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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
DOE OSTI2015

Status of the Majorana Demonstrator

The Majorana Collaboration is constructing the Majorana Demonstrator, an ultra-low background, 40-kg modular high purity Ge detector array to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in 76 Ge. In view of the next generation of tonne-scale Ge-based neutrinoless double-beta decay searches that will probe the neutrino mass scale in the inverted-hierarchy region, a major goal of the Demonstrator is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 count/tonne/year in the 4 keV region of interest around the Q-value at 2039 keV. Lastly, the current status of the Demonstrator is discussed, as are plans for its completion.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Ultraperipheral Collisions at RHIC and the LHC

The current status of ultraperipheral measurements in heavy ion collisions is discussed, with an emphasis on what is learned from one photon (photonuclear) and two photon (γ+γ) processes. Furthermore, the interpretation of recent data on “nonUPC” events, in which electromagnetic processes occur simultaneously with hadronic ones, is also discussed. Results from the LHC (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb) and the STAR experiment at RHIC are discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Metal Alloy and RHEA Additive Manufacturing for Nuclear Energy and Aerospace Applications

An open-literature search was conducted to consider the current status of the additive manufacturing (AM) industry with respect to metal alloys and refractory high entropy alloys (RHEAs). Key areas of interest include methodologies and applications that are suitable for the nuclear and aerospace industries, as well as other industrial applications. We investigated various promising 3D metal technologies, with emphasis on cost, operation, throughput, maintenance, and output volume size. In addition, technical issues and the current status of the metal printing market are summarized. The project scope also included the manufacturing of open-literature RHEA test coupons at Sandia's laser engineered net shape (LENS) machine.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Postirradiation Examination of the ATF-1 Experiments - 2018 Status

The Advanced Fuels Campaign in collaboration with industry are working to develop enhanced accident tolerant fuels for light water reactors. The initial irradiations of these concepts were performed in the Idaho National Laboratory Advanced Test Reactor using simple drop-in style irradiations. These irradiations are collectively referred to as ATF 1. The postirradiation examination of ATF 1 has begun and some concepts have now completed initial examination. This report describes the results of examinations on ATF 1 irradiations designed to test the feasibility of enhancing UO 2 thermal conductivity with additives, ATF 1 irradiations of uranium silicide, and the current status of ATF 1 irradiations that are in process at the hot cell. Enhanced thermal conductivity uranium dioxide composites containing silicon carbide (UO 2 SiC) and diamond (UO 2 diamond) have been irradiated to low burnup. The conditions of this irradiation test and subsequent postirradiation examinations are discussed. These irradiations evaluate fuel microstructure and potential fuel cladding interaction under representative light water reactor power conditions. Both non destructive and destructive techniques have been used to evaluate fuel integrity, fission gas release, fission product distribution, burnup, fuel swelling and cladding strain. Examination of the UO 2 SiC pellets revealed enhanced cracking when compared to a UO 2 rodlet also irradiated under similar conditions. Additionally, instability of the SiC whiskers in the uranium dioxide matrix was observed in the pellet central region, where the local temperatures exceeded 1300 °C. The microstructure of the diamond added UO 2 was severely disrupted during irradiation, resulting in local migration of cesium along the fuel stack and increased fission gas release when compared with the expected release from the Vitanza curve at corresponding values of burnup and irradiation temperature. The postirradiation examination results cast doubt on the suitability of these additives to improve UO 2 fuel performance in a way that would lead to enhanced accident tolerance. Additionally, postirradiation examination data of U 3 Si 2 fuels at low burnup (i.e., < 20 GWd/tHM) for application in advanced Light Water Reactor (LWR) is presented. The U 3 Si 2 pellets show limited cracking in comparison to the expected behavior of UO 2 at same power level. In addition, gamma scanning data did not reveal migration of fission products. Minor homogeneous hardening along the pellet radius due to accumulation of fission products and radiation damage was measured by microindentation. The fission gas release and swelling remains very low. Formation of fission gas bubbles resolvable with optical microscopy occurs from the pellets center outward to approximately 60% of the fuel pellet radius. The overall data suggest a good performance of this accident tolerant fuel candidate at low burnup. Finally, the current status of postirradiation examination on other ATF 1 irradiations will be discussed. These irradiations include UO 2 clad in an FeCrAl alloy, an alternative uranium silicide compound U 3 Si 5 also clad in a FeCrAl alloy, and an interaction test between UO 2 and different FeCrAl alloys.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Trends and 2025 Insights on the Rise of Electric Vehicles in the USA

Plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) are reshaping the transportation energy landscape, providing a practical alternative to petroleum fuels for a growing number of applications. EV sales grew 55x in the past decade (2014-2024) and 6x since 2020, driven by technological progress enabled by policies to reduce transportation emissions as well as industrial plans motivated by strategic value of EVs for global competitiveness, jobs and geopolitics. In 2024, 22% of passenger cars sold globally were EVs and opportunities for EVs beyond on-road applications are growing, including solutions to electrify off-road vehicles, maritime and aviation. This Review updates and expands our 2020 assessment of the scientific literature and describes the current status and future projections of EV markets, charging infrastructures, vehicle-grid integration and supply chains in the USA. EV is the lowest-emission motorized on-road transportation option, with life-cycle emissions decreasing as electricity emissions continue to decrease. Charging infrastructure grew in line with EV adoption but providing ubiquitous reliable and convenient charging remains a challenge. EVs are reducing electricity costs in several US markets and coordinated EV charging can improve grid resilience and reduce electricity costs for all consumers. The current trajectory of technology improvement and industrial investments points to continued acceleration of EVs.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The Measurement of the Anomalous Magnetic Moment of the Muon at Fermilab

The anomalous magnetic moment of the muon is one of the most precisely measured quantities in experimental particle physics. Its latest measurement at Brookhaven National Laboratory deviates from the Standard Model expectation by approximately 3.5 standard deviations. The goal of the new experiment, E989, now under construction at Fermilab, is a fourfold improvement in precision. Here in this article, we discuss the details of the future measurement and its current status.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Perspectives on Low-Temperature Electrolysis and Potential for Renewable Hydrogen at Scale

Hydrogen is an important part of any discussion on sustainability and reduction in emissions across major energy sectors. In addition to being a feedstock and process gas for many industrial processes, hydrogen is emerging as a fuel alternative for transportation applications. Renewable sources of hydrogen are therefore required to increase in capacity. Low-temperature electrolysis of water is currently the most mature method for carbon-free hydrogen generation and is reaching relevant scales to impact the energy landscape. However, costs still need to be reduced to be economical with traditional hydrogen sources. Operating cost reductions are enabled by the recent availability of low-cost sources of renewable energy, and the potential exists for a large reduction in capital cost withmaterial and manufacturing optimization. This article focuses on the current status and development needs by component for the low-temperature electrolysis options.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2020

Distributed heterogeneous compute infrastructure for the study of additive manufacturing systems

We present the current status of a large-scale computing framework to address the need of the multidisciplinary effort to study chemical dynamics. Specifically, we are enabling scientists to process and store experimental data, run large-scale computationally expensive high-fidelity physical simulation, and analyze these results using the state-of-the-art data analytics tools, machine learning, and uncertainty quantification methods using heterogeneous computing resources, such as CPU and GPU cluster. The framework can integrate or abstract out multiple domains based on roles. In order to develop this framework, we have leveraged an existing framework coupled with in-house heterogeneous computing resources. We present the results of using this framework on a single metadata triggered workflow to accelerate an additive manufacturing use case.

heterogeneous computing, hpc, workflows, reproduci↗
DOE OSTI2017

VERA-CS Verification & Validation Plan

This report summarizes the current status of VERA-CS Verification and Validation for PWR Core Follow operation and proposes a multi-phase plan for continuing VERA-CS V&V in FY17 and FY18. The proposed plan recognizes the hierarchical nature of a multi-physics code system such as VERA-CS and the importance of first achieving an acceptable level of V&V on each of the single physics codes before focusing on the V&V of the coupled physics solution. The report summarizes the V&V of each of the single physics codes systems currently used for core follow analysis (ie MPACT, CTF, Multigroup Cross Section Generation, and BISON / Fuel Temperature Tables) and proposes specific actions to achieve a uniformly acceptable level of V&V in FY17. The report also recognizes the ongoing development of other codes important for PWR Core Follow (e.g. TIAMAT, MAMBA3D) and proposes Phase II (FY18) VERA-CS V&V activities in which those codes will also reach an acceptable level of V&V. The report then summarizes the current status of VERA-CS multi-physics V&V for PWR Core Follow and the ongoing PWR Core Follow V&V activities for FY17. An automated procedure and output data format is proposed for standardizing the output for core follow calculations and automatically generating tables and figures for the VERA-CS Latex file. A set of acceptance metrics is also proposed for the evaluation and assessment of core follow results that would be used within the script to automatically flag any results which require further analysis or more detailed explanation prior to being added to the VERA-CS validation base. After the Automation Scripts have been completed and tested using BEAVRS, the VERA-CS plan proposes the Watts Bar cycle depletion cases should be performed with the new cross section library and be included in the first draft of the new VERA-CS manual for release at the end of PoR15. Also, within the constraints imposed by the proprietary nature of plant data, as many as possible of the FY17 AMA Plant Core Follow cases should also be included in the VERA-CS manual at the end of PoR15. After completion of the ongoing development of TIAMAT for fully coupled, full core calculations with VERA-CS / BISON 1.5D, and after the completion of the refactoring of MAMBA3D for CIPS analysis in FY17, selected cases from the VERA-CS validation based should be performed, beginning with the legacy cases of Watts Bar and BEAVRS in PoR16. Finally, as potential Phase III future work some additional considerations are identified for extending the VERA-CS V&V to other reactor types such as the BWR.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Modelling of edge localised modes and edge localised mode control

Edge Localised Modes (ELMs) in ITER Q = 10 H-mode plasmas are likely to lead to large transient heat loads to the divertor. To avoid an ELM induced reduction of the divertor lifetime, the large ELM energy losses need to be controlled. In ITER, ELM control is foreseen using magnetic field perturbations created by in-vessel coils and the injection of small D2 pellets. ITER plasmas are characterised by low collisionality at a high density (high fraction of the Greenwald density limit). These parameters cannot simultaneously be achieved in current experiments. Therefore, the extrapolation of the ELM properties and the requirements for ELM control in ITER relies on the development of validated physics models and numerical simulations. In this paper, we describe the modelling of ELMs and ELM control methods in ITER. The aim of this paper is not a complete review on the subject of ELM and ELM control modelling but rather to describe the current status and discuss open issues.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Nuclear Data Uncertainty Quantification: Past, Present and Future

An historical overview is provided of the mathematical foundations of uncertainty quantification and the roles played in the more recent past by nuclear data uncertainties in nuclear data evaluations and nuclear applications. Significant advances that have established the mathematical framework for contemporary nuclear data evaluation methods, as well as the use of uncertainty information in nuclear data evaluation and nuclear applications, are described. This is followed by a brief examination of the current status concerning nuclear data evaluation methodology, covariance data generation, and the application of evaluated nuclear data uncertainties in contemporary nuclear technology. A few possible areas for future investigation of this subject are also suggested.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Roman Virtual Lecture Series: History of the Roman Observatory Design, and Current Build Status

- WFIRST (widefield infrared survey telescope, prior mission name) was creation of 2010 NWNH Decadal - Based on JDEM “Omega”, Microlensing Planet Finder, and NIR Surveyor mission concepts - All were three mirror anastigmat near IR staring concepts - JDEM Omega was hardware starting point, but needed to be slightly modified to accommodate continuous viewing periods of the galactic bulge for microlensing - Multiple different surveys rolled into one mission - Imaging, imaging spectroscopy, and precision photometry are all required among the surveys - Cooler than HST optics are required for 2.0um red limit - HST is background limited near room temperature and 1.7um red limit - Mission concepts through 2011 were 1.5m on axis or 1.3m off-axis apertures - 2.4m aperture (NRO transferred to NASA, we were directed to us, in 2012) - Larger primary mirror has 3x area and 0.5x PSF size, ~20x discovery potential - Realized best design has undersampled PSF with survey strategy to recover full sampling, best compromise of sampling vs wide area coverage - Concept evolved significantly with our understanding of the existing optics - Started with “use as is”; evolved over time towards current concept - Overall design has been very stable after early evolution described here - Renamed in 2020 after Nancy Grace Roman; progressing toward launch readiness in Oct2026

Roman Space Telescope↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE ARCONS PIPELINE: DATA REDUCTION FOR MKID ARRAYS

The Array Camera for Optical to Near-IR Spectrophotometry, or ARCONS, is a camera based on Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs), a new technology that has the potential for broad application in astronomy. Using an array of MKIDs, the instrument is able to produce time-resolved imaging and low-resolution spectroscopy constructed from detections of individual photons. The arrival time and energy of each photon are recorded in a manner similar to X-ray calorimetry, but at higher photon fluxes. The technique works over a very large wavelength range, is free from fundamental read noise and dark-current limitations, and provides microsecond-level timing resolution. Since the instrument reads out all pixels continuously while exposing, there is no loss of active exposure time to readout. The technology requires a different approach to data reduction compared to conventional CCDs. Here we outline here the prototype data reduction pipeline developed for ARCONS, though many of the principles are also more broadly applicable to energy-resolved photon counting arrays (e.g., transition edge sensors, superconducting tunnel junctions). We describe the pipeline's current status, and the algorithms and techniques employed in taking data from the arrival of photons at the MKID array to the production of images, spectra, and time-resolved light curves.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Three-dimensional nanoscale characterisation of materials by atom probe tomography

The development of three-dimensional (3D), characterization techniques with high spatial and mass resolution is crucial for understanding and developing advanced materials for many engineering applications as well as for understanding natural materials. In recent decades, atom probe tomography (APT) which combines a point projection microscope and time-of-flight mass spectrometer has evolved to be an excellent characterization technique capable of providing 3D nanoscale characterization of materials with sub-nanometer scale spatial resolution, with equal sensitivity for all elements. This review discusses the current state as of beginning of the year 2016 of APT instrumentation, new developments in sample preparation methods, experimental procedures for different material classes, reconstruction of APT results, the current status of correlative microscopy, and application of APT for microstructural characterization in established scientific areas like structural materials as well as new applications in semiconducting nanowires, semiconductor devices, battery materials, catalyst materials, geological materials and biological materials. Finally, a brief perspective is given regarding the future of APT.

Atom Probe Tomography, characterization, microstru↗
DOE OSTI2017

A review on technological options of waste to energy for effective management of municipal solid waste

Highlights: • The current status, options and challenges of WTE techniques were analysed. • Incineration is the most widely used WTE technology in the developed countries. • Landfilling is the most common practice of MSWM in developing countries. • Approximately 50 million tonnes of methane is emitted annually from landfills. • WTE will ensure both the energy security and environmental protection. - Abstract: Approximately one-fourth population across the world rely on traditional fuels (kerosene, natural gas, biomass residue, firewood, coal, animal dung, etc.) for domestic use despite significant socioeconomic and technological development. Fossil fuel reserves are being exploited at a very fast rate to meet the increasing energy demands, so there is a need to find alternative sources of energy before all the fossil fuel reserves are depleted. Waste to energy (WTE) can be considered as a potential alternative source of energy, which is economically viable and environmentally sustainable. The present study reviewed the current global scenario of WTE technological options (incineration, pyrolysis, gasification, anaerobic digestion, and landfilling with gas recovery) for effective energy recovery and the challenges faced by developed and developing countries. This review will provide a framework for evaluating WTE technological options based on case studies of developed and developing countries. Unsanitary landfilling is the most commonly practiced waste disposal option in the developing countries. However, developed countries have realised the potential of WTE technologies for effective municipal solid waste management (MSWM). This review will help the policy makers and the implementing authorities involved in MSWM to understand the current status, challenges and barriers for effective management of municipal solid waste. This review concluded WTE as a potential renewable source of energy, which will partly meet the energy demand and ensure effective MSWM.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop - Phase 1 Status Report

This report documents the current status of the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) as of the end of FY2016. Currently, METL is in Phase I of its design and construction. Once operational, the METL facility will test small to intermediate-scale components and systems in order to develop advanced liquid metal technologies. Testing different components in METL is essential for the future of advanced fast reactors as it will provide invaluable performance data and reduce the risk of failures during plant operation.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Recent results from the Majorana Demonstrator

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is an experiment constructed to search for Neutrinoless double-beta decay in 76Ge and to demonstrate the feasibility to deploy a large-scale experiment in a phased and modular fashion. It consists of two modular arrays of natural and 76Ge-enriched germanium detectors totalling 44.1 kg, operating on the 4850’ level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. Data acquisition in the commissioning phase began in June 2015, followed by data acquisition with the full detector array in August 2016. The ultralow background and record energy resolution achieved by the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR enable a sensitive neutrinoless double-beta decay search, as well as additional searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. I will discuss the design elements that enable these searches, along with our latest results, focusing on the neutrinoless double-beta decay search. I will also discuss the current status and the future plans of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, as well as the plans for a future tonne-scale 76Ge experiment.

Myslik, Jordan W.↗