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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Accelerating Transitions to Zero Carbon Power Systems

As power systems evolve, becoming increasingly renewable, distributed, dynamic, and digital, managing them becomes ever more challenging and complex. System operators serve as the "air traffic controllers" for electricity grids, working to balance supply and demand, manage evolving electricity markets, and ensure the safety and reliability of electricity systems. To adapt to the rapidly changing energy landscape and support the transition to modern, zero carbon power systems, system operators must develop and adopt new technologies, approaches, and frameworks. The Global Power System Transformation (G-PST) Consortium is a network of system operators, research institutions, and industry partners working to accelerate and scale the technical solutions required to transform our world's power systems. By developing and sharing robust models and tools, research and demonstration results, knowledge, and innovation, the G-PST Consortium is empowering system operators to transition to 100% renewable energy while ensuring the reliability, safety, and cost-effectiveness of grid operations.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY,POWER TRANSMI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Energy Transition: Challenges and Opportunities for the Oil & Gas Industry

The energy sector has been experiencing a massive but gradual shift in recent years toward renewable and low-carbon energy sources. The future of fossil fuels lies in the ability of the industry to adapt to the market, environment, and social trends within the energy transition framework. In this chapter, we review the challenges that the oil and gas industry will be facing in the coming years. We then explore opportunities and growth areas that this transition provides to the industry. This chapter focuses on three areas of digitization and modernization, developing innovative low-carbon fuels, and harnessing underground and offshore facilities and expertise.

blockchain technology↗
DOE OSTI2023

Attack Surface Analysis of the Digital Twins interface with Advanced Sensor and Instrumentation Interfaces: Cyber Threat Assessment and Attack Demonstration for Digital Twins in Advanced Reactor Architectures

A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical system or object using real-time data that can predict and analyze how the system or object performs. This relatively new technology can be applied to the field of nuclear power generation, to aid in the design and development of new nuclear power plants and reduce operation costs using predictive maintenance and other data analytical methods. While there are already companies utilizing simulation software to train operators and technicians in the nuclear industry, some are now transitioning to utilizing their existing technology, software, and methods to develop digital twin solutions for the next generation of nuclear power plants, offering their services to utilities and government organizations around the world.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Topology-driven compressive behavior of Inconel 718 lattice structures with Z-strut reinforcement fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

This study investigates the compressive deformation behavior and mechanical performance of Inconel 718 lattice structures fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Four unit-cell topologies—BCC, FCC, BCCZ, and FCCZ—were designed with a unit-cell size of 3 mm and fabricated under identical process conditions to isolate the effect of topology. Measured relative densities ranged from 14.65% to 17.72%. Compressive testing showed that Z-strut-reinforced topologies (BCCZ: 54.6 MPa; FCCZ: 80.2 MPa) exhibited higher strength than their unreinforced counterparts, which may be associated with mixed-mode deformation behavior enabled by the vertically aligned Z-struts. Finite element simulations and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) analysis support the observation of a transition from node-dominated deformation in BCC/FCC to mixed-mode deformation in BCCZ/FCCZ. These findings suggest that unit-cell topology is a key design variable for tailoring deformation mechanisms in LPBF lattice structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Computational analysis of interface-driven spin-orbit coupling in molecular adsorbates on transition metal dichalcogenides

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) lifts molecular orbital degeneracy, enabling bilevel electronic platforms suitable for next-generation digital devices. However, common light-atom molecular feedstocks exhibit weak SOC due to the absence of heavy elements. To enhance SOC without synthesizing new materials, we leverage interfacial interactions between molecules and transition-element-based solid-state materials. This computational study investigates SOC splitting in metal-phthalocyanine adsorbed on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) using density functional theory (DFT). The enhanced SOC splitting is attributed to strong orbital hybridization at the molecule-substrate interface. Specifically, Zn-phthalocyanine (ZnPC) on monolayer Mo⁢S 2 achieves a notable SOC splitting of ∼8 meV. Furthermore, when ZnPC forms self-assembled chains on Mo⁢S 2 , the splitting increases to ∼20 meV, driven by the formation of hybrid bands modulated by molecular periodicity. Furthermore, these findings highlight the role of interfacial and intermolecular interactions in inducing and enhancing SOC in surface-adsorbed molecules, providing a new strategy for molecular spintronic materials without complex synthetic efforts.

2-dimensional systems↗
DOE OSTI2024

Anomaly Detection and Mitigation for Dynamic Frequency Regulation in Hydropower-Battery Systems

Hydropower operators and energy storage providers are increasingly interested in participating in frequency regulation services, driven by the incentives offered by independent system operators, such as the PJM Interconnection. This transition, however, unfolds against the backdrop of a modernizing and rapidly digitizing power grid, exposing the integrated legacy infrastructure to a multitude of cybersecurity threats. This work presents an approach for developing an anomaly detection and mitigation system to address cybersecurity challenges during the participation of a hydropower-integrated battery energy storage system (BESS) in a frequency regulation market. The applied anomaly detector utilizes machine learning algorithms to provide detailed classification of cyber-physical events. Later, the applied mitigation system triggers predefined corrective actions to minimize the impact of data integrity attacks on the regulation market and system stability. We evaluated the proposed approach on a hydropower-integrated BESS topology, specifically analyzing the slow regulation signal (Reg A) coming from the PJM market. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach performs well in detecting data integrity attacks within the allocated time frame and also minimizes the system's transient instability during the participation of hydropower and BESS in the regulation market.

battery energy storage system↗
DOE OSTI2021

Transitioning to Dynamic Workflows at INL

We investigated the opportunity to transition from paper and PDF procedures to more interactive workflows. This transition has been considered because evidence shows that these more interactive digital workflows increase safety and efficiency, while making complex procedures easier for the user to follow and track. The culmination of the project is a report and presentation for the lab deputy director at the end of the fiscal year, in which our team will recommend a path forward based on the findings from literature, employee interviews, and other information gathering activities.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Anomaly Detection and Mitigation for Dynamic Frequency Regulation in Hydropower-Battery Systems: Preprint

Hydropower operators and energy storage providers are increasingly interested in participating in frequency regulation services, driven by the incentives offered by independent system operators, such as the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection (PJM), in a competitive electricity market. This transition, however, unfolds against the backdrop of a modernizing and rapidly digitizing power grid, exposing the integrated legacy infrastructure and vulnerable communication networks to a multitude of cybersecurity threats. These evolving threats not only endanger grid operations but also have the potential to trigger cascading disruptions across the broader grid network and influence regulation markets. This work presents an approach for developing an anomaly detection and mitigation system to address cybersecurity challenges during the participation of a hydropower-integrated battery energy storage system (BESS) in a frequency regulation market. The applied anomaly detector utilizes machine learning algorithms to provide detailed classification of cyber-physical events and provide a comprehensive situation awareness to grid operators. Later, the applied mitigation system triggers predefined corrective actions to minimize the impact of data integrity attacks on the regulation market and system stability. We evaluated the proposed approach on a fully active BESS topology using the slow regulation signal (Reg A) coming from the PJM market. Our simulation results reveal that the proposed approach performs well in detecting data integrity attacks within the allocated time frame and also minimizes the system's instability and economic loss during the participation of hydropower and BESS in the regulation market.

battery energy storage system↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mesoscopic-scale complexity in macroscopically-uniform plastic flow of an Al 0.3 CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy

The concept of a smooth and homogeneous plastic flow of solids is nowadays constantly challenged by various observations of the self-organization of crystal defects on mesoscopic scales pertaining, e.g., to acoustic emission or the evolution of the local strain field. Such investigations would be of particular interest for High-Entropy Alloys (HEAs) characterized by extremely complex microstructures. However, the complexity of their deformation has been only studied in relation to the jerky flow. The present work explores a mesoscale complexity of the macroscopically-smooth plastic flow of an Al 0.3 CoCrFeNi alloy. Here, an inclusive approach involving various experimental methods and complementary nonlinear analyses allowed to reveal transitions between distinct dynamical regimes, which may be assimilated with noises of different colors, in particular the blue noise that is rarely observed in complex systems, and various kinds of reddened behavior. Such findings provide significant new insights into the micro/macro transition in the deformation behavior of HEAs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

EDX ClaiMM: Digital Resources for the Critical Minerals and Materials Community

Securing critical mineral supply chains is essential for transitioning to a clean energy economy and for maintaining national security. Big-data analytics can serve as a cost-effective means of identifying new domestic critical mineral resources but only if data can be easily located and digested. Using ArcGIS Enterprise Sites, EDX ClaiMM was developed to increase the accessibility of critical minerals data, reducing time spent on data collection and integration. Hosted tools provide rapid visualization and exploration of key datasets, unlocking insights to support resource assessments.

Yesenchak, Rachel↗
DOE OSTI2021

Heterogeneous creep deformation behavior of functionally graded transition joints (GTJs)

Dissimilar metal welds (DMWs) made between ferritic steels and austenitic alloys are used extensively in high-temperature power plant components. These DMWs experience premature creep failure in the ferritic steel’s heat affected zone (HAZ), close to the weld interface. Steep variations in microstructure and chemical composition across the dissimilar weld interface have been the contributing factors for the failure. Graded transition joints (GTJs), developed by functionally grading the chemical composition in layers, have been proposed as potential candidates to replace DMWs. In this research, GTJ coupons were fabricated between 2.25Cr-1Mo steel and Alloy 800H base material using two filler materials: (i) Inconel 82 and (ii) P87. These samples were aged at 600°C for 2000h to accelerate high-temperature microstructural evolution seen in service conditions, before subjecting them to short-term (~1 month) creep tests. Surface strains were measured using digital image correlation (DIC) technique to extract creep strain rates at different locations within GTJs. Both the GTJs exhibited heterogeneous creep strain distribution. Creep strain accumulated in the FGHAZ of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel, similar to type IV failure associated with Cr-Mo steel weldments. Microstructure based creep model framework was developed to describe the discrete creep strain rates observed in various 2.25Cr-1Mo steel regions of GTJs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Digitalization in Electric Power Systems and Regulation: A Primer

This report defines grid digitalization, provides concrete examples, and assesses five elements of digital systems that have evolved over the past three decades relevant to the electric distribution system: (1) network interconnection, (2) interoperability, (3) modularity, (4) open source, and (5) automation. This report also discusses the benefits and challenges of digitalization and provides a set of actions regulators can take to support the transition and realize the benefits of the transition.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

EXTRACTING HUMAN RELIABILITY FINDINGS FROM HUMAN FACTORS STUDIES IN THE HUMAN SYSTEMS SIMULATION LABORATORY

Modernization of U.S. nuclear power plants (NPPs) is widespread, with most plants currently replacing and transitioning equipment, control systems, and human system interfaces (HSI)s from analog to digital displays. This conversion remedies the obsolescence of analog parts along with needs for increased intuitiveness of design, safety, and capabilities. The Human Factors and Reliability team at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) carried out twelve control room modernization studies in the newly designed Human Systems Simulation Laboratory (HSSL) over nine years. The HSSL was constructed as a testbed for evaluating human factors techniques and performance measures, HSI frameworks, and cutting-edge operational concepts in NPPs. Installing a full-scope training simulator enabled direct design and evaluation work on the same instrumentation and control (I&C) and HSIs located at U.S. plants. The subsequent addition of glass top bays afforded crews opportunities to implement operations via the simulator using full-scale representations of their home NPP. Additionally, functional HSI prototypes were created, providing an environment for operator-in-the-loop benchmark studies. The HSSL has assisted in upgrades of six commercial NPP control rooms and served as an invaluable proving ground for new NPP operations technology. Human reliability analysis (HRA) was not originally the focus of the studies; however, data relating to HRA such as type and frequency of human errors can be extracted from the studies. INL is currently extracting data from the HSSL study reports to apprise how information gathered from simulation, HSI, and other related studies can create a broad look across different data sources to help inform HRA methods.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cybersecurity and Digital Components: Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment

The report “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition” lays out the challenges and opportunities faced by the United States in the energy supply chain as well as the federal government plans to address these challenges and opportunities. It is accompanied by several issue-specific deep dive assessments, including this one, in response to Executive Order 14017 “America’s Supply Chains,” which directs the Secretary of Energy to submit a report on supply chains for the energy sector industrial base. The Executive Order is helping the federal government to build more secure and diverse U.S. supply chains, including energy supply chains. As the energy sector has become more globalized and increasingly complex, digitized, and even virtualized, its supply chain risk for digital components – the software, virtual platforms and services, and data – in energy systems has evolved and expanded. All digital components in U.S. energy sector systems are vulnerable and may be subject to cyber supply cha in risks stemming from a variety of threats, vulnerabilities, and impacts. This includes digital components in all systems within the ESIB, namely those systems operated by asset owners across different energy subsectors (e.g., electricity, oil and natural gas, and renewables) and the systems operated by a worldwide industrial complex with capabilities to perform research and development and design, produce, operate, and maintain energy sector systems, subsystems, components, or parts to meet U.S. energy requirements. Supply chain risks for digital components including software, virtual platforms and services, and data have grown in recent years as increasingly sophisticated cyber adversaries have targeted exploiting vulnerabilities in these digital assets. Supply chain risks for digital components in energy sector systems will continue to evolve and likely increase as these systems are increasingly interconnected, digitized, and remotely operated.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Properties of Nb x Ti (1–x) N thin films deposited on 300 mm silicon wafers for upscaling superconducting digital circuits

Scaling superconducting digital circuits requires fundamental changes in the current material set and fabrication process. The transition to 300 mm wafers and the implementation of advanced lithography are instrumental in facilitating mature CMOS processes, ensuring uniformity, and optimizing the yield. Here, this study explores the properties of Nb x Ti (1–x) N films fabricated by magnetron DC sputtering on 300 mm Si wafers. As a promising alternative to traditional Nb in device manufacturing, Nb x Ti (1–x) N offers numerous advantages, including enhanced stability and scalability to smaller dimensions, in both processing and design. As a ternary material, Nb x Ti (1–x) N allows engineering material parameters by changing deposition conditions. The engineered properties can be used to modulate device parameters through the stack and mitigate failure modes. We report characterization of Nb x Ti (1–x) N films at less than 2% thickness variability, 2.4% T c variability and 3% composition variability. Film resistivity (140–375 Ωcm) shows a strong correlation with the film oxygen content, while the critical temperature T c (4.6 K–14.1 K) is strongly affected by film stoichiometry and its microstructure has only a moderate effect on modifying T c . Our results offer insights about the interplay between film stoichiometry, film microstructure and critical temperature.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Large electromechanical strain and unconventional domain switching near phase convergence in a Pb-free ferroelectric

In many ferroelectrics, large electromechanical strains are observed near regions of composition- or temperature- driven phase coexistence. Phenomenologically, this is attributed to easy re-orientation of the polarization vector and/or phase transition, although their effects are highly convoluted and difficult to distinguish experimentally. Here, we used synchrotron X-ray scattering and digital image correlation to differentiate between the microscopic mechanisms leading to large electrostrains in an exemplary Pb-free piezoceramic Sn-doped barium calcium zirconate titanate. Large electrostrains of ~0.2% measured at room-temperature are attributed to an unconventional effect, wherein polarization switching is aided by a reversible phase transition near the tetragonal-orthorhombic phase boundary. Additionally, electrostrains of ~0.1% or more could be maintained from room temperature to 140°C due to a succession of different microscopic mechanisms. In situ X-ray diffraction elucidates that while 90° domain reorientation is pertinent below the Curie temperature ( T C ), isotropic distortion of polar clusters is the dominant mechanism above T C .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

NucD-24 Nuclear Diagnostics Development: Time resolved 12 C-rhoR on GCD and NIS technology development for polar LOS and data quality [Slides]

The Neutron Imaging team is readying for the NIS2 polar LOS development and future improvements to data quality on all LOS given consistently higher yields at NIF. Next-gen nano guide scintillators for NIS2 and CMOS cameras to replace outdated CCDs will be studied. Digital image plates will be tested for better data quality on passive imaging systems. The transition into the ignition regime is expected to show a significant signature in the ablator areal density. In the marginal ignition regime, a decrease of 12C-rhoR (ablator areal density) is expected but once the burn propagation produces a shock and compresses the ablator the trend reverses. GCD with the PD-PMT can resolve this effect in the ablator areal density by a temporal shift in the carbon signal. To give quantitative results a calibration of the detector for the Hohlraum/TMP signal is needed. Shots using Al, Si, and Au pucks will yield the needed information to move forward with this project.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Inverter Controls for Smooth Transition Operation of Networked Microgrids

Islanding sections of a distribution grid as microgrids and networking these microgrids offer promising opportunities for improving system reliability; however, this approach may need distributed energy resources (DERs) to switch between grid-connected and islanded operation without affecting the system stability. The Thevenin impedance of the power system at the DER point of common coupling changes due to networking actions. It is critical to have smooth transitions between modes to ensure stable system operation and to avoid nuisance tripping. This paper presents the design of a grid-forming (GFM)-capable inverter control scheme to reliably operate in distribution systems with networked microgrids. Control mechanisms for smooth transitions between grid-following (GFL) and GFM inverter modes are presented. First, we test the control mechanism on a simple two-source power system through electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulations using a digital real-time simulator. Then, we add multiple such DERs to the EMT model of a real-world distribution feeder and demonstrate stable operation between mode transitions during the networking of the microgrids.

grid forming controls↗