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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
DOE OSTI2016

Discrete Fracture Network Modeling and Simulation of Subsurface Transport for the Topopah Springs and Lava Flow Aquifers at Pahute Mesa, FY 15 Progress Report

This progress report for fiscal year 2015 (FY15) describes the development of discrete fracture network (DFN) models for Pahute Mesa. DFN models will be used to upscale parameters for simulations of subsurface flow and transport in fractured media in Pahute Mesa. The research focuses on modeling of groundwater flow and contaminant transport using DFNs generated according to fracture characteristics observed in the Topopah Spring Aquifer (TSA) and the Lava Flow Aquifer (LFA). This work will improve the representation of radionuclide transport processes in large-scale, regulatory-focused models with a view to reduce pessimistic bounding approximations and provide more realistic contaminant boundary calculations that can be used to describe the future extent of contaminated groundwater. Our goal is to refine a modeling approach that can translate parameters to larger-scale models that account for local-scale flow and transport processes, which tend to attenuate migration.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Status of Progress Made Toward Preliminary Design Concepts for the Inventory in Select Media for DOE-Managed HLW/SNF

As the title suggests, this report provides a summary of the status and progress for the Preliminary Design Concepts Work Package. Described herein are design concepts and thermal analysis for crystalline and salt host media. The report concludes that thermal management of defense waste, including the relatively small subset of high thermal output waste packages, is readily achievable. Another important conclusion pertains to engineering feasibility, and design concepts presented herein are based upon established and existing elements and/or designs. The multipack configuration options for the crystalline host media pose the greatest engineering challenges, as these designs involve large, heavy waste packages that pose specific challenges with respect to handling and emplacement. Defense-related Spent Nuclear Fuel (DSNF) presents issues for post-closure criticality control, and a key recommendation made herein relates to the need for special packaging design that includes neutron-absorbing material for the DSNF. Lastly, this report finds that the preliminary design options discussed are tenable for operational and post-closure safety, owing to the fact that these concepts have been derived from other published and well-studied repository designs.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

Progress report for DOE Award Number SC0008482, Colorado State University

In this project we proposed to study the real-time dynamics of driven superconducting vortices moving in a periodic potential, using the technique of high-bandwidth scanning Hall probe microscopy to understand the local spatial and temporal characteristics of vortex motion in periodic potentials. During the term of the project we made significant progress towards these goals, but the overall project goal was unfortunately not met. Nonetheless, certain intermediate goals were met, and we believe that even though the project has officially ended we will be able to finish the proposed experiments.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

2016 Annual Progress Report: DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program

The 2016 Annual Progress Report summarizes fiscal year 2016 activities and accomplishments by projects funded by the DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program. It covers the program areas of hydrogen production; hydrogen delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; manufacturing R&D; technology validation; safety, codes and standards; systems analysis; market transformation; and Small Business Innovation Research projects.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Progressive Damage Mechanisms in Thick 3D Composite Structures under Static and Fatigue Loading

The objective of this work is to demonstrate validation of predictive capabilities capturing both damage initiation and growth under static and fatigue loading in geometrically complex three-dimensional (3D) composite structures. The composite structure of interest in the present study resembles a 3D blade spar used in rotorcraft applications. Under both static and fatigue testing, it was shown that damage initiated at the same ply-drop location(s) and grew in the axial as well as hoop directions. CompDam – a state-of-the-art Progressive Damage Analysis (PDA) tool was used to achieve successful correlations of metrics including load-displacement responses and damage modes.

progressive damage analysis↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Progressive Damage Response of 3D Woven Composites via the Multiscale Recursive Micromechanics Solution with Tailored Fidelity

Progressive failure simulations have been performed for orthogonal 3D woven composites consisting of RTM6 resin matrix and AS4 carbon fibers. The Multiscale Recursive Micromechanics approach has been used, which, while being computationally efficient, captures the primary effects of the microstructure at each considered length scale. This approach also enables use of any micromechanics theory at any length scale, and herein, the fidelity of the chosen theories across the scales has been tailored to strike a balance with computational efficiency. The Mori-Tanaka method is employed at the lowest length scale, the Generalized Method of Cells is used at intermediate scales, and the High-Fidelity Generalized Method of Cells is used at the highest woven composite repeating unit cell scale. Furthermore, two different damage models, also with different levels of fidelity and efficiency, have been used for the resin material at the lowest length scale. Results for the mechanical behavior in response to loading in various directions are compared for the two damage models and with available test data.

3D woven↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Independent Reliability Assessment and Progress Review of the NASA GSFC Laser Transmitter for the LISA Program

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been actively developing the laser transmitter for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) program since the late 2017. In 2021 we delivered a prototype laser transmitter to the LISA program for performance evaluation as well as performed an independent technology assessment on the laser design supported by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC). We continued to further develop the LISA laser with a goal of advancing the technology readiness level (TRL) of the laser to 6 by the end of 2023. In this paper, we report on the progress we made on the laser development for the LISA program as well as the technology assessment findings by the NESC.

Independent Reliability Assessment↗
NASA NTRS2022

Multiscale Progressive Failure Analysis of 3D Woven Composites

Application of three-dimensional (3D) woven composites is growing as an alternative to the use of ply-based composite materials. However, the design, analysis, modeling, and optimization of these materials is more challenging due to their complex and inherently multiscale geometries. Herein, a multiscale modeling procedure, based on efficient, semi-analytical micromechanical theories rather than the traditional finite element approach, is presented and applied to a 3D woven carbon–epoxy composite. A crack-band progressive damage model was employed for the matrix constituent to capture the globally observed nonlinear response. Realistic microstructural dimensions and tow-fiber volume fractions were determined from detailed X-ray computed tomography (CT) and scanning electron microscopy data. Pre-existing binder-tow disbonds and weft-tow waviness, observed in X-ray CT scans of the composite, were also included in the model. The results were compared with experimental data for the in-plane tensile and shear behavior of the composite. The tensile predictions exhibited good correlations with the test data. While the model was able to capture the less brittle nature of the in-plane shear response, quantitative measures were underpredicted to some degree.

3D woven composites↗
NASA NTRS2023

Base Support Building and Kennedy Athletic, Recreation, and Social Park II, SWMU 014 and SWMU 118, PFAS Site Assessment Progress Report, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Site Assessment Progress Report (SAPR) presents the findings of the 2022 PFAS investigation conducted from February 2022 through June 2022 at the Base Support Building (previously known as the Maintenance and Operation Building), Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 014, and at the Kennedy Athletic, Recreation, and Social (KARS) Park II, (SWMU 118) located within Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. SWMUs 014 and 118 were investigated independently, however, the results of the investigations indicated a single PFAS groundwater plume covering both SWMUs, so the two sites are being reported together.

PFAS↗
DOE OSTI2011

FY2011 Annual Progress Report: Advanced Combustion Engine Research and Development (Book)

Annual Progress Report for the Advanced Combustion Engine Research and Development (R&D) subprogram supporting the mission of the Vehicle Technologies Program by removing the critical technical barriers to commercialization of advanced internal combustion engines (ICEs) for passenger and commercial vehicles that meet future federal emissions regulations.

combustion engine, ICE, emission control↗
DOE OSTI2012

FY2011 Annual Progress Report: Propulsion Materials

Annual Progress Report for Propulsion Materials focusing on enabling and innovative materials technologies that are critical in improving the efficiency of advanced engines by providing enabling materials support for combustion, hybrid, and power electronics development.

COMMERCIALIZATION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Dryland climate change: Recent progress and challenges: Dryland Climate Change

Drylands are home to more than 38% of the world's population and are one of the most sensitive areas to climate change and human activities. This review describes recent progress in dryland climate change research. Recent findings indicate that the long-term trend of the aridity index (AI) is mainly attributable to increased greenhouse gas emissions, while anthropogenic aerosols exert small effects but alter its attributions. Atmosphere-land interactions determine the intensity of regional response. The largest warming during the last 100 years was observed over drylands and accounted for more than half of the continental warming. The global pattern and interdecadal variability of aridity changes are modulated by oceanic oscillations. The different phases of those oceanic oscillations induce significant changes in land-sea and north-south thermal contrasts, which affect the intensity of the westerlies and planetary waves and the blocking frequency, thereby altering global changes in temperature and precipitation. During 1948–2008, the drylands in the Americas became wetter due to enhanced westerlies, whereas the drylands in the Eastern Hemisphere became drier because of the weakened East Asian summer monsoon. Drylands as defined by the AI have expanded over the last 60 years and are projected to expand in the 21st century. The largest expansion of drylands has occurred in semiarid regions since the early 1960s. Dryland expansion will lead to reduced carbon sequestration and enhanced regional warming. The increasing aridity, enhanced warming, and rapidly growing population will exacerbate the risk of land degradation and desertification in the near future in developing countries.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Recent Progress in Redox Flow Battery Research and Development

With the increase need to seamlessly integrate the renewable energy with the current grid which itself is evolving into a more intelligent, efficient, and capable electrical power system, it is envisioned that the energy storage system will play a more prominent role in bridging the gap between the current technology and a clean sustainable future in grid reliability and utilization. Redox flow battery technology is leading the way in this perspective in providing a well balanced approach for current challenges. Recent progress in the research and development of redox flow battery technology is reviewed here with a focus on new chemistries and systems.

Wang, Wei↗
DOE OSTI2018

Progress on the Critical Parameters for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries to be Practically Viable

Lithium–sulfur batteries have great potential to satisfy the increasing demand of energy storage systems for portable devices, electric vehicles, and grid storage because of their extremely high specific capacity, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness. In spite of all these merits, the practical utilization of lithium–sulfur batteries is impeded by commonly known challenges, such as low sulfur utilization (<80%), short life (<200 cycles), fast capacity fade, and severe self-discharge effect, which mainly result from the i) low conductivity of the active material, ii) serious polysulfide shuttling, iii) large volume changes, and iv) lithium–metal anode contamination/corrosion. Numerous approaches are reported to effectively mitigate these issues. Indeed, such approaches have shown enhanced lithium–sulfur battery performances. However, many reports overlook the critical parameters, including sulfur loading (<13 mg cm-2), sulfur content (<70 wt%), and electrolyte/sulfur ratio (>11 µL mg-1), that significantly affect the analyzed electrochemical characteristics, energy density, and practicality of lithium–sulfur batteries. This review highlights the trends and progress in making cells fulfilling these fabrication parameters and discuss the challenges of the amount of sulfur and electrolyte in fabricating cells with practically necessary parameters and with high electrochemical utilization and efficiency.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Progresses and Perspectives of All‐Iron Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries

Abstract Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are a promising option for long‐duration energy storage (LDES) due to their stability, scalability, and potential reversibility. However, solid‐state and non‐aqueous flow batteries have low safety and low conductivity, while aqueous systems using vanadium and zinc are expensive and have low power and energy densities, limiting their industrial application. An approach to lower capital cost and improve scalability is to utilize cheap Earth‐abundant metals such as iron (Fe). Nevertheless, all‐iron RFBs have many complications, involving voltage loss from ohmic resistance, side reactions such as hydrogen evolution, oxidation, and most significantly electrode plating, and dendrite growth. To address these issues, researchers have begun to examine the effects of various alterations to all‐iron RFBs, such as adding organic ligands to form Fe complexes and using a slurry electrode instead of common materials such as graphite or platinum rods. Overall, progress in improving aqueous all‐iron RFBs is at its infant stage, and new strategies must be introduced, such as the utilization of nanoparticles, which can limit dendrite growth while increasing storage capacity. This review provides an in‐depth overview of current research and offers perspectives on how to design the next generation of all‐iron aqueous RFBs.

Belongia, Shawn↗
DOE OSTI2024

Research Progress and Perspectives on Pre‐Sodiation Strategies for Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) with abundant elements have garnered significant attention from researches as a promise compensation to lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, the large‐scale commercial application of SIBs is partially hindered by the limited initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) due to the irreversible formation of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and intercalation into the defects in the anode. Similar to pre‐lithiation techniques, pre‐sodiation approaches are considered to be one of the most direct and effective way to compensate for the loss of active sodium at the anode side of SIBs during the initial cycle. In this context, additional sodium ions are pre‐injected to the cathode/anode material by chemical/electrochemical methods, aiming to improve battery span life and energy density. Here, this review delves into the necessity and impact of pre‐sodiation techniques, compiling the latest research progress, for instance, self‐sacrificing cathode additives, over‐sodiated cathode materials, direct contact and solution chemical pre‐sodiation. Notably, the research mechanisms underlying solution chemical pre‐sodiation are highlighted. This comprehensive overview aims to foster a deeper understanding of the pre‐sodiation techniques and expects to provide guidance for realizing the commercial application of high energy density sodium‐ion batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗