology readiness level (TRL) of the subject technology from 4 to 6 by conducting continuous testing of the processing flowsheet with the ultimate goal of producing about 900 tons per year of REM using the phosphate mining byproduct. Those 900 tons of REM would contain approximately 180 tons of Y, 120 tons of Nd, 50 tons of Gd, 37 tons of Dy, 33 tons of Sm, and 31 tons of Pr, meeting the US demand of roughly 39%, 6%, 42%, 48%, 101% and 7% for these elements, respectively. The advanced technologies for REE separation and purification involves three technology companies: K-Technologies, Inc. would test their continuous-ion-exchange/continuous-ion chromatography technologies on both the REE leachate and solvent extraction concentrate for 4 production of high-purity individual or binary REM. Rare Earth Salts would test their innovative electrochemical technology on the REE leachate or re-dissolved MREO in dilute acid for production of high-purity individual or binary REM. Rare Earth Technologies, Inc. would evaluate their advanced chromatographic separation technology on the dissolved MREO product for production of high-purity individual or binary REM.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Draft Critical Minerals Evaluation Report: Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology

Future energy production by sustainable clean energy technologies will be influenced by the availability and projected supply risks of critical minerals. In this report we discuss this context from the perspective of a sustainable nuclear energy technology and the benefits from the deployment of advanced manufacturing. In the past, the demand of critical minerals in the energy sector was minor, but in recent years renewable energy systems do force a substantial increase in the requirements for critical minerals which further induces pressure on the supply of critical minerals such as chromium, cobalt, nickel, niobium, tantalum, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, and zirconium for nuclear energy technology. The demand of critical minerals for nuclear technology is, besides beryllium and hafnium, minor and less than 1 % of the world supply. This alleviates the negative impact as the nuclear industry may not be able to provide the most compelling priority for the suppliers and to other policymakers looking at the overall needs. In this draft report, detailed background information is provided on the mineralogy of the identified critical minerals, supply chain risks followed by the discussion of specific minerals applicable to material relevant to nuclear energy technology. Briefly, the impact of advanced manufacturing on savings of critical minerals and electric energy is discussed and its effect to nuclear energy technology evaluated. This report will be followed with a final report providing a strategic vision for executable actions to implement the savings through advanced manufacturing, which will be further explored in the upcoming months. The Gen-IV relevant critical minerals will also be evaluated in the context of the AMMT programs material priorities as identified in the material score cards, to determine priorities for future actions. Material savings will become even more substantial when commercial Gen-IV reactor technology becomes available because of their needs for structural materials with higher content in alloying elements for enhanced high-temperature properties and improved corrosion resistance. The requirement for critical minerals in nuclear technology (in kg/MWe) will therefore significantly increase by 2050, even though its contribution to the worldwide electric energy production capacity will remain at about 5 %. The share of nuclear on world’s electric energy production is, on grounds of high utilization and availability 10.2 % and is expected to increase to 12 % by 2050. Advanced manufacturing could aid the deployment of Gen-IV nuclear technology since critical materials savings of up to 30 % seems possible, promoting nuclear energy as a true sustainable clean energy technology together with hydroelectric power.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1975

Future payload technology requirements

This paper presents the background and results of a study of future payload technology requirements. The overall objectives of the study were the identification and description of technology items that must be advanced beyond the current state of the art in order for early shuttle-era NASA payloads to meet their currently defined objectives. The purpose was to provide data that will effectively assist the NASA payload technology planning effort. A total of 91 payload technology requirements have been defined in detail with requirements occurring in all disciplines. Included in the description of these technology requirements are the current state-of-the-art, the level of technology advancement required, and the date when the technology will be needed. The highlights of the study are: (1) NASA must provide the major impetus to attain these technology requirements, (2) most of these technologies must be available in 3-4 years, and (3) about half of the technology advancements require a test in space.

Ikerd, H. M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Technology for libraries and information centers: A seminar in Greece, Portugal, and Turkey

Information technologies are evolving at a rapid pace in today's world. But the electronic technologies needed to transform today's libraries and information centers into electronic 'libraries without walls', where an end-user has instantaneous access to all the information needed from a desktop workstation, have not yet arrived. Even so, there are many technologies available today that can be applied in the library/information center environment to yield increased productivity. However, not all technologies are right for or successful in every environment. Mission, budget, infrastructure, client profiles, and staff skills are a few of the 'environmental' issues that must be considered when selecting and introducing new technologies into a particular information center. Key technologies used in libraries today are reviewed; it can be used as background for targeting technologies that could be successfully implemented in your own environment to further service goals. Before focusing on a selection of technologies, you must first focus on the strategic goal of your organization. The same technology is not right for every library/information center. An overview of technologies that are readily available and can be applied today is presented.

Cotter, Gladys A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Space transfer vehicle concepts and requirements study. Volume 2, book 4: Integrated advanced technology development

The Space Transfer Vehicle (STV) program provides both an opportunity and a requirement to increase our upper stage capabilities with the development and applications of new technologies. Issues such as man rating, space basing, reusability, and long lunar surface storage times drive the need for new technology developments and applications. In addition, satisfaction of mission requirements such as lunar cargo delivery capability and lunar landing either require new technology development or can be achieved in a more cost-effective manner with judicious applications of advanced technology. During the STV study, advanced technology development requirements and plans have been addressed by the Technology/Advanced Development Working Group composed of NASA and contractor representatives. This report discusses the results to date of this working group. The first section gives an overview of the technologies that have potential or required applications for the STV and identifies those technologies baselined for the STV. Figures are provided that list the technology categories and show the priority placed on those technology categories for either the space-based or ground-based options. The second section covers the plans and schedules for incorporating the technologies into the STV program.

Weber, Gary A.↗