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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 OSTI2022

Draft Methodology for Cybersecurity Analysis for Adoption of Wireless Technology in Nuclear Power Plants

The report is delivered as DOE-NE Cybersecurity Program Milestone M2CT-22IN1104014-Industry cybersecurity guidance adoption status. The milestone is specifically to document the process and the status of the efforts towards developing guidance in support of industry’s adoption of wireless communication technologies. To transform the operation of nuclear power plants, including domestic light-water reactors, advanced reactors, microreactors, and fission battery, for grid and non-grid applications, secure and resilient wireless capabilities are required. In addition, to realize new operational concepts such as autonomous operation and remote monitoring, advanced sensor, and instrumentation, wireless technology is essential. However, industry implementation is low, and there is no technical basis for how to understand and address potential risks for wireless communications for critical plant functions. A methodology with a technical basis for implementing secure wireless communication is crucial. This wireless adoption methodology is intended to assist a licensee in identifying an appropriate technological approach for securing wireless communications in nuclear power plant. However, this methodology does not provide guidance for addressing wireless design criteria or for addressing all the cybersecurity commitments in licensees’ cybersecurity plans (CSPs) including addressing security impact analysis that a licensee must perform before an update to a Critical Digital Asset (CDA). This methodology guides a licensee through a process of evaluating a proposed wireless implementation and drafting a plant change notification for an example use case. The example is a generic/nonproprietary version of the first test case of the methodology, which, if successfully implemented, is part of the consideration for protecting other functions’ use of wireless in a cybersecure manner.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Remote operation of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility

Abstract Full remote scientific operation of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility is now possible through significant advances in the computer science hardware and software infrastructure made over the last decade. Capabilities around information visualization, data movement, and communication have all been enhanced. The level of capability deployed to remotely operate DIII-D required an infrastructure advancement over what had previously been achieved in the fusion community. The large quantity of real-time data that is automatically displayed on DIII-D’s control room screens can now be visualized by remote participants via web-based applications. New audio/video solutions using the VoIP and instant messaging application Discord have been implemented to mimic the dynamic and ad-hoc scientific conversations that are critical in successfully operating an experimental campaign. Discord’s ability for a user to rapidly move between audio channels, text with images, and share screens is a significant enhancement over traditional videoconferencing tools. In addition, multiple combinations of broadcast audio are made available via a web-based application to allow remote participants to simultaneously listen to general announcements/sounds while conducting their own specific conversations. Secure methodologies have been put into place to allow remote control of hardware including DIII-D’s plasma control system application. Secure methods also included the ability of the on-site team to closely coordinate their work with remote team members which has been enhanced through extensions to the wireless network and the use of tablet computers for audio/video/screen sharing. However, no amount of software can fully replace the need for ‘hands on hardware.’ This infrastructure was severely stress tested during the COVID-19 pandemic where occupancy of the DIII-D control room was restricted. Operational efficiency during the pandemic, measured in discharges per hour, remained high (3.8 ± 0.8) compared to values obtained pre-pandemic (3.7 ± 0.8).

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Brushless Excitation for Wound-field Synchronous Machines using Multi-harmonic Windings

Wound-field synchronous machines (WFSM) are promising alternatives to electric machines with permanent magnets (PM). The ability to control the rotor field in these machines makes them well-suited to safety critical applications, while the absence of rare-earth permanent magnets makes these machines sustainable. The WFSM rotor excitation schemes have traditionally used carbon brushes, which significantly reduces the reliability of these machines, limiting their widespread adoption. To overcome this limitation and improve the reliability of WFSMs, several brushless rotor excitation schemes have been developed. However, most of these systems require additional windings or dedicated power electronics, making them expensive and limiting achievable power-density. In this paper a new brushless excitation scheme is proposed. In this scheme, a multiphase, multi-harmonic stator winding is designed. This winding can independently control two spatial harmonics in the airgap of the machine; the first to create torque and the second to wirelessly transfer power to the rotor to excite it.

Gadiyar, Nishanth [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000348267524)↗
DOE OSTI2021

WHISPER: Wireless Home Identification and Sensing Platform for Energy Reduction

Many regions of the world benefit from heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to provide productive, comfortable, and healthy indoor environments, which are enabled by automatic building controls. Due to climate change, population growth, and industrialization, HVAC use is globally on the rise. Unfortunately, these systems often operate in a continuous fashion without regard to actual human presence, leading to unnecessary energy consumption. As a result, the heating, ventilation, and cooling of unoccupied building spaces makes a substantial contribution to the harmful environmental impacts associated with carbon-based electric power generation, which is important to remedy. For our modern electric power system, transitioning to low-carbon renewable energy is facilitated by integration with distributed energy resources. Automatic engagement between the grid and consumers will be necessary to enable a clean yet stable electric grid, when integrating these variable and uncertain renewable energy sources. We present the WHISPER (Wireless Home Identification and Sensing Platform for Energy Reduction) system to address the energy and power demand triggered by human presence in homes. The presented system includes a maintenance-free and privacy-preserving human occupancy detection system wherein a local wireless network of battery-free environmental, acoustic energy, and image sensors are deployed to monitor homes, record empirical data for a range of monitored modalities, and transmit it to a base station. Several machine learning algorithms are implemented at the base station to infer human presence based on the received data, harnessing a hierarchical sensor fusion algorithm. Results from the prototype system demonstrate an accuracy in human presence detection in excess of 95%; ongoing commercialization efforts suggest approximately 99% accuracy. Using machine learning, WHISPER enables various applications based on its binary occupancy prediction, allowing situation-specific controls targeted at both personalized smart home and electric grid modernization opportunities.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ultra: Underwater Laser Telecommunications & Remote Access (Final Report)

High speed wireless communication has proven elusive in subsea environments due to the inherent bandwidth limitations of acoustics and range limitations of other transmission modalities. A truly connected subsea system necessitates a high-speed, resilient architecture that can enable the integration of new sensor technologies and edge analytics and allow closed-loop monitoring and control of subsea operations for integrity monitoring and optimization. Like terrestrial Internet of Things applications, the realization of this “digital subsea” vision requires the application of high speed, point-to-point wireless technologies to complement rather than replace “hard-wired” communications such as optical fiber or acoustic systems. This work addresses the development of ULTRA (Underwater LASER Telemetry and Remote Access), an ultra-long range underwater laser communications system for use in critical points of the subsea communications architecture to increase reliability, operational flexibility, and reduce communication system maintenance associated with physical subsea connections.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2024

Co-existence of Heterogeneous Wireless Networks in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Spectrum

To achieve automation across different applications, next-generation nuclear power plants are beginning to leverage advanced wireless technologies. The deployment of these wireless technologies is a salient need for modernizing the existing nuclear plants. A “one-size-fits-all” solution cannot be adopted since wireless technologies are selected according to specific application needs, quality of service, and economic restrictions. To balance the trade-off between technical and economic requirements, a multi-band heterogeneous wireless network architecture is needed. However, the co-existence of these multi-band wireless technologies poses numerous challenges. Due to factors including dissimilarity in channel access mechanisms, transmit power levels, distance between nodes, and interference among co-existing solutions, performance can be seriously degraded, leading to very low signal-to-noise ratio. This report builds on our previous study, "Experimental Evaluation of Interference in 2.4 GHz Wireless Network," which analyzed the performance of wireless communication technologies such as Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Bluetooth co-existing within the 2.4 GHz band. We now extend this study by developing a new upper-layer approach that uses rate control to create temporary opportunities for signal transmission while using the shared band. Unlike existing work in the literature, our approach does not require modifications at the link or physical layers of the network. Further, we extend our work to explore the co-existence of Wi-Fi and fifth-generation (5G) in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum, using both experiments and simulations. This report provides a technical foundation for understanding the operational designs of Wi-Fi and 5G in the unlicensed band and evaluates their performance when these networks co-exist. Our findings show that the performance of 5G can be improved by controlling the Wi-Fi’s packet rate at the upper layer.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

A High-Voltage High-Reliability Scalable Architecture for Electric Vehicle Power Electronics (Final Report)

This project developed and demonstrated new composite converter technologies that lead to high power density (> 20 kW/L) at power levels of 10s of kW, 100s of kW, or possibly higher, with fundamental advances in converter efficiency and Q that lead to substantial increases in mean time to failure (MTTF). These advantages were realized through development of new composite converter topologies that perform buck, boost, or other conversion functions and that are scalable to higher voltage and power levels through sharing of voltage and current stresses among multiple dissimilar partial-power converter modules. The project led to experimental demonstration of a125 kW multifunction electric vehicle power conversion system having in-creased dc bus voltage (950 V nominal, 1200 V peak) that interfaces a 200 V to 400 V battery pack, and that includes integrated level 2 wired charging and wireless charging functions. The project incorporated SiC MOSFET modules having switching frequencies in excess of 100 kHz, planar magnetics, a hierarchical control architecture that enables scaling to higher voltages and powers with additional converter modules, and a high-power density in excess of 20 kW/L. The research demonstrated how a more complex converter approach can increase mean-time-to-failure, even though the number of elements is increased. This is achieved through significant reduction of temperature rise through fundamentally superior converter circuit topologies. The research also demonstrated new high power planar magnetics that increase power density. The technology is appropriate to a variety of applications including EV power trains, EV charging, PV inverters, battery storage, and similar areas. These systems potentially can be manufactured in the U.S.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Novel Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning-enabled Distributed Power Allocation Scheme for mmWave Cellular Networks

We consider the power allocation problem over shared spectrum for millimeter-Wave (mmWave) cellular downlink. Existing approaches usually find sub-optimal solutions by solving a non-convex optimization which leads to scalability issues due to centralized control. Therefore, distributed and adaptive approaches are desirable. Recently, model-free Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) has achieved success in such wireless resource management tasks. By modeling the radio environment as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) with the base stations (BSs) being the agents, power allocation can be automated at the agent level with comparable throughput performance to conventional centralized schemes. The multi-agent setting presents new challenges as the radio environment is impacted by the joint actions of the agents and is no longer stationary from any individual agent’s perspective. Existing literature bypasses this non-stationarity violation by ignoring it which may cause performance degradation. To tackle this issue, we propose a distributed continuous power allocation scheme based on a modified version of multi-agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MADDPG) that is tailored for the distributed multiple-agent setting. The proposed scheme employs a centralized-training distributed-execution framework where Q-functions are trained over subsets of BSs while each BS determines its transmit power based only on its own local observation. It admits constant per-BS communication and computation complexity and is thus scalable to large networks. Numerical evaluation shows that the proposed scheme adapts well to a wide range of interference conditions and can achieve comparable or better performance than several state-of-the-art non-learning approaches.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Stability Analysis of Parallel Connected Bidirectional WPT System

This paper presents a stability analysis of parallel-connected bi-directional series-series resonant network wireless power transfer (WPT), optimized for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications. The study addresses critical stability challenges in systems integrated with diverse distributed energy resources (DERs), including photovoltaics, fuel cells, wind turbines, energy storage systems, and the AC grid. The stability of such integrated DC grid systems is paramount for ensuring reliable operation, particularly under varying power flow conditions and dynamic interactions between parallel WPT systems. The analysis included system impedance characterization, state-space modeling, and open and closed-loop stability evaluations. The results demonstrated that the integration of a robust control architecture effectively mitigates instability risks and supports scalable, efficient operation. This work underscores the converter's adaptability and its potential for large-scale deployment in wireless EV charging infrastructures and integrated DC grid systems.

Asa, Erdem [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000190884812)↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Study on Co-existing Heterogeneous Wireless Networks for Data Transmission within a Nuclear Facility

Deployment of wireless technologies is a salient need for modernization, automation and improved operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs). As a single technology cannot support the ever-changing needs, it is required to have a heterogeneous wireless network architecture to address the different technical and economic challenges. However, the coexistence of these multiband heterogeneous wireless networks brings numerous challenges due to the factors including dissimilarity in their channel access mechanism, distance between nodes, transmit power level and many more. This paper develops real-world experiments and simulations of wireless coexistence for Wi-Fi, Fifth generation cellular (5G) and Zigbee in the unlicensed band to understand the challenges and opportunities. The experiments were conducted over the Platform for Open Wireless Data-driven Experimental Research (POWDER) testbed at the university of Utah. In addition, this paper is the first to propose a novel packet rate control technique at the network layer to create temporary opportunities for 5G or Zigbee signal transmissions focusing its application in a nuclear facility while using the shared band. The performance of the proposed coexistence solution is validated with experimental results and simulation.

5G↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-Temperature Wireless Sensor Platform Powered by Energy Scavenging

This paper reports on the development of key components required for a self-powered oscillator unit designed to wirelessly transmit its signal under full insertion in high-temperature (HT) harsh-environments (HE), such as those present in power plants and industrial settings (metallurgic, oil extraction, molding, and aerospace). The oscillator employed a silicon carbide (SiC) power transistor and HT passive components on a screen-printed alumina circuit board capable of operation beyond 300 °C. The HT oscillator circuit was powered solely by in-situ energy scavenging thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules using passive cooling, eliminating the need for an external power supply or active cooling. In addition, a silicon-based external booster circuit was used to achieve the required TEG voltage regulation to test the TEG-powered HT oscillator circuit. The TEG-powered oscillator circuit was tested inside a non-metallic furnace from room temperature to over 300 °C for transmission of a wireless signal, which was detected outside the furnace at 11 ft (3.4 m). Such a wireless transmitting system powered only by in-situ TEGs, with no requirement for external power or active cooling, is very attractive for flexible, mobile stand-alone control and sensor units targeted for operation in HT HE conditions found in power plants and industrial settings.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Portable aircraft controller devices and systems

A portable computerized device for an aircraft control system includes an input system for inputting commands, a device display for displaying information on the computerized device, a processor, a wireless communication module, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions configured to cause the processor to perform a method. The method can include detecting whether the portable computerized device is in a cockpit state such that the portable computerized device is in and/or docked to an aircraft cockpit or if the portable computerized device is in a remote state such that the portable computerized device is not in an aircraft cockpit or is not docked to an aircraft cockpit. If the portable computerized device is determined to be in a remote state, the method includes operating the remote device in a remote mode. If the portable computerized device is determined to be in a cockpit state, the method includes operating the device in a local mode.

Sahay, Prateek↗
DOE OSTI2026

Roadmap to Advance Heliostat Technologies for High Temperature Solar-Thermal Systems

Since its establishment, the Heliostat Consortium (HelioCon) has made substantial progress toward closing many of the gaps in concentrating solar power (CSP) research. Numerous techno-economic studies have been performed, investigating topics ranging from the trade-off between size and temperature for industrial process heat applications to optimization of the heliostat design itself for various applications. Significant improvements have been made in optical metrology techniques, with first steps toward in situ measurement of heliostat fields. Several standards have been, and continue to be, developed with the coordination of an international group of CSP industry participants. Training programs have been developed, with universities including CSP in their engineering curricula, and many public webinars have been held to provide broad access to the latest CSP research. Improved CSP components such as mirror facets and wireless communication systems have been developed, and the solar tower at Sandia National Laboratories has been upgraded with a testbed for closed-loop controls research and development. Field deployment challenges involving heliostat foundations and sensitive wildlife habitats have been explored, with progress made toward methods for streamlining project development and permitting. Additional knowledge has been added to the body of work on wind behavior of heliostats and arrays of heliostats, with progress made toward a holistic understanding of wind design methods. Finally, techniques have been developed and demonstrated for assessing soiling conditions at a proposed project site, with predictive models for the soiling rate showing good results. Taking these results together, HelioCon has contributed greatly to the global CSP research and development effort over the past several years.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Enabling the Next Generation of Smart Sensors in Coal Fired Power Plants using Cellular 5G Technology

An important need for coal fired power plants is the ability to monitor multiple systems with ease and accuracy. Common implementations of these monitoring systems come with drawbacks due to the nature of coal fired power plants. Harsh environments, High Temperatures, and lots of RF (Radio Frequency) noise can create issues for accurately recording and transmitting data across wireless signals. In addition, as renewable energy sources come online, existing fossil fueled plants will need to operate more flexibly with their maintenance schedules outside of standard conditions. Therefore, additional sensing and control mechanisms need placed in existing plants to provide operators with more information such that maintenance decisions can be made well in advance of failures. A solution to this problem is the Next Generation of Smart Sensors, which leverages the power of 5G cellular signals and machine learning to overcome the myriad of problems with current implementations

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

AOI [1] Advanced Manufacturing of Ceramic Anchors with Embedded Sensors for Process and Health Monitoring of Coal Boilers

Researchers at West Virginia University (WVU) developed methods to fabricate and test ceramic anchors with an embedded sensor technology for monitoring the health and processing conditions within pulverized coal (PC) and fluidized-bed combustion (FBC) boiler systems. The technology included the development of advanced manufacturing processes for 2D/3D printing electroceramic (conductive ceramic) sensor designs within the ceramic anchor microstructure during the manufacturing process. This advanced manufacturing process would allow for the precise control of local microstructure and composition in order to engineer layer-by-layer any protective and electrically active materials within the refractory anchor. This 3D printing technology would permit the rapid and controlled design of the refractory microstructure and embedded sensor design throughout the volume of the ceramic anchor. The work also included a method to interconnect the sensors to boiler shell through the anchor clamp, where the sensor signals will be processed by low-power electronics and transmitted wirelessly to a central processing hub. The end-goal of the program was to produce a ceramic anchor sensor system which would be ready for implementation within a coal boiler, and/or other similar refractory liner systems (such as that in the glass and metal manufacturing areas). The project objectives were to: 1) Define the chemical and microstructural stability, in addition to the electrical properties, of oxide and non-oxide ceramic composites to be embedded within the ceramic anchor compositions that may operate up to 1400ºC; 2) Develop and implement the 2D/3D printing technology to pattern and control the microstructure of the ceramic anchor and embedded sensor circuits; 3) Develop an interconnect technology which will permit easy installation of the ceramic anchors and signal collection at the boiler shell; 4) Develop low power analog electronics and wireless communication hardware to efficiently collect the sensor signal at each processing unit and transmit data to a central hub for data analysis; 5) Demonstrate the smart ceramic anchor system for temperature and liner fracture within a high-temperature processing unit, such as a boiler furnace or glass melting furnace floor/wall liner.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Sizing Considerations for EV Dynamic Wireless Charging Systems with Integrated Energy Storage

Roadways with dynamic wireless charging systems (DWCS) enable charge-sustaining in-motion EV charging, which can reduce charging idle time while increasing range capabilities. Spatially distributed transmitter coils are controlled in response to traffic load that varies significantly minute to minute with high power levels, very short charging time, and low system utilization like wind turbine power. Traffic load estimation and localized analysis may guide effective sizing and topology adoption for feasible and scalable DWCS deployment. DWCS traffic load approximation is reviewed with measured Automated Traffic Recorder (ATR) data and statistical distributions being used to create a synthetic load analyzed using proposed metrics quantifying system utilization over time. Lumped coil section segmentation is compared between second-based distance and spatial density analysis methods, offering 17-27% greater system utilization. A peak load shifting method is proposed for traffic redirection across two tracks with optional BESS integration increasing system utilization by 50-60% depending on time-based and power reserve-based sizing and control.

Lewis, Donovin D.↗
DOE OSTI2023

An Intelligent Metasurface-Based Wireless Power Transfer System

Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems are getting more popular in recent years in a wide range of application areas. However, the performance of wireless power transfer systems is adversely affected by coil misalignment and increased power transfer distance. To overcome the limitations, the proposed method in this paper will place an intelligent controllable metasurface between the transmitter and receiver coils. The goal is to establish the feasibility of a metasurface-assisted, intelligent WPT charging system by variable coil design and angle of arrival estimation using machine learning for multiple misalignment cases. We will feed these angles of arrival data to reconfigure the metasurface. The inclusion of a controllable metasurface will improve efficiency and increase the power transfer distance.

Aydin, Emrullah↗
DOE OSTI2025

In-device Battery Failure Analysis

Lithium-ion batteries are indispensable power sources for a wide range of modern electronic devices. However, battery lifespan remains a critical limitation, directly affecting the sustainability and user experience. Conventional battery failure analysis in controlled lab settings may not capture the complex interactions and environmental factors encountered in real-world, in-device operating conditions. Here, this study analyzes the failure of commercial wireless earbud batteries as a model system within their intended usage context. Through multiscale and multimodal characterizations, the degradations from the material level to the device level are correlated, elucidating a failure pattern that is closely tied to the specific device configuration and operating conditions. The findings indicate that the ultimate failure mode is determined by the interplay of battery materials, cell structural design, and the in-device microenvironment, such as temperature gradients and their fluctuations. This holistic, in-device perspective on environmental influences provides critical insights for battery integration design, enhancing the reliability of modern electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗