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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 811 records · Page 45
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

Private sector involvement in civil space remote sensing. Volume 1: Report

A survey of private sector developers, users, and interpreters of Earth resources data was conducted in an effort to encourage private investment and participation in remote sensing systems. Results indicate positive interest in participation beyond the current hardware contracting level, however, there is a substantial gap between current market levels and system costs. Issues identified include the selection process for an operating entity, the public/private interface, data collection and access policies, price and profit regulation in a subsidized system, international participation, and the responsibility for research and development. It was agreed that the cost, complexity, and security implications of integrated systems need not be an absolute bar to their private operation.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1981

The non-Federal oceanographic community: An overview

A portion of the broad domestic non-Federal oceanographic community that represents a potential market for satellite remote sensor derived oceanographic data and/or marine environmental information is presented. The overview consists of listings of individuals and/or organizations who have used, or are likely to use such data or information for scientific research, offshore engineering purposes, marine resources exploration and utilization, marine related operational applications, or coastal zone management.

Swetnick, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

High-Temperature Lubricants

In the early 1980's, Lewis Research Center began a program to develop high-temperature lubricants for use on future aircraft flying at three or more times the speed of sound, which can result in vehicle skin temperatures as high as 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit. A material that emerged from this research is a plasma-sprayed, self-lubricating metal- glass-fluoride coating able to reduce oxidation at very high temperatures. Technology is now in commercial use under the trade name Surf-Kote C-800, marketed by Hohman Plating and Manufacturing Inc. and manufactured under a patent license from NASA. Among its uses are lubrication for sliding contact bearings, shaft seals for turbopumps, piston rings for high performance compressors and hot glass processing machinery; it is also widely used in missile and space applications.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2007

Flight Testing of the Gulfstream Quiet Spike(TradeMark) on a NASA F-15B

Gulfstream Aerospace has long been interested in the development of an economically viable supersonic business jet (SBJ). A design requirement for such an aircraft is the ability for unrestricted supersonic flight over land. Although independent studies continue to substantiate that a market for a SBJ exists, regulatory and public acceptance challenges still remain for supersonic operation over land. The largest technical barrier to achieving this goal is sonic boom attenuation. Gulfstream's attention has been focused on fundamental research into sonic boom suppression for several years. This research was conducted in partnership with the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) supersonic airframe cruise efficiency technical challenge. The Quiet Spike, a multi-stage telescopic nose boom and a Gulfstream-patented design (references 1 and 2), was developed to address the sonic boom attenuation challenge and validate the technical feasibility of a morphing fuselage. The Quiet Spike Flight Test Program represents a major step into supersonic technology development for sonic boom suppression. The Gulfstream Aerospace Quiet Spike was designed to reduce the sonic boom signature of the forward fuselage for an aircraft flying at supersonic speeds. In 2004, the Quiet Spike Flight Test Program was conceived by Gulfstream and NASA to demonstrate the feasibility of sonic boom mitigation and centered on the structural and mechanical viability of the translating test article design. Research testing of the Quiet Spike consisted of numerous ground and flight operations. Each step in the process had unique objectives, and involved numerous test team members from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) and Gulfstream Aerospace. Flight testing of the Quiet Spike was conducted at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center on an F-15B aircraft from August, 2006, to February, 2007. During this period, the Quiet Spike was flown at supersonic speeds up to Mach 1.8 at the maximum design dynamic pressure of 685 pounds per square foot. Extension and retraction tests were conducted at speeds up to Mach 1.4. The design of the Quiet Spike to shape the forward shock wave environment of the aircraft was confirmed during near-field shock wave probing at Mach 1.4. Thirty-two flights were performed without incident and all project objectives were achieved. The success of the Quiet Spike Flight Test Program represents an important step towards developing commercial aircraft capable of supersonic flight over land within the continental United States and in international airspace.

Smolka, James W.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advanced Processing of Coal and Coal Waste to Produce Graphite for Fast-Charging Lithium-Ion Battery Anode

The University of North Dakota (UND) Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC), in collaboration with the UND Center for Process Engineering Research (CPER), conducted a project to validate two technologies capable of converting North Dakota lignite and lignite coal waste to high-quality graphite for fast-charging lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode. The project was conducted over about 3 years from April 7, 2022, to July 6, 2025. The two technological paths pursued in this project include path A – direct conversion of coal or coal waste to graphite by the upgraded carbon ores to products (UCOP) process being developed at the EERC and path B – lignite-derived coal tar pitch (CTP) conversion to graphite (CTP2G) process being developed at CPER. The results from this project validate the two technological approaches and are expected to be an integral part of a portfolio of emerging technologies for making high-quality graphite not only from North Dakota lignite, but from all ranks of U.S. domestic coal and coal waste resources. The quality of the graphite produced by these technologies is high enough for various applications, including batteries for the fast-growing electric vehicle industry, energy storage applications, electric arc furnace electrodes for steel production, and graphene production, among others. Although the two technologies can produce high-quality graphite, they are fundamentally different in that the UCOP technology provides a direct path to transform coal to graphite, while the CTP2G technology needs to go through a CTP intermediate and a coking process for the intermediate, which requires a special facility to accomplish. For application in the industry, the UCOP process is designed to be more flexible, with feedstock to include potentially any carbonaceous material such as all coal ranks and biochar, while the CTP2G process is designed to utilize CTP as the starting precursor. The key project accomplishments include the following: • Successful preparation of high-quality synthetic graphite from North Dakota lignite coal/coal wastes and lignite-derived CTP. • Patent application has been filed for the UCOP process and an internal invention disclosure has been filed for the CTP2G process. • The produced graphite performs better than a commercial battery-grade sample in LIB coin cells, especially fast-charging capability, stability, and long-duration cycling. • Coin-type Li-ion half-cells with CTP2G graphite showed excellent performance, with >370 mAh/g capacity, >90% initial coulombic efficiency, and 93%/67% retention at 1C/2C rate, which outperforms commercial graphite in charging speed, stability, and cycling. • Results of fabricated 18650 cells were consistent with the observations in coin cells. • Preliminary techno-economic analysis (TEA) estimates for the UCOP technology indicate a manufacturing cost of about $\$$39/kg based on 50-metric ton/year capacity. • Preliminary TEA estimates for the CTP2G technology indicate a market price of about $\$$7107/ton ($\$$7/kg) based on 22,000-ton/year production capacity.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2026

Evaluating Technology Adoption Risks in Early-Stage Materials Research

Development of new technologies often begins with fundamental materials science research. Decisions at this stage can shape factors related to the eventual adoption readiness of the technology, such as process scalability or materials availability. Here we present the early-Stage Technology Evaluation for Adoption Risks (STEAR) framework as a method for qualitatively assessing metrics spanning four categories of adoption risks: value proposition, market acceptance, resource maturity, and license to operate. We conduct a case study applying STEAR to different methanol production processes at a range of technology readiness levels and demonstrate how the assessment identifies key challenges related to adoption readiness. Finally, we discuss efforts to expand the applicability and utility of STEAR, including focus group feedback and complementary quantitative analysis methods.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Data for Filling the Cellulosic Bio-economy Gap by Utilizing a Wedge Approach Combined with Stakeholder Collaboration

The price gap between the market and breakeven prices of cellulosic biomass for farmers represents a significant barrier to the development of a low-carbon cellulosic bioeconomy. Using a bottom-up, agent-based modeling tool that replicates the behaviors and interactions of key stakeholders, this study analyzes the emergence of a cellulosic bioeconomy at the local scale through a wedge approach that examines an integrated portfolio of multiple policy options, including subsidies for small-scale bioproducts and environmental credits. The role of collaboration among multiple stakeholders, such as biomass producers (farmers), bio-refinery industry, government, and society, is assessed for filling the price gap. Using the Sangamon River Basin as a case study site, we evaluate the effectiveness of the wedge approach by comparing simulation results from multiple scenarios, each incorporating different combinations of bioeconomy wedges, with and without stakeholder collaboration. Results underscore that active collaboration among stakeholders acts as a catalyst enlarging the effectiveness of bioeconomy wedges. Including the carbon credits and environmental value in the policy portfolio is found to bridge the price gap through collective contributions from diverse stakeholders, where the cellulosic biofuel and bioproduct industry plays a pivotal role. Although this study is conducted at the local watershed scale, the methodology and findings offer valuable insights for market development in other watersheds and the potential scaling of local markets to regional and national levels.

Economics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Overcoming the Technical Challenges of Coordinating Distributed Load Resources at Scale (Final Report)

Significant recent research has investigated the potential for loads to provide balancing services to the grid. However, this research has not addressed key issues that may arise when such schemes are applied at scale including: 1. Distribution Network Issues. Coordination of large numbers of loads could result in power flows that violate distribution network constraints; 2. Stability Issues. Certain strategies to control loads can exhibit nonlinearity in the form of period-adding bifurcations and chaos. Other control strategies can potentially synchronize the behavior of large numbers of loads. In both cases, the outcome can be power oscillations and instability; 3. Communication Network Issues. Bidirectional low-latency communication channels between a central controller (or several distributed controllers) and each resource are expensive and likely not necessary for effective coordination. Our research questions were: What network, stability, and communication issues might arise in practice when we coordinate large aggregations of loads? How can we coordinate loads to achieve performance objectives in a cost effective manner while avoiding these issues? The ultimate technical goal of the project was the development of network-aware, communication-constrained, non-disruptive load control strategies with stability guarantees that achieve the performance requirements of typical balancing services at a sufficiently low cost to enable the load aggregator and customer to profit. The overall goal was to establish credibility for load control at scale and contribute to U.S. energy security and environmental goals. The team succeeded in answering these research questions and developing these control strategies. The overall approach was based on the development of three testing environments: a simulation testbed, an experimental testbed (20 physical model houses with window-box air conditioners) coupled with the simulation testbed, and a field testbed (100 actual homes in Austin, TX) coupled with the simulation testbed, which enabled controller testing, identification of issues, controller development, and controller validation. The resulting controller was used to demonstrate fast timescale grid balancing (frequency regulation) by aggregations of physical and virtual air conditioners, with sufficient quality to participate in the electricity market. Cost benefit analysis showed overall benefits to the participating households, load aggregators, and the grid, especially if the control technology was integrated directly into existing programmable communicating thermostats. The project provides a variety of wider benefits. Our technology transfer and outreach activities lead us to choose an open-source licensing commercialization pathway, enabling the project results to be available to researchers, industry, and the public. Furthermore, new grid balancing technologies will increase grid flexibility and will enable higher penetrations of intermittent renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar, to be connected to the grid, reducing its environmental impact, and mitigating climate change to the benefit of society.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evaluating the resilience benefits of marine energy in microgrids

Marine energy resources could promote clean energy and resilience of coastal and island microgrids, and thus, these applications are a key future market for marine energy development. To demonstrate these benefits, this paper illustrates how inclusion of wave resources into energy resilience solutions can improve overall grid efficiency and sustainability, as well as maintain electricity supply during grid outages. The paper describes a case study evaluation of the potential to add wave energy to the Moloka'i grid as Hawaii strives to meet a 100% clean energy target. The Microgrid Component Optimization for Resilience tool is used to simulate operation in off-grid conditions and size different combinations of wave, solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, storage, and fuel resources required to meet resilience objectives. This research investigates how including wave resources in a microgrid contributes to reducing or eliminating biofuel generation, producing a zero-greenhouse gas emission profile in the latter case, and avoiding the over-sizing of PV and battery systems to accommodate periods of unavailability or high demand. Insight from this paper supports the value proposition of wave resources for future markets and informs the relationship between marine generators and microgrids or isolated grids.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2025

Sustainability perspectives of integrated pulp and paper biorefineries – A systematic critical review

As the pulp and paper industry is impacted by changing product demand trends, an opportunity arises to utilize existing pulp and paper mills (PPMs) and byproduct biomass to produce a wide range of value-added products, i.e., by converting existing PPMs into integrated pulp and paper biorefineries (IPPBs), a form of industrial symbiosis. In addition to the conventional products that a pulp and paper mill produces, IPPBs produce bio-based products that can help generate a new income stream. This paper provides a systematic critical review of IPPBs with a focus on the types of IPPBs and sustainability perspectives. Specifically, this review's objective is to identify and discuss current and emerging types of IPPBs, provide insights into the types of value-added products produced, and the opportunities and barriers they have according to published literature. We reviewed 97 articles and proposed a robust definition for IPPBs. The results show that there is a dominance of studying bioethanol as the main value-added product and black liquor as one of the main feedstocks. Additionally, we found that there are different types of market challenges for bioproducts depending on the conventional product being replaced and that location and policies play a crucial role. This review identified the limited sustainability focus on this topic and the crucial need to invest in new research to more thoroughly cover the environmental, economic, and social impacts of IPPBs.

Biorefinery pathways↗
DOE OSTI2020

Replacement of Cobalt in Medical Device Sterilization: Current Trends, Opportunities and Barriers to Adoption of X-ray and E-Beam Within the Medical Device Sterilization Market

Radioactive sources, specifically Co-60, are crucially important to the medical device sterilization industry; however, their benefits must be balanced against the need to ensure that the materials are secure. Accelerator-based sterilization methods, including X-ray and E-Beam, can in many cases sufficiently replace Co-60 and ethylene oxide, the dominant modalities currently in use; however, a lack of hands-on experience with accelerators, regulations, and a lack of capacity have hampered faster adoption of these technologies. The market is likely to change, however, given public pressures against ethylene oxide and concerns over the cost and long-term supply chain robustness of Co-60. This may provide an opportunity for growth for accelerator capabilities. Current research at Sandia National Laboratories and Argonne National Laboratory, on behalf of the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Radiological Security, is focused on developing an understanding of the medical device sterilization marketplace, the different modalities that are used to sterilize goods, and the drivers that affect the actors within it. Research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in conjunction with the medical device sterilization industry, has focused on expanding the industry’s understanding of the capabilities of X-ray sterilization and developing data that can inform the industry’s consideration of a transition towards accelerator-based devices.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Life Cycle Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Clean Fuels with the R&D GREET 2024 Model

This document summarizes research on the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rates from the production and use of clean fuels to support a new version of the Research and Development Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (R&D GREET) model, R&D GREET 2024 In this effort, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) focuses on clean fuel pathways that are readily available in the market or are emerging in the near term. The selected pathways represent clean fuel technologies that convert biomass- and/or waste-based feedstocks to liquid and/or gaseous fuels for the transportation sector and other potential uses. The pathways are configured in R&D GREET 2024 with up-to-date feedstock-to-fuel life cycle inventory (LCI) data. Additionally, a new tab has been added to R&D GREET 2024 called “Clean Fuels” which allows the user to easily change inputs and access LCA results. Argonne does not warrant that the results presented in this report are consistent with the requirements of any particular regulatory or incentive program. Users interested in specific programs that reference GREET are encouraged to review guidance specific to those programs if and when it is available to determine appropriate means of compliance and contact the relevant responsible agencies for those specific policies or programs.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1976

The requirements for batteries for electric vehicles

The paper reassesses the role of electric vehicles in the modern transportation system and their potential impact on oil consumption. Three major factors determining the size of this impact are discussed: the market potential, the date of introduction, and the rate of consumer acceptance. The strategy of selecting the battery type for an urban car to introduce in coming years is analyzed. The results of the analysis suggest that the research and development emphasis should be placed on near- and mid-term battery technology. From the standpoint of maximizing both the cumulative impact and the benefits derived in the year 2000, however, a strategy of early introduction of near-term and mid-term cars followed by the far-term vehicles seems to produce the optimum result.

Schwartz, H. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Small transport aircraft technology

Information on commuter airline trends and aircraft developments is provided to upgrade the preliminary findings of a NASA-formed small transport aircraft technology (STAT) team, established to determine whether the agency's research and development programs could help commuter aircraft manufacturers solve technical problems related to passenger acceptance and use of 19- to 50-passenger aircraft. The results and conclusions of the full set of completed STAT studies are presented. These studies were performed by five airplane manufacturers, five engine manufacturers, and two propeller manufacturers. Those portions of NASA's overall aeronautics research and development programs which are applicable to commuter aircraft design are summarized. Areas of technology that might beneficially be expanded or initiated to aid the US commuter aircraft manufacturers in the evolution of improved aircraft for the market are suggested.

Williams, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Selling to NASA

Prospective contractors are acquainted with the organizational structure of NASA, and the major technical program offices and selected staff offices at the Headquarters level are briefly described. The basic procedures for Federal procurement are covered. A primer is presented on how to market to NASA. While the information is specific to NASA, many of the principles are applicable to other agencies as well. Some of the major programs are introduced which are available to small and disadvantaged businesses. The major research programs and fields of interest at individual NASA centers are summarized.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1993

NASA Lewis Meshed VSAT Workshop meeting summary

NASA Lewis Research Center's Space Electronics Division (SED) hosted a workshop to address specific topics related to future meshed very small-aperture terminal (VSAT) satellite communications networks. The ideas generated by this workshop will help to identify potential markets and focus technology development within the commercial satellite communications industry and NASA. The workshop resulted in recommendations concerning these principal points of interest: the window of opportunity for a meshed VSAT system; system availability; ground terminal antenna sizes; recommended multifrequency for time division multiple access (TDMA) uplink; a packet switch design concept for narrowband; and fault tolerance design concepts. This report presents a summary of group presentations and discussion associated with the technological, economic, and operational issues of meshed VSAT architectures that utilize processing satellites.

Ivancic, William↗
NASA NTRS2015

Sound Modeling Simplifies Vehicle Noise Management

Under two SBIR contracts with Langley Research Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Comet Technology Corporation developed Comet EnFlow, a software program capable of predicting both high- and low-frequency noise and vibration behavior in plane fuselages and other structures. The company now markets the software to airplane, automobile, and ship manufacturers, and Langley has found an unexpected use for it in leak detection on the International Space Station.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1993

Supersonic airplane study and design

A supersonic airplane creates shocks which coalesce and form a classical N-wave on the ground, forming a double bang noise termed sonic boom. A recent supersonic commercial transport (the Concorde) has a loud sonic boom (over 100 PLdB) and low aerodynamic performance (cruise lift-drag ratio 7). To enhance the U.S. market share in supersonic transport, an airframer's market risk for a low-boom airplane has to be reduced. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to design airplanes to meet the dual constraints of low sonic boom and high aerodynamic performance. During the past year, a research effort was focused on three main topics. The first was to use the existing design tools, developed in past years, to design one of the low-boom wind-tunnel configurations (Ames Model 3) for testing at Ames Research Center in April 1993. The second was to use a Navier-Stokes code (Overflow) to support the Oblique-All-Wing (OAW) study at Ames. The third was to study an optimization technique applied on a Haack-Adams body to reduce aerodynamic drag.

Cheung, Samson↗