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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 937 records · Page 52
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Can artificial intelligence and data-driven machine learning models match or even replace process-driven hydrologic models for streamflow simulation?: A case study of four watersheds with different hydro-climatic regions across the CONUS

With recent developments in computational techniques, Data-driven Machine Learning Models (DMLs) have shown great potential in simulating streamflow and capturing the rainfall-runoff relationship in given watersheds, which are traditionally fulfilled by Process-based Hydrologic Models (PHMs). There are debates on whether the DMLs can outperform and possibly replace the classical PHMs for streamflow simulation and river forecasting, but no clear conclusions have been made. This study aims to investigate whether the newer DMLs have any potential in further improving the simulation accuracy of classical PHMs, and vice versa. To do this, we compared a few popular PHMs and DMLs over four watersheds across the Continental US (CONUS) that are associated with different input, climate, and regional conditions. A total of five hydrologic models were chosen, including (1) two classical lumped models, i.e., the Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting (SAC-SMA) and Xinanjiang (XAJ); (2) one modern distributed model, termed Coupled Routing and Excess Storage (CREST); (3) and two DMLs including an Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and a deep learning model, termed Long Short Term Memory (LSTM). Our results demonstrated that the DMLs still significantly biased when using the baseline input scenario with the PHMs. However, the DMLs fed with delayed input scenarios had great potential and can reach high simulation accuracy. The DMLs, especially the ANN, outperformed other employed models under the rainfall-runoff relationship in which rainfall dominantly drives. Furthermore, the DMLs also showed better performance in the high-flow regime, while the PHMs had a better performance for the low-flow regime, implying both PHMs and DMLs have their own merits and are worthy of joint development. In general, our study indicated a great potential of using DMLs to simulate streamflow, but further studies are still needed to verify the transferability and scalability of DMLs in large-scale experiments, such as the Distributed Model Intercomparison Projects 1&2 conducted by National Weather Services but to compare modern DMLs and PHMs.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Application of remote sensing precipitation data and the $\mathrm{CONNECT}$ algorithm to investigate spatiotemporal variations of heavy precipitation: Case study of major floods across Iran (Spring 2019)

In recent years, the number of floods following unprecedented rainfall events have increased in Iran during early spring (March 21st to April 20th, referred to in Iran as the month of “Farvadin”). While numerous studies have addressed changes in climate extremes and precipitation trends at different temporal scales from daily to annual across the country, analyses of short-duration and heavy precipitation, especially during recent years, are rarely considered. Furthermore, most studies investigate the variations in extremes and total precipitation using a limited number of synoptic weather stations across Iran. Here this study assesses the variations in heavy precipitation (precipitation with intensities greater than or equal to 3 mm/3 h) at 0.04° spatial and 3-hourly temporal resolution during the month of Farvardin. In addition, the effect of atmospheric river conditions over Iran and their possible link to intensifying heavy precipitation is explored. For this purpose, the CONNected-objECT (CONNECT) algorithm is applied on a precipitation dataset, Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks-Cloud Classification System (PERSIANN-CCS), and an Integrated Water Vapor Transport (IVT) dataset from the NASA Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Version-2 (MERRA-2). The results suggest that the increase in the number of floods in recent years is related to the increase in the intensity and volume of heavy precipitation events, although the frequency and duration of heavy precipitation events have not changed significantly. Furthermore, the results show that atmospheric river conditions over the country are present during the same window as each year’s most extreme events. It is found that 8 out of 13 of the largest ARs over Iran come from moisture plumes with pathways over the African and Red Sea.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evaluating precipitation, streamflow, and inundation forecasting skills during extreme weather events: A case study for an urban watershed

Integrated forecasting systems for precipitation, streamflow, and floodplain inundation are of critical importance in mitigating the impacts of destructive floods caused by extreme weather events. However, the skills of streamflow and floodplain inundation forecasts derived from various Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts (QPF) require a greater level of understanding. In this paper, a set of QPF developed by the National Weather Service (NWS) were used to drive a flood modeling system obtained utilizing offline coupling of a physics-based distributed hydrological model, the Distributed Hydrology Soil and Vegetation Model (DHSVM), and a hydrodynamic model, the Two-dimensional Runoff Inundation Toolkit for Operational Needs (TRITON). This flood modeling system was used to produce forecasts of streamflow and floodplain inundation maps during three major flood events in the Brays Bayou Watershed (Houston, Texas, USA) for a range of QPF durations (6–72 h). Then, to investigate the effects of increasing QPF durations on the forecasts, the forecasting skills of precipitation, streamflow, and floodplain inundation were quantified. The results show that: 1) QPF skills for more intense and sustained events such as hurricanes and tropical storms are higher than for shorter, less intense events; 2) while QPF and streamflow forecasting skills decrease as QPF durations increase, inundation forecasts under longer QPF durations (24 or 72 h) show higher skills; 3) extending the maximum QPF duration in operational hydrologic modeling from 24 h (under normal circumstances) to 72 h (for extreme events) may increase the skills of long lead time forecasts for large-scale events like Hurricane Harvey.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Decoupling indentation size and strain rate effects during nanoindentation: A case study in tungsten

Materials indented at small scales may simultaneously exhibit indentation size and strain rate effects which complicate the identification of the mechanisms that control deformation and strength. Here, in this work, we explore the possibility that indentation size and rate effects in some materials can be decoupled in a simple way. Nanoindentation tests with various load-time histories were carried out to measure the hardness of a tungsten single crystal over a wide range of indentation depths (~500–3600 nm) and indentation strain rates (~5 ×10 –5 –2 ×10 –1 s –1 ). Under these conditions, this material exhibits significant indentation size and rate effects, but the size effect is, to a good approximation, independent of strain rate. It is shown that this behavior can be understood by the Nix-Gao model for the indentation size effect modified to include the effects of a strain rate dependent friction stress. As a consequence, the size and rate dependencies of the hardness can be expressed as the sum of two independent terms: H($\dot{ε}$ i , h c )=H f ($\dot{ε}$ i ) + (H 0 – H f ) $\sqrt{1+ \frac{h^*}{h_c}}$, where H($\dot{ε}$ i , h c ) is the hardness at given indentation strain rate ($\dot{ε}$ i ) and contact depth (h c ), H f ($\dot{ε}$ i ) is the hardness contributed by the rate dependent friction stress, and (H 0 – H f ) and h* are size and rate independent constants that follow from the Nix-Gao analysis. This formula, together with an expression for the rate dependence of H f , was successfully applied to decouple the indentation size and rate effects observed in tungsten. In addition, the physics underlying the rate independence of indentation size effect is discussed, which provides guidance for application of the proposed approach to other materials.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Convergence of micro-geochemistry and micro-geomechanics towards understanding proppant shale rock interaction: A Caney shale case study in southern Oklahoma, USA

As a direct outcome of economic development coupled with an increase in population, global energy demand will continue to rise in the coming decades. Although renewable energy sources are increasingly investigated for optimal production, the immediate needs require focus on energy sources that are currently available and reliable, with a minimal environmental impact; the efficient exploration and production of unconventional hydrocarbon resources is bridging the energy needs and energy aspirations, during the current energy transition period. The main challenges are related to the accurate quantification of the critical rock properties that influence production, their heterogeneity and the multiscale driven physico-chemical nature of rock–fluid interactions. A key feature of shale reservoirs is their low permeability due to dominating nanoporosity of the clay-rich matrix. As a means of producing these reservoirs in a cost-effective manner, a prerequisite is creation of hydraulic fracture networks capable of the highest level of continued conductivity. Fracturing fluid chemical design, formation brine geochemical composition, and rock mineralogy all contribute to swelling-induced conductivity damage. The Caney Shale is an organic-rich, often calcareous mudrock. Many studies have examined the impact that clay has on different kinds of shale productivity but there is currently no data reported on the Caney Shale in relation to horizontal drilling; all reported data on the Caney Shale is on vertical wells which are shallow, compared to an emerging play that is at double the depth. Here, in this work we develop geochemical–geomechanical integration of rock properties at micro-and nanoscales that can provide insights into the potential proppant embedment and its mitigation. The novel methodology amalgamates the following: computed X-ray tomography, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, micro-indentation, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. Here, our results show that due to the multiscale heterogeneity in the Caney Shale, these geochemical and structural properties translate into a variation in mechanical properties that will impact interaction between the proppant and the host shale rock.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Irradiation-induced chemical disordering in ceramics: The case of SiC

Chemical disordering is one feature of damage that occurs in irradiation environments and is common in ceramic compounds. This paper reviews irradiation-induced chemical disordering in SiC-based materials at elevated temperatures. Here the results were obtained using advanced analytical tools to characterize atomistic defects and to evaluate the chemistry of defect clusters and homonuclear bond structures. Finally, this paper demonstrates that chemical disordering is crucial to understanding microstructural stability and establishing a mechanistic modeling of microstructural evolution of irradiated SiC.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Potential impact of work from home jobs on residential energy bills: A case study in phoenix, AZ, USA

Nearly one-third of U.S. households face challenges paying energy bills. During the day, many residents have routine access to cooled environments provided by others—employers, shopping centers, and other public buildings. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has significantly shifted the cost burden of air conditioning in hot cities. Specifically, during the pandemic, many companies either laid off employees or put them in work-from-home (WFH) assignments. Large tech companies are already promoting WFH as a long-term option for their employees, even after the pandemic. This change in the nature of the workforce might reduce daily travel expenses for workers, but could also significantly increase residential energy bills, particularly during summer in very hot climates. Here, this study uses building energy simulations to quantify the potential residential energy bill penalties resulting from WFH for typical residences in Phoenix. Four building archetypes are used in this study to represent variations in building vintage, occupancy, and characteristics. The results show that, for some single-family residences in Phoenix, WFH can increase annual energy bills by more than $1100 (up to a 70% increase). The study also demonstrates that building performance enhancement retrofit measures have the potential to reduce this WFH energy bill penalty for the existing buildings substantially.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Magnetic oxygen in transition metal oxides: A case study of Ba 2 CoO 4

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) exhibit exotic magnetic properties in both naturally formed and artificially structured materials, often difficult to understand in conventional wisdom. Magnetic insulator Ba 2 CoO 4 has mystified the community, because the CoO 4 tetrahedron is completely isolated with the nearest Co atoms far apart (~5 Å), making it impossible to account for long-range magnetic ordering seen experimentally using only Co. By theoretically investigating magnetism and relating our findings to experimental observations in bulk Ba 2 CoO 4 , we illustrate for the first time that the magnetic moment on oxygen atoms are the origin of the unexpected long-range magnetic ordering and low magnetic dimensionality. We find that the magnetic moment is not only localized on Co atoms, as assumed in all conventional data analysis, but also distributed on its tetrahedrally-coordinated O atoms. The total magnetic moment of the CoO 4 building block is 4.63μ B with the magnetic moment on Co being only 3.08μ B . Therefore, the magnetic building block is CoO 4 not Co. Furthermore, our first principles calculations are capable of explaining the origin of the unique magnetic response, including the presence of long-range magnetic ordering with two-dimensional character, and a one-dimensional magnetoelastic behavior. Having oxygen contribute to the magnetic moment will undoubtedly be identified as a universal property of magnetic TMOs, which will require a fresh look at conventional models of magnetism in TMOs.

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

Probing solid-state reaction through microstrain: A case study on synthesis of LiCoO 2

Solid-state reaction has been widely adopted as a low-cost and scalable approach to synthesize inorganic materials for industrial applications. However, a special caution must be paid to carefully control the synthesis condition in order to obtain final products with desired structure and physical/chemical properties. In this work, LiCoO 2 was investigated as a model material to illustrate the complexity of the solid-state reaction, as well as its condition control. Taking the advantage of the high flux and high penetration capability of synchrotron X-ray source, in-situ high-energy X-ray diffraction was deployed to investigate the structural evolution of materials during the solid-state reaction while ex-situ high-resolution X-ray diffraction was utilized to quantify the residual microstrains of LiCoO 2 . It is shown that the microstrain is a sensitive indicator to probe the completeness of the solid-state reactions, and that it also provides a more quantitative way to establish the structure-property relationship of materials. It can serve as a sensitive indicator for the rational design of synthesis process for functional materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Degradation and recovery of solid oxide fuel cell performance by control of cathode surface acidity: Case study – Impact of Cr followed by Ca infiltration

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) have attracted attention as clean and efficient energy conversion devices with low emissions. However, several degradation mechanisms limit the electrochemical performance of current SOFCs, with cathode degradation due to Cr-poisoning from metal interconnects particularly problematic. The acidity/basicity of binary additives has been found to be a sensitive descriptor of the oxygen exchange kinetics, indicating that acidic Cr-species/basic Ca-species can be expected to deactivate/activate the cathode surface, respectively. Inspired by recent advances, the feasibility of relative acidity as a tool for reviving degraded SOFCs is demonstrated by neutralizing Cr-poisoned SOFCs by subsequent serial infiltration of Ca-species. Furthermore, a model mixed ionic and electronic conducting oxide, Pr 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2-δ (PCO), is selected as the cathode material. Area-specific resistances (ASR) of symmetric cells obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy show that Cr-infiltration results in a seven-fold increase in ASR, while subsequent infiltration of Ca-species leads to complete recovery. Performance degradation and recovery are attributed to depressed/enhanced redox properties at the PCO surface, as supported by XPS analysis. Experiments using anode-supported fuel cells show a reduction in peak power density by 26% upon Cr-infiltration, reversed following Ca-infiltration, after which no degradation is observed during subsequent operation for 100 h.

(Pr,Ce)O2-δ↗