Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “technical assessment”

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 739 records · Page 41
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Site Assessment Report for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chena Site Near Fairbanks, Alaska

This report presents an analysis of the requirements for charging station installation and electric vehicle operation at the US Army Corps of Engineers - Chena Site, located in a cold weather climate in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK. The report includes findings from a site visit, and a detailed electric vehicle (EV) charging site plan with cost estimates. Cost for three 50-ampere pedestal chargers located on the edge of the existing parking lot is estimated at $\$$53,100, and the cost of three 80-ampere chargers is estimated at $\$$89,400. The authors did not assess the cost of a heated garage. The USACE Chena site reaches extreme cold temperatures of -40 Degrees Celsius (-40 Degrees Fahrenheit) and below in a typical winter, often for days on end. Considerations of operating EVs as well as electrical vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) at this site can be applicable to other cold or extremely cold locations. Interviews with EV users in cold climates and a literature review indicated that EVs operate well but have significantly decreased range compared to 21 Degrees Celsius (70 Degrees Fahrenheit) operations. Some strategies such as prewarming the vehicle while it is plugged in and using heated seats and steering wheel instead of cabin heat, can improve cold weather performance. Storing the EV in a garage would mean the battery and cabin are automatically preheated, the battery would not age as rapidly as when the vehicle is stored outside, and problems with charging the vehicle are less likely. Lowest temperate-rated Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), as electric vehicle chargers are known as, are rated to -40 Degrees Celsius (-40 Degrees Fahrenheit), and sometimes malfunction. No EVSE is rated to the temperatures that USACE Chena site experienced for more than a week in winter 2023-4, of -50 Degrees Celsius (-45 Degrees Fahrenheit) and which are typical for the area. If reliability is a must, entities may want to consider a heated garage to minimize potential problems with charging equipment. There is a companion technical report to this titled "Electric Vehicle and Charging Infrastructure Assessment in Cold-Weather Climates: A Case Study of Fairbanks, Alaska" that examines the data on EV and EVSE cold-weather functionality in more detail. (Esparza, Truffer Moudra, and Hodge 2024).

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Advanced Laboratory and Field Arrays (ALFA)/Lab Collaboration Project (LCP) for Marine Energy (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

The objective of the Advanced Laboratory and Field Arrays (ALFA) project was to reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of Marine and Hydrokinetic (MHK) energy by leveraging research, development, and testing capabilities at Oregon State University, University of Washington, and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. ALFA is a project within the Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC; formerly NNMREC), a multi-institution entity with a diverse funding base that focuses on research and development for marine renewables. The ALFA project aimed to accelerate the development of next-generation arrays of wave energy conversion (WEC) and tidal energy conversion (TEC) devices through a suite of field-focused R&D activities spanning a broad range of strategic opportunity areas identified in the Funding Opportunity Announcement: • Device and/or array operation and maintenance (O&M) logistics development; • High-fidelity resource characterization and/or modeling technique development and validation; • Array-specific component technology development (e.g. moorings and foundations, transmission, and other offshore grid components); • Array performance testing and evaluation; and • Novel cost-effective environmental monitoring techniques and instrumentation testing and evaluation. The objective of the Lab Collaboration Project (LCP) was to accelerate the development of next-generation marine energy conversion systems. The LCP aimed to achieve these project objectives in collaboration with the national laboratories by: • Developing concept generation and assessment tools; • Improving access to existing testing resources; • Validating collision risk models between fish and turbines; and • Advancing analysis and simulation capabilities for wave-WEC interactions and PTO analysis in nonlinear ocean waves. The ALFA portion of the project was comprised of six overarching technical tasks: • Task 1: Debris Modeling, Detection and Mitigation; • Task 2: Autonomous Monitoring & Intervention; • Task 3: Resource Characterization for Extreme Conditions; • Task 4: Robust Models for Design of Offshore Anchoring and Mooring Systems; • Task 5: Performance Enhancement for Marine Energy Converter (MEC) Arrays; and • Task 6: Evaluating Sampling Techniques for MHK Biological Monitoring. The LCP was divided into four overarching technical tasks: • Task 7: Project Management and Reporting • Task 8: Novel Design and Assessment Methodologies for Wave Energy Converter Design (Wave- SPARC) • Task 9: Testing Access for Commercial Marine Renewable Energy Technology Developers • Task 10: Quantifying Collision Risk for Fish and Turbines • Task 11: Nonlinear Ocean Waves and PTO Control Strategy Each ALFA/LCP task listed above functioned as a separate and discreet project. A final Technical Report was written for each individual task and these reports were uploaded to OSTI, after receiving DOE approval. The following document is a compilation of each of these final, approved reports arranged as individual chapters.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

National Wind Workforce Assessment: Educators to Students [Slides]

As a part of the National Wind Workforce Assessment, four presentations have been created in conjunction with the technical report to provide more insight into key findings. The four presentations are catered towards specific stakeholder groups that include: educators, wind industry firms, students, and current wind industry employees. This presentation is intended for use by educators and students looking to gain insight into key levers that can influence hiring difficulty and actionable steps that can be taken to help narrow the workforce gap. The report includes the current student perception of the wind industry, current hiring difficulties faced by wind energy firms, and current hiring difficulties faced by the potential workforce. The hiring difficulties for wind industry employers are divided by entry level employees and non-entry-level employees and by cross sections such as firm size, location, value chain segment, and wind industry sector. Hiring challenges faced by students trying to enter the wind industry are divided by 2-year degree and certification programs, 4-year degree programs, and current wind employees.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

National Wind Workforce Assessment: Industry to Students [Slides]

As a part of the National Wind Workforce Assessment, four presentations have been created in conjunction with the technical report to provide more insight into key findings. The four presentations are catered towards specific stakeholder groups that include: educators, wind industry firms, students, and current wind industry employees. This presentation is intended for use by wind industry employers looking to gain insight into key levers that can influence hiring difficulty and actionable steps that can be taken to help narrow the workforce gap. The report includes the current perception of the wind industry by the potential workforce, current hiring difficulties faced by wind energy firms, and current hiring difficulties faced by the potential workforce. The hiring difficulties for wind industry employers are divided by entry level employees and non-entry-level employees and by cross sections such as firm size, location, value chain segment, and wind industry sector. Hiring challenges faced by students trying to enter the wind industry are divided by 2-year degree and certification programs, 4-year degree programs, and current wind employees.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Pumped Storage Hydropower Resource and Deployment Potential

There is growing interest in deploying new pumped storage hydropower (PSH) to meet grid needs for flexibility, reliability, and resiliency. This presentation describes how NLR resource assessment, cost modeling, and capacity expansion modeling are used to identify technical and economic PSH deployment potential and support industry decision-making on PSH investments. NLR's open data and tools demonstrate the vast technical potential of PSH on the order of 80 TW, and modeling shows economic PSH deployment under an attractive cost-value proposition.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1992

Assessment of avionics technology in European aerospace organizations

This report provides a summary of the observations and recommendations made by a technical panel formed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The panel, comprising prominent experts in the avionics field, was tasked to visit various organizations in Europe to assess the level of technology planned for use in manufactured civil avionics in the future. The primary purpose of the study was to assess avionics systems planned for implementation or already employed on civil aircraft and to evaluate future research, development, and engineering (RD&E) programs, address avionic systems and aircraft programs. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the technology addressed by NASa programs is commensurate with the needs of the aerospace industry at an international level. The panel focused on specific technologies, including guidance and control systems, advanced cockpit displays, sensors and data networks, and fly-by-wire/fly-by-light systems. However, discussions the panel had with the European organizations were not limited to these topics.

Martinec, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Assessment of the US industrial program for AMTEC development

The Alkali Metal Thermal to Electric Converter (AMTEC) is a static energy conversion technology that is expected to provide low mass thermal to electric conversion with efficiencies between 20 and 35 percent. The U.S. program to develop this technology for space power applications has grown substantially over the past 3 years. This expanding program has brought together several laboratories and technical consultants, in separately sponsored projects, to develop the key elements of the technology. An assessment of this multiparty program indicates that, in general, the effort has focused on the high priority technical elements with only moderate overlap between individual projects. There are, however, several areas where additional coordination is needed between major participants in the existing projects, and other areas where new projects should be started, in order to provide reliable space power systems without unnecessary delays.

Sievers, R. K.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Renewable Portfolio Standard Assessment for Alaska's Railbelt

This memorandum for the Governor of Alaska evaluates the technical feasibility of reaching 80% renewable electricity by 2040 in the Railbelt corridor of Alaska, which represents 75% of Alaska's electric load. This analysis was developed to inform renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS) legislation.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

SCORE (Synthesis of COnsists as Rolling Energy microgrids) (Final Technical Report)

The SCORE toolset is an open source, web-based application to assess the impact of new powering technologies on railroad performance, specifically technologies capable of both putting power into the rail (motive force) and taking power from the rail (regeneration). SCORE’s primary goal is generate trade studies to analyze different powering and train make-up options to minimize energy usage and greenhouse gas generation. At the core of generating these trade spaces is calculating the optimal powering policy for the train given the makeup of the train, the route, and time constraints. This paper presents details on the algorithms used in SCORE to compute this powering policies that is fast and accurate, discusses its implementation in an Energy-Longitudinal Train Dynamics (E-LTD) model, compares it to naïve approaches, and demonstrates its use across a variety of train/route pairs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Review and Assessment of NGNP PIRTs for TRISO and HTGR Technologies

The main objective of this technical report is to ensure that research and development (R&D) needs are identified to address the significant (highly ranked) technical challenges related to TRISO-coated particle fuel, high-temperature gas-reactor (HTGR) technologies, and other TRISO-related advanced designs by recognizing the existing foundation of identified R&D needs and augmenting that foundation with insights drawn from current TRISO-related research results and R&D needs related to novel applications of TRISO-related technologies that extend beyond the traditional HTGR designs.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS2011

L-Band Digital Aeronautical Communications System Engineering - Initial Safety and Security Risk Assessment and Mitigation

This document is being provided as part of ITT's NASA Glenn Research Center Aerospace Communication Systems Technical Support (ACSTS) contract NNC05CA85C, Task 7: "New ATM Requirements--Future Communications, C-Band and L-Band Communications Standard Development." ITT has completed a safety hazard analysis providing a preliminary safety assessment for the proposed L-band (960 to 1164 MHz) terrestrial en route communications system. The assessment was performed following the guidelines outlined in the Federal Aviation Administration Safety Risk Management Guidance for System Acquisitions document. The safety analysis did not identify any hazards with an unacceptable risk, though a number of hazards with a medium risk were documented. This effort represents a preliminary safety hazard analysis and notes the triggers for risk reassessment. A detailed safety hazards analysis is recommended as a follow-on activity to assess particular components of the L-band communication system after the technology is chosen and system rollout timing is determined. The security risk analysis resulted in identifying main security threats to the proposed system as well as noting additional threats recommended for a future security analysis conducted at a later stage in the system development process. The document discusses various security controls, including those suggested in the COCR Version 2.0.

Zelkin, Natalie↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA's Professional DEVELOPment - Evaluating 10 Weeks of Capacity Building

Under NASA’s Applied Sciences, the NASA DEVELOP Program is centered on dual capacity building. Projects bring together partners and participants to learn how Earth observation data can enhance environmental decision-making practices and inform action. During their time with DEVELOP, participants build technical skills around remotely sensed data and professional skills through interactions with team members, science advisors, and partners. To further refine the participant experience, DEVELOP explores which technical and professional skills individuals report improving during the 10-week program. An analysis of self-reported assessments from 2018 to 2021 included projects that were conducted in-person and virtually. Participants consistently indicated a strong improvement in technical and professional skills yet there was clear variation between in-person and virtual opportunities. When comparing between 2019 and 2021, self-reporting showed a higher percentage of participants reporting an increase in networking in the virtual environment and an increase in building professional relationships with project partners virtually. This analysis suggests that professional opportunities available in the virtual environment may in fact bolster early career scientists’ networking abilities. This presentation will identify DEVELOP’s approach to monitoring and evaluation, highlight interesting trends introduced by the pandemic, and lessons learned.

Sarah Payne↗
DOE OSTI2023

Life-cycle costing assessment of back contact doping and encapsulation alternatives for increasing the life expectancy of CdTe PV modules (Final Report)

Contribution of Research to the State-of-Knowledge This research produced comparative sustainability evaluations of back contact doping and encapsulation alternatives considered by First Solar for decreasing degradation and increasing the life of the cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) modules. Technical Effectiveness and Economic Feasibility of Methods Investigated A holistic life-cycle-assessment of the alternatives considered for longer module operational lives, showed that they add between 0.2% and 2% to environmental impact indicators at the cradle-to-gate module level, but at the cradle-to-grave system level, alternative materials offer only benefits (i.e., environmental impact indicator decreases) to the public and the environment. Parallel experimental studies at First Solar showed that the use of the considered alternative materials did not impact the effectiveness of the current module recycling separations and material recovery processes. Furthermore, the increment on the module manufacturing cost due to using alternative materials was estimated to be negligible (i.e., >1%) and longer module lives more than compensate cost increases. Specifically, increase of the current warranted module life of 30 years to 50 years, would decrease the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from $40/MWh to $24/MWh for utility-scale installations in the US-SW, the economic feasibility of the considered alternatives is assured. Benefit to the Public With decreasing degradation from the current ~0.3%/year of Series 6 modules to less than 0.2%/year, the public will be benefited by longer photovoltaic operational lives, and therefore. In addition, the requirement for end-of-life management is shifted from 30 years to 40 or 50 years, with profound benefits to the public and the environment.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Corral Summit Pumped Storage Hydropower Hybrid: Site Suitability Assessment

In 2024, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) initiated a technical-assistance project to support Cat Creek Energy, LLC, (CCE) in evaluating site suitability for the proposed Corral Summit Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH) project in south-central Idaho near Mackay Reservoir. The Corral Summit facility incorporates battery storage and photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays in a Trybrid configuration to deliver large-volume long-duration (LVLD) storage solutions for rural electric cooperatives in eastern Idaho. The evaluation process focused on determining the most-suitable location for the upper reservoir of the PSH system, guided by a comprehensive assessment framework spanning multiple categories, including physical characteristics, environmental constraints, building infrastructure, regulatory constraints, cultural resources and sensitivity, social factors, and power market and grid integration. Each site was analyzed based on a ranking scale (0–1), which scores ranging from “severely disfavored” to “highly favored,” allowing detailed comparisons of site-specific conditions. Categories such as hydraulic head, utilities corridor, land ownership, and transmission-grid limitations emerged as key contributors to the overall assessment. Site 2 (Idaho Trust) demonstrated a slight advantage over Site 1 (Bureau of Land Management) primarily due to favorable outcomes in regulatory constraints, building infrastructure, and power-market integration. However, Site 1 outperformed Site 2 in factors related to physical characteristics and social factors. The report emphasizes the need for further evaluation of both sites before clear determination of which site is preferred, due to the limited information available on either site at the time of this report. Key areas of evaluation to clearly define the preferred site are ecological impacts, cultural-resource surveys, and economic-feasibility assessments. For successful project execution, recommended follow-up actions include seismic and geotechnical surveys, groundwater and habitat monitoring, regulatory reviews of water rights and right-of-way agreements, cultural engagement with local tribal governments, and enhanced stakeholder strategies. These efforts will ensure the Corral Summit Trybrid facility meets local energy needs while balancing environmental, social, and regulatory responsibilities.

13 - HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ocean Energy for Ocean Worlds

Energy systems generating power from ocean waves, currents, tides, and thermal and salinity gradients are being developed to power oceanographic instrumentation and autonomous vehicles in Earth’s oceans. Exploration missions enabled or extended with in-situ energy harvesting on Earth may be similar to those on extra-terrestrial ocean worlds including mapping, biogeochemical sampling, acoustic monitoring, search for building blocks of life, and physical oceanographic characterization. With the addition of ocean energy available at the point of observation, data can be collected on larger spatial and temporal scales, enabling more comprehensive missions on other worlds. Power resource characteristics (e.g. current speed, variability) will similarly need to be assessed. Earth and extra-terrestrial ocean missions share vast technical challenges including high expense, need for advanced autonomy, ability to survive in the harshest environments, and limited communications or opportunities for intervention. Marine energy systems may be the only option for in-situ generation in certain scenarios (e.g., under a thick layer of ice) or advantageous over onboard energy storage options that may interfere with the natural environment (e.g., radioisotope thermoelectric generators). This work provides an overview of existing marine energy technology pertaining to ocean observations, highlights emerging research and development and new funding and program initiatives, explores similarities in mission requirements between terrestrial and extra-terrestrial applications, and suggests innovation pathways towards enabling high-value ocean world exploration powered by ocean energy.

Cavagnaro, Robert J.↗
DOE OSTI2026

From Rules to Reasoning: A Survey of Large Language Model-Based Approaches to Scientific Hypothesis and Idea Generation

Scientific hypothesis generation represents a fundamental challenge in contemporary research due to exponentially expanding literature volumes and increasing disciplinary specialization. Large language models (LLMs) have emerged as transformative tools for automated scientific discovery, moving beyond traditional rule-based and literature-mining approaches. Four paradigmatic approaches define current LLM-driven hypothesis generation: direct prompting and fine-tuning methods, knowledge-enhanced frameworks integrating retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), multi-agent collaborative systems simulating research teams, and reasoning-focused approaches implementing cognitive architectures. Domain-specific applications demonstrate statistical equivalence to human expert performance in social psychology, experimental validation in biomedical research, and near-expert quality in astronomy. Evaluation methodologies encompass human expert assessment, LLM-as-judge frameworks, and comprehensive benchmarking systems. Technical challenges include hallucination management, knowledge integration limitations, and balancing novelty with feasibility. Future directions emphasize hybrid neural-symbolic architectures and sophisticated human-AI collaboration models for responsible scientific discovery acceleration.

AI-driven discovery↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Efficacy and Safety of Mesalamine and Probiotics in Mild‐to‐Moderate Ulcerative Colitis: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Objective . To evaluate the efficacy and safety of mesalamine in conjunction with probiotics for ulcerative colitis. Methods . Random controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and VIP (VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals) from inception to October 2019. Methodological quality was assessed by the Cochrane Collaboration tool. The quality of evidence was rated by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). Data analysis was carried out in Review Manager 5.3. Results . A total of fifteen studies met the criteria for inclusion. Thirteen studies reported the clinical efficacy, three studies provided data on the clinical symptom scores, two trials reported disease activity index, four studies evaluated endoscopic score, and twelve studies reported adverse events. For ulcerative colitis (UC), mesalamine and probiotics had better clinical efficacy than mesalamine alone (≤8 weeks: RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.07–1.18, P < 0.0001; >8 weeks: RR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.11–1.41, P = 0.0003). On the clinical symptom scores, disease activity index, and endoscopic score, UC patients receiving mesalamine and probiotics had significant difference than patients receiving mesalazine alone (MD = −2.02, 95% CI: −3.28 to −0.76, P = 0.002; MD = −1.20, 95% CI: −1.76 to −0.65, P < 0.001; and MD = −0.42, 95% CI: −0.61 to −0.23, P < 0.0001, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in adverse events between the two groups (RR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.54 to 1.43, P = 0.60). Conclusion . Our meta‐analysis results supported that mesalamine and probiotics were effective and safe in treating ulcerative colitis.

Tian, Chunying↗