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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 OSTI2018

The DISTINCTIVE University Consortium: Structural Integrity - 18272

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) sponsored DISTINCTIVE consortium (Decommissioning, Immobilisation and Storage Solutions for Nuclear Waste Inventories) is developing technologies for civil infrastructure repair, in-situ subsurface waste immobilisation, and groundwater protection during construction and decommissioning. The consortium has contributed to the development of skilled cross-disciplinary civil engineers and scientists, that have the knowledge and experience required to develop engineering solutions tailored for application within radiologically contaminated sites. The Structural Integrity Theme focuses on challenges ranging from site-scale infrastructure preservation and restoration, through injectable ground barriers for risk mitigation, to the remote characterisation and handling of individual waste packages. The main aim of the theme is to develop novel engineering solutions, tailored for use on radiologically contaminated sites, for: ground protection; infrastructure characterisation; concrete restoration and waste characterisation. Technologies should minimise current, and future, radiation exposure of the workforce whilst providing economically viable engineering solutions. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

A Workshop on the History of Plutonium Processing at Hanford Washington as the Foundation for Modern-day Plutonium Process Science

Numerous national laboratories in the United States have roots related to the Manhattan Project that contributed to the end of World War II. The pioneering science and engineering that took place over the decades that followed continues to influence modern-day actinide-related research at those institutions, leading to unique strengths and cutting-edge ideas and perspectives. These same national laboratories also face a challenge: figuring out how to capture the expertise of a retiring workforce who had first-hand experience in these pioneering nuclear efforts. Recently, at PNNL a “Train-the-Trainer” approach has been piloted where mentors and mentees are paired together to develop and deliver interactive workshops on historical topics that relate to modern-day research, such as Plutonium Processing or Environmental Management of Legacy Nuclear Waste. This approach was used to develop a workshop that beings with the Historic Hanford process plutonium chemistry and engineering, describes its influence on current plutonium separation and process science, and then details the chemistry of plutonium as it progresses from a minor constituent in irradiated fuel to purified solid product. This workshop is targeted to the practitioner of applied science and technology wishing to gain a better understanding of the history and process-related chemistry of element 94 so that they may better direct the tools of their specific craft toward the present and future needs of plutonium science.

Smith, Frances N.↗
DOE OSTI2022

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

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

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Call Center Arrivals: When to Jointly Forecast Multiple Streams?

We consider call centers that have multiple (potentially inter‐dependent) demand arrival streams. Workforce management of such labor intensive service systems starts with forecasting future arrival demand. We investigate the question of whether and when to jointly forecast future arrivals of the multiple streams. We first develop a general statistical model to simultaneously forecast multi‐stream arrival rates. The model takes into account three types of inter‐stream dependence. We then show with analytical and simulation studies how the forecasting benefits of the multi‐stream forecasting model vary by the type, direction, and strength of inter‐stream dependence. In particular, we find that it is beneficial to simultaneously forecast multi‐stream arrivals (instead of separately forecasting each stream), when there exists inter‐stream lag dependence among daily arrival rates. Empirical studies, using two real call center datasets further demonstrate our findings, and provide operational insights into how one chooses forecasting models for multi‐stream arrivals.

Ye, Han↗
NASA NTRS2005

Atmospheric/Space Environment Support Lessons Learned Regarding Aerospace Vehicle Design and Operations

In modern government and aerospace industry institutions the necessity of controlling current year costs often leads to high mobility in the technical workforce, "one-deep" technical capabilities, and minimal mentoring for young engineers. Thus, formal recording, use, and teaching of lessons learned are especially important in the maintenance and improvement of current knowledge and development of new technologies, regardless of the discipline area. Within the NASA Technical Standards Program Website http://standards.nasa.gov there is a menu item entitled "Lessons Learned/Best Practices". It contains links to a large number of engineering and technical disciplines related data sets that contain a wealth of lessons learned information based on past experiences. This paper has provided a small sample of lessons learned relative to the atmospheric and space environment. There are many more whose subsequent applications have improved our knowledge of the atmosphere and space environment, and the application of this knowledge to the engineering and operations for a variety of aerospace programs.

Vaughan, William W.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Building on 50 Years of Mission Operations Experience for a New Era of Space Exploration

The U.S. National Space Policy, I the 14-nation Global Exploration Strategy,2 and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) 2006 Strategic Plan3 provide foundational direction for far-ranging missions, from safely flying the Space Shuttle and completing construction of the International Space Station by 2010, to fielding a next generation space transportation system consisting of the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle!Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and the Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle!Altair Lunar Lander (fig. 1). Transportation beyond low-Earth orbit will open the frontier for a lunar outpost, where astronauts will harness in-situ resources while exploring this 4 billion-year-old archaeological site, which may hold answers to how the Earth and its satellite were formed. Ultimately, this experience will pave the way for the first human footprint on Mars. In October 2007, NASA" announced assignments for this lunar exploration work.4 The Marshall Space Flight Center is responsible for designing, developing, testing, and evaluating the Ares I and Ares V, which are Space Shuttle derived launch vehicles, along with a number of lunar tasks. The Marshall Center's Engineering Directorate provides the skilled workforce and unique manufacturing, testing, and operational infrastructure needed to deliver space transportation solutions that meet the requirements stated in the Constellation Architecture Requirements Document (CARD). While defining design reference missions to the Station and the Moon, the CARD includes goals that include reducing recurring and nonrecurring costs, while increasing safety and reliability. For this reason, future systems are being designed with operability considerations and lifecycle expenses as independent variables in engineering trade studies.

Onken, Jay F.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Remote Concurrent Engineering: A-Team Studies in the Virtual World

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL’s)Architecture Team (A-Team) has nearly a decade of experiencein maturing early formulation mission and technology conceptsby combining innovative collaborative engineering methodswith cutting-edge subject matter expertise and advancedanalysis tools in an in-person environment. When COVID-19forced JPL’s workforce to work remotely in March 2020, ATeamhad to quickly pivot from an in-person collaborativeenvironment to a remote working environment.Through introspection, careful planning, and considerablepractice, A-Team was able to develop new operating proceduresto effectively continue early formulation studies in a virtualenvironment. A-Team has held over 57 remote studies in the 10months since the start of mandatory telework at JPL in March2020. In the remote setting, A-Team conducts studies in half-daysessions with clients and subject matter experts (SMEs) viavideoconferencing, shared computer screens, and digitalcollaborative tools.The key lesson is that increased staffing and planning is neededto prepare and successfully run remote A-Team studies. RemoteA-Team studies require careful selection of the appropriatetools for security, accessibility, and usability within theNASA/JPL environment. Knowledge capture methods andtemplates need to be thought out and agreed upon in advance asthere is less room for improvising in a remote format. Variouscommunication channels have to be monitored to allow for teamcoordination while maintaining fruitful participant engagementduring a session. In addition, technical backup for all roleswithin the A-Team have to be identified to allow the study tocontinue even if a team member’s connectivity is temporarilyinterrupted. Finally, careful thought has to be put into methodsand processes to create a collaborative environment in a virtualspace such that a group of experts who are only connected viathe internet can experience the creative spark and flow of a greatcollaborative and innovative study.

Zusack, Steven↗
DOE OSTI2026

Floating Offshore Wind U.S. Manufacturing and Commercialization: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

The American-Made FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize provides the Participant with a voucher technical support provided by DOE national laboratories, such as the Contractor. The primary goals include providing insights for the INO/INOC floating offshore wind platform on 1) an evaluation the workforce requirements for the full-scale production and deployment; and 2) an assessment of domestic supplier capabilities for the main components US regional and national supply chain constraints and gaps.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2012

Social Semantics for an Effective Enterprise

An evolution of the Semantic Web, the Social Semantic Web (s2w), facilitates knowledge sharing with "useful information based on human contributions, which gets better as more people participate." The s2w reaches beyond the search box to move us from a collection of hyperlinked facts, to meaningful, real time context. When focused through the lens of Enterprise Search, the Social Semantic Web facilitates the fluid transition of meaningful business information from the source to the user. It is the confluence of human thought and computer processing structured with the iterative application of taxonomies, folksonomies, ontologies, and metadata schemas. The importance and nuances of human interaction are often deemphasized when focusing on automatic generation of semantic markup, which results in dissatisfied users and unrealized return on investment. Users consistently qualify the value of information sets through the act of selection, making them the de facto stakeholders of the Social Semantic Web. Employers are the ultimate beneficiaries of s2w utilization with a better informed, more decisive workforce; one not achieved with an IT miracle technology, but by improved human-computer interactions. Johnson Space Center Taxonomist Sarah Berndt and Mike Doane, principal owner of Term Management, LLC discuss the planning, development, and maintenance stages for components of a semantic system while emphasizing the necessity of a Social Semantic Web for the Enterprise. Identification of risks and variables associated with layering the successful implementation of a semantic system are also modeled.

Berndt, Sarah↗
NASA NTRS2009

Multi-Generational Knowledge Sharing for NASA Engineers

NASA, like many other organizations, is facing major challenges when it comes to its workforce. The average age of its personnel is 46, and 68 percent of its population is between 35 and 55. According to the U.S. Government Accounting Office, if the workforce continues aging, not enough engineers will have moved up the ranks and have the requisite skills to enable NASA to meet its vision for space exploration. In order to meet its goals of developing a new generation of spacecraft to support human spaceflight to the moon and Mars, the agency must engage and retain younger generations of workers and bridge the gaps between the four generations working today. Knowledge sharing among the generations is more critical than ever. This paper describes the strategies used to develop the NASA Engineering Network with the goal of engaging different generations.

Topousis, Daria E.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Need for research and training reactors for advanced reactor designs

Full text of publication follows. Research and training reactors have served a valuable role in helping train workforce for currently operating fleet of light water reactors. These research and training reactors have been used in reactor laboratory classes to familiarize the students with such vital concepts as approach to criticality, reactor period, neutron moderation, reactivity, flux distribution and leakage, etc. As the industry moves toward advanced non-light-water reactor designs, it is critical that research and training reactors be developed and deployed at university campuses to help train the new generation of nuclear and non-nuclear engineers who are likely to design, build, and operate these advanced reactors. Among the designs currently being pursued for nuclear power generation include molten salt, sodium cooled, and gas cooled designs, with options for various fuel forms. Thus, industry and DOE in collaboration with academic institutions should devise plans on how to familiarize the next generation of nuclear workforce with hands-on experience necessary for such designs. These research and training reactors will play a vital role in familiarizing the future workforce with hands-on experience with concepts associated with fast spectrum reactors, gas cooled reactors, and other features not associated with light water reactors. In addition to classical nuclear engineering concepts, these advanced research and training reactors can also be used for hands-on training as well as for research on features being considered in the design of GEN-IV reactors: cyber security for digital control room operations, hybrid energy system, hydrogen generation, district heating, autonomous control... (author)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Supply Chain Road Map for Offshore Wind Energy in the United States

"A Supply Chain Road Map for Offshore Wind Energy in the United States" identifies pathways to developing a domestic offshore wind supply chain that can manufacture and deploy the major components needed to set the United States on a pathway to installing 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 110 GW by 2050. The report estimates that this supply chain could require an investment of at least $\$$22.7 billion this decade to meet an annual demand for components, ports, and vessels in 2030. Although this is a considerable investment, it could allow the industry to install around $\$$100 billion worth of offshore wind this decade by reducing risk of delays due to global supply chain bottlenecks and creating a robust network of assets that will continue to be effective well beyond 2030. The United States would need at least 34 manufacturing facilities employing 10,000 workers, 39,000 jobs in the supporting supply chain, 10 marshaling ports, 4-6 dedicated wind turbine installation vessels, 4-6 dedicated heavy-lift vessels, and 4-8 U.S.-flagged specialized feeder barges to come online this decade to support an average annual deployment of 4-6 gigawatts offshore wind capacity per year. This supply chain could be developed in 6-9 years, but would require near-term decision making and efficient permitting and planning to strategically develop these resources by 2030. Additional investment and expansion would be required in the 2030s as the sector expands into new regions (such as the Gulf of Mexico) and new technologies (such as larger wind turbines and floating wind energy projects). Furthermore, the planning process needs to meaningfully engage with communities that will be impacted by supply chain expansion to achieve just outcomes and maximize benefits to these stakeholders, which will result in a more equitable and sustainable supply chain. While U.S. offshore wind has made significant progress in recent years, remaining supply chain challenges include uncertainty surrounding deployment and procurement timelines; a lack of port and vessel infrastructure; and limitations in the available workforce, supporting supplier networks, and energy justice best practices. However, many of these problems can be addressed through improved communication between key stakeholder groups, support from federal and state governments, and forward-thinking designs of supply chain assets to accommodate future technology changes for fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind. Although it is a significant task, developing these domestic capabilities represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to contribute to a decarbonized energy future and also create massive economic benefits that are distributed throughout the country.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Wide-Scale Clinical Implementation of Knowledge-Based Planning: An Investigation of Workforce Efficiency, Need for Post-automation Refinement, and Data-Driven Model Maintenance

Our purpose was to investigate the effect of automated knowledge-based planning (KBP) on real-world clinical workflow efficiency, assess whether manual refinement of KBP plans improves plan quality across multiple disease sites, and develop a data-driven method to periodically improve KBP automated planning routines.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Irvine Smart Grid Demonstration, a Regional Smart Grid Demonstration Project

ISGD was a comprehensive demonstration that spanned the electricity delivery system and extended into customer homes. The project used phasor measurement technology to enable substation-level situational awareness, and demonstrated SCE’s next-generation substation automation system. It extended beyond the substation to evaluate the latest generation of distribution automation technologies, including looped 12-kV distribution circuit topology using URCIs. The project team used DVVC capabilities to demonstrate CVR. In customer homes, the project evaluated HAN devices such as smart appliances, programmable communicating thermostats, and home energy management components. The homes were also equipped with energy storage, solar PV systems, and a number of energy efficiency measures (EEMs). The team used one block of homes to evaluate strategies and technologies for achieving ZNE. A home achieves ZNE when it produces at least as much renewable energy as the amount of energy it consumes annually. The project also assessed the impact of device-specific demand response (DR), as well as load management capabilities involving energy storage devices and plug-in electric vehicle charging equipment. In addition, the ISGD project sought to better understand the impact of ZNE homes on the electric grid. ISGD’s SENet enabled end-to-end interoperability between multiple vendors’ systems and devices, while also providing a level of cybersecurity that is essential to smart grid development and adoption across the nation. The ISGD project includes a series of sub-projects grouped into four logical technology domains: Smart Energy Customer Solutions, Next-Generation Distribution System, Interoperability and Cybersecurity, and Workforce of the Future. Section 2.3 provides a more detailed overview of these domains.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Artemis III and IV Crew Health and Performance System Model Development

To maintain Crew Health and Performance (CHP) during an Artemis mission, the NASA Human Research Program (HRP) and Exploration Medical Capabilities (ExMC) element recognize the challenge that many different vehicles, habitats, and operational groups must come together to develop and implement cross program capabilities. To address this challenge, the ExMC team created the prototype 2023 Artemis CHP System Model to analyze how human system requirements are implemented throughout an Artemis mission and help understand the effects of changing an individual vehicle or habitat requirement on a full mission. Since presenting this work at the 2024 HRP Investigators’ Workshop, ExMC has continued this effort, now called the Artemis III and IV CHP System Model, to better support its operational end users within the NASA Human Health and Performance Directorate (HHPD) workforce. In this presentation, we will recapitulate how visualizing requirements and their relationships using a Model-Based Systems Engineering approach (MBSE) serves to improve understanding of an Artemis mission’s CHP capabilities along with discussion on updates made to the model to increase accessibility for users within HHPD so that it may be used in the development of cross program CHP capabilities at NASA.

Crew Health and Performance↗
NASA NTRS2006

Space Shuttle Strategic Planning Status

The Space Shuttle Program is aggressively planning the Space Shuttle manifest for assembling the International Space Station and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. Implementing this flight manifest while concurrently transitioning to the Exploration architecture creates formidable challenges; the most notable of which is retaining critical skills within the Shuttle Program workforce. The Program must define a strategy that will allow safe and efficient fly-out of the Shuttle, while smoothly transitioning Shuttle assets (both human and facility) to support early flight demonstrations required in the development of NASA s Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and Crew and Cargo Launch Vehicles (CLV). The Program must accomplish all of this while maintaining the current level of resources. Therefore, it will be necessary to initiate major changes in operations and contracting. Overcoming these challenges will be essential for NASA to fly the Shuttle safely, accomplish the President s "Vision for Space Exploration," and ultimately meet the national goal of maintaining a robust space program. This paper will address the Space Shuttle Program s strategy and its current status in meeting these challenges.

Henderson, Edward M.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Space Shuttle Strategic Planning Status

The Space Shuttle Program is aggressively flying the Space Shuttle manifest for assembling the International Space Station and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. Completing this flight manifest while concurrently transitioning to the Exploration architecture creates formidable challenges; the most notable of which is retaining critical skills within the Shuttle Program workforce. The Program must define a strategy that will allow safe and efficient fly-out of the Shuttle, while smoothly transitioning Shuttle assets (both human and facility) to support early flight demonstrations required in the development of NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle (Orion) and Crew and Cargo Launch Vehicles (Ares I). The Program must accomplish all of this while maintaining the current level of resources. Therefore, it will be necessary to initiate major changes in operations and contracting. Overcoming these challenges will be essential for NASA to fly the Shuttle safely, accomplish the Vision for Space Exploration, and ultimately meet the national goal of maintaining a robust space program. This paper will address the Space Shuttle Program s strategy and its current status in meeting these challenges.

Norbraten, Gordon L.↗