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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 919 records · Page 51
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating FRI3D for Cost Savings in Fire Hazard Analysis at DOE Sites

A fire hazard analysis, required for many U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities, is a complex, cumbersome, and costly process. Fire hazard analyses may be viewed as a checkbox, but ideally and in spirit with the DOE-STD-1066, the fire hazard analysis (FHA) should be a part of the workflow and used to help in modifications, maintenance, and improving operational safety. With current FHA development processes, it is both time and cost prohibitive for true integration. A tool called Fire Risk Investigation in 3D or FRI3D was developed under the DOE Light Water Reactor Sustainability program to simplify and automate many aspects of a fire probabilistic risk analysis for existing nuclear power plants. The FRI3D tool automates fire scenarios by combining approved fire simulation codes, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission fire calculations methods, 3D modeling and visualization, and probabilistic risk analysis models into a single workflow supported with a user interface. FRI3D was initially designed for used in combination with a PRA, this case study, evaluated using FRI3D for a plant modification, determined the benefits that detailed fire modeling can have for U.S. Department of Energy facilities with or without a PRA model. It also looked at what tasks from DOE requirements could be reduced using the tool and what is needed to integrate fire hazard analysis into site workflow.

97 - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Chemical looping based ammonia production - A promising pathway for production of the noncarbon fuel

Ammonia, primarily made with Haber–Bosch process developed in 1909 and winning two Nobel prizes, is a promising noncarbon fuel for preventing global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. However, the undesired characteristics of the process, including high carbon footprint, necessitate alternative ammonia synthesis methods, and among them is chemical looping ammonia production (CLAP) that uses nitrogen carrier materials and operates at atmospheric pressure with high product selectivity and energy efficiency. To date, neither a systematic review nor a perspective in nitrogen carriers and CLAP has been reported in the critical area. So, this work not only assesses the previous results of CLAP but also provides perspectives towards the future of CLAP. It classifies, characterizes, and holistically analyzes the fundamentally different CLAP pathways and discusses the ways of further improving the CLAP performance with the assistance of plasma technology and artificial intelligence (AI).

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Synthesizing Lithium Sorbents Using Acid Mine Drainage Solids

In this study, we prepared HMO from coal mine drainage (CMD) solids and examined the practicability of recovering Li from oil and gas produced waters and geothermal brines. We aim to innovate high-value added products from the existing extract REEs and CMs processing chain of legacy byproducts associated with coal production. CMD solids, which are precipitates collected from exhausted limestone gravels of passive CMD treatment beds, are enriched in rare earth elements (REEs) and other critical minerals (CMs), and therefore, considered as a viable alternative source for REEs/CMs to supply the Nation’s demands. A patented extraction process developed by NETL (TREE) has been demonstrated as a cost-effective and efficient approach to recover REEs/CMs from CMD solids. Here, we selected residuals of CMD solids from the TREE process that are enriched in manganese (Mn) (>20% w/w) and successfully prepared LMO using a solid-state method modified from Yoshizuka et al. (2002).

Cheng, Chin-Min↗
NASA NTRS1985

Four applications of a software data collection and analysis methodology

The evaluation of software technologies suffers because of the lack of quantitative assessment of their effect on software development and modification. A seven-step data collection and analysis methodology couples software technology evaluation with software measurement. Four in-depth applications of the methodology are presented. The four studies represent each of the general categories of analyses on the software product and development process: blocked subject-project studies, replicated project studies, multi-project variation studies, and single project strategies. The four applications are in the areas of, respectively, software testing, cleanroom software development, characteristic software metric sets, and software error analysis.

Basili, Victor R.↗
NASA NTRS2008

J-2X Abort System Development

The J-2X is an expendable liquid hydrogen (LH2)/liquid oxygen (LOX) gas generator cycle rocket engine that is currently being designed as the primary upper stage propulsion element for the new NASA Ares vehicle family. The J-2X engine will contain abort logic that functions as an integral component of the Ares vehicle abort system. This system is responsible for detecting and responding to conditions indicative of impending Loss of Mission (LOM), Loss of Vehicle (LOV), and/or catastrophic Loss of Crew (LOC) failure events. As an earth orbit ascent phase engine, the J-2X is a high power density propulsion element with non-negligible risk of fast propagation rate failures that can quickly lead to LOM, LOV, and/or LOC events. Aggressive reliability requirements for manned Ares missions and the risk of fast propagating J-2X failures dictate the need for on-engine abort condition monitoring and autonomous response capability as well as traditional abort agents such as the vehicle computer, flight crew, and ground control not located on the engine. This paper describes the baseline J-2X abort subsystem concept of operations, as well as the development process for this subsystem. A strategy that leverages heritage system experience and responds to an evolving engine design as well as J-2X specific test data to support abort system development is described. The utilization of performance and failure simulation models to support abort system sensor selection, failure detectability and discrimination studies, decision threshold definition, and abort system performance verification and validation is outlined. The basis for abort false positive and false negative performance constraints is described. Development challenges associated with information shortfalls in the design cycle, abort condition coverage and response assessment, engine-vehicle interface definition, and abort system performance verification and validation are also discussed.

Santi, Louis M.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Altair Lander Life Support: Design Analysis Cycles 1, 2, and 3

NASA is working to develop a new lunar lander to support lunar exploration. The development process that the Altair project is using for this vehicle is unlike most others. In Lander Design Analysis Cycle 1 (LDAC-1), a single-string, minimum functionality design concept was developed, including life support systems for different vehicle configuration concepts, first for a combination of an ascent vehicle and a habitat with integral airlocks, and then for a combined ascent vehicle-habitat with a detachable airlock. In LDAC-2, the Altair team took the ascent vehicle-habitat with detachable airlock and analyzed the design for the components that were the largest contributors to the risk of loss of crew (LOC). For life support, the largest drivers were related to oxygen supply and carbon dioxide control. Integrated abort options were developed at the vehicle level. Many life support failures were not considered to result in LOC because they had a long enough time to effect that abort was considered a feasible option to safely end the mission before the situation became life threatening. These failures were then classified as loss of mission (LOM) failures. Many options to reduce LOC risk were considered, and mass efficient solutions to the LOC problems were added to the vehicle design at the end of LDAC-2. In LDAC-3, the new design was analyzed for large contributors to the risk of LOM. To avoid ending the mission early or being unable to accomplish goals like performing all planned extravehicular activities (EVAs), various options were assessed for their combination of risk reduction and mass cost. This paper outlines the major assumptions, design features, and decisions related to the development of the life support system for the Altair project through LDAC-3.

Anderson, Molly↗
NASA NTRS2011

Risk Acceptance Personality Paradigm: How We View What We Don't Know We Don't Know

The purpose of integrated hazard analyses, probabilistic risk assessments, failure modes and effects analyses, fault trees and many other similar tools is to give managers of a program some idea of the risks associated with their program. All risk tools establish a set of undesired events and then try to evaluate the risk to the program by assessing the severity of the undesired event and the likelihood of that event occurring. Some tools provide qualitative results, some provide quantitative results and some do both. However, in the end the program manager and his/her team must decide which risks are acceptable and which are not. Even with a wide array of analysis tools available, risk acceptance is often a controversial and difficult decision making process. And yet, today's space exploration programs are moving toward more risk based design approaches. Thus, risk identification and good risk assessment is becoming even more vital to the engineering development process. This paper explores how known and unknown information influences risk-based decisions by looking at how the various parts of our personalities are affected by what they know and what they don't know. This paper then offers some criteria for consideration when making risk-based decisions.

Massie, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Core Flight System (cFS) Community: Providing Low Cost Solutions for Small Spacecraft

In February 2015 the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) completed the open source release of the entire Core Flight Software (cFS) suite. After the open source release a multi-NASA center Configuration Control Board (CCB) was established that has managed multiple cFS product releases. The cFS was developed and is being maintained in compliance with the NASA Class B software development process requirements and the open source release includes all Class B artifacts. The cFS is currently running on three operational science spacecraft and is being used on multiple spacecraft and instrument development efforts. While the cFS itself is a viable flight software (FSW) solution, we have discovered that the cFS community is a continuous source of innovation and growth that provides products and tools that serve the entire FSW lifecycle and future mission needs. This paper summarizes the current state of the cFS community, the key FSW technologies being pursued, the development/verification tools and opportunities for the small satellite community to become engaged. The cFS is a proven high quality and cost-effective solution for small satellites with constrained budgets.

System↗
NASA NTRS1994

Designing for human presence in space: An introduction to environmental control and life support systems

Human exploration and utilization of space requires habitats to provide appropriate conditions for working and living. These conditions are provided by environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) that ensure appropriate atmosphere composition, pressure, and temperature; manage and distribute water, process waste matter, provide fire detection and suppression; and other functions as necessary. The functions that are performed by ECLSS are described and basic information necessary to design an ECLSS is provided. Technical and programmatic aspects of designing and developing ECLSS for space habitats are described including descriptions of technologies, analysis methods, test requirements, program organization, documentation requirements, and the requirements imposed by medical, mission, safety, and system needs. The design and development process is described from initial trade studies through system-level analyses to support operation. ECLSS needs for future space habitats are also described. Extensive listings of references and related works provide sources for more detailed information on each aspect of ECLSS design and development.

Wieland, Paul↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Guide to Using GitHub for Developing and Versioning Data Standards and Reporting Formats

Abstract Data standardization combined with descriptive metadata facilitate data reuse, which is the ultimate goal of the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) principles. Community data or metadata standards are increasingly created through an approach that emphasizes collaboration between various stakeholders. Such an approach requires platforms for collaboration on the development process that centers on sharing information and receiving feedback. Our objective in this study was to conduct a systematic review to identify data standards and reporting formats that use version control for developing data standards and to summarize common practices, particularly in earth and environmental sciences. Out of 108 data standards and reporting formats identified in our review, 32 used GitHub as the version control platform, and no other platforms were used. We found no universally accepted methodology for developing and publishing data standards. Many GitHub repositories did not use key features that could help developers to gather user feedback, or to create and revise standards that build on previous work. We provide guidance for community‐driven standard development and associated documentation on GitHub based on a systematic review of existing practices.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lessons Learned and Best Practices for Utilizing a Generalized Composite Impact Model

A material model which incorporates several key capabilities which have been identified as lacking in currently available composite impact models has been developed. The material model utilizes experimentally based tabulated input to define the evolution of plasticity and damage as opposed to specifying discrete input parameters (such as modulus and strength). It has been implemented into the commercially available transient dynamic finite element code LS-DYNA® as MAT_213. The model can simulate the nonlinear deformation, damage and failure that take place in a composite under dynamic loading conditions. As MAT_213 is now being used by a general user community that did not participate in the model development process, a number of issues have been identified that caused uncertainty in assembling a MAT_213 input deck and conducting a MAT_213 analysis. The overall goal of this effort is to develop a quantified set of lessons learned and best practices which will permit a new user to conduct useful MAT_213 simulations without needing to have detailed expert knowledge of the material model and its theoretical underpinnings.

Micromechanics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Deployment of Low Temperature Aluminum Dissolution (LTAD) Technology to Retrieve H-Modified (HM) Sludge in SRS Tank 15 – 25672

Tank 15 is a 4,234,000-liter (1,118,500-gallon) Type 2 high-level waste storage tank located in H Tank Farm at the Savannah River Site. It was put into service in 1960 to receive high-activity, H-Modified (HM) waste from H Canyon. Between June 1964 and November 1972, the waste tank was filled six times, and supernate was decanted five times, leaving behind the sludge solids. Tank 15 also received a mixture of high-activity and low-activity HM waste from Tank 16. Tank 15 has more recently undergone several mixing campaigns to remove much of the sludge waste; however, the effectiveness of suspending the sludge heel via mechanical mixing has significantly diminished. Low Temperature Aluminum Dissolution (LTAD) is a process developed for the dissolution of suspended aluminum solids in a large waste storage tank. Originally intended for deployment during the preparation of sludge batches in H Tank Farm for the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), the process involves maintaining the waste storage tank at a slightly elevated temperature and highly alkaline chemistry to facilitate dissolution of aluminum solids. As mechanical heel removal efforts diminished in effectiveness in Tank 15, LTAD was selected to both reduce the volume of sludge solids remaining in the heel and to modify the sludge rheology to facilitate the suspension of additional solids using the installed mixing devices.

Campbell, Seth G.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Separated waste stream immobilization of iodine and off-gas caustic scrubber solution (Final Report)

In this work, the approach was to immobilize the CS solution in a glass-bonded composite of cancrinite/sodalite. The synthesis of ceramic waste forms was accomplished by low-temperature (~90°C) processes developed by the team in the framework of a previous NEUP project. By building on our earlier efforts for iodine waste forms, we minimized the schedule and technical risk while still providing novel process demonstrations for the off-gas waste forms. In the case of AgI-based sorbents, a proof-of-concept stripping process was shown to remove iodine from AgI by converting it to NaI(aq) followed by immobilization of these ions in iodosodalite (ISOD), which could be glass-bonded in the same way as for the CS solution cancrinite/sodalite powders.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1989

Making A Noble-Metal-On-Metal-Oxide Catalyst

Catalyst exhibits superior performance in oxidation of CO in CO2 lasers. Two-step process developed for preparing platinum- or palladium-on-tin-oxide catalyst for recombination of CO and O2, decomposition products that occur in high-voltage discharge region of closed-cycle CO2 laser. Process also applicable to other noble-metal/metal-oxide combinations.

Miller, Irvin M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Experimental Considerations for Ground-based Testing of Lunar Construction Technologies

The Moon-to-Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology (MMPACT) project, under NASA’s Game Changing Division (GCD) aims to research, develop, and demonstrate lunar surface construction capabilities[1].A fundamental step in lunar infrastructure development is to quantify the geotechnical properties of lunar regolith, such as shear strength (Mohr-Coulomb cohesion and angle of internal friction), com-pression and bearing properties, and angle of re-pose. Knowledge of these geotechnical properties enables the prediction of forces and displacements associated with lunar infrastructure development processes including excavation and constructing landing pads, habitats, shelters, and roadways. Through ground-based testing of autonomous lunar systems performed using relevant hardware (e.g., robotic arms) in appropriate lunar regolith simulants, the developed hardware/technology and tool paths can be validated. Such testing also generates data to give insight into the geotechnical regolith properties on the lunar surface.

Regolith↗
NASA NTRS2014

Communications Technology Assessment for the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Control and Non-Payload Communications (CNPC) Link

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) is performing communications systems research for the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project. One of the goals of the communications element is to select and test a communications technology for the UAS Control and Non-Payload Communications (CNPC) link. The GRC UAS Modeling and Simulation (M/S) Sub Team will evaluate the performance of several potential technologies for the CNPC link through detailed software simulations. In parallel, an industry partner will implement a technology in hardware to be used for flight testing. The task necessitated a technical assessment of existing Radio Frequency (RF) communications technologies to identify the best candidate systems for use as the UAS CNPC link. The assessment provides a basis for selecting the technologies for the M/S effort and the hardware radio design. The process developed for the technical assessments for the Future Communications Study1 (FCS) was used as an initial starting point for this assessment. The FCS is a joint Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Eurocontrol study on technologies for use as a future aeronautical communications link. The FCS technology assessment process methodology can be applied to the UAS CNPC link; however the findings of the FCS are not directly applicable because of different requirements between a CNPC link and a general aeronautical data link. Additional technologies were added to the potential technologies list from the State of the Art Unmanned Aircraft System Communication Assessment developed by NASA GRC2. This document investigates the state of the art of communications as related to UAS. A portion of the document examines potential communications systems for a UAS communication architecture. Like the FCS, the state of the art assessment surveyed existing communications technologies. It did not, however, perform a detailed assessment of the technology necessary to recommend a technology for the UAS CNPC link. The technical assessment process, as shown in Figure 1, consists of the following steps. First, candidate RF communications technologies are identified. An initial review of each of these technologies is then performed to determine if the technology appears to be a good candidate and requires further review. Any technology that can be shown to be inadequate at that point is removed from consideration to allow for more detailed analysis of the remaining technologies. Criteria for the detailed assessments are defined and a scoring methodology is devised. This is followed by the detailed review and scoring of each technology. The least favorable technologies are removed during the process until only the few best candidates remain.

Aircraft Command and Control↗
DOE OSTI2020

Cylindricity Sensitivity Thermal Model of the AGR-5/6/7 Experiment in the Advanced Test Reactor

The AGR-5/6/7 experiment is currently being irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Laboratory and is approximately 70% complete. Several fuel and material irradiation experiments have been planned for the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program, which supports the development and qualification of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel for use in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. The goals of these experiments are to provide irradiation performance data to support fuel process development, qualify fuel for normal operating conditions, support development of fuel performance models and codes, and provide irradiated fuel and materials for post-irradiation examination and safety testing. Originally planned and named as separate fuel experiments, but subsequently combined into a single test train, AGR-5/6/7 is testing low-enriched uranium oxycarbide TRISO fuel. The AGR-5/6/7 test train has 5 capsules with thermocouples and independent gas control mixtures. Unique to this paper is a sensitivity study concerning the cylindricity of the graphite holders containing the fuel compacts and their eccentricity in relation to the stainless-steel capsule walls. Each capsule has small nubs on the outside used for centering the graphite holder inside the stainless-steel capsule with a small gas gap used to control temperature. Due to machining tolerances of these nubs and vibration wearing the nubs down when the experiment is running in the reactor, the possibility exists that the holder may move around radially. Each capsule is equipped with several thermocouples placed at various radii and depths within each graphite holder. This paper will show the sensitivity of offsetting the graphite holder for various radii in 45-degree increments around the circle with the objective of minimizing the difference between the measured thermocouples and the modeled thermocouple temperatures. Separate gas mixtures of helium/neon are introduced into this gas gap between the holder and capsule wall and changed as necessary to maintain the desired thermocouple temperatures to keep the fuel compacts at constant temperature as the nuclear reactor conditions change. The goal of the sensitivity study is to find a radius and an angle to offset the holder from perfectly centered for each of the five capsules separately. The complex thermal model includes fission heating, gamma heating, radiation heat transfer, and heat transfer via conduction and radiation across the control gaps. Subroutines linked to the thermal model offer an easy method to offset the graphite holder from the capsule walls without remeshing the entire model.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1973

Oxidation resistant carbon-carbon composite for Space Shuttle application.

An oxidation resistant carbon-carbon composite has been developed for use on the NASA Space Shuttle Orbiter Vehicle which can function on the high temperature surfaces to satisfy the 100 mission reuse capability requirement. This paper describes the design requirements, materials and processes developed, and the successful testing of simulated full-scale prototype hardware. Materials considerations are illustrated, including strength and oxidation testing, along with physical property determinations, characterizing the material over the predicted temperature range of use.

Rogers, D. C.↗