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NASA NTRS2015

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC): Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS), Final Report

This report represents a summary of the study conducted under NASA Innovative Concept study contract number 14-NIAC14B-0075. The report provides a summary of the results of all contracted tasks and provides a suggested roadmap for continued development. The effort was collaborated with the Finnish Metrological Institute on an unfunded basis and the results of that coordination are reported herein. The Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS) provides a flexible and enabling technology that can accelerate a spacecraft to velocities that allow travel times on the order of a decade for reaching the Heliopause; a feat that took the Voyager spacecraft(s) over 30 years to perform. The propulsion system concept being described is faster than any current propulsion system underdevelopment by NASA. The report describes the mission, the propulsion concept, and solar system trajectories. It also provides a comparison to the current state of the art in advanced propulsion concepts.

Travel↗

DOE OSTI2021

Energy Efficient Computing R&D Roadmap Outline for Automated Vehicles

Automated vehicles (AV) hold great promise for improving safety, as well as reducing congestion and emissions. In order to make automated vehicles commercially viable, a reliable and highperformance vehicle-based computing platform that meets ever-increasing computational demands will be key. Given the state of existing digital computing technology, designers will face significant challenges in meeting the needs of highly automated vehicles without exceeding thermal constraints or consuming a large portion of the energy available on vehicles, thus reducing range between charges or refills. The accompanying increases in energy for AV use will place increased demand on energy production and distribution infrastructure, which also motivates increasing computational energy efficiency.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2026

The U.S. Fusion Materials Community Roadmap: Near-term research priorities for the development of plasma-facing and structural materials for fusion power plants

In response to the needs of a rapidly growing private fusion industry, the U.S. Fusion Materials Coordinating Committee (FMCC) and the broader U.S. fusion materials research community undertook an extensive effort to create a comprehensive roadmap for fusion materials development. The result of this effort was the U.S. Fusion Materials Community Roadmap (US-FMCR), which describes the steps needed to advance the technical maturity of leading candidates for plasma-facing materials and structural materials for fusion power plants from laboratory-scale experiments to a point of sufficient technological readiness for industrial adoption and implementation. However, researchers face significant resource constraints as well as very aggressive pilot plant development timelines. Thus, the research strategies detailed in the US-FMCR require further assessment to downselect the specific tasks that must be prioritized within the next two to three years, in order to make the most efficient use of funding, human resources, and experimental facilities. This paper presents an overview of the US-FMCR and its development process. We also present the subset of research objectives that the FMCC identified as the most urgent research priorities for the U.S. fusion materials research community. The state-of-the-art of materials research is also highlighted for each class of materials considered in the US-FMCR. The recommendations presented here integrate an extensive evaluation of the current status of fusion materials research with a broad cross-section of opinion from the wider U.S. fusion community.

Ferry, Sara [Massachusetts Institute of Technology↗

NASA NTRS2000

File Management In Space

We propose that the user interact with the spacecraft as if the spacecraft were a file server, so that the user can select and receive data as files in standard formats (e.g., tables or images, such as jpeg) via the Internet. Internet technology will be used end-to-end from the spacecraft to authorized users, such as the flight operation team, and project scientists. The proposed solution includes a ground system and spacecraft architecture, mission operations scenarios, and an implementation roadmap showing migration from current practice to the future, where distributed users request and receive files of spacecraft data from archives or spacecraft with equal ease. This solution will provide ground support personnel and scientists easy, direct, secure access to their authorized data without cumbersome processing, and can be extended to support autonomous communications with the spacecraft.

Critchfield, Anna R.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Thermal Integration of DETAIL Systems

A thermal connection between the Microreactor AGile Non-nuclear Experimental Testbed (MAGNET) and the thermal energy distribution system (TEDS) has been a key part of the Dynamic Energy Transport and Integration Laboratory (DETAIL) plan since the development of the Integrated Energy Systems Roadmap in 2020. This connection provides an expanding demonstration capability for integrated system operations. The thermal connection between MAGNET and TEDS required the selection of a heat exchanger and valves to isolate flow. Research staff within the NEET Crosscutting Technology Development program selected equipment after receiving proposals from multiple vendors. A helical coil heat exchanger from Graham Corporation was selected for its small volume relative to its heat transfer surface area to fit in the limited space available. Triple offset butterfly valves with pneumatic actuators from Flowserve were selected to isolate and/or control flow of the hot gas through the heat exchanger. Staff from Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) Facilities and Site Services Engineering department designed the piping and structural support. A mechanical construction firm was contracted to install the system. This report documents the design and construction of this thermal connection.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Roadmap to Automated Mobility Systems: Informing the Planning of a Sustainable, Resilient Transportation Ecosystem for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed this report to provide Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) assistance toward a vision that considers the maturation and proliferation of mobility automation, electrification, and infrastructure integrated with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies as they present themselves on the path to 2035. In planning ongoing infrastructure investments, DFW has goals to accommodate and leverage these enabling technologies toward greater sustainability and enhanced traveler and employee experiences, ensuring that infrastructure investments are fully utilized into the future. The objective of this document is to assist DFW to anticipate and envision future airport access by travelers, employees, and goods by examining existing needs and exploring opportunities enabled by technology that informs longer-term infrastructure planning. The vast infrastructure of DFW, which includes buildings, roadways, and other physical structures, as well as growing digital and energy network infrastructures, requires long-term planning and strategy to fully leverage technology advancement and avoid abandoning assets due to functional obsolescence.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Energy Flexibility-Environmental Outcomes Tradeoffs Workshop Report and Research Roadmap

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Norway’s Royal Ministry of Petroleum and Energy signed an Annex to a previously signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) in February 2020 to collaborate on hydropower research and development (R&D). This MOU Annex has brought together the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Water Power Technology Office and the Norwegian Research Center for Hydropower Technology (HydroCen) to plan and coordinate hydropower R&D activities to increase our understanding of hydropower’s role in the future energy grid and how to minimize and mitigate the subsequent environmental impacts. As part of this MOU Annex, hydropower researchers from the U.S. and Norway have come together to conduct collaborative research on hydropower markets and value, hydropower plant capabilities and constraints, monitoring and control technologies, environmental design solutions, environmental impacts and tradeoffs, flexible operation and planning, and technology innovations. This report presents background information on hydropower environmental regulation in the U.S. and Norway and summarizes content and conclusions from this series of two, three-hour workshops on hydropower generation flexibility and environmental outcomes, that included structured discussions used to identify research priorities and collaborative research opportunities.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Roadmap for IES Modeling and Simulation Activities: Update 2023

Since inception of the DOE-NE Integrated Energy Systems (IES) program, several program and modeling visions and roadmaps have been published. In 2020, a last comprehensive roadmap for the DOE-NE Integrated Energy Systems program was published. In 2017, a separate modeling and simulation capability development plan was published that was extensively updated in 2022. The current report incrementally updates the 2022 modeling and simulation capability roadmap. This is not a new report, but individual sections have been updated to reflect recent accomplishments and new directions of the program. The role of modeling and simulation within IES is to support the demonstration of new coupled integrated technologies along every step of the technology maturation from the strategic analysis of preferred system architecture to preliminary design, to laboratory testing, up to full commercial testing and integration. To achieve this role, modeling and simulation must be able to assess the technical performance and the economic viability of potential IES. Also, modeling and simulation must provide support for experimental evaluations (i.e., support component design and real-time operations of experimental demonstration systems). Finally, modeling and simulation can help scale-up experimental systems to the final commercial systems. This report details the current state of the modeling and simulation efforts within IES for the above-mentioned areas, provides a gap analysis, and proposes next steps for a time horizon over the next years.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Blueprint for DOE Quantum Supercomputing: Ensuring U.S. Leadership in the Quantum Decade

Quantum computing stands at the threshold of a transformative decade, where the field will evolve from small-scale demonstrations toward practical scientific computing at scale. This Blueprint identifies fault-tolerant quantum computers (FTQCs) as a viable, scalable, and broadly applicable path to achieving “quantum scientific utility,” defined as solving scientifically valuable problems beyond the reach of conventional, classical computers. This capability is expected to show scientific demonstrations in the late 2020s and to mature in the early-to-mid 2030s. This Blueprint outlines a strategy to prepare the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for FTQCs and their integration into the U.S. national scientific computing infrastructure. Its purpose is to identify the steps, milestones, and research directions necessary for DOE to enable initial deployment of FTQCs in 2028 as a scientific tool for the nation and mature this capability into the 2030s. DOE has a long history of supporting quantum information science and technology, contributing significantly to research advancements, training a quantum-ready workforce, and providing access to early small-scale quantum hardware. Given recent demonstrations of logical operations on error-corrected logical qubits and the advancement of commercial hardware roadmaps, DOE should begin preparations for large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing deployment for DOE science missions. This Blueprint proposes that DOE focus on (1) deploying first-generation scientifically relevant quantum computers with at least 100 logical qubits and performing at least 10,000 to 100,000 hard logical operations in scientifically relevant calculations; (2) developing essential FTQC programming competencies, system software, and facility readiness; and (3) investing in cutting edge focused R&D that fosters breakthroughs in scientific applications, algorithms, and logical architectures needed to accelerate the advent of scientific utility. This effort will position DOE to transition to larger systems: production-scale quantum computers that comprise 1,000 to 10,000 logical qubits, perform 1 to 10 billion hard logical operations, and execute scientifically useful computations at scale. Achieving these goals will require DOE facilities to evolve with urgency to support scientific campaigns that integrate quantum and classical computing resources into efficient workflows, novel software and firmware environments for compiling and routing quantum programs on FTQC machines, and suitable infrastructure for quantum hardware. It will also require further development and optimization of scientific applications from the fields of materials science, quantum chemistry, and high-energy and nuclear physics. The Blueprint calls for transformative R&D and collective action to accelerate the advent of scientific quantum utility and bring it within reach by 2028.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS2008

The Stellar Imager (SI) Project: A Deep Space UV/Optical Interferometer (UVOI) to Observe the Universe at 0.1 Milli-Arcsec Angular Resolution

The Stellar Imager (SI) is a space-based, UV/ Optical Interferometer (UVOI) designed to enable 0.1 milliarcsecond (mas) spectral imaging of stellar surfaces and of the Universe in general. It will also probe via asteroseismology flows and structures in stellar interiors. SI's science focuses on the role of magnetism in the Universe and will revolutionize our understanding, of the formation of planetary systems, of the habitability and climatology of distant planets, and of many magneto-hydrodynamically controlled processes, such as accretion, in the Universe. The ultra-sharp images of SI will revolutionize our view of many dynamic astrophysical processes by transforming point sources into extended sources, and snapshots into evolving views. SI is a "Flagship and Landmark Discovery Mission" in the 2005 Heliophysics Roadmap and a potential implementation of the UVOI in the 2006 Science Program for NASA's Astronomy and Physics Division. We present here the science goals of the SI Mission, a mission architecture that could meet those goals, and the technology development needed to enable this missin. Additional information on SI can be found at: http://hires.gsfc.nasa.gov/si/.

Carpenter, Kenneth G.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Security Risk Assessment Process for UAS in the NAS CNPC Architecture

This informational paper discusses the risk assessment process conducted to analyze Control and Non-Payload Communications (CNPC) architectures for integrating civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS). The assessment employs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Risk Management framework to identify threats, vulnerabilities, and risks to these architectures and recommends corresponding mitigating security controls. This process builds upon earlier work performed by RTCA Special Committee (SC) 203 and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to roadmap the risk assessment methodology and to identify categories of information security risks that pose a significant impact to aeronautical communications systems. A description of the deviations from the typical process is described in regards to this aeronautical communications system. Due to the sensitive nature of the information, data resulting from the risk assessment pertaining to threats, vulnerabilities, and risks is beyond the scope of this paper

data links↗

NASA NTRS2013

Security Risk Assessment Process for UAS in the NAS CNPC Architecture

Iannicca, Dennis C.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Sustainable Triacetic Acid Lactone Production from Sugarcane by Fermentation and Crystallization

Triacetic acid lactone (TAL) has the potential to serve as a bioderived platform chemical for commercial products including sorbic acid and recyclable polydiketoenamine plastics. In this study, we leveraged BioSTEAM to design, simulate, and evaluate (via techno-economic analysis, TEA, and life cycle assessment, LCA) TAL production from sugarcane. We experimentally characterized TAL solubility, calibrated solubility models, and designed a process to separate TAL from fermentation broths by crystallization. The biorefinery could produce TAL at a minimum product selling price (MPSP) of $\$3.73$–5.86·kg –1 (5th–95th percentiles; baseline at $\$4.60$·kg –1 ) and a carbon intensity (CI) of 5.31 [2.60–8.71] kg CO 2 -eq·kg –1 , which could enable financially viable, low-CI production of sorbic acid and polydiketoenamines. To drive down costs and CI, we explored the theoretical fermentation space (titer, yield, productivity combinations), operation scheduling and capacity expansion strategies (e.g., integrated sorghum processing), and potential separation improvements (mitigating TAL loss through pH control). Advancements in key design and technological parameters could further reduce MPSP by 51% to $\$2.26$·kg –1 [$\$1.97$–2.80·kg –1 ] and CI by 43% to 3.05 [1.91–4.15] kg CO 2 -eq·kg –1 . This research highlights the ability of agile TEA-LCA to screen promising designs, navigate sustainability trade-offs, prioritize research needs, and chart quantitative roadmaps to advance bioproducts and biofuels.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS2011

Supersonics/Airport Noise Plan: An Evolutionary Roadmap

This presentation discusses the Plan for the Airport Noise Tech Challenge Area of the Supersonics Project. It is given in the context of strategic planning exercises being done in other Projects to show the strategic aspects of the Airport Noise plan rather than detailed task lists. The essence of this strategic view is the decomposition of the research plan by Concept and by Tools. Tools (computational, experimental) is the description of the plan that resources (such as researchers) most readily identify with, while Concepts (here noise reduction technologies or aircraft configurations) is the aspects that project management and outside reviewers most appreciate as deliverables and milestones. By carefully cross-linking these so that Concepts are addressed sequentially (roughly one after another) by researchers developing/applying their Tools simultaneously (in parallel with one another), the researchers can deliver milestones at a reasonable pace while doing the longer-term development that most Tools in the aeroacoustics science require. An example of this simultaneous application of tools was given for the Concept of High Aspect Ratio Nozzles. The presentation concluded with a few ideas on how this strategic view could be applied to the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project's Quiet Aircraft Tech Challenge Area as it works through its current roadmapping exercise.

Bridges, James↗

NASA NTRS2011

Eagleworks Laboratories: Advanced Propulsion Physics Research

NASA/JSC is implementing an advanced propulsion physics laboratory, informally known as "Eagleworks", to pursue propulsion technologies necessary to enable human exploration of the solar system over the next 50 years, and enabling interstellar spaceflight by the end of the century. This work directly supports the "Breakthrough Propulsion" objectives detailed in the NASA OCT TA02 In-space Propulsion Roadmap, and aligns with the #10 Top Technical Challenge identified in the report. Since the work being pursued by this laboratory is applied scientific research in the areas of the quantum vacuum, gravitation, nature of space-time, and other fundamental physical phenomenon, high fidelity testing facilities are needed. The lab will first implement a low-thrust torsion pendulum (<1 uN), and commission the facility with an existing Quantum Vacuum Plasma Thruster. To date, the QVPT line of research has produced data suggesting very high specific impulse coupled with high specific force. If the physics and engineering models can be explored and understood in the lab to allow scaling to power levels pertinent for human spaceflight, 400kW SEP human missions to Mars may become a possibility, and at power levels of 2MW, 1-year transit to Neptune may also be possible. Additionally, the lab is implementing a warp field interferometer that will be able to measure spacetime disturbances down to 150nm. Recent work published by White [1] [2] [3] suggests that it may be possible to engineer spacetime creating conditions similar to what drives the expansion of the cosmos. Although the expected magnitude of the effect would be tiny, it may be a "Chicago pile" moment for this area of physics.

White, Harold↗

DOE OSTI2024

First Phase Consensus Roadmap for Development of Condition-Based Cable Reliability Assurance

The objective of this work was to develop a first phase consensus roadmap for condition-based qualification (CBQ) of electrical cables. With CBQ, qualification of Class 1E electrical cables moves from a time-based approach to a condition-based approach, which is anticipated to be safer in terms of reliability and conservatism, and more cost effective in the long run. However, due to barriers, the CBQ approach has not yet been adopted by U.S. nuclear power plants (NPPs). Based upon a review of current work evaluating CBQ, the limitation of available condition monitoring technology seems to be the largest barrier. The importance of condition monitoring, or more specifically selecting appropriate condition indicators, during CBQ cannot be understated. However, selecting appropriate condition indicators is challenged by techniques that are destructive and only evaluate cable degradation locally. Further, arguably, no one identified condition indicator fully establishes cable condition. Thus, additional work is necessary to evaluate potential condition indicators towards CBQ. In addition to the requirements of IEC/IEEE Std. 60780-323, ideal condition indicators should include a) both destructive and non-destructive approaches, b) both local and global measurements, c) real-time (i.e., online) monitoring that trends with degradation, d) enable correlation with qualified levels of degradation, and e) be established within a repository of condition indicators with applicable materials and/or components and their acceptance criteria. Additional work is needed in development of technology and methodology prior to adoption of CBQ, especially for extending qualified life of installed components. Education and early experience by the industry and regulators will be required for this change in approach as an alternative to re-analysis. A series of workshops that bring together stakeholders to identify and address gaps will be needed. The longstanding cooperative working group of cable researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission forms a valuable starting point for development of a consensus roadmap to condition-based qualification approach as a viable options for qualification of cable systems in U.S. light water reactors.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Millikelvin-resolved ambient thermography

Thermography detects surface temperature and subsurface thermal activity of an object based on the Stefan-Boltzmann law. Impacts of the technology would be more far-reaching with finer thermal sensitivity, called noise-equivalent differential temperature (NEDT). Existing efforts to advance NEDT are all focused on improving registration of radiation signals with better cameras, driving the number close to the end of the roadmap at 20 to 40 mK. In this work, we take a distinct approach of sensitizing surface radiation against minute temperature variation of the object. The emissivity of the thermal imaging sensitizer (TIS) rises abruptly at a preprogrammed temperature, driven by a metal-insulator transition in cooperation with photonic resonance in the structure. The NEDT is refined by over 15 times with the TIS to achieve single-digit millikelvin resolution near room temperature, empowering ambient thermography for a broad range of applications such as in operando electronics analysis and early cancer screening.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2022

Implementation Strategy - Efficiency Standards and Labeling Programs in Uganda

In 2016, the development of an Energy Efficiency Roadmap (USAID, 2017) undertaken by Agency for International Development (USAID) showed that an energy-saving potential of 310 MW by 2030 was possible at a cost lower than the current supply of electricity. However, the energy efficiency potential is spread out across many technologies and requires the establishment of enabling policies to stimulate efficient use of energy. Chief among these is the establishment of energy- efficiency standards and labeling (EESL) for electric equipment as indicated by Uganda national energy policy legislation (MEMD, 2002). This report first includes an assessment of energy consumption in the residential sector to identify priority products of focus for the EESL program followed by an assessment of the legal and administrative capacity needs of Ugandan institutions to operate and enforce Uganda’s EESL program.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗