Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Country”

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 847 records · Page 47
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Solid Electrolytes in the Spotlight

This virtual issue is targeted to students and researchers, and highlights 32 research articles published over the past 5 years (from July 2016 to July 2021) in Chemistry of Materials (CM). Here, the compilation of papers summarizes the latest advances in the field of solid-state electrolytes for lithium (Li)-, sodium (Na)-, and multivalent-ion (not among the 32 articles discussed) all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), with a focus on inorganic materials and excluding hybrid systems, e.g., polymer/ceramic composites or systems including liquid media. A total of 125 articles reporting exciting experimental and/or theoretical findings on solid electrolytes were considered for this issue. During 2017–2019, there were about 25–30 papers published per year on this topic, but 2020 and 2021 saw a significant increase, with 26 publications in the first half of 2021 alone. Submissions came from many countries around the world, as shown in Figure 1. While most papers were led by research groups located in the United States, Germany and Japan follow closely, and Austria, the United Kingdom, Canada, and China are also well represented.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Zirconium-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks as Reusable Antibacterial Peroxide Carriers for Protective Textiles

Countries around the world have sought efficient protective coverings, including masks, gowns, and fabrics, for air purification to protect people against infectious diseases. However, the demand for significant quantities of disposable protective textiles poses a global challenge, especially when the production of protective gear is suspended due to COVID-19 outbreaks in factories and along supply lines. Therefore, the development of reusable, self-decontaminating protective masks and coverings loaded with disinfectants, such as antibacterial peroxide species, presents an attractive strategy to fight against bacteria risks. In this work, we incorporated persulfate ions, which serve as stable active peroxide precursors, into two porous zirconium-based metal–organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs), enabling these materials to act as regenerable reservoirs for the slow release of biocidal hydrogen peroxide upon hydrolysis by contact with humid air. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies reveal the two different coordination motifs for the persulfate ions, which can either bridge between two adjacent nodes or coordinate to a single node depending on both the node connectivity and the distances between open metal sites. The active peroxide precursors within the porous Zr-MOF carriers are stable during storage and easily regenerated once consumed. Importantly, these persulfate-loaded Zr-MOFs can be integrated onto textiles using a facile aqueous in-situ growth procedure, and these composites demonstrate potent and reusable biocidal activity against both Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria. Altogether, this approach presents a viable strategy to develop robust protective textiles capable of rapidly deactivating pathogens.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Water Electrolysis: Cell-Level Considerations for Gigawatt-Scale Deployment

Hydrogen produced with no greenhouse gas emissions is termed “green hydrogen” and will be essential to reaching decarbonization targets set forth by nearly every country as per the Paris Agreement. Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are expected to contribute substantially to the green hydrogen market. However, PEMWE market penetration is insignificant, accounting for less than a gigawatt of global capacity. Achieving substantive decarbonization via green hydrogen will require PEMWEs to reach capacities of hundreds of gigawatts by 2030. This paper serves as an overarching roadmap for cell-level improvements necessary for gigawatt-scale PEMWE deployment, with insights from three well-established hydrogen technology companies included. Analyses will be presented for economies of scale, renewable energy prices, government policies, accelerated stress tests, and component-specific improvements.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Second International Symposium on Biomass/Wastes Energy and Environment (BEE 2019), Tianjin, China, May 23–26, 2019

The editorial will preface a special section of Energy and Fuels that showcases some of the work presented at an international conference held in Tianjin, China in Spring 2019. This symposium was chaired by Professor Guanyi Chen and hosted by Tianjin University. More than 400 experts from 11 countries participated, and presented new analyses, new technologies, and new ideas on ways to resolve the inherent tensions between cherishing the earth’s environment and meeting the ever-expanding demands of people and society for energy and other resources. A route to that happy future was described more than 100 years ago by Mr. Arthur D. Little who founded the eponymous company and who was also instrumental in establishing the formal study of chemical engineering in the United States. In 1909, he observed that the rapid growth of technology in the US was accompanied by the wastefulness that America is still, unfortunately, practicing. To encourage improvements in the chemical and energy industries, he reminded his readers that “Every waste that is prevented or turned to profit, … and every more effective process which is developed, makes for better living in the material sense and for more wholesome living in the higher sense.”

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Results of the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Round Robin on the Analysis of Heteroatoms in Biomass Liquefaction Oils

A round robin study evaluating the analysis of biomass liquefaction oils (BLOs) from fast pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) was performed, involving fifteen laboratories in seven countries in order to assess the current status of analytical techniques for the determination of nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine content in BLOs and evaluate potential differences in origin (i.e. fast pyrolysis vs HTL). The BLOs were produced from a range of feedstocks including pine, mixed softwoods, forest residues, micro-algae, miscanthus, and wheat straw to cover a variety in nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine content and speciation. Nine samples were distributed, comprised of eight separate BLOs and one blind duplicate produced by five producers. The samples were analyzed for water, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine content. No analytical test method was mandated; laboratories were encouraged to utilize whichever method they determined would be most applicable, relying on the existing body of BLO literature as a guide. The results of this round robin study are presented in this paper. The results of the carbon, hydrogen, and water measurements as reference analyses had relative standard deviations (2.9%, 3.5, and 5.6%, respectively) that were comparable to those found in past round robin studies on fast pyrolysis bio-oil. The analysis of nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine showed higher levels of variability. Laboratories mostly chose the same method for water, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen determination whereas there were a variety of methods chosen for sulfur and chlorine determination. The results suggest that specific analytical methods for the determination of nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine should be further refined to ensure reproducible and accurate results for BLO analysis due to their importance on emissions, material selection, and catalyst activity.

Biomass, IEA Bioenergy, pyrolysis, hydrothermal li↗
DOE OSTI2020

Identifying Abandoned Well Sites Using Database Records and Aeromagnetic Surveys

Oil and natural gas are primary sources of energy in the United States. Improved drilling and extracting techniques have led to a renewed interest in historic oil and gas fields, but limited records of legacy wells make new drilling efforts more difficult, as abandoned wells may provide conduits for liquids and gases to migrate into groundwater reservoirs or the atmosphere. Well finding using aeromagnetic surveys pinpoints the location of steel-cased wells, detecting both active and abandoned wells, including buried casings lacking aboveground markers. Here, we present six aeromagnetic surveys conducted in Pennsylvania and Wyoming as case studies, comparing the magnetic points to locations known in databases. In all study sites, more magnetic points were detected than recorded in databases. Based on differences between theoretical database well counts and the actual number of wells detected in surveys, we estimated the total number of wells in Pennsylvania to be 395 000–466 000 and 181 000–182 000 in Wyoming. Extrapolating to the national level, in this work, we estimate the average number of wells in the continental United States is 6.04 ± 19.97 million wells with 1.16 ± 3.84 million of those designated as abandoned wells, within the range of previous abandoned well count estimations. Although aeromagnetic surveys are limited to detecting steel-cased wells and do not differentiate sites based on well status, this study nevertheless demonstrates the utility of aeromagnetic surveys in well finding efforts across the country and shows limitations in database records of oil and natural gas wells.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mobility of Radionuclides in Fractured Carbonate Rocks: Lessons from a Field-Scale Transport Experiment

Current research on radionuclide disposal is mostly conducted in granite, clay, saltstone, or volcanic tuff formations. These rock types are not always available to host a geological repository in every nuclear waste-generating country, but carbonate rocks may serve as a potential alternative. To assess their feasibility, a forced gradient cross-borehole tracer experiment was conducted in a saturated fractured chalk formation. The mobility of stable Sr and Cs (as analogs for their radioactive counterparts), Ce (an actinide analog), Re (a Tc analog), bentonite particles, and fluorescent dye tracers through the flow path was analyzed. The migration of each of these radionuclide analogs (RAs) was shown to be dependent upon their chemical speciation in solution, their interactions with bentonite, and their sorption potential to the chalk rock matrix. The brackish groundwater resulted in flocculation and immobilization of most particulate RAs. Nevertheless, the high permeability of the fracture system allowed for fast overall transport times of all aqueous RAs investigated. This study suggests that the geochemical properties of carbonate rocks may provide suitable conditions for certain types of radionuclide storage (in particular, brackish, high-porosity, and low-permeability chalks). Nevertheless, careful consideration should be given to high-permeability fracture networks that may result in high radionuclide mobility.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2023

Source Contributions to Fine Particulate Matter and Attributable Mortality in India and the Surrounding Region

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is a leading mortality risk factor in India and the surrounding region of South Asia. This study evaluates the contribution of emission sectors and fuels to PM 2.5 mass for 29 states in India and 6 surrounding countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar) by combining source-specific emission estimates, stretched grid simulations from a chemical transport model, high resolution hybrid PM 2.5 , and disease-specific mortality estimates. We find that 1.02 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.78-1.26) million deaths in South Asia attributable to ambient PM 2.5 in 2019 were primarily from three leading sectors: residential combustion (28%), industry (15%), and power generation (12%). Solid biofuel is the leading combustible fuel contributing to the PM 2.5 -attributable mortality (31%), followed by coal (17%), and oil and gas (14%). State-level analyses reveal higher residential combustion contributions (35%-39%) in states (Delhi, Uttar-Pradesh, Haryana) with high ambient PM 2.5 (>95 µg/m 3 ). The combined mortality burden associated with residential combustion (ambient) and household air pollution (HAP) in India is 0.72 million (95% CI:0.54-0.89) (68% attributable to HAP, 32% attributable to residential combustion). Our results illustrate the potential to reduce PM 2.5 mass and improve population health by reducing emissions from traditional energy sources across multiple sources in South Asia.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Unlocking Dysprosium Constraints for China’s 1.5 °C Climate Target

Some key low-carbon technologies, ranging from wind turbines to electric vehicles, are underpinned by the strong rare-earth-based permanent magnets of the Nd, Pr (Dy)–Fe–Nb type (NdFeB). These NdFeB magnets, which are sensitive to demagnetization with temperature elevation (the Curie point), require the addition of variable amounts of dysprosium (Dy), where an elevation of the Curie point is needed to meet operational conditions. Given that China is the world’s largest REE supplier with abundant REE reserves, the impact of an ambitious 1.5 °C climate target on China’s Dy supply chain has sparked widespread concern. Here, we explore future trends and innovation strategies associated with the linkage between Dy and NdFeBs under various climate scenarios in China. We find China alone is expected to exhaust the global present Dy reserve within the next 2–3 decades to facilitate the 1.5 °C climate target. By implementing global available innovation strategies, such as material substitution, reduction, and recycling, it is possible to avoid 48%–68% of China’s cumulative demand for Dy. Nevertheless, ongoing efforts in REE exploration and production are still required to meet China’s growing Dy demand, which will face competition from the United States, European Union, and other countries with ambitious climate targets. Here our analysis urges China and those nations to form wider cooperation in REE supply chains as well as in NdFeB innovation for the realization of a global climate-safe future.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Air Emissions Impacts of Fuel Substitution in the United States Cement Industry

High-heat industrial processes cannot be easily electrified, often rely on comparatively high-emitting solid fuels, and are essential for economic growth. Cement production in particular is critical to supporting construction and the expansion and maintenance of infrastructure systems in countries around the world. Fuels for cement production include petcoke, coal, and waste solvents, and their combustion contributes approximately 40% of the CO 2 emissions from global cement production. Broadening the fuel resources to include agricultural residues and other wastes can reduce emissions and divert waste from landfills. We assess the potential to use 16 different alternative fuels across the 88 integrated cement plants in the United States. The share of alternative fuels in the cement production sector could increase from the current level of 17% to as high as 73%. Fuel substitution can reduce the current fuel-related life-cycle emissions (28.6 ± 5.7 Mton CO 2 /year) by 19–45%. The greatest national-scale human health cobenefits occur when alternative fuels are prioritized at facilities currently using coal and petcoke. NO x emissions outcomes from this strategy are mixed, but SO x and particulate matter emissions reductions drive net human health benefits. These results suggest that targeted fuel substitution in heavy industries can yield outsized emissions benefits.

alternative fuels↗
DOE OSTI2020

Drivers of Water Use in the Agricultural Sector of the European Union 27

Population growth and the uncertain hazards that accompany climate change have put increasing pressure on the management and sustainability of water. It has a direct impact on agriculture and its domestic and international supply chain linkages. As one of the largest agricultural producers in the world, the European Union (EU) is particularly sensitive to changes in water availability. Therefore, here we perform a structural decomposition analysis based on the recently released EXIOBASE 3 database to examine in depth how changes in water input coefficients, in final demand and in technology have affected changes in water use across crops. Crop production consumes 99% of the direct water in agriculture. Our results show that the largest EU crop producers have experienced an increase in water use that is mostly driven by changes in technology. On the other hand, several Mediterranean countries, where water scarcity has been a problem for years, have decreased their water consumption mostly thanks to an improvement in their water intensity. Results by crop are consistent with those at the aggregated level except for vegetables of which water use changes have been primarily driven by changes in final demand and water intensity.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

What Factors Drive the Changes in Water Withdrawals in the U.S. Agriculture and Food Manufacturing Industries between 1995 and 2010?

Climate change and increasing world population will directly impact the global food supply chain linkages. In the United States, agricultural production requires less irrigated water than before but it still accounts for a third of total water withdrawals. To better understand the evolution of its water use, we perform a structural decomposition analysis of water withdrawals across eight different crops and six livestock categories and differentiate the trends over 1995–2005 vs 2005–2010 to account for the role of the economic crisis in the second period. Based on USGS data, the results show that both periods experienced an overall decline in water withdrawals in the production of all crops except oilseeds. This trend is driven by a decrease in water intensity, reflecting greater efficiency of irrigation systems, and by reduced local per capita income in the second period. However, increased foreign demand for water-intensive sectors like oilseeds from NAFTA and Asian partners mitigated the decline. Results indicate also a decreasing water use in livestock production partially due to a shift from red to white meat consumption in the country. Arguably, recent tariff wars and border closures have greatly reduced the virtual water embodied in American exports.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Round Robin Measurements of Molten Salt Properties for LiF-NaF-KF (FLiNaK) and NaCl-KCl Mixtures

The development, operation, and regulation of nuclear reactors that utilize molten salts as fuel or as heat transfer media require knowledge of the thermal properties of the salt systems and quantification of the corresponding uncertainties. Knowledge of molten salt properties is also necessary for applications in material synthesis, processing, separations, solar thermal power generation, and energy storage. A round robin was conducted with national laboratory and university participants from twenty-one laboratories in five countries to compare property measurements, to better understand uncertainties, and to identify possible best practices. Two salt mixtures, each from a common batch, were distributed to participants for evaluation: equimolar NaCl-KCl and 45.0LiF-13.7NaF-41.3KF mol % (FLiNaK). Measurements were performed to determine the major constituent composition, oxygen content, density, thermal expansivity, melting point, and thermal conductivity. Error analysis was performed on each measurement for uncertainty quantification for each type of property that was explored. Finally, the resulting discussion of the methodologies used in this work is meant to lay the groundwork for the development of standard methods and reference materials for future high-temperature property measurements on halide melts.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Tools and Incentives for Implementing Codes of Ethics to Help Prevent the Reemergence of Chemical Weapons

Since the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the establishment of the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in 1997, 96% of the world’s declared stockpile, comprising 72,305 metric tons of chemical warfare agents have been destroyed. Despite this notable progress, the convergence of chemistry and biology brings new challenges to preventing chemical weapons production, as the technical capability to manipulate the chemistry of microorganisms has diffused beyond the chemical industry and academic research communities. The development and voluntary adoption by chemical practitioners around the world of ethical codes or guidelines, such as The Hague Ethical Guidelines and the Global Chemists’ Code of Ethics (GCCE) , are important steps in strengthening international nonproliferation efforts through their potential to impact the intent of the individual by normalizing ethical behavior. However, the simple act of adopting a code does not guarantee ethical behavior. Care must be taken to ensure those adopting the code understand specifically the behavior being asked of them, and they must be given ample opportunities to practice exercising those behaviors in low-risk situations and encouragement to keep trying when they fail. Furthermore, in small-to-medium chemical companies, concerns that adopting such measures could negatively impact profit margins may dissuade some business owners from voluntarily adopting ethical codes, while a country’s decision makers may not prioritize establishment of new regulatory mechanisms that could address some of these concerns. In this paper, factors that may positively influence a chemical company’s decision to adopt ethical guidelines, such as integration of social sustainability elements into frameworks and approaches to maintain social legitimacy in the eyes of the broader community, are explored. Voluntary adoption of ethical codes gives teeth to arms control regimes. By encouraging chemical companies to become engaged in the community around them and providing easy-to-use tools like scenario-based E-learning to enable remote engagement and facilitate understanding of the principles undergirding the GCCE, they actively participate in making the world a better place and minimizing the potential for reemergence of chemical weapons.

Small Chemical Companies, Codes of Ethics, E-learn↗
DOE OSTI2024

Prioritizing Mentorship as Scientific Leaders

Scientific careers are rarely straight paths. This article emphasizes the crucial role of mentorship in navigating scientific careers and sustaining innovation in STEMM fields. Effective mentorship can have a positive impact on graduate students' research productivity, research self-efficacy, degree completion, and program satisfaction. Despite its importance, mentorship is often an overlooked and underappreciated component of scientific training. As members of the 2022 CAS Future Leaders class, representing ten countries and various chemistry subdisciplines, we share our mentorship experiences to suggest actions to promote healthy and inclusive mentor-mentee relationships in chemistry. The article explores the importance of mentorship, outlines impactful strategies, and offers insights into how to create a scientific community that values and prioritizes effective mentorship.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Use of Radiopharmaceuticals in the Context of SARS-CoV-2

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has devastated the healthcare systems and economies of over 200 countries in just a few months. The etiological agent of COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is a highly contagious virus that can be transmitted by asymptomatic and symptomatic carriers alike. While in vitro testing techniques have allowed for population-wide screening, prognostic tools are required to assess the disease severity and therapeutic response, contributing to improve the patient clinical outcomes. Moreover, no specific antiviral against COVID-19 exists at the time of publication, severely limiting treatment against the infection. Hence, there is an urgent clinical need for innovative therapeutic strategies that may contribute to manage the COVID-19 outbreak and prevent future pandemics. In this work, we critically examine recent diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic advancements for COVID-19 in the field of radiopharmaceuticals. First, we summarize the gold standard techniques used to diagnose COVID-19, including in vitro assays and imaging techniques, and then discuss how radionuclide-based nuclear imaging provides complementary information for prognosis and treatment management of infected patients. Second, we introduce new emerging types of radiotherapies that employ radioimmunoconjugates, which have shown selective cytotoxic response in oncological studies, and critically analyze how these compounds could be used as therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2. Finally, this Perspective further discusses the emerging applications of radionuclides to study the behavior of pulmonary SARS-CoV-2 aerosol particles.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Light-Duty Vehicle Transportation Policy and Implication on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The transportation sector accounts for 16% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is under formidable pressure to decarbonize. With a growing number of countries making commitments to achieve carbon neutrality or “net-zero” emissions within the next few decades, it is imperative for transportation researchers and policymakers to understand the viable pathways towards achieving carbon neutrality for light-duty transport. This chapter discusses the transportation policies and GHG emissions of the three largest markets in the world—the U.S., China, and the European Union. The life cycle GHG emissions of various vehicle technologies are evaluated while highlighting the regional and temporal differences. We then use market penetration and fleet models, developed specifically for each market, to comprehensively assess the light-duty transport energy demand and GHG emissions under various scenarios. The modeling results show that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) will increase in market share, but internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) will continue to dominate the passenger vehicle stock in the next 20 years under most scenarios. Improving ICEV efficiency can play a critical role in meeting GHG regulations in the near- and medium-term. BEVs, whose GHG emissions are highly dependent on the source of electricity generation, will play an essential role in the long-term as the electric grid becomes cleaner. In summary, transportation policies should be technology agnostic and consider emissions based on the whole life cycle. Moreover, a holistic approach to reducing transportation GHG emissions is key to achieving global environmental goals.

Ou, Shawn↗
DOE OSTI2020

Projected Future Changes in Tropical Cyclones Using the CMIP6 HighResMIP Multimodel Ensemble

Future changes in tropical cyclone properties are an important component of climate change impacts and risk for many tropical and midlatitude countries. In this study we assess the performance of a multimodel ensemble of climate models, at resolutions ranging from 250 to 25 km. We use a common experimental design including both atmosphere-only and coupled simulations run over the period 1950–2050, with two tracking algorithms applied uniformly across the models. There are overall improvements in tropical cyclone frequency, spatial distribution, and intensity in models at 25 km resolution, with several of them able to represent very intense storms. Projected tropical cyclone activity by 2050 generally declines in the South Indian Ocean, while changes in other ocean basins are more uncertain and sensitive to both tracking algorithm and imposed forcings. Coupled models with smaller biases suggest a slight increase in average TC 10 m wind speeds by 2050.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗