Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “technical report”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4

Understanding spatial and temporal drivers of variation in tree hydraulic processes and their consequences for climate feedbacks (Final Technical Report)

This is the final technical report from the first phase of a project that changed institutions. The grant was titled “Understanding spatial and temporal drivers of variation in tree hydraulic processes and their consequences for climate feedbacks.” The overall objectives of this project were to (1) provide model‐compatible datasets of key plant hydraulic traits and status for model evaluation, parameterization and validation and (2) use these data to pinpoint ecosystem responses to a changing hydroclimate by addressing both long‐term climatic drying and episodic extreme droughts. We planned to address the objectives with three research activities to quantify plant responses to chronic water stress and episodic drought: (1) generate high frequency observations of soil and plant hydraulic data across different landscape positions at multiple sites, (2) quantify plant hydraulic trait plasticity in response to experimental soil moisture reduction in situ in two central hardwood forests, and (3) simulate the carbon consequences of incorporating plant hydrodynamics and plant acclimation to water stress in the DOE‐sponsored plant hydrodynamics model FATES‐HYDRO. As of the transfer of this project to another institution, we had made substantial progress on activities 1 and 2, and started activity 3.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Processes Associated with Boundary Layer Cloud Ice Phase Precipitation in the High Southern Latitudes (Final Technical Report)

This is a final technical report for DOE Award No. DE-SC0018995. Using data collected during the MARCUS deployment of the 2nd ARM mobile facility, this project sought to address the following scientific questions: 1. What are the conditions that govern phase partitioning in supercooled boundary layer clouds over the high latitude Southern Oceans? 2. To what extent are supercooled mixed phase clouds responsible for the high cloud fractions over the Southern Ocean and do these mixed phase clouds contribute to the model biases in absorbed shortwave radiation? 3. Can the cloud properties and phase partitioning over the Southern Ocean be linked to the underlying aerosol environment? 4. How do the aerosol properties at the surface vary spatially and seasonally over the high latitude Southern Ocean and what processes control these features? 5. How well defined are the atmospheric compositional boundaries between Southern Ocean marine, Antarctic free tropospheric, and Antarctic surface airmasses, and how does this influence the chemistry and physics of the Southern Ocean atmosphere? In this project we published three peer review journal articles that address these questions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Pathways to Improved Representation in Advanced Nuclear Science (PIRANS) (Final Technical Report)

This is the final technical report on Pathways to Improved Representation in Advanced Nuclear Science (PIRANS) DOE Award No. DE-SC0021954. This project was funded by the US DOE Office of Science (Office of Nuclear Physics) under its Research Traineeships to Broaden and Diversify Nuclear Physics initiative and started at Skyline College, San Bruno, California, in the Summer of 2021. Skyline College is a federally recognized Minority Serving Institution (MSI) and the only institutional member of nEXO that is a community college, creating a unique, accessible, and rigorous research hub to its students. Over the duration of the project, 13 student trainees were able to make significant contributions to nEXO detector R&D and to nEXO DEI initiatives. They had opportunities to present their work locally, as well as at national conferences, engage in public outreach, and contribute to various programs across campus, expanding the impact of the project to the wider college community.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Emergent Phenomena at Mott Interfaces – a Time- and Depth-Resolved Approach (Final Technical Report)

This is the final technical report for Award DE-SC0019297, Emergent Phenomena at Mott Interfaces – a Time- and Depth-Resolved Approach. This research program aimed to address the scientific questions related to the emergence and control of non-equilibrium electronic phases of matter in strongly correlated Mott oxides and their interfaces. We were focusing specifically on exploiting the interfaces in heterostructures and superlattices, containing Mott oxides CaMnO 3 and LaNiO 3 because in such systems, precise control of electronic and magnetic structure in the ground state can be achieved through dimensionality, heterostructuring, interface termination, and lattice strain. We utilized advanced x-ray spectroscopic and scattering techniques, to investigate these phenomena. Additionally, we used intense THz electric-field pulses generated by a femtosecond laser to directly modify the electronic structure and magnetic states of the ultrathin LaNiO 3 and CaMnO 3 layers in such heterostructures, with the objectives of disentangling, understanding, and harnessing control over the intricate competing interactions responsible for two-dimensional magnetism and metal-insulator transition at the interfaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) (Final Technical Report)

This is the final technical report for cooperative agreement DE-SC0000661, between the Department of Energy Office of Science and Michigan State University, for the design and establishment of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, its transition to operations and early operations, and the effort to plan and design the High Rigidity Spectrometer.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Carbon Capture Pilot at Vicksburg Containerboard Mill (Final Technical Report)

This is the final technical report for the DOE-OCED project DE-CD0000051. The report provides the progress at the close of the project. The objective of the project is to design and build a large pilot plant for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture from a pulp and paper (P&P) mill using RTI’s non-aqueous solvent (NAS) technology at a capacity of 120,000 t-CO 2 /year, with >90% CO 2 captured. The pilot plant will be used for testing and evaluating the NAS capture process using real flue gas from the P&P mill’s power boiler for a minimum of 1 year of parametric testing and a minimum of 2,000 hours of continuous long-term testing. The testing will provide data for process optimization and scale-up for the P&P industry, provide information on interaction of flue gas contaminants on solvent performance and degradation, and inform strategies for emission control. At the end of the project, the pilot plant will be managed by International Paper (IP), the host site owner, which will continue to capture CO 2 , sequester the captured CO 2 , and be eligible for the 45Q credit.

42 ENGINEERING↗

The Manufacture of Advanced Key Energy Infrastructure Technologies (MAKE IT) Prize (Final Technical Report)

This is a final technical report for the American-Made Manufacture of Advanced Key Energy Infrastructure Technologies (MAKE IT) Prize, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) in collaboration with the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) with support from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). The MAKE IT Prize aims to catalyze domestic manufacturing of critical energy technology components, moving manufacturing facilities from planning to shovel-ready and enabling strategies for vibrant manufacturing activities in communities. This prize was launched with a prize pool of approximately $30 million spread across two tracks: Facilities and Strategies.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Solutions for Lasting, Viable Energy Infrastructure Technologies (SOLVE IT) Prize Final Technical Report

This is a final technical report for the American-Made The Solutions for Lasting, Viable Energy Infrastructure Technologies (SOLVE IT) Prize, funded by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act through the Technology Commercialization Fund, administered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) in collaboration with the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) with support from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). The SOLVE IT Prize aimed to enable local organizations to identify and implement innovative energy solutions in a way that works for their unique needs and challenges. The competition awarded $3,740,000 to winning teams across two phases. The prize was designed to support local stakeholders and organizations as they identified and implemented innovative energy solutions. In doing so, the SOLVE IT Prize looked to promote the commercialization of promising energy technologies that will lead to reliable, affordable energy across the U.S.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Chemically Enabled CO 2 -Enhanced Oil Recovery in Multi-Porosity, Hydrothermally Altered Carbonates in the Southern Michigan Basin (Final Technical Report)

This is the Final Technical Report for the project "Chemically Enabled CO 2 -Enhanced Oil Recovery in Multi-Porosity, Hydrothermally Altered Carbonates in the Southern Michigan Basin." Over the course of six years of collaboration between Battelle and project partners, all stated objectives of the program have been completed, including full geological characterization of the TBR trend (See companion report for Task2), laboratory and modeling experiments to determine the optimum composition and design of CO 2 -EOR operations in the TBR trend, execution of a field test of chemically-enhanced CO 2 in a TBR well, and integration of the data and learnings gathered during these efforts into a full-trend development plan. Detailed reporting on these activities, their outcomes, and implications for trend-wide development is provided in the report. This report and encompassed data will provide TBR field operators with detailed information on what worked, what did not work, and how to proceed with production optimization of their TBR assets using chemically-enhanced CO 2 -EOR. CO 2 -EOR is a relatively well understood and broadly implemented strategy for increasing incremental production across the oil and gas industry, but its application has been primarily focused on reservoirs with limited heterogeneity. The intention of this project was show first that the same physical mechanisms that improve recovery factors in homogeneous reservoirs (namely wettability alteration, viscosity alteration, oil swelling, and mobility control) are at play in heterogeneous reservoirs. This was proven by the project’s laboratory studies and dynamic simulations, with the potential exception of mobility control, which needs further study. The second intention was to demonstrate via direct field testing that CO 2 -EOR can work in a strongly heterogeneous reservoir. While the field test strategy implemented during this project did not succeed in producing oil, data gathered during the test sheds light on what may work for field operators who try chemically-enhanced CO 2 -EOR within their own reservoirs, significantly reducing the level of uncertainty carried by first-of-a-kind commercial efforts that could (and should) follow this test. Simultaneously, the project has identified several large-volume ethanol plants and other sources of CO 2 emissions in the region and provided a handrail that CO 2 emitters and field operators can leverage to capture, transport, and inject that CO 2 into their fields. This project has also shown that, in many cases, the economics of CO 2 -EOR in the TBR are attractive. And finally, by completing a project of this scope in the southern Michigan Basin, the project has contributed to the knowledge base and operational experience of field operators, state regulatory agencies, local service companies, and state universities, with CO 2 -EOR projects which should allow follow-on projects to proceed safely and efficiently.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Real-time Measurements of Complex Transition Metal Oxide Nanostructure Growth (Final Technical Report)

This is the final technical report for a collaborative project between the Ross Lab at MIT and the Filler Lab at Georgia Tech. The project aimed to combine in situ microscopy and spectroscopy measurements to answer fundamental questions about the physics and chemistry governing the bottom-up vapor-solid-liquid (VLS) growth of one-dimensional (1-D) functional oxides. This work supported one PhD student and 1 postdoc. One paper has been published and 5 others are in preparation. To date, this work has been presented at 5 conferences.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Design and License Application Development for TRISO-X (Final Scientific Technical Report)

This is the final progress report submitted by X-energy, LLC (XE) to the Department of Energy in support of cooperative agreement DE-NE0008745. This report provides a high-level summary of the work performed during the entire period of performance, running from August 24, 2018 – August 22, 2022. This span of time covers the original 3-year award and a one year no-cost extension. There were five tasks within this project: (1) project management, (2) systems engineering and studies, (3) TRISO-X Facility design, (4) facility license application development, and (5) support to application review. Detailed reporting during execution of the project was provided by a total of 16 quarterly reports, voluntary monthly update presentations, and annual summary presentations. Technical work products include 103 X-energy technical reports, 38 subcontractor (Centrus technical reports), 75 Nuclear Criticality Safety Evaluations/Calculation reports, and 272 miscellaneous design documents (e.g., Engineering Service Orders, Engineering Component Specifications, Procedures, Guidelines/Policies, Design and Interface Requirements documents, and Drawings). All 29 of the X Energy milestones/deliverables were met early or on time and are archived in the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy’s Program Information Control System: Nuclear Energy under Fiscal Year 2018, Work Breakdown Structure F.OA – Industry FOA FY 2018 Awards, F.03 – X-Energy TRISO-X Project. All other work products are available to DOE upon request.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Xe-100 Pebble Bed Small Modular Reactor: Solving Critical Challenges to Enable the Xe-100 Pebble Bed Advanced Reactor Concept (ARC) (Final Scientific and Technical Report)

This is the final progress report for the Department of Energy (DOE) – X Energy, LLC cooperative agreement DENE0008472. This report provides a high-level summary of the work performed during the entire period of performance, running from July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2022. This span of time covers the original 5-year award and a one year no-cost extension. There were four tasks within this project: (1) project management, (2) reactor design furtherance, (3) fuel development, and (4) Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) engagement. Detailed reporting during execution of the project was provided by a total of 23 quarterly reports, 42 X-energy technical reports, and voluntary monthly update presentations. Other technical work products include 2 white papers and 2 Topical Report submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 15 Potential Inventions documented, 4 patents issued, 3 patents pending, 8 peer reviewed journal articles, and 2 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Technical Manuscripts. All the X Energy milestones/deliverables were met early or on time and are archived in the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy’s Program Information Control System: Nuclear Energy under Fiscal Year 2016, Work Breakdown Structure 2.07 – X-Energy. All other work products are available to DOE upon request.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Modeling of Particle Thermal Energy Reservoir for Solar Industrial Process Heat (Final Technical Report)

Industrial process heat is a leading source of carbon emissions in the United States. To achieve decarbonization goals and reduce costs, solar industrial process heat (SIPH) systems have been investigated as a means of providing a carbon-free heat supply. Particle thermal energy storage (TES) could supplement solar resources (i.e., concentrating solar thermal and photovoltaics) to enable a high capacity factor (> 90%), carbon-free heat source. Particle TES has been considered due to its low-cost storage medium and capability to support a wide range of temperatures. This report provides technical details of developing a component and system modeling tool for a unique particle TES platform to assist the adoption of SIPH technology.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Path Integral Monte Carlo Simulations of Iron Plasmas (Final Technical Report)

This documents is the final technical report for our grant entitled "Path Integral Monte Carlo Simulations of Iron Plasmas" that focused on developing path integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) computer simulations. This techniques will be developed to study plasmas composed of heavier elements including iron and other third row elements. Equations of state (EOS) and transport properties will be derived in the regime of warm dense matter (WDM) and dense plasmas where existing first-principles methods cannot be applied. While standard density functional theory (DFT) has been used to accurately predict the structure of many solids and liquids up to temperatures on the order of 100,000 K, this method is not applicable at much higher temperature because the number of partially occupied electronic orbitals reaches intractably large numbers or the use of finite-temperature free energy functionals in orbital-free DFT introduces an uncontrolled approximation. Here we focus on PIMC methods that become more and more efficient with increasing temperatures and still include all electronic correlation effects. In this approach, electronic excitations increase the efficiency rather than reduce it. While it had commonly been assumed this method could only be applied to elements without core electrons, we showed that PIMC with free-particle nodes works well for first-row elements (PRL 108 (2012) 115502). Most recently, we extended the applicability range of all-electron PIMC to second-row elements by adopting localized nodal surfaces (PRL 115 (2015) 176403). To simulate third-row elements efficiently under WDM conditions, we propose a new method to remove core electrons by introducing pseudo-nodes. We explain our approach step by step and present preliminary results. We focus our method development on getting PIMC simulations of iron to work because of its fundamental importance for WDM and astrophysics. Then we move on to krypton and copper-doped beryllium, a ICF ablator material. We plan to continue working on key second-row material such as Na, Mg, MgO, Al, silica, and silicon-doped plastic ablators. Our collaborators at LLNL, will use our PIMC EOS data both as comparisons to existing semi-empirical, EOS-generating schemes, and as input for continuum radiation hydrodynamics simulations. We will establish an efficient pipeline from PIMC to macroscopic continuum studies of materials response. An emphasis will be placed on benchmarking such methods for plasmas of heavy elements at the very high temperatures (~100 eV) and low densities that are generated when Hohlraum radiation heats the ablator material in indirect drive laser experiments. Results from changes to the EOS will be of immeasurable importance to the designers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and at other facilities. Starting with our EOS of Cu-doped Be, our second collaborator at LLE, will perform real-time simulations of laser fusion experiments at the Omega laser and at the NIF to determine how sensitive the compression path depends on the ablator EOS. Since our collaborator also has experience in performing orbital-free DFT calculations, we propose to compare predictions from this method with PIMC results. In joint publications, we plan to analyze the accuracy of different free-energy functionals in order to understand why existing orbital-free DFT calculations do not predict compression peaks along the shock Hugoniot curve that we see with PIMC. The peaks are caused by the ionization of various electron shells. Their accurate characterization is important to compare with experimental results. We will break new ground by developing PIMC techniques that can simulate iron and all other third row elements in the plasma and WDM regimes. We introduce the concept of pseudo-nodes for the efficient treatment of the core-electrons. The EOS and transport properties will be derived and published online in the form of a new WDM database. Our PIMC EOS calculations will benchmark and possibly replace semi-analytical EOS tables like QEOS or SESAME, which will impact the hydrocode simulation community and will affect the design of NIF targets. Our PIMC results will help to improve the accuracy of orbital-free DFT simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Chemo-Mechanically Driven In Situ Hierarchical Structure Formation in Mixed Conductors (Final Technical Report)

This document is the Final Technical Report for the Early Career project DE-SC0018963. Essential materials for energy technologies tend to exhibit “hierarchical” functions – they perform multiple, inter-related tasks at different locations, across disparate length and time scales. To best support this heterogeneous function, there is a fundamental need to understand and direct formation of corresponding tailored hierarchical architectures. In particular, a wide variety of applications, from energy conversion and storage to sensing and gas separation, rely on oxide mixed ionic and electronic conductors (MIECs). These critical ceramic materials catalyze reactions at their surfaces and selectively transport both ionic and electronic species in the bulk. Ideally, MIECs should adopt hierarchical structures with 1) high surface areas, 2) surface compositions exhibiting high catalytic activity, and 3) microstructural connectivity in the direction needed for fast mass and charge transport. In practice, however, MIECs.

08 HYDROGEN↗