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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 OSTI2016

Assessment of potential greenhouse gas mitigation from changes to crop root mass and architecture

Reducing (and eventually reversing) the increase in greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere due to human activities, and thus reducing the extent and severity of anthropogenic climate change, is one of the great challenges facing humanity. While most of the man-caused increase in GHGs has been due to fossil fuel use, land use (including agriculture) currently accounts for about 25% of total GHG emissions and thus there is a need to include emission reductions from the land use sector as part of an effective climate change mitigation strategy. In addition, analyses included in the recent IPCC 5th Climate Change Assessment report suggests that it may not be possible to achieve large enough emissions reductions in the energy, transport and industrial sectors alone to stabilize GHG concentrations at a level commensurate with a less than 2°C global average temperature increase, without the help of a substantial CO 2 sink (i.e., atmospheric CO 2 removal) from the land use sector. One of the potential carbon sinks that could contribute to this goal is increasing C storage in soil organic matter on managed lands. This report details a preliminary scoping analysis, to assess the potential agricultural area in the US – where appropriate soil, climate and land use conditions exist – to determine the land area on which ‘improved root phenotype’ crops could be deployed and to evaluate the potential long-term soil C storage, given a set of ‘bounding scenarios’ of increased crop root input and/or rooting depth for major crop species (e.g., row crops (corn, sorghum, soybeans), small grains (wheat, barley, oats), and hay and pasture perennial forages). The enhanced root phenotype scenarios assumed 25, 50 and 100% increase in total root C inputs, in combination with five levels of modifying crop root distributions (i.e., no change and four scenarios with increasing downward shift in root distributions). We also analyzed impacts of greater root production on the soil-crop nitrogen balance, from the standpoint of increased need for additional N inputs and consequences for increased N 2 O flux, as well as potential impacts if more and deeper roots contributed to reduced N leaching. In the enhanced root phenotype scenarios, the implicit assumption was that increases in overall plant production could be achieved (e.g., through increased CO 2 assimilation, greater growth efficiency) without reducing the harvested yield – that is, we did not include potential leakage and land substitution effects from potential decreased crop yield in the analysis.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Technical Assessment of Using Biomass from Methyl-bromide Treated Fields in Solid Fuel Boilers

Approximately 2,500 tons of alfalfa hay in Idaho farm fields were impacted by excessive amount of bromide (Br) from field application of methyl bromide, which makes them unsuitable for animal feed. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) engaged the Biomass Feedstock National User Facility (BFNUF) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) with an objective to evaluate the feasibility of affected alfalfa as a boiler fuel to provide thermal heat. To this end, the following tasks were conducted and accomplished: (1) alfalfa characterization, both as received and processed; (2) environment, safety and health (ES&H) monitoring associated with alfalfa processing; (3) alfalfa processing and densification; (4) combustion analysis in a lab-scale boiler.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Collaborative Research: Quantifying Climate Feedbacks of the Terrestrial Biosphere under Thawing Permafrost Conditions in the Arctic

Our overall goal in this research was to quantify the potential for threshold changes in natural emission rates of trace gases, particularly methane and carbon dioxide, from pan-arctic terrestrial systems under the spectrum of anthropogenically-forced climate warming, and the conditions under which these emissions provide a strong feedback mechanism to global climate warming. This goal was motivated under the premise that polar amplification of global climate warming will induce widespread thaw and degradation of the permafrost, and would thus cause substantial changes to the landscape of wetlands and lakes, especially thermokarst (thaw) lakes, across the Arctic. Through a suite of numerical experiments that encapsulate the fundamental processes governing methane emissions and carbon exchanges – as well as their coupling to the global climate system - we tested the following hypothesis in the proposed research: There exists a climate warming threshold beyond which permafrost degradation becomes widespread and stimulates large increases in methane emissions (via thermokarst lakes and poorly-drained wetland areas upon thawing permafrost along with microbial metabolic responses to higher temperatures) and increases in carbon dioxide emissions from well-drained areas. Besides changes in biogeochemistry, this threshold will also influence global energy dynamics through effects on surface albedo, evapotranspiration and water vapor. These changes would outweigh any increased uptake of carbon (e.g. from peatlands and higher plant photosynthesis) and would result in a strong, positive feedback to global climate warming. In collaboration with our Purdue and MIT colleagues, we have attempted to quantify global climate warming effects on land-atmosphere interactions, land-river network interactions, permafrost degradation, vegetation shifts, and land use influence water, carbon, and nitrogen fluxes to and from terrestrial ecosystems in the pan-arctic along with their uncertainties. Based on our study results along with a review of observed and projected climate changes in Northern Eurasia by others, we have also outlined a more integrated modelling approach that may be developed and applied in future studies to better capture the influence of earth system feedbacks and human activities on the evolution of climate change effects over time. Specifically, we have examined: 1) how evapotranspiration and water availability have been changing in Northern Eurasia and may change in the future including the impact of forcing uncertainties (Liu et al., 2013, 2014, 2015); 2) how soil consumption of atmospheric methane across the globe have been influenced and may be influenced by climate change and nitrogen deposition during the 20th and 21st centuries (Zhuang et al., 2013); 3) how wetland inundation extent influences net CO2 and CH4 fluxes from northern high latitudes (Zhuang et al., 2015); 4) the relative effects of various environmental factors (including permafrost degradation) on terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) loading of river networks across the pan-Arctic and how they have changed over the 20th century (Kicklighter et al., 2013); 5) the impacts of recent and future permafrost thaw on land-atmosphere greenhouse gas exchange across the pan-Arctic (Gao et al., 2012, 2013; Hayes et al., 2014; Kicklighter et al. 2015a, 2018); 6) how climate-induced vegetation shifts may affect carbon fluxes and future land use in Northern Eurasia (Jiang et al., 2012, 2016; Kicklighter et al., 2014a) and the globe (Zhuang et al. 2015b); 7) the relative importance of legacies from past land use, future land-use change and climate change on projections of terrestrial carbon fluxes (Monier et al., 2015; Kicklighter et al., 2016); and 8) how the effects of earth system feedbacks and human activities can be better incorporated in assessments of climate change impacts (Monier et al., 2017; Groisman et al., 2018).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Light-Level Geolocation of the LANL Population of Western Bluebirds

Options for tracking and reconstructing animal movement are increasingly accessible due to rapidly decreasing costs, smaller sizes, and a proliferation of analytical inference techniques (Rutz and Hays, 2009; Wikelski et al., 2007). A wide variety of options exists for determining movement patterns of animals—from high-resolution pinpoint ARGOS satellite tags to time-consuming and logistically challenging radio telemetry. One option, light-level geolocation, offers small, affordable devices with long battery lives known as global location sensors (GLS), making them ideal for gathering preliminary migratory data. Geolocation works by inferring patterns of animal movement from light-level transitions between day and night (Hill and Braun, 2001). The recent advances in tracking technologies allow biologists to zoom in on migratory behavior, delineating heretofore-unidentified intraspecific migratory behavior (Delmore et al., 2012). The ubiquity of migratory divides (populations within a species that exhibit different migratory patterns) remains largely unknown, but their existence can lead to favorable demographic metrics (e.g., genetic diversity) in conservation contexts (Møller et al., 2011) and necessitate the development of population-specific conservation plans (Delmore et al., 2012). Delimiting the populations within a species that migrate and the extent of their migrations relative to individuals that remain resident across a species’ range has important evolutionary, ecological, and conservation implications. Within this context, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) biologists have leveraged the local Avian Nestbox Network (ANN; Fair and Myers, 2002) to evaluate the migratory behaviors of a common local bird species, the Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana).

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Impacts of Dual-Use Solar (Agrivoltaics) on Crop Productivity and the Agricultural Economy in Massachusetts and Beyond

This project contributes applied research to better understand the impacts of agrivoltaics on farm microclimates, crop productivity, and economics at the farm and sector level. The site trial research is divided into two sets of site trials integrated into commercial farm and agrivoltaic operations – one set on annual vegetable and hay crops and one on perennial cranberry bog operations. The economic research developed methods for recording and evaluating changes in farm operations and costs, and on the public perception of and willingness-to-accept agrivoltaics.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI1996

Nuclear Safety [Vol. 37, No. 3, July-September 1996]

Nuclear Safety is a journal that covers significant issues in the field of nuclear safety. Its primary scope is safety in the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning of nuclear power reactors worldwide and the research and analysis activities that promote this goal, but it also encompasses the safety aspects of the entire nuclear fuel cycle, including fuel fabrication, spent-fuel processing and handling, and nuclear waste disposal, the handling of fissionable materials and radioisotopes, and the environmental effects of all these activities. Table of Contents for this issue follows. GENERAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS 181 Attitudes and Practices Regarding Disposal of Liquid Nuclear Waste at Clinton Laboratories in the Very Early Years: A Historical Analysis, S. H. Stow; 202 Off-Site Nuclear Emergency Management in Germany Under the Auspices of the Federal Structure, A. Bayer, S. Bittner, and H. Korn; DESIGN FEATURES: 211 Twenty-Fourth DOE/NRC Nuclear Air-Cleaning and Treatment Conference, R. R. Bellamy, J. J. Hayes, R. D. Porco, and M. W. First; OPERATING EXPERIENCES: 222 Explosion in the Tomsk-7 Reprocessing Plant on April 6, 1993, M. L. Hyder, W. G. Lussie, and F. E. Witmer; 234 Reactor Shutdown Experience, Compiled by J. W. Cletcher; U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION INFORMATION AND ANALYSES: 237 Assessment of Spent Fuel Cooling, J. G. Ibarra, W. R. Jones, G. F. Lanik, H. L. Ornstein, and S. V. Pullani; RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: 256 Reports, Standards, and Safety Guides, D. S. Queener; 260 Proposed Rule Changes as of June 30, 1996; ANNOUNCEMENTS: 210 Tennessee Industries Week; 221 21st International Symposium on The Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management; 259 IAEA Programme of Scientific Meetings for 1997; 270 PSAM 4 (International Conference on Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management); 265 The Authors; 268 Errata.

05 NUCLEAR FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

National summary for agricultural crops and residues, 2041

This dataset contains national summary data on agricultural crop and residue production, which include agricultural crop, agricultural residue, herbaceous energy crop, and woody energy crop. Each tab in the Excel file contains information corresponding to a resource category, and within each tab, there is a structured table presenting resource production (in dry short ton) by offered price (in USD per dry short ton) across multiple scenarios (mature-market low, mature-market medium, and mature-market high). Consistent with the 2023 Billion-Ton report for agricultural resources, these scenarios represent potential production scenarios for 2041. List of the resources shown in this dataset: - Agricultural crop: Barley, Corn, Cotton, Grain sorghum, Hay, Oats, Rice, Soybeans, Wheat - Agricultural residue: Barley straw, Corn stover, Oats straw, Sorghum stubble, Wheat straw - Herbaceous energy crop: Biomass sorghum, Energy cane, Miscanthus, Switchgrass - Woody energy crop: Eucalyptus, Pine, Poplar, Willow

agricultural crop↗
DOE OSTI2026

Agricultural crop production by county - mature-market medium scenario

This dataset contains data on agricultural crop production by county from 2022 to 2041. The agricultural crop in this dataset includes barley, biomass sorghum, corn, cotton, energy cane, eucalyptus, grain sorghum, hay, miscanthus, oats, pine, poplar, rice, soybean, switchgrass, wheat, and willow. The dataset was obtained from the database of the BT23 (Davis et al., 2024) for the mature-market medium scenario with biomass market prices from $30 to $130 per dry ton.

agricultural crop↗
DOE OSTI2024

Agricultural crop and residue production by county - mature-market medium scenario at $70

This dataset contains data on agricultural crop and residue production by county from 2022 to 2041. The agricultural crop in this dataset includes barley, biomass sorghum, corn, cotton, energy cane, eucalyptus, grain sorghum, hay, miscanthus, oats, pine, poplar, rice, soybean, switchgrass, wheat, and willow, and the agricultural residue includes barley straw, corn stover, oats straw, sorghum stubble, and wheat straw. The dataset was obtained from the database of the BT23 (Davis et al., 2024) for the mature-market medium scenario with biomass market prices of up to $70 per dry ton.

agricultural production↗
DOE OSTI2025

Agricultural crop and residue production by county - near-term scenario

This dataset contains data on agricultural crop and residue production by county in 2030. The agricultural crops in this dataset include barley, corn, cotton, grain sorghum, hay, oats, rice, soybeans, and wheat. The agricultural residues include barley straw, corn stover, oats straw, sorghum stubble, and wheat straw. The dataset was obtained from the database of the BT23 (Davis et al.,2024) for the near-term scenario with biomass market prices of up to $70 per dry ton.

agricultural crop↗
DOE OSTI2020

In-Field Performance of Biomass Balers

Herbaceous biomass will contribute significantly to meeting renewable energy goals. Harvesting equipment for hay is generally suitable for mowing, raking, and baling grasses such as switchgrass; however, there is a need for field data to better understand machine performance in energy crops. The purpose of this study was to collect field data to estimate baler field capacity, throughput, and speed. Data gathered with a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) unit during baling provided time-motion studies of baler productivity. Six fields were used to compare field capacity, speed, and throughput results from four round balers and one large-square baler. The results show that in-field performance of round balers is significantly affected by yield, but that the relationship can be represented with machinery management concepts, knowledge of maximum throughput, and wrap-eject time. Baler performance will be overestimated if the yield, maximum throughput, and wrap-eject time are not correctly accounted for.

Grisso, Robert “Bobby” (ORCID:0000000267893558)↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Use of Gene Modification and Advanced Molecular Structure Analyses towards Improving Alfalfa Forage

Alfalfa is one of the most important legume forage crops in the world. In spite of its agronomic and nutritive advantages, alfalfa has some limitations in the usage of pasture forage and hay supplement. High rapid degradation of protein in alfalfa poses a risk of rumen bloat to ruminants which could cause huge economic losses for farmers. Coupled with the relatively high lignin content, which impedes the degradation of carbohydrate in rumen, alfalfa has unbalanced and asynchronous degradation ratio of nitrogen to carbohydrate (N/CHO) in rumen. Genetic engineering approaches have been used to manipulate the expression of genes involved in important metabolic pathways for the purpose of improving the nutritive value, forage yield, and the ability to resist abiotic stress. Such gene modification could bring molecular structural changes in alfalfa that are detectable by advanced structural analytical techniques. These structural analyses have been employed in assessing alfalfa forage characteristics, allowing for rapid, convenient and cost-effective analysis of alfalfa forage quality. In this article, we review two major obstacles facing alfalfa utilization, namely poor protein utilization and relatively high lignin content, and highlight genetic studies that were performed to overcome these drawbacks, as well as to introduce other improvements to alfalfa quality. We also review the use of advanced molecular structural analysis in the assessment of alfalfa forage for its potential usage in quality selection in alfalfa breeding.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1972

Application of ecological, geological and oceanographic ERTS-1 imagery to Delaware's coastal resources planning

The author has identified the following significant events. Coastal vegetation species appearing in the ERTS-1 image taken of the Southern Coast of Delaware, during orbit 333 on August 16, 1972, have been correlated with ground truth vegetation maps, and imagery obtained from high altitude RB-57 and U-2 overflights. The vegetation maps of the entire Delaware Coast were prepared using data collected on foot, in small boats, and from low altitude aircraft. Multispectral analysis of high altitude RB-57 and U-2 photographs indicated that five vegetation species could be clearly discriminated from 60,000 feet altitude, including: (1) salt marsh cord grass (Spartina alterniflora); (2) salt marsh hay and spike grass (Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata); (3) reed grass (Phragmites communis); (4) high tide bush and sea myrtle (Iva species and Baccharus halimifolia); and (5) a group of fresh water species found in impounded areas built to attract water fowl. Major Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens communities within the tidal marshes can be identified in the ERTS-1 imagery. Phragmites, and other species however, occur in smaller, more dispersed groupings and are difficult to discriminate within the resolution capability of the ERTS-1 scanner. Similarly, major impounded areas, built to attract water fowl can be detected; however, mosquito drainage ditches, covering many of Delaware's marshes, are too narrow and not long enough to be resolved by ERTS-1 sensors. High-marsh and dune communities dominated by high tide bush (Iva frutescens) and sea myrtle (Baccharus halimifolia) can be distinguished from adjacent maritime forest and beach grass communities.

Klemas, V.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Analytic expression for the energy-transfer rate from photoelectrons to thermal-electrons.

An analytic form is given for the energy-transfer rate from photoelectrons to thermal electrons. The expression fits the classical formulation of Itakawa and Aono (1966) at low energies and gives a smooth transition to fit the quantum mechanical equation of Schunk and Hays (1971) at higher energies. The corresponding loss function or stopping power has a form that is convenient in auroral and dayglow calculations.

Swartz, W. E.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Brazing of refractory, superalloy, and composite materials for Space Shuttle applications.

Research work concerning the metallic portion of the shuttle-orbiter heat shield (expected to experience temperatures up to 2500 F) is described. The five metals being evaluated are TD-Ni-Cr, Cb-C129Y, Cb752, Hayes 188, and Inconel 625. Brazing techniques whereby pairs of these materials are joined into thin-membered assemblies for heat shield applications are described. Results obtained with the vacuum-furnace brazing process are examined. In addition, the use of brazed aluminum-boron metal-matrix-contoured composite structures for heat shield applications is evaluated.

Beuyukian, C. S.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Application of automated multispectral analysis to Delaware's coastal vegetation mapping

There are no author-identified significant results in this report. Overlay maps of Delaware's wetlands have been prepared, showing the dominant species or group of species of vegetation present. Five such categories of vegetation were used indicating marshes dominated by: (1) salt marsh cord grass; (2) salt marsh hay and spike grass; (3) reed grass; (4) high tide bush and sea myrtle; and (5) a group of fresh water species found in impounded areas built to attract water fowl. Fifteen such maps cover Delaware's wetlands from the Pennsylvania to the Maryland borders. The mapping technique employed utilizes the General Electric multispectral data processing system. This system is a hybrid analog-digital system designed as an analysis tool to be used by an operator whose own judgment and knowledge of ground truth can be incorporated at any time into the analyzing process. The result is a high speed, cost effective method for producing enhanced photomaps showing a number of spectral classes, each enhanced spectral class being representative of a vegetative species or group of species.

Klemas, V.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Application of ecological, geological and oceanographic ERTS-1 imagery to Delaware's coastal resources planning

The author has identified the following significant results. Coastal vegetation species appearing in the ERTS-1 images taken of Delaware Bay have been correlated with ground truth vegetation maps and imagery obtained from high altitude overflights. Multispectral analysis of the high altitude photographs indicated that four major vegetation communities could be clearly discriminated from 60,000 feet altitude including: (1) salt marsh cord grass; (2) salt marsh hay and spike grass; (3) reed grass; and (4) high tide bush and sea myrtle. In addition, human impact can be detected in the form of fresh water impoundments built to attract water fowl, dredge-fill operations and other alterations of the coastal environment. Overlay maps matching the USGS topographic map size of 1:24,000 have been prepared showing the four wetland vegetation communities, fresh water impoundments, and alteration of wetlands by mosquito control ditching and dredge-fill operations. Using these maps, ERTS-1 images were examined by human interpreters and automated multispectral analyzers. Major plant communities of (1) Spartina alterniflora, (2) Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata, and (3) Iva frutescens and Baccharis halimifolia can be distinguished from each other and from surrounding uplands in ERTS-1 scanner bands 6 and 7.

Klemas, V.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Use of satellite imagery for wildland resource evaluation in the Great Basin

The author has identified the following significant results. Color composites and diazachrome transparencies of ERTS-1 imagery have greatly increased interpretation capabilities. Vegetation green-up and flooding due to late summer precipitation has been identified on such imagery. MSS imagery in all bands has not proven as valuable for similar determinations. Snow cover has been found to be valuable in the identification of fire scars, pinyon/juniper chainings, and subtle ecotones not previously identified with any other type of imagery. It is felt that a greater understanding of the effects of snow cover on vegetation remote sensing will enable investigators to extend capabilities relating to the mapping and identification of these resources. Highly reflective phreatophytic vegetation has been mapped and quantified using the MSS 5 and 7 bands and diazachrome color composites. Approximately 10 man-hours were required to complete the entire state. Native meadow and hay meadow vegetation has been mapped in Elko County, Nevada, using ERTS-1 imagery. Future plans include a statewide inventory of this resource.

Tueller, P. T.↗