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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 667 records · Page 37
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Electrolyte Design for Fast‐Charging Lithium‐Based Batteries

Fast charging is essential for the widespread adoption of lithium (Li)-ion batteries, but it is fundamentally limited by sluggish interfacial kinetics, Li plating, and electrolyte instability at high current densities. Over the past decade, electrolyte engineering has emerged as a key strategy to address these challenges. This review summarizes the development of fast-charging electrolytes over the past ten years and outlines a design framework. Electrolyte formulations are first deconstructed into their main components—solvents, salts, and functional additives—and representative strategies for tuning solvation structure and interphase chemistry are discussed to suppress Li plating and improve interfacial kinetics. The discussion then extends to advanced electrolyte systems, particularly localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs), and their compatibility with different anode chemistries. Advanced characterization techniques are also summarized and categorized based on destructiveness, spatial and temporal resolution, quantitative analysis, and the chemical species or processes probed across multiple length scales. Recent progress in AI-enabled electrolyte discovery and battery management system (BMS) strategies for optimized fast-charging protocols is further highlighted. Finally, perspectives are presented on translating electrolyte innovations from academic research to practical applications, with emphasis on cell format, realistic operating conditions, and manufacturability.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Rolling Optimization of Transmission Network Recovery and Load Restoration Considering Hybrid Wind-Storage System and Cold Load Pickup

A common solution to deal with the stochasticity introduced by fast-ramping wind power integration is to equip wind farms (WFs) with energy storage systems (ESSs) to formulate hybrid WF-ESSs. In addition to leveling off wind power fluctuations during normal operations, a hybrid WF-ESS can be a flexible power source to accumulate the power system restoration. In this paper, we propose a rolling optimization model for transmission network recovery and load restoration considering the contributions of WF-ESSs. The proposed model is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming problem that simultaneously optimizes the amount and location of restorable load blocks as well as the restoration lines. The cold load pickup features of interrupted loads considering the outage duration are modeled in detail. A chance-constrained method is employed to deal with the uncertainty of wind power, and a rolling horizon-based framework is adopted to reduce the influence of forecast error. Case studies are conducted on both New England 39-bus system and part of a provincial power system in China. The results show that the load restoration process can be significantly accelerated by employing the proposed method and contributions of hybrid WF-ESSs to power system restoration are validated.

chance-constrained optimization↗
DOE OSTI2017

New adaptive optics control strategy for petawatt-class laser chains

A new generation of ultra-high intensity femtosecond petawatt- and above-class lasers requires new approaches to wavefront corrections. New challenges for adaptive optics consist in overcoming the constraints of potentially bigger diameters, larger amplitude aberrations, faster optics, higher risk of damaging optical components and faster and easier maintenance. Here we present a new technology of a mechanical deformable mirror, which has a large stroke, high temporal stability, low hysteresis, no print-through effect, easy, safe and fast maintenance and an operating frequency up to 10 Hz. We propose the full correction of the final focal spot in the target chamber by a combination of a standard adaptive optics system, a simple focal plane camera and a phase retrieval correction process. We test the reliability of the correction system in terms of intensity variation and wavefront stability. We further verify correction robustness of the method on a large spectral bandwidth and finally perform a focal spot correction on a terawatt laser system in both low and high-power regimes. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1975

A new broadband square law detector

A broadband constant law detector was developed for precision power measurements, radio metric measurements, and other applications. It has a wide dynamic range and an accurate square law response. Other desirable characteristics, which are all included in a single compact unit, are: (1) high-level dc output with immunity to ground loop problems; (2) fast response times; (3) ability to insert known time constants; and (4) good thermal stability. The detector and its performance are described in detail. The detector can be operated in a programmable system with a ten-fold increase in accuracy. The use and performance of the detector in a noise-adding radiometer system is also discussed.

Reid, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Advanced 30/20 GHz multiple-beam antennas for communications satellites

Design concepts under development utilize two separate spacecraft antenna systems, one uplink at 30 GHz and the other a downlink at 20 GHz, where each antenna provides multiple fixed and scanning beams. Two contractors completed configuration trade-off studies and breadboarding of critical technology components, and are fabricating and testing proof-of-concept (POC) models to demonstrate the technology feasibility. Technology developments required for the proposed systems are presented, along with each contractor's progress to date. The technology development areas discussed include: (1) offset Cassegrain and shaped reflector systems for narrow beams with low sidelobes and wideangle off-axis scan; (2) diplexed beam-forming networks for dual polarization, low sidelobes, and fixed and scan-beam operation; (3) fast switching networks for scanning beams; and (4) fabrication of precision feed components and large offset reflectors.

Myhre, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Advanced 30/20 GHz multiple-beam antennas for communications satellites

Design concepts under development utilize two separate spacecraft antenna systems, one uplink at 30 GHz and the other a downlink at 20 GHz, where each antenna provides multiple fixed and scanning beams. Two contractors completed configuration trade-off studies and breadboarding of critical technology components, and are fabricating and testing proof-of-concept (POC) models to demonstrate the technology feasibility. Technology developments required for the proposed systems are presented, along with each contractor's progress to date. The technology development areas discussed include: (1) offset Cassegrain and shaped reflector systems for narrow beams with low sidelobes and wideangle off-axis scan; (2) diplexed beam-forming networks for dual polarization, low sidelobes, and fixed and scan-beam operation; (3) fast switching networks for scanning beams; and (4) fabrication of precision feed components and large offset reflectors.

Myhre, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Design of an expert-system flight status monitor

The present technology used to monitor systems in flight tests is not advanced enough for the modern avionics in high performance aircraft. Research is being conducted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility to design an expert system to monitor test flights. The expert system is to automatically detect any problems in the flight control system (FCS), interpret the problem from the information contained in its knowledge base, inform the systems engineer, and recommend solutions. The data is to be downlinked from the aircraft to the control room. The expert system will lessen the responsibilities of the engineers by providing them with fast, expert advice. Time is the most critical factor in flight testing and the expert system will be able to quickly recognize discrepancies and provide corrections. A demonstration of the expert system, not operating in real time, has already been tested.

Regenie, V. A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of the National Airspace System (NAS) Digital Twin Simulation Environment

The National Airspace System (NAS) Digital Twin is an environment for building and running diverse, realistic simulations of current or future airspace operations. The environment allows for many different types of simulations including both fast-time and real-time operating modes. Playback of historical or live NAS traffic can be combined with simulated aircraft to create a detailed, live, virtual, and constructive environment. These capabilities go together to create an environment that allows for development of concepts through the entire Technology Readiness Levels scale from initial concept to field evaluations. This extended abstract will discuss details of the software-foundations of the NAS Digital Twin environment. Then, several example simulations and analyses will be presented to illustrate the breadth and power of the tool.

airspace simulation, digital twin↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of the National Airspace System (NAS) Digital Twin Simulation Environment

The National Airspace System (NAS) Digital Twin is an environment for building and running diverse, realistic simulations of current or future airspace operations. The environment allows for many different types of simulations including both fast-time and real-time operating modes. Playback of historical or live NAS traffic can be combined with simulated aircraft to create a detailed, live, virtual, and constructive environment. These capabilities go together to create an environment that allows for development of concepts through the entire Technology Readiness Levels scale from initial concept to field evaluations. This extended abstract will discuss details of the software-foundations of the NAS Digital Twin environment. Then, several example simulations and analyses will be presented to illustrate the breadth and power of the tool.

airspace simulation↗
DOE OSTI2022

FedFleet 2022: Federal Automotive Statistical Tool - FY 2021 Fleet Trends and Data Quality

This presentation presents a brief overview of the collection of information about the US government's fleet of motor vehicles using the Federal Automotive Statistical Tool (FAST), discusses the makeup and operation of the vehicle fleet during FY 2021, discusses quality of the submitted data, and touches on future aspects of fleet data collection and reporting. FAST is a web-based information system sponsored by GSA's Office of Government-wide Policy and DOE's Federal Energy Management Program to collect information about the US federal government's fleet of motor vehicles; FAST is developed, maintained, and supported by DOE's Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Performance of supercritical CO{sub 2} Brayton cycle with additive gases at varying critical points for SFR application

The supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle (S-CO{sub 2} cycle) has received attention as alternative to the energy conversion system for a Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR). The high cycle efficiency of S-CO{sub 2} cycle is attributed to significantly reduced compressor work. This is because the compressor operates like a pump in the vicinity of CO{sub 2} critical point. To make use of this feature, the minimum cycle operating range of S-CO{sub 2} cycle, which is the main compressor inlet condition, should be located close to the critical point of CO{sub 2}. This translated into that the critical point of CO{sub 2} is the limitation of the lowest cycle condition of S-CO{sub 2} cycles. To increase the flexibility and broaden the applicability of the cycle, changing the critical point of CO{sub 2} by mixing additive gases could be adopted. An increase in the efficiency of the S-CO{sub 2} cycle could be achieved by decreasing critical point of CO{sub 2}. In addition, increasing critical point of CO{sub 2} could be utilized to obtain improved cycle performances at ascending heat sink temperature of hot arid areas. Due to the rapid fluctuations of thermo-physical properties of gas mixtures near the critical point, an in-house cycle analysis code coupled to NIST property database was developed. Several gases were selected as potential additives through the screening process for thermal stability and chemical interaction with sodium. By using the developed cycle code, optimized cycles of each gas mixture were compared with the reference case of S-CO{sub 2} cycle. For decreased critical temperatures, CO{sub 2}-Xe and CO{sub 2}-Kr showed an increase in the total cycle efficiency. At increasing critical temperatures, the performance of CO{sub 2}-H{sub 2}S and CO{sub 2}-cyclohexane is superior to S-CO{sub 2}cycle when the compressor inlet temperature is above the critical temperature of CO{sub 2}. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Low-Cost, Reconfigurable UWB Microwave Radar Front-End for Fine Resolution Nadir-Looking Measurements of Snow and Layered Media

This paper presents a reconfigurable, low-cost ultra-wideband microwave radar front-end and radar demonstrator designed for nadir-looking measurements of layered media (e.g. snow or vegetation) from either a fast-moving ground-based platform or a C-3 class unmanned aerial system (UAS). The radar demonstrator uses a frequency modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) architecture and can be configured to operate in either the 2-8 GHz or in the 12-18 GHz range, providing fine vertical resolution while offering a significantly reduced weight, size, and power consumption with respect to prior implementations. We have demonstrated the operation of the system in the 2-8 GHz and 12-18 GHz bands in the laboratory; in the 2-8 GHz band using a surface-based setup in Antarctica; and in the 2.6-7 GHz band on local flight tests onboard an Aurelia X6 Pro UAS equipped with 3-D printed antennas. This paper provides an overview of the radar front-end and demonstrator design and implementation and a summary of the different tests completed to document their performance.

UWB radar, UAS-borne radar, snow-probing radar.↗
DOE OSTI2025

An In Situ Feed Monitoring System for Molten Salt Reactors with Fast Neutron Energy Spectrum Molten Salt Reactor Applications

Molten salt reactors (MSRs) are one of the six promising advanced reactor technologies selected for further research and development by the Generation IV International Forum. More than twenty MSR designs are actively being developed around the world. Several of these designs are liquid-fueled and intended for operation within the fast neutron energy spectrum.1 National regulations will require liquid-fueled MSRs to control and account for nuclear material within licensed facilities. Additionally, states with comprehensive safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are obligated to declare nuclear material quantities within facilities. In return, the IAEA Department of Safeguards independently verifies these quantities and provides assurance that the nuclear material and facility are being used only for peaceful purposes. One key distinction of liquid-fueled MSRs compared with other types of reactors is that in portions of the facility, the nuclear material is in bulk form rather than discrete items. Traditional nuclear material accounting techniques such as physical item counting and verification of serial numbers on fresh fuel assemblies do not translate directly to all process streams within liquid-fueled reactors. Liquid-fueled MSRs are typically designed with low excess reactivity. This feature provides safety benefits but also means that most MSRs require the addition of makeup fuel salt while a reactor is operational. The nuclear material in the initial fuel salt and in any makeup fuel salt must be quantified. Additionally, distinct nuclear material diversion and reactor misuse scenarios form the basis of the detection methods and monitoring systems developed for liquid-fueled MSRs. For example, the IAEA provides assurance that fuel salt containing nuclear material is not being diverted from the system, that the feed salt matches the reported actinide concentrations and uranium enrichment, and that no additional fertile material is being introduced into the system. Measurement systems currently used for nuclear material control and accounting are not directly applicable to achieving MSR safeguards goals. This paper concerns a system being designed to account for the nuclear material added to liquid-fueled MSRs and monitor for diversion and misuse scenarios related to MSR feed systems.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Spatial calibration and synthetic diagnostic of a multi-energy hard x-ray camera at WEST tokamak

WEST (tungsten environment in steady-state tokamak) is starting operation for the first time with a water-cooled full tungsten divertor, enabling long pulse operation. Heating is provided by radiofrequency systems, including lower hybrid current drive (LHCD). In this context, a compact multi-energy hard x-ray camera has been installed for energy and space-resolved measurements of the electron temperature, the fast electron tail density produced by LHCD and runaway electrons, and the beam–target emission of tungsten at the target due to fast electron losses interacting with the divertor plates. The diagnostic is a pinhole camera based on a 2D pixel array detector (Pilatus 3 CdTe CMOS Hybrid-Pixel detector produced by DECTRIS). The novelty of this diagnostic technique is the detector’s capability of adjusting the threshold energy at pixel level. This innovation provides great flexibility in the energy configuration, allowing simultaneous space and energy-resolved x-ray measurements. This contribution details two important steps in the preparation of the diagnostic operation. First, the in-vessel spatial calibration that was carried out with a radioactive source. Second, the synthetic diagnostic is obtained by the suite of codes ALOHA/C3PO/LUKE/R5-X2, which simulates LH wave propagation and absorption, as well as the fast electron bremsstrahlung production.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Economics of Hybrid-Energy Systems and the Impact on Advanced Reactor Design and Operation

The economics of electricity production in the U.S. is changing with the introduction of recent federal regulations limiting carbon dioxide emissions in the electric power industry. This has already resulted in the closing of coal plants, plants which in the past to a degree served to balance production with daily variation in load. The resulting loss of electricity production is being made up with wind and solar renewables and gas-fired units, and with an increasing need for energy storage. It would appear that with the loss of the baseload component of the coal plants, the duty-cycle of the gas-fired units may necessarily increase, encroaching on the traditional nuclear plant domain with its inexpensive fuel. Gas plants are costly to operate on a continuous basis with relatively volatile fuel prices. It appears then that nuclear plants that are capable of flexible operation have the potential on an economic basis to displace gas-fired power units. For flexible operation with renewables advanced reactors have advantages over the current generation of pressurized water reactors (PWR) and the new small modular reactors (SMR). For PWRs and SMRs, pellet-cladding mechanical interaction, xenon poisoning, and thermal stress concentrations in structures place limits on the all-important response time for operation with renewables. These phenomena are, however, not as limiting for the liquid-metal fast reactor (LMR). This may permit greater power ramp rates than in a light water reactor which bestows an economic advantage in energy systems with renewables. An economic model is developed for studying electric grid options including plant mix and market rules for the case of a high renewable fraction. It returns the minimum cost solution from among a mix of plant types including nuclear, gas, and storage (i.e. hybrid energy systems) for a given fraction of electricity production by renewables. This model can be used to assess the economic advantage of nuclear plants over gas plants and advanced reactors over light water reactors in an electric grid with a high fraction of renewables. The model has an explicit treatment of plant dynamic effects, an important feature for analysis of hybrid energy systems with a renewables production component that is unpredictable and uncontrollable.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Scalable photonic integrated circuits for high-fidelity light control

Advances in laser technology have driven discoveries in atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics and emerging applications, from quantum computers with cold atoms or ions, to quantum networks with solid-state color centers. This progress is motivating the development of a new generation of optical control systems that can manipulate the light field with high fidelity at wavelengths relevant for AMO applications. These systems are characterized by criteria: (C1) operation at a design wavelength of choice in the visible (VIS) or near-infrared (IR) spectrum, (C2) a scalable platform that can support large channel counts, (C3) high-intensity modulation extinction and (C4) repeatability compatible with low gate errors, and (C5) fast switching times. Here, we provide a pathway to address these challenges by introducing an atom control architecture based on VIS-IR photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology. Based on a complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor fabrication process, this atom-control PIC (APIC) technology can meet system requirements (C1)–(C5). As a proof of concept, we demonstrate a 16-channel silicon-nitride-based APIC with (5.8±0.4)ns response times and >30dB extinction ratio at a wavelength of 780 nm.

Menssen, Adrian J.↗
DOE OSTI2017

KATANA – A charge-sensitive triggering system for the SπRIT experiment

KATANA - the Krakow Array for Triggering with Amplitude discrimiNAtion - has been built and used as a trigger and veto detector for the SπRIT TPC at RIKEN. Its construction allows operating in magnetic field and providing fast response for ionizing particles, giving an approximate forward multiplicity and charge information. Depending on this information, trigger and veto signals are generated. The article presents performance of the detector and details of its construction. A simple phenomenological parametrization of the number of emitted scintillation photons in plastic scintillator is proposed. The effect of the light output deterioration in the plastic scintillator due to the in-beam irradiation is discussed.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗