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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
NASA NTRS2003

Biomimetic, Self-Healing Nanocomposites for Aerospace Applications

This final report contains a summary of significant findings, and bibliographies of publications and patents resulting from the research. The findings are grouped as follows: A) Lustrin-Mimetic Self-Healing Polymer Networks; B) Nanostructure-Directing Catalysis of Synthesis of Electronically and Optoelectronically Active Metallo-oxanes and Organometallics; C) New Discovery that Molecular Stencils Control Directional Growth to Form Light-Weight Mineral Foams.

Morse, Daniel E.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Space Flight Middleware: Remote AMS over DTN for Delay-Tolerant Messaging

This paper describes a technique for implementing scalable, reliable, multi-source multipoint data distribution in space flight communications -- Delay-Tolerant Reliable Multicast (DTRM) -- that is fully supported by the "Remote AMS" (RAMS) protocol of the Asynchronous Message Service (AMS) proposed for standardization within the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS). The DTRM architecture enables applications to easily "publish" messages that will be reliably and efficiently delivered to an arbitrary number of "subscribing" applications residing anywhere in the space network, whether in the same subnet or in a subnet on a remote planet or vehicle separated by many light minutes of interplanetary space. The architecture comprises multiple levels of protocol, each included for a specific purpose and allocated specific responsibilities: "application AMS" traffic performs end-system data introduction and delivery subject to access control; underlying "remote AMS" directs this application traffic to populations of recipients at remote locations in a multicast distribution tree, enabling the architecture to scale up to large networks; further underlying Delay-Tolerant Networking (DTN) Bundle Protocol (BP) advances RAMS protocol data units through the distribution tree using delay-tolerant storeand- forward methods; and further underlying reliable "convergence-layer" protocols ensure successful data transfer over each segment of the end-to-end route. The result is scalable, reliable, delay-tolerant multi-source multicast that is largely self-configuring.

Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Roles of Hydrogen Bonds and Alignment in Oriented Attachment of Gibbsite Nanoparticles: Insights from Molecular Dynamics

Oriented attachment (OA) of nanoparticles is an important crystal growth pathway in the synthesis of hierarchical structures. Although a significant understanding of OA has been made, the effect of atomistic misalignment and the roles of solvent/particle and particle/particle interactions on the structure–energy relationship during an OA remain elusive. In this study, we perform molecular dynamics simulations to calculate the potential of mean force (PMF) profile for gibbsite particle translation on a gibbsite slab with 1 or 2 intervening water layers (1W or 2W). The structures of the gibbsite surfaces and the confined water are analyzed to determine how the number and type of hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) influence the free energy profile during the translation. The PMF profile exhibits a periodicity of length 5.078 Å, consistent with the gibbsite unit cell size along the translation direction. The changes in the surface–water and water–water hydrogen bond network and water and surface OH groups’ orientations during the translation are strongly coupled with the changes in the PMF profile in the 1W case. However, when increasing the number of intervening water layers from 1W to 2W, the particle/slab misalignment becomes a dominant factor controlling the behavior of the PMF profile. We also establish a method to quantify misalignment between the particle and the slab, which exhibits a strong correlation with the free energy for the 2W case. These results shed more light into the roles of particle/slab misalignment and hydrogen bond network in the OA of mineral particles in aqueous solution.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

A review of United States energy-only generator interconnection service policy and considerations for reform

Grid interconnection has emerged as a significant obstacle to the development of new electricity resources. There is growing interest in energy-only interconnection, which is an interconnection service option meant to allow the interconnection of new generators without ensuring their energy deliverability during all hours through the transmission system to customers. This approach potentially avoids upfront congestion-related transmission upgrades but could increase curtailment risk. Interest in energy-only interconnection is shaped by incomplete understanding of how interconnection policy functions in different jurisdictions, a knowledge gap that makes it difficult to determine how energy-only interconnection might be better used or re-designed. In this paper, we provide a regulatory review of energy-only interconnection in U.S. interconnection policy and practice, identifying jurisdictions in which rules are close to -or farther from-the theoretical concept of energy-only interconnection service. We find substantial jurisdictional differences in how energy-only interconnection is implemented, driven by differences in resource adequacy frameworks, real-time transmission operations, and state-level procurement practices. U.S. regulators have preferred local jurisdictional flexibility over federal prescription of interconnection study methods and procedures, which also contributes to differences among regions. Such findings raise fundamental questions about whether competition policies in electricity markets should extend beyond spot energy markets and into more prescriptive guidelines around interconnection rules and market entry. This paper sheds light on tensions that energy-only interconnection raises in allowing generators to access the transmission system on an as available basis and discusses how controlling thresholds for congestion-related network upgrades may be a barrier to electricity market entry.

Gorman, Will↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Generic FSC Wind Park EMT Model with IEEE Std 2800-Compliant Fault Ride-Through Capability

The modern power grid is seeing more and more electricity come from renewable sources like wind farms, which use sophisticated power electronics instead of traditional spinning generators. To keep everything running smoothly and meet industry standards such as IEEE 2800, these systems need smart control strategies. In our work, we built a flexible computer model of a full-scale wind farm converter that can handle grid disturbances without shutting down. When a fault or storm hits, the model’s built-in logic automatically adjusts the currents it sends to the grid and protects its internal energy storage, ensuring the wind farm stays connected and doesn’t damage its own equipment. Once the disturbance clears, the model restores normal operation seamlessly, so there’s no long interruption in power delivery. At the same time, it carefully regulates the voltage where the wind farm ties into the larger grid, helping to maintain safe voltage levels across the network. Our simulations show that this control setup not only meets all the requirements of IEEE Standard 2800 but also allows the wind farm to recover quickly and predictably, keeping the lights on no matter what happens on the grid.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Novel Method for Controlling Crud Deposition in Nuclear Reactors Using Optimization Algorithms and Deep Neural Network Based Surrogate Models

This work presents the use of a high-fidelity neural network surrogate model within a Modular Optimization Framework for treatment of crud deposition as a constraint within light-water reactor core loading pattern optimization. The neural network was utilized for the treatment of crud constraints within the context of an advanced genetic algorithm applied to the core design problem. This proof-of-concept study shows that loading pattern optimization aided by a neural network surrogate model can optimize the manner in which crud distributes within a nuclear reactor without impacting operational parameters such as enrichment or cycle length. Several analysis methods were investigated. Analysis found that the surrogate model and genetic algorithm successfully minimized the deviation from a uniform crud distribution against a population of solutions from a reference optimization in which the crud distribution was not optimized. Strong evidence is presented that shows boron deposition in crud can be optimized through the loading pattern. This proof-of-concept study shows that the methods employed provide a powerful tool for mitigating the effects of crud deposition in nuclear reactors.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Artificial Neural Networks for In-Cycle Prediction of Knock Events

Downsized turbocharged engines have been increasingly popular in modern light-duty vehicles due to their fuel efficiency benefits. However, high power density in such engines is achieved thanks to high in-cylinder pressure and temperature conditions that increase knock propensity. Next-cycle control has been studied as a method to reduce the damaging effects of knock by operating the engine in a low knock probability condition. This exploratory study looks at the feasibility of in-cycle knock prediction as a tool for advanced knock control algorithms. A methodology is proposed to 1) choose in-cycle features of the pressure trace that highly correlate with knock events and 2) train artificial neural networks to predict in-cycle knock events before knock onset. The methodology was validated at different operating conditions and different levels of generalization. Precision and recall were used as metrics to evaluate the binary classifier. However, the Fowlkes-Mallows (FM) index was used to compare the result of the clustering algorithm at different operating conditions. The results showed a maximum FM index of 0.7 when the prediction was done at knock onset and a minimum FM index of 0.45 when the prediction was done at spark timing.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Exploring Gradient-Based Multi-directional Controls in GANs

Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have been widely applied in modeling diverse image distributions. However, despite its impressive applications, the structure of the latent space in GANs largely remains as a black-box, leaving its controllable generation an open problem, especially when spurious correlations between different semantic attributes exist in the image distributions. To address this problem, previous methods typically learn linear directions or individual channels that control semantic attributes in the image space. However, they often suffer from imperfect disentanglement, or are unable to obtain multi-directional controls. Furthermore, in this work, in light of the above challenges, we propose a novel approach that discovers nonlinear controls, which enables multi-directional manipulation as well as effective disentanglement, based on gradient information in the learned GAN latent space. More specifically, we first learn interpolation directions by following the gradients from classification networks trained separately on the attributes, and then navigate the latent space by exclusively controlling channels activated for the target attribute in the learned directions. Empirically, with small training data, our approach is able to gain fine-grained controls over a diverse set of bi-directional and multi-directional attributes, and we showcase its ability to achieve disentanglement significantly better than state-of-the-art methods both qualitatively and quantitatively.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Light-powered CO 2 fixation in a chloroplast mimic with natural and synthetic parts

Nature integrates complex biosynthetic and energy-converting tasks within compartments such as chloroplasts and mitochondria. Chloroplasts convert light into chemical energy, driving carbon dioxide fixation. We used microfluidics to develop a chloroplast mimic by encapsulating and operating photosynthetic membranes in cell-sized droplets. These droplets can be energized by light to power enzymes or enzyme cascades and analyzed for their catalytic properties in multiplex and real time. We demonstrate how these microdroplets can be programmed and controlled by adjusting internal compositions and by using light as an external trigger. We showcase the capability of our platform by integrating the crotonyl–coenzyme A (CoA)/ethylmalonyl-CoA/hydroxybutyryl-CoA (CETCH) cycle, a synthetic network for carbon dioxide conversion, to create an artificial photosynthetic system that interfaces the natural and the synthetic biological worlds.

Miller, Tarryn E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Simulating A Massive, Mobile Structure

Simulator replicates, kinematically and dynamically, mating of large, massive mobile structure with similarly large and massive fixed structure. Developed for testing berthing-and-latching mechanism. Fixed section holds active berthing-and-latching mechanism and its motor control system with optical encoder to maintain synchronization among four latches in mechanism. Tripodal load-cell network gathers data on load history of berthing operation, and infrared tracking system including light-emitting diodes produces data for position history.

Fantasia, Peter M.↗
NASA NTRS2024

StarNAV: An Architecture for Autonomous Spacecraft Navigation by the Relativistic Perturbation of Starlight

Exploration missions to the outer Solar System (e.g., Neptune, Kuiper belt objects) or to the interstellar medium present several challenges for conventional spacecraft designs. One of the greatest challenges is a means for navigation, as Earth-based tracking with the Deep Space Network (DSN) becomes less desirable due to high cost, decreased performance at long ranges, and long light-time delays. Indeed, light time delays at Neptune are over four hours (one way), making control of spacecraft during critical events nearly impossible—and this problem only becomes worse as we move to the Kuiper belt or to interstellar space. The need for autonomous spacecraft navigation is well established and is prominently featured in the 2015 NASA Technology Roadmap (e.g., TA 5.4.2.6 & 5.4.2.8). This has led to investment in various technologies to accomplish this task, with the majority of recent work focusing on optical navigation (OPNAV; TA 5.4.4.1) [1], X-ray pulsar navigation (XNAV; TA 5.6.1) [2], or DSN one-way ranging with the Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC; TA 5.4.1.1) [3]. This NIAC study suggests a new (and completely different) way of autonomously navigating a spacecraft anywhere in the Solar System or beyond. We call this new technique StarNAV.

NIAC Phase I↗
DOE OSTI2026

Attention-based 3D – convolutional neural network model for mechanical property predictions using visible light images in metal additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM), while commonly used for rapid prototyping and creating components with complex geometries, has not been widely adopted for critical applications across the aerospace, automotive, defense, energy, and medical industries. This is, in part, due to the challenges of controlling flaws and uncertainty in the mechanical behavior of additively manufactured components. In recent years, there has been an increase in research aimed at predicting the final mechanical properties of additively manufactured components during the printing process. To address these issues, a 3D-CNN model was trained using low-cost in situ visible-light camera data, anomaly classifications, and the chosen process parameters to predict the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS), total elongation (TE), and uniform elongation (UE). The 3D-CNN layers of the model employed attention mechanisms to prioritize features in the data, thereby improving prediction accuracy. Furthermore, the effect of each process parameter and anomaly class is investigated using attention-based dynamic sigmoid weighted gates to interpret the influence each class has on the final prediction. Different combinations of the in situ data were fed into the 3D-CNN, with varying amounts of image layers, to determine the ideal combination for predicting mechanical properties in situ. Here, the 3D-CNN model achieved mean absolute percentage errors (MAPE) below 5% for both UTS and YS while using only a single camera input and under half of the available image layers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Field programmable spin arrays for scalable quantum repeaters

The large scale control over thousands of quantum emitters desired by quantum network technology is limited by the power consumption and cross-talk inherent in current microwave techniques. Here we propose a quantum repeater architecture based on densely-packed diamond color centers (CCs) in a programmable electrode array, with quantum gates driven by electric or strain fields. This ‘field programmable spin array’ (FPSA) enables high-speed spin control of individual CCs with low cross-talk and power dissipation. Integrated in a slow-light waveguide for efficient optical coupling, the FPSA serves as a quantum interface for optically-mediated entanglement. We evaluate the performance of the FPSA architecture in comparison to a routing-tree design and show an increased entanglement generation rate scaling into the thousand-qubit regime. Our results enable high fidelity control of dense quantum emitter arrays for scalable networking.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1990

The Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP): A tutorial (short version)

The Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP) is a reliable, light weight transfer layer protocol. Current transport layer protocols such as DoD's Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and ISO's Transport Protocol (TP) were not designed for the next generation of high speed, interconnected reliable networks such as fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) and the gigabit/second wide area networks. Unlike all previous transport layer protocols, XTP is being designed to be implemented in hardware as a VLSI chip set. By streamlining the protocol, combining the transport and network layers, and utilizing the increased speed and parallelization possible with a VLSI implementation, XTP will be able to provide the end-to-end data transmission rates demanded in the high speed networks without compromising reliability and functionality. This tutorial briefly describes the operation of the XTP protocol and in particular, its error, flow and rate control; inter-networking addressing mechanisms; and multicast support features, as defined in the XTP Protocol Definition Revision 3.4.

Sanders, Robert M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP): A tutorial (expanded version)

The Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP) is a reliable, real-time, light weight transfer layer protocol. Current transport layer protocols such as DoD's Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and ISO's Transport Protocol (TP) were not designed for the next generation of high speed, interconnected reliable networks such as fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) and the gigabit/second wide area networks. Unlike all previous transport layer protocols, XTP is being designed to be implemented in hardware as a VLSI chip set. By streamlining the protocol, combining the transport and network layers and utilizing the increased speed and parallelization possible with a VLSI implementation, XTP will be able to provide the end-to-end data transmission rates demanded in high speed networks without compromising reliability and functionality. This paper describes the operation of the XTP protocol and in particular, its error, flow and rate control; inter-networking addressing mechanisms; and multicast support features, as defined in the XTP Protocol Definition Revision 3.4.

Sanders, Robert M.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Information encoding in the spatial correlations of entangled twin beams

The ability to use the temporal and spatial degrees of freedom of quantum states of light to encode and transmit information is crucial for a robust and efficient quantum network. In particular, the potential offered by the large dimensionality of the spatial degree of freedom remains unfulfilled, as the necessary level of control required to encode information remains elusive. We encode information in the distribution of the spatial correlations of entangled twin beams by taking advantage of their dependence on the angular spectrum of the pump needed for four-wave mixing. We show that the encoded information can only be extracted through joint spatial measurements of the twin beams and not through individual beam measurements and that the temporal quantum correlations are not modified. The ability to engineer the spatial properties of twin beams will enable high-capacity quantum networks and quantum-enhanced spatially resolved sensing and imaging.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Innovations in Sensors and Controls for Building Energy Management: Research and Development Opportunities Report for Emerging Technologies

Sensors, actuators, and controllers, which collectively serve as the backbone of cyberphysical systems for building energy management, are one of the core technical areas of investment for achieving the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Office's (BTO's) goals for energy affordability in the national building stock - both commercial and residential. In fact, an aggregated annual energy savings of 29% is estimated in the commercial sector alone through the implementation of efficiency measures using current state-of-the-art sensors and controls to retune buildings by optimizing programmable settings based on occupant schedules and comfort requirements, as well as detecting and diagnosing equipment operation and installation problems (Fernandez et al. 2017). Monitoring and control of building conditions and operations has advanced significantly, from the invention of the modern thermostat just before the start of the 20th century to the midcentury incorporation of direct digital control into devices, the introduction of open protocols and network communications at the end of the century, and finally the invention of cloud-based computing and additional advancements that have enabled remote operation and a proliferation of connected and intelligent devices in building automation. Despite this potential, however, two main challenges hinder widespread adoption of sensors and controls in building operations that can ensure savings for high-efficiency components and equipment (e.g., heat pumps, windows, and lighting devices), as well as additional savings from more sophisticated control architectures and algorithms. energy savings of 29% is estimated in the commercial sector alone through the implementation of efficiency measures using current state-of-the-art sensors and controls to retune buildings by optimizing programmable settings based on occupant schedules and comfort requirements, as well as detecting and diagnosing equipment operation and installation problems (Fernandez et al. 2017). Monitoring and control of building conditions and operations has advanced significantly, from the invention of the modern thermostat just before the start of the 20th century to the midcentury incorporation of direct digital control into devices, the introduction of open protocols and network communications at the end of the century, and finally the invention of cloud-based computing and additional advancements that have enabled remote operation and a proliferation of connected and intelligent devices in building automation. Despite this potential, however, two main challenges hinder widespread adoption of sensors and controls in building operations that can ensure savings for high-efficiency components and equipment (e.g., heat pumps, windows, and lighting devices), as well as additional savings from more sophisticated control architectures and algorithms.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dynamic, hollow nanotubular networks with superadjustable pH-responsive and temperature resistant rheological characteristics

Recently, the interest in stimuli-responsive and adaptable materials has continuously grown in various fields and applications. For such responsive systems, different triggers, including pH, light, pressure, temperature, and electric field, have been utilized to control dynamics and assembly. Among these, pH is one of the most convenient, energy-efficient, and economic modalities. Besides, plenty of traditional materials have poor thermal and salt stability, limiting their applications. Herein, we report a new design of a pH-responsive viscoelastic supramolecular complex (VSC) based on commplexation of a new long-chain amino-amide and maleic acid. In this study, the system demonstrated a sol–gel-sol transition from pH 2 to 10, with the largest static viscosity occurring at pH 6 (~1000 Pa·s) and the smallest viscosity at pH 4 (~3.3 Pa·s), indicating ~ 300-fold control over the viscosity. For a given concentration, the static viscosity of VSC was about 15 times larger than that of CTAB/NaSal, a well-established dynamic viscoelastic system, and no pH-responsiveness was observed for the traditional system. In addition, the VSC demonstrated a superior temperature tolerance and lower temperature dependence. The potential of these intriguing dynamics viscoelastic systems was evaluated for hydraulic fracturing and enhanced oil recovery applications. Proppant settling velocity of DMAA/MA was 500 ~ 1000 times lower than that of CTAB/NaSal and common traditional polymers. Likewise, the oil recovery percentage could be significantly improved with the utilization of DMAA/MA compared to the CTAB/NaSal (86 % vs 52 %). Aside from applications in hydraulic fracturing and enhanced oil recovery, we anticipate that the intriguing rheological properties of this viscoelastic system can be beneficial for other chemical engineering applications including personal care products, cosmetics, lubricants, and biomedical gels.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗