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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Consequence Management Cobalt Magnet 2022 Laboratory Analysis: After Action Report

On May 16-20, 2022, federal mission partners (e.g., DOE Consequence Management, CDC, FDA, FBI, DHS) as well as integrated state, local, tribal, and territorial governments took part in Cobalt Magnet 22 (CM22), a large-scale, week-long radiological incident exercise in Austin, Texas, that linked several important national assets (National Search Program, Radiological Assistance Program, and Consequence Management [CM] personnel) into a single response effort. The exercise had nine (9) overarching Objectives and an additional 162 associated Critical Tasks for all the participating organizations. In total, 13 National Core Capabilities spanning 5 Mission Areas were represented in the final exercise. This exercise enabled a full range of capabilities to be fielded together and examine the operational connection between major assets, discover any resource shortages associated with conducting multiple mission areas simultaneously or in close succession, and identify any challenges related to leadership. This report summarizes nearly 100 successes and observations provided from players and controllers supporting the LA Division, Fly Away Laboratory (FAL) and Gamma Spectroscopist operations. The observations were categorized to align with the FRMAC programmatic functional areas to consider for future improvements: Logistics, CBRN Responder, Laboratory Analysis, Sampling and Monitoring, Health and Safety, Gamma Spectroscopist Operations, Fly Away Laboratory, and the FRMAC Interdivision Interoperability Group (FIIG).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

United States Nuclear Power Reactor Used Nuclear Fuel Database and Applications

The Unified Database (UDB) within STANDARDS serves as the foundational data infrastructure for managing the United States' spent nuclear fuel inventory of 315,111 discharged assemblies totaling 91,036 metric tons of heavy metal. The database organizes this complex inventory through over 200 interconnected tables structured into eight primary attribute categories, supporting integrated analyses across storage, transportation, and disposal domains. Data enters the UDB through the GC-859 Nuclear Fuel Data Survey, which transitioned to web-based collection in 2023, improving data quality through real-time validation. The UDB enables automated generation of input files for nuclear safety analyses, reducing preparation time from weeks to hours while maintaining traceability. Applications include national inventory reporting, Certificate of Compliance assessments, and facility optimization. The three-tier distribution model balances accessibility with security requirements for federal agencies, national laboratories, and research organizations. The UDB provides essential data infrastructure as spent fuel management transitions from site-specific to integrated national campaigns.

Stefanovic, Peter↗
DOE OSTI2021

Learning Management System User Requirements for the National Nuclear Security Administration's International Nuclear Safeguards Engagement Program

The National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) International Nuclear Safeguards Engagement Program (INSEP) is considering investing in new tools that would allow the program to support its partner states from a distance. At the same time, the program is considering approaches that would allow several organizations, including NNSA, IAEA, national laboratories and contractor staff, to collaborate in the development and maintenance of instructional content. Software systems known as Learning Management Systems (LMSs) might represent a mechanism through which INSEP could accomplish these goals (collaborative development and remote support). To assess the usefulness of an LMS, INSEP has specified its needs for delivering online training and compared those needs to the capability of a range of LMSs. This comparison will allow INSEP to determine whether an LMS would be a useful tool and may set the stage for a "make-buy" decision in the future. The study team concluded that INSEP's content development and delivery needs align well with the capabilities of the leading LMSs on the market today and that that INSEP performance requirements allow for a customized approach using existing training portals that are already available to NNSA. Additional work would be required to specify the desired processes for developing online training and outreach materials, structuring the databases, specifying the data that should be collected, and detailing the desired system reports and documentation.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Evaluation of Thermolytic Production of Hydrogen from Glycolate and Common Tank Farm Organics in Simulated Waste

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has performed testing to investigate the thermolytic production of hydrogen gas from organic species present in the Savannah River Site (SRS) Concentration, Storage, and Transfer Facilities (CSTF). SRNL designed an experimental apparatus to measure the timedependent concentration of hydrogen in the headspace over a reacting mixture of simulated caustic waste media and organic compounds as well as a methodology to calculate a steady-state hydrogen generation rate (HGR) from this data. Special focus was given to glycolate, which is not currently present in CSTF waste but will be contained in the recycle stream from the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) under the upcoming alternate reductant flowsheet.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Support for the American Conference on Theoretical Chemistry 2022

The 2022 American Conference on Theoretical Chemistry (ACTC) took place July 25 – July 28 at The Village at Palisades Tahoe in Palisades Tahoe, California (formerly Squaw Valley). The Chair and Vice-Chair of the conference were Todd Martínez (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) and David Beratan (Duke University), respectively, and the Deputy Chairs and Local Organizers were Edward Hohenstein (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) and Sergey Varganov (University of Nevada, Reno). Held every three years since 1972, the ACTC plays a vital role in presenting pioneering research to a diverse audience in theoretical and computational chemistry. The ACTC 2022 brought together 27 invited speakers who are at the forefront of the field, and provided opportunities for about 150 junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. The funds provided by this DOE award were used to defray $100 of the registration costs for the first registered 98 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars attending the conference. The DOE support was acknowledged on the ACTC 2022 web page (https://sites.google.com/view/actc2022/home) and on a slide that was shown during Conference Introduction and breaks between talks.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Integration of evidence across human and model organism studies: A meeting report

The National Institute on Drug Abuse and Joint Institute for Biological Sciences at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory hosted a meeting attended by a diverse group of scientists with expertise in substance use disorders (SUDs), computational biology, and FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability) data sharing. The meeting's objective was to discuss and evaluate better strategies to integrate genetic, epigenetic, and 'omics data across human and model organisms to achieve deeper mechanistic insight into SUDs. Specific topics were to (a) evaluate the current state of substance use genetics and genomics research and fundamental gaps, (b) identify opportunities and challenges of integration and sharing across species and data types, (c) identify current tools and resources for integration of genetic, epigenetic, and phenotypic data, (d) discuss steps and impediment related to data integration, and (e) outline future steps to support more effective collaboration—particularly between animal model research communities and human genetics and clinical research teams. This review summarizes key facets of this catalytic discussion with a focus on new opportunities and gaps in resources and knowledge on SUDs.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Building Inclusive Educational and Career Pathways in Fusion Energy

This paper was written in preparation for the Workforce Accelerator for Fusion Energy Development conference, which was funded by the National Science Foundation. Prior to the conference, participants from academia, government, industry, national laboratories, and nonprofit organizations worked together to write White papers. Held in Hampton, Virginia, in May 2024, the conference convened participants to discuss various topics in support of workforce development in fusion energy. As the fusion industry expands, efforts to recruit and retain a diverse workforce, ensure equitable access to fusion education, and gain public support will be critical to meeting workforce needs in this field. We outline strategic recommendations across three vital areas: improving diversity data collection; supporting career advancement and retention with a diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging focus; and strengthening community engagement and education in fusion energy.

Cote, Laleh [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2023

Experimental Testing of Personal Dosimetry Interference from a Portable X-ray Generator

The determination of the disposition route for a legacy drum in a nuclear facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex is supported by non-destructive testing of the drum and its contents. An advanced radiation measurements organization at the Y-12 National Security Complex proposed a series of active measurements using a portable x-ray generator, imaging the drum and its contents with 360-degree visualization. In rooms near the current storage location for the drum, Criticality Accident Alarm System (CAAS) annunciation is degraded, and Personal Radiation Dosimetry Instruments (PRDI’s) are routinely worn by personnel. The Y-12 Development Organization has procured advanced radiation detection devices and a variety of radiation sources for use in active measurements. These devices are being used to support Y-12 operations and safety engineering disciplines to safely address complex challenges throughout the complex. This paper presents the results of experimental testing of the PRDI’s used at Y-12 with the x-ray generator [1], and notes the unique utilization of a decommissioned facility for this work.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Techno‐economic, environmental, and social measurement of clean energy technology supply chains

Abstract In addition to the criteria of reliability and cost, clean energy technologies, such as wind, solar, and batteries, need to strive to a higher standard of environmental and societal benefit along their entire supply chain. This means additional performance metrics for these technologies should be considered, such as embodied energy, embodied carbon, recycled content and recyclability, environmental impact of material sourcing, impact on land and ecosystems, materials recovery at end of life, and production through quality nonexploitive jobs with community benefit. Many commercial and emerging energy technologies have not yet been explicitly evaluated based on these environmental and social performance metrics, which presents multiple opportunities for researchers and analysts. In this paper, we review the importance and current limitations of techno‐economic and life‐cycle assessment models for research design and manufacturing decisions. We explore emerging manufacturing modeling options that could improve environmental and social performance and how they could be used to help guide research. Even with the deployment of low‐carbon energy‐generation technologies, the future of a successful clean energy transition requires collaboration between researchers, advanced manufacturers, independent standards and tracking organizations, local communities, and national governments, to ensure the financial, environmental, and social sustainability of the entire supply and manufacturing process of energy technologies.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Efficient Synthetic Natural Gas Production from Direct Air Capture Using Titania-Based Dual Function Materials

Converting atmospheric CO2 into methane offers a compelling pathway to store intermittent renewable electricity and enhance energy security using existing natural gas infrastructure. However, current CO2 utilization approaches remain energy- and capital-intensive, largely due to the need for separate capture, purification, and conversion steps. Integrating CO2 capture with catalytic methanation represents a transformative strategy for process intensification on both the unit operation and molecular levels. We report a series of Ru-Na/TiO2 dual function materials (DFMs) for a reactive carbon capture (RCC) process consisting of simulated direct air capture and subsequent CO2 methanation (DACM). Superior methane desorption purity was observed on TiO2-based DFMs (>94 %) relative to state-of-the-art Al2O3-supported DFMs (77 %). Modifying the process to begin CO2 adsorption immediately following the methanation stage, rather than beginning adsorption near ambient temperature, resulted in >97 % methane desorption purity, suitable for injection into the natural gas pipeline without additional CO2 separation steps.

organic↗
DOE OSTI2022

Elimination of human rabies in Goa, India through an integrated One Health approach

Dog-mediated rabies kills tens of thousands of people each year in India, representing one third of the estimated global rabies burden. Whilst the World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have set a target for global dog-mediated human rabies elimination by 2030, examples of large-scale dog vaccination programs demonstrating elimination remain limited in Africa and Asia. We describe the development of a data-driven rabies elimination program from 2013 to 2019 in Goa State, India, culminating in human rabies elimination and a 92% reduction in monthly canine rabies cases. Smartphone technology enabled systematic spatial direction of remote teams to vaccinate over 95,000 dogs at 70% vaccination coverage, and rabies education teams to reach 150,000 children annually. An estimated 2249 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were averted over the program period at 526 USD per DALY, making the intervention ‘very cost-effective’ by WHO definitions. This One Health program demonstrates that human rabies elimination is achievable at the state level in India.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Global gridded crop harvested area, production, yield, and monthly physical area data circa 2015

Abstract Here we provide an update to global gridded annual and monthly crop datasets. This new dataset uses the crop categories established by the Global Agro-Ecological Zones (GAEZ) Version 3 model, which is based on the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) crop production data. We used publicly available data from the FAOSTAT database as well as GAEZ Version 4 global gridded dataset to generate circa 2015 annual crop harvested area, production, and yields by crop production system (irrigated and rainfed) for 26 crops and crop categories globally at 5-minute resolution. We additionally used available data on crop rotations, cropping intensity, and planting and harvest dates to generate monthly gridded cropland data for physical areas for the 26 crops by production system. These data are in standard georeferenced gridded format, and can be used by any global hydrology, land surface, or other earth system model that requires gridded annual or monthly crop data inputs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Subcritical Neutron and Gamma Noise Measurements at the Seven Percent Critical Experiment (7uPCX)

As part of a collaborative international effort organized by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), with key participants from L’Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire (IRSN), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), a series of high-multiplication subcritical neutron and gamma noise measurements were planned and executed. The primary aim of this research was to advance detector technology, assess the validity of gamma noise for subcriticality measurements, and nuclear criticality safety, focusing on collecting list-mode or time-series data from various reactor configurations with multiplication values ranging from 20 to 310. This comprehensive dataset enabled a detailed comparative analysis of multiple detector systems and the results of both neutron and gamma noise measurements. In this work we focus on experimentally comparing the results from neutron and gamma noise measurements. We note good agreement between estimations of the prompt neutron decay constant and demonstrate the effects of changing reactor geometry on the efficiency of the differing methods.

Criticality↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cyber Attack Sequences Generation for Electric Power Grid

Security assessment of cyber-physical energy systems (CPESs) such as the electric power grid is a critical operation to maintain availability, reliability, and quality of service in the presence of persistent threats from malicious cyber actors. Existing security assessment approaches such as penetration testing and red teaming rely on subject matter expert experience and forensic cyber analysis of historical events to perform realistic, threat-informed assessments of CPES defense. CPESs have a large attack surface because of the heterogeneity and complexity of underlying topology, devices, measurements, and vulnerabilities. The aforementioned approaches lead to partial coverage of the attack surface with a large set of unknown but possible exploits. There is a need to automate the CPES attack surface discovery and contextualize it for relevant, highly probable, real-world attack scenarios. We propose a methodology and framework to facilitate the discovery of the CPES attack surface. We present a multilayer attack graph with ranked attack sequences to describe CPES failure scenarios. We present a work-in-progress framework that lists key components to automate the attack modeling and sequence generation. We demonstrate the published National Electric Sector Cybersecurity Organization Resource CPES failure scenario to highlight the trustworthiness of generated attack sequences.

Dutta, Ashutosh↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Vertebrate Breed Ontology: Toward Effective Breed Data Standardization

Abstract Background Limited universally-adopted data standards in veterinary medicine hinder data interoperability and therefore integration and comparison; this ultimately impedes the application of existing information-based tools to support advancement in diagnostics, treatments, and precision medicine. Hypothesis/Objectives A single, coherent, logic-based standard for documenting breed names in health, production, and research-related records will improve data use capabilities in veterinary and comparative medicine. Animals No live animals were used. Methods The Vertebrate Breed Ontology (VBO) was created from breed names and related information compiled from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, breed registries, communities, and experts, using manual and computational approaches. Each breed is represented by a VBO term that includes breed information and provenance as metadata. VBO terms are classified using description logic to allow computational applications and Artificial Intelligence–readiness. Results VBO is an open, community-driven ontology representing over 19 500 livestock and companion animal breed concepts covering 49 species. Breeds are classified based on community and expert conventions (e.g., cattle breed) and supported by relations to the breed's genus and species indicated by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Taxonomy terms. Relationships between VBO terms (e.g., relating breeds to their foundation stock) provide additional context to support advanced data analytics. VBO term metadata includes synonyms, breed identifiers/codes, and attributed cross-references to other databases. Conclusion and Clinical Importance The adoption of VBO as a standard for breed names in databases and veterinary electronic health records enhances veterinary data interoperability and computability, supporting precision medicine.

Veterinary Sciences↗
DOE OSTI2020

Phase II Geochemical and Isotopic Evaluation of Groundwater Flow in the Pahute Mesa–Oasis Valley Flow System, Nevada

This report presents the results of the Phase II geochemical evaluation for the Pahute Mesa CAUs. The evaluation was performed by multiple organizations including Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Desert Research Institute (DRI), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and Navarro. Section 1.0 presents the introduction and describes the objectives for the Phase II geochemical evaluation. Section 2.0 presents the hydrologic setting, including average annual precipitation and net infiltration, hydraulic-head gradients, geology, and hydrostratigraphy of the PM-OV flow system.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Research Survey and Overview: Preliminary Data Platform Construction for the Nuclear Energy University Program

Since the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy initiated the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) in 2009, there are 29 NEUP projects focusing on high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) research up to July 2022. The resultant research product, either experimental or computational, were published as final NEUP reports, journal articles and conference proceedings. However, these federally funded products have been scattered and sometimes cannot be easily accessed. To improve access to this valuable HTGR validation data and optimize the return on the significant investment made by the Department of Energy, the Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Gas-Cooled Reactor (GCR) program started a survey of completed and ongoing HTGR NEUP projects to develop a public-access database specific for HTGRs applications that can be used to retrieve computational fluid dynamics and system code validation data. This effort will help guide future NEUP-funded research, define new state of the ART Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT), and promote the usage of this data in the codes validation matrices. This report provides an overview of the NEUP-funded HTGR-related research projects from Fiscal Year (FY) 2009–2021 and identifies validation knowledge gaps still existing in HTGR thermal-fluid research. A preliminary data platform has been developed for the 29 NEUP projects investigating HTGR thermal hydraulics, including their final reports as well as the available scientific publications. As an ultimate goal for this work, the ART-GCR program will create a central database at Idaho National Laboratory to identify, organize, and store these datasets generated by experimental investigations or computational models, experimental facility descriptions, and publicly-available academic products from the HTGR-related NEUP projects and provide future guidance for the storage and transmission of important project documentations for later NEUP projects as well.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗