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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 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

Steady and Oscillatory, Subsonic and Supersonic, Aerodynamic Pressure and Generalized Forces for Complex Aircraft Configurations and Applications to Flutter

A general method for analyzing aerodynamic flows around complex configurations is presented. By applying the Green function method, a linear integral equation relating the unknown, small perturbation potential on the surface of the body, to the known downwash is obtained. The surfaces of the aircraft, wake and diaphragm (if necessary) are divided into small quadrilateral elements which are approximated with hyperboloidal surfaces. The potential and its normal derivative are assumed to be constant within each element. This yields a set of linear algebraic equations and the coefficients are evaluated analytically. By using Gaussian elimination method, equations are solved for the potentials at the centroids of elements. The pressure coefficient is evaluated by the finite different method; the lift and moment coefficients are evaluated by numerical integration. Numerical results are presented, and applications to flutter are also included.

Chen, L. T.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Computer analysis of effects of altering jet fuel properties on refinery costs and yields

This study was undertaken to evaluate the adequacy of future U.S. jet fuel supplies, the potential for large increases in the cost of jet fuel, and to what extent a relaxation in jet fuel properties would remedy these potential problems. The results of the study indicate that refiners should be able to meet jet fuel output requirements in all regions of the country within the current Jet A specifications during the 1990-2010 period. The results also indicate that it will be more difficult to meet Jet A specifications on the West Coast, because the feedstock quality is worse and the required jet fuel yield (jet fuel/crude refined) is higher than in the East. The results show that jet fuel production costs could be reduced by relaxing fuel properties. Potential cost savings in the East (PADDs I-IV) through property relaxation were found to be about 1.3 cents/liter (5 cents/gallon) in January 1, 1981 dollars between 1990 and 2010. However, the savings from property relaxation were all obtained within the range of current Jet A specifications, so there is no financial incentive to relax Jet A fuel specifications in the East. In the West (PADD V) the potential cost savings from lowering fuel quality were considerably greater than in the East. Cost savings from 2.7 to 3.7 cents/liter (10-14 cents/gallon) were found. In contrast to the East, on the West Coast a significant part of the savings was obtained through relaxation of the current Jet A fuel specifications.

Breton, T.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Ion diffusion coefficients in poly(3-alkylthiophenes) for energy conversion and biosensing: role of side-chain length and microstructure

Conductive polymers are promising materials as active elements for energy storage and conversion devices due to mixed ion–electron conduction. The ion diffusion coefficient is a relative measure of the efficacy of ion transport, allowing for comparison between materials and electrochemical conditions. In this work, diffusion coefficients of hexafluorophosphate (PF6–) counterions in poly(3-alkylthiophene) (P3AT) materials are measured as a function of both side-chain length and microstructure using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). For semi-crystalline films, the diffusion coefficient is found to be anomalous and nearly independent of applied electrochemical potential. Here, the anomalous behavior of diffusion indicates that spin casting yields compact films with an enthalpic barrier to ion transport, attributed to ionic trapping. Diffusion coefficient values ~10 –11 cm 2 s –1 were measured for all films, indicating interchain spacing, in the absence of strong intermolecular interactions with the electrolyte, is not a viable design strategy to control ion transport. For the prototypical system of poly(3-hexylthiophene), we observe almost no potential dependence in ion transport for regioregular and regiorandom films of comparable molecular weight, with both exhibiting anomalous diffusion. Alternatively, changing the microstructure of poly(3-hexylthiophene) to a mostly amorphous, ion-imprinted structure yields ~500× increase in the diffusion coefficient to ~2 × 10 –8 cm 2 s –1 at 0.8 V vs. Ag/Ag + with behavior closer to ordinary diffusion. Collectively, these results indicate new insight into ion transport in conductive polymers, where ionic trapping effects can be mitigated through electrodeposition protocols over post-synthesis processing (i.e. spin coating).

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The PIAA-Vortex Coronagraph: A New Coronagraph Technology to Maximize Exo-Earth Yields in the Astro2020 Era

Detecting and characterizing the atmospheres of terrestrial exoplanets is a main goal of the IR/O/UV flagship mission recommended by the Astro2020 Report. Achieving this goal depends critically on developing coronagraph technology that maximizes the potential number of terrestrial exoplanets we predict we can characterize, i.e. the exoEarth yield. Stringent constraints on low-order aberration sensitivity, inner working angle, and throughput as a function of telescope pupil complexity have been one of the main limiting factors affecting the yield of coronagraphs, and is a driving factor for telescope design considerations such as whether to use an off-axis or on-axis architecture. We present a hybrid PIAA-Vortex coronagraph concept that relaxes many of these constraints, and makes on-axis telescopes with centrally obstructed pupils a viable region of the design trade-space for the IR/O/UV flagship. Using the LUVOIR-A pupil as a baseline to design around, we present a coronagraph architecture with a small, ~2.5 lambda/D working angle that is insensitive to tip/tilt aberrations and stellar angular diameters on the order of 0.1 lambda/D. Pupil-plane apodization is achieved with PIAA-style mirror apodizations we obtain using a formalism we have developed to simultaneously optimize the contrast and low-order aberration sensitivity of coronagraphs designed for arbitrary telescope pupils and dark-hole geometries. By using PIAA to apodize in the pupil plane, the PIAA-Vortex coronagraph mitigates the trade-off between planet throughput, IWA, and aberration sensitivity, resulting in significantly higher yields for coronagraphs on obstructed pupils and new opportunities to maximize our ability to detect biomarkers in the Astro2020 era.

Kevin Fogarty↗
DOE OSTI2024

Strangeness-correlations on the pseudocritical line in ( 2 + 1 )-flavor QCD

We present some lattice QCD results on first ( χ 1 i ) and second ( χ 2 i ) cumulants of and correlations ( χ 11 i j ) among net baryon-number ( B ), strangeness ( S ) and electric charge ( Q ) along the pseudocritical line [ T p c ( μ B ) ] in the temperature ( T )–baryon chemical potential ( μ B ) phase diagram of ( 2 + 1 )-flavor QCD. We point out that violations of sum rules among second order cumulants, which hold in the isospin symmetric limit of vanishing electric charge chemical potential, are small along the T p c ( μ B ) for the entire range of μ B covered in the RHIC beam energy scan. For the strangeness neutral matter produced in heavy-ion collisions this leads to a close relation between χ 11 B S and χ 11 Q S . We compare lattice QCD results for χ 11 B S / χ 2 S along the T p c ( μ B ) line with preliminary experimental measurements of χ 11 B S / χ 2 S for collision energies 7.7 GeV ≤ s N N ≤ 62.4 GeV . While we find good agreements for s N N ≥ 39 GeV , differences are sizeable at smaller values of s N N . Moreover, we compare lattice QCD results for the ratio of the strangeness ( μ S ) to baryon ( μ B ) chemical potentials, which define a strangeness neutral system with fixed electric charge to baryon number density, with experimental results obtained by the STAR collaboration for μ S / μ B using strange baryon yields on the freeze-out line. Finally, we determine the baryon chemical potential at the freeze-out ( μ B f ) by comparing χ 1 B / χ 2 B along the T p c ( μ B ) with the experimentally measured net-proton cumulants χ 1 p / χ 2 p . We find that { μ B f , T p c ( μ B f ) } are consistent with the freeze-out parameters of the statistical-model fits to experimentally measured hadron yields for s N N ≥ 11.5 GeV . Published by the American Physical Society 2024

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1975

A theoretical method for the analysis and design of axisymmetric bodies

A theoretical method is presented for the computation of the flow field about an axisymmetric body operating in a viscous, incompressible fluid. A potential flow method was used to determine the inviscid flow field and to yield the boundary conditions for the boundary layer solutions. Boundary layer effects in the forces of displacement thickness and empirically modeled separation streamlines are accounted for in subsequent potential flow solutions. This procedure is repeated until the solutions converge. An empirical method was used to determine base drag allowing configuration drag to be computed.

Beatty, T. D.↗
DOE OSTI2020

An extended methodology for automated calculations of non-Boltzmann kinetic sequences: H + C 2 H 2 + X and combustion impact

It is generally assumed in phenomenological kinetic models that bimolecular reactions only occur between species whose rovibrational energy follows a Boltzmann (thermal) distribution. That is, any complexes initially formed in non-Boltzmann distributions are assumed to be thermalized by energy-transferring collisions prior to bimolecular reactions. Given the high mole fractions of reactive species, X, in combustion environments, reactive collisions of the complexes with X often occur on the same timescale as energy-transferring collisions – yielding sequences proceeding through non-Boltzmann intermediates across multiple potential energy surfaces. Recent studies have shown that such non-Boltzmann kinetic sequences can have substantial impact on the global reactivity in combustion systems. Simulations of these non-Boltzmann reaction sequences, which can be described in phenomenological kinetic models via chemically termolecular reactions, require that rovibrational excitation from one potential energy surface be carried over to the next. Here this paper presents an extended theoretical and computational methodology that couples multiple master equations and derives rate constants for phenomenological reactions describing the conversion of thermal reactants to thermal products for use in phenomenological kinetic schemes. The methodology is then implemented using in-house scripts for non-Boltzmann sequences involving C2H$^*_3$ + X (with X = O 2 , H, and OH) where C 2 H$^*_3$ is formed via H + C 2 H 2 association – which were identified as having strong potential for influencing combustion predictions in a recent study. The results reveal that non-Boltzmann reaction sequences for X = O 2 (the primary focus of this paper) significantly alters the total conversion rate from H + C 2 H 2 to products and product branching fractions from those of thermal sequential pathways. Furthermore, the present results demonstrate that non-Boltzmann reaction sequences have significant impact – as high as an order of magnitude – on predicted ignition delay times. Similarly, they yield significantly different dependence of ignition delay times with temperature and O 2 mole fraction – yielding signatures that are likely observable experimentally.

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

Heat stress on agricultural workers exacerbates crop impacts of climate change

Abstract The direct impacts of climate change on crop yields and human health are individually well-studied, but the interaction between the two have received little attention. Here we analyze the consequences of global warming for agricultural workers and the crops they cultivate using a global economic model (GTAP) with explicit treatment of the physiological impacts of heat stress on humans’ ability to work. Based on two metrics of heat stress and two labor functions, combined with a meta-analysis of crop yields, we provide an analysis of climate, impacts both on agricultural labor force, as well as on staple crop yields, thereby accounting for the interacting effect of climate change on both land and labor. Here we analyze the two sets of impacts on staple crops, while also expanding the labor impacts to highlight the potential importance on non-staple crops. We find, worldwide, labor and yield impacts within staple grains are equally important at +3 ∘ C warming, relative to the 1986–2005 baseline. Furthermore, the widely overlooked labor impacts are dominant in two of the most vulnerable regions: sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. In those regions, heat stress with 3 ∘ C global warming could reduce labor capacity in agriculture by 30%–50%, increasing food prices and requiring much higher levels of employment in the farm sector. The global welfare loss at this level of warming could reach $136 billion, with crop prices rising by 5%, relative to baseline.

de Lima, Cicero Z. (ORCID:0000000297005435)↗
NASA NTRS2019

Global Response Patterns of Major Rainfed Crops to Adaptation by Maintaining Current Growing Periods and Irrigation

Increasing temperature trends are expected to impact yields of major field crops by affecting various plant processes, such as phenology, growth, and evapotranspiration. However, future projections typically do not consider the effects of agronomic adaptation in farming practices. We use an ensemble of seven Global Gridded Crop Models to quantify the impacts and adaptation potential of field crops under increasing temperature up to 6 K, accounting for model uncertainty. We find that without adaptation, the dominant effect of temperature increase is to shorten the growing period and to reduce grain yields and production. We then test the potential of two agronomic measures to combat warming-induced yield reduction: (i) use of cultivars with adjusted phenology to regain the reference growing period duration and (ii) conversion of rainfed systems to irrigated ones in order to alleviate the negative temperature effects that are mediated by crop evapotranspiration. We find that cultivar adaptation can fully compensate global production losses up to 2 K of temperature increase, with larger potentials in continental and temperate regions. Irrigation could also compensate production losses, but its potential is highest in arid regions, where irrigation expansion would be constrained by water scarcity. Moreover, we discuss that irrigation is not a true adaptation measure but rather an intensification strategy, as it equally increases production under any temperature level. In the tropics, even when introducing both adapted cultivars and irrigation, crop production declines already at moderate warming, making adaptation particularly challenging in these areas.

Minoli, Sara↗
DOE OSTI2020

Irrigation, carbon amelioration, nitrogen, and stover removal effects on continuous corn

Corn (Zea mays L.) residue or stover is harvested as supplemental feed for livestock and is a potential feedstock for cellulosic biofuels. Limited information is available on corn stover removal effects on grain yield under different irrigation rates, nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates, and practices to maintain soil carbon (C) and minimize soil erosion. Here, we evaluated potential interactions between irrigation rate (full or limited), C amelioration practices (cover crop, surface-applied manure, or no amelioration practice), fertilizer N management (125 or 200 kg N ha –1 ), and stover removal (residue removal or no residue removal), on no-till continuous corn grain yield located on a silt loam soil in south-central Nebraska (2011–2018). Stover removal increased (P = .0017) grain yield by 1.02 Mg ha –1 and grain N uptake compared with no stover removal. Manure increased corn grain yield by 899 kg ha –1 compared to either the control or cover crop with stover removal while C amelioration practices did not affect grain yield under stover retention. Grain N concentration was higher (P < .0001) with stover removal (13.2 g kg –1 ) than residue retained (12.7 g kg –1 ). Partial factor productivity (grain yield/N rate) was highest for manure treatments with residue removal. The farmgate N balance (N applied – N removed) from stover removal was negative, yet grain yield was not affected after eight growing seasons. Grain yield increased with stover removal and manure application resulting in a cost-effective C amelioration practice whereas incorporating a winter cover crop resulted in similar grain yield as the control.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effect of digestate and digestate supplemented with biochar on switchgrass growth and chemical composition

Digestate, a by-product of anaerobic digestion, can be an excellent source of nutrients for bioenergy crop production, while biochar, resulting from pyrolyzing biomass, can valorize the nutrients of digestate. The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional value of digestate and digestate + biochar for switchgrass production. The greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the effects of a nitrogen (N) source including 0 N (control), urea (nutrient control), sewage sludge digestate, and sewage sludge digestate + corn stover biochar on switchgrass growth and feedstock composition. Nitrogen sources were observed to significantly increase plant weight at the 32-week harvest, with weight ranging from 94.2 to 125.2 g plant -1 , depending on the N source, compared to 70.7 g plant -1 from the negative control. Moreover, switchgrass treated with digestate + biochar showed higher plant weight than samples treated only with digestate. Nitrogen application of urea, digestate, and digestate + biochar had positive effects on plant height and total leaf area in the 32-week harvests and chlorophyll content in the 8-week harvests. Feedstock quality traits including hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin content were not affected by N sources in either the 8 or 32-week harvests with the exception of ash concentration in the 32-week harvests. Our results indicate that digestate and digestate + biochar can be a potential substitute for chemical fertilizer, resulting in increased biomass yield.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Highly efficient bifacial single-junction perovskite solar cells

Bifacial photovoltaics (PV) harvest solar irradiance from both their front and rear surfaces, boosting energy conversion efficiency to maximize their electrical power production. For single-junction perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the performance of bifacial configurations is still far behind that of their state-of-the-art monofacial counterparts. Here, in this paper, we report on highly efficient, bifacial, single-junction PSCs based on the p-i-n (or inverted) architecture. We used optical and electrical modeling to design a transparent conducting rear electrode for bifacial PSCs to enable optimized efficiency under a variety of albedo illumination conditions. The bifaciality of the PSCs was about 91%–93%. Under concurrent bifacial measurement conditions, we obtained equivalent, stabilized bifacial power output densities of 26.9, 28.5, and 30.1 mW/cm 2 under albedos of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5, respectively. We further showed that bifacial perovskite PV technology has the potential to outperform its monofacial counterparts with higher energy yields and lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE).

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Brockarchaeota, a novel archaeal phylum with unique and versatile carbon cycling pathways

Geothermal environments, such as hot springs and hydrothermal vents, are hotspots for carbon cycling and contain many poorly described microbial taxa. Here, we reconstructed 15 archaeal metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from terrestrial hot spring sediments in China and deep-sea hydrothermal vent sediments in Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California. Phylogenetic analyses of these MAGs indicate that they form a distinct group within the TACK superphylum, and thus we propose their classification as a new phylum, ‘Brockarchaeota’, named after Thomas Brock for his seminal research in hot springs. Based on the MAG sequence information, we infer that some Brockarchaeota are uniquely capable of mediating non-methanogenic anaerobic methylotrophy, via the tetrahydrofolate methyl branch of the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway and reductive glycine pathway. The hydrothermal vent genotypes appear to be obligate fermenters of plant-derived polysaccharides that rely mostly on substrate-level phosphorylation, as they seem to lack most respiratory complexes. In contrast, hot spring lineages have alternate pathways to increase their ATP yield, including anaerobic methylotrophy of methanol and trimethylamine, and potentially use geothermally derived mercury, arsenic, or hydrogen. Their broad distribution and their apparent anaerobic metabolic versatility indicate that Brockarchaeota may occupy previously overlooked roles in anaerobic carbon cycling.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Upcycling of polyethylene to gasoline through a self-supplied hydrogen strategy in a layered self-pillared zeolite

Conversion of plastic wastes to valuable carbon resources without using noble metal catalysts or external hydrogen remains a challenging task. Here we report a layered self-pillared zeolite that enables the conversion of polyethylene to gasoline with a remarkable selectivity of 99% and yields of >80% in 4 h at 240 °C. The liquid product is primarily composed of branched alkanes (selectivity of 72%), affording a high research octane number of 88.0 that is comparable to commercial gasoline (86.6). In situ inelastic neutron scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and isotope-labelling experiments reveal that the activation of polyethylene is promoted by the open framework tri-coordinated Al sites of the zeolite, followed by β-scission and isomerization on Brönsted acids sites, accompanied by hydride transfer over open framework tri-coordinated Al sites through a self-supplied hydrogen pathway to yield selectivity to branched alkanes. This study shows the potential of layered zeolite materials in enabling the upcycling of plastic wastes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

An energetics assessment of benzo[ a ]tetracene and benzo[ a ]pyrene as triplet–triplet annihilation emitters

Optical upconversion (UC) of low energy photons into high energy photons enables solar cells to harvest photons with energies below the band gap of the absorber, reducing the transmission loss. UC based on triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) in organic chromophores can upconvert photons from sunlight, albeit with low conversion efficiency. We utilize three energy-based criteria to assess the UC potential of TTA emitters in terms of the quantum yield (QY) and the anti-Stokes shift. The energy loss in the singlet pathway of an emitter encounter complex, where a high energy photon is emitted, determines whether a chromophore may undergo TTA. The energy loss in the triplet pathway, which is the main competing process, impacts the TTA QY. The energy difference between the lowest singlet and triplet excitation states in TTA emitters sets an upper bound for the anti-Stokes shift of TTA-UC. Using the energetic criteria evaluated by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations, we find that benzo[a]tetracene, benzo[a]pyrene, and their derivatives are promising TTA emitters. The energetics assessment and computer simulations could be used to efficiently discover and design more candidate high-performance TTA emitters.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Time scales for nonlinear processes in preheating after multifield inflation with nonminimal couplings

We have conducted extensive lattice simulations to study the postinflation dynamics of multifield models involving nonminimal couplings. In this work, we explore the parameter dependence of preheating in these models and describe the various time scales that control such nonlinear processes as energy transfer, rescattering, and the approach to radiation domination and thermalization. In the limit of large nonminimal couplings ($ξ_I$ ~ 100), we find that efficient transfer of energy from the inflaton condensate to radiative degrees of freedom, emergence of a radiation-dominated equation of state, and the onset of thermalization each consistently occur within $N_{\text{reh}} ≲ 3 e$-folds after the end of inflation, largely independent of the values of the other couplings in the models. The exception is the case of negative ellipticity, in which there is a misalignment between the dominant direction in field space along which the system evolves and the larger of the nonminimal couplings $ξ_I$. In those cases, the field-space-driven parametric resonance is effectively shut off. More generally, the competition between the scalar fields’ potential and the field-space manifold structure can yield interesting phenomena such as two-stage resonances. Across many regions of parameter space, we find efficient re-scattering between the distinct fields, leading to a partial memory loss of the shape of the initial fluctuation spectrum. Despite the explosive particle production, which can lead to a quick depletion of the background energy density, the nonlinear processes do not induce any superhorizon correlations after the end of inflation in these models, which keeps predictions for cosmic microwave background observables unaffected by the late-time amplification of isocurvature fluctuations. Hence the excellent agreement between primordial observables and recent observations is preserved for this class of models, even when we consider postinflation dynamics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Structural, electronic, and polarization properties of YN and LaN

ScN has attracted great attention for its electronic properties and its ability to enhance polarization of AlN; however, its sister compounds, YN and LaN, remain much less studied. Here, we use first-principles calculations to evaluate YN and LaN in their cubic and hexagonal phases. Rocksalt YN and LaN are semiconductors, although we show that LaN differs from ScN and YN in having a direct band gap, which we attribute to its weaker p-p coupling. Both have low electron effective masses. In addition to their rocksalt structures, we evaluate the layered hexagonal and wurtzite phases of YN and LaN. For YN, the wurtzite phase cannot be stabilized, and hexagonal YN is higher in energy than rocksalt YN. In contrast, for LaN, the wurtzite phase is favored, and it is comparable in energy to rocksalt LaN. Wurtzite LaN has a polarization of 0.608 C/m 2 (referenced to the centrosymmetric layered hexagonal phase), and a high piezoelectric coefficient e 33 = 1.78 C/m 2 . Interestingly, we find that the polarization of wurtzite LaN may be reversible; we find a relatively small switching barrier of 0.06 eV per formula unit, offering the potential for its use as a ferroelectric. Since wurtzite LaN is closely lattice matched to InP, we investigate a heterostructure between (0001) wurtzite LaN and (111) zinc-blende InP, and find the polarization discontinuity would yield a bound charge of 1.3 × 10 14 e/cm 2 , offering the potential for novel electronic applications such as tunnel junctions. Furthermore, our results compare and contrast ScN, YN, and LaN, and highlight the potential of these materials for adoption in electronic and ferroelectric devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗