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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 973 records · Page 54
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Detection of low Temperature heat release (LTHR) in the standard Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine in both SI and HCCI combustion modes

To this date, extensive research has been conducted to understand the low-temperature auto-ignition chemistry of gasoline. The detection of low-temperature chemical reactions under Spark Ignition (SI) combustion cannot be detected, as they are hidden by the flame propagation. Alternatively, Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) combustion has a two-stage combustion involving low and high-temperature heat release (LTHR and HTHR respectively). Both Knocking SI and HCCI combustion involve auto-ignition and are governed by fuel characteristics and the pressure-temperature (P-T) history. Therefore, HCCI combustion might provide an alternative to understand the knocking behavior and LTHR in modern SI engines. A standard Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine was operated at lean HCCI conditions (lambda 3), as well as SI conditions at stoichiometry. For SI combustion, the CFR engine was operated with RON-like conditions, but at late spark timing to induce LTHR prior to flame propagation. Three RON 90 binary fuel blends were investigated, being composed of n-heptane with isooctane, toluene, or ethanol. This work demonstrated that the CFR engine under stoichiometric SI with late spark timing and HCCI combustion mode can help to detect LTHR which is not possible in the standard RON test. The intake pressure and temperature sweeps showed similar effects on LTHR for both combustion modes. The linking of auto-ignition behavior of SI and HCCI was dependent primarily on intake valve closing (IVC) conditions. In conclusion, the high exhaust temperature in SI lead to high IVC temperatures. In order to match the IVC temperatures and to overlap the P-T trajectories, the intake temperature for HCCI was increased.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Standard methods for heat capacity measurements on a Quantum Design Physical Property Measurement System

The commercial availability of the Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS) by Quantum Design has significantly increased access to heat capacity measurements on a wide variety of materials. Although the PPMS can routinely measure the heat capacities of thermally conducting materials with high accuracy, specialized sample mounting techniques must be used for insulating powders, and the analysis of first order transitions also requires non-standard methods. The concern is that many users are not aware of these constraints when measuring the heat capacity of a diverse array of materials, and therefore, the heat capacity data reported in the literature can be unreliable. In this paper, we provide an extensive and critical review of the heat capacity data reported in the literature measured using the Quantum Design PPMS. The purpose is to provide a de facto standard for sample mounting and data analysis methods suitable for the reporting of accurate thermodynamic data.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Creating high-precision reference gas standards of 85Kr for groundwater age-dating

Absolute gas counting (AGC) was applied to two gas blends of 85Kr in argon-methane (P10) counting gas to establish a high-precision specific activity (Bq/cm3) reference value for characterizing 85Kr detection efficiency for groundwater age dating measurements. The AGC or length-compensated technique has been utilized by the metrology community for decades and is an accepted method for developing radioactive gas standards. The AGC capability at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) uses a set of nine unequal-length proportional counters with precisely-measured internal volumes, and a gas loading system with high-precision pressure and temperature sensors. A series of AGC measurements were collected at multiple pressures to determine the inverse pressure relationship (1/P) for 85Kr and define a wall-effect correction that accounts for events decaying into the detector wall and not depositing sufficient energy in the gas to be detected. In addition to the wall-effect, two additional corrections were evaluated and are discussed in detail. Specifically, the threshold effect which accounts for events deposited below the analysis threshold and a detection efficiency as a function of detector volume effect that was observed during analysis. A robust uncertainty model was developed using the Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurements (GUM) approach. The combination of carefully scrutinized correction factors, precise measurements of pressure, temperature and detector volume, and robust counting statistics resulted in the determination of high-precision specific activity values with 0.50% or less total combined uncertainty for two Kr-in-P10 reference gas standards (KP10) that will enable new groundwater age-dating measurements at PNNL.

Kr-85↗
DOE OSTI2023

Codes and standards for ceramic composite core materials for High Temperature Reactor applications

Fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites are attractive for high-temperature nuclear applications due to excellent thermal and mechanical properties as well as reasonable-to-outstanding radiation resistance. Over the past 20 years, the use of ceramic matrix composite applications expanded to many commercial non-nuclear industries as fabrication and application of the technologies mature. The ASME Boiler Pressure Vessel Code, under Section III Division 5, provides the design and construction rules for High Temperature Reactor components. It published the first rules for ceramic matrix composites to be used for reactor core components. The rules lay out the quality requirements together with the design and materials criteria for the use and application of silicon carbide- and carbon-based matrix material technologies. As with the established graphite rules, the ceramic composite material rules are structured in Subsection HH (from Section III), that addresses the criteria for class SN nonmetallic core components. The code rules rely heavily on the development and publication of standards for composite specification, classification, and testing of mechanical, thermal, and other properties. These test methods are developed in ASTM Committee C28 on Advanced Ceramics, with a current focus on ceramic composite tubes. This article describes the detail of the composites code, the design methodology and similarities to the graphite code, the guidance for the development of specifications for ceramic composites (for nuclear applications) including recent standard developments, and it mentions the next steps to support licensing aspects by validating the code with benchmarking data.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Search for a standard model-like Higgs boson in the mass range between 70 and 110 GeV in the diphoton final state in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV

The results of a search for a standard model-like Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range between 70 and 110 GeV are presented. The analysis uses the data set collected by the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV corresponding to integrated luminosities of 36.3 fb -1 , 41.5 fb -1 and 54.4 fb -1 during the 2016, 2017, and 2018 LHC running periods, respectively. No significant excess over the background expectation is observed and 95% confidence level upper limits are set on the product of the cross section and branching fraction for decays of an additional Higgs boson into two photons. The maximum deviation with respect to the background is seen for a mass hypothesis of 95.4 GeV with a local (global) significance of 2.9 (1.3) standard deviations. The observed upper limit ranges from 15 to 73 fb.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Search for bottom quark associated production of the standard model Higgs boson in final states with leptons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ =13 TeV

This Letter presents the first search for bottom quark associated production of the standard model Higgs boson, in final states with leptons. Higgs boson decays to pairs of tau leptons and pairs of leptonically decaying W bosons are considered. The search is performed using data collected from 2016 to 2018 by the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb -1 . Upper limits at the 95% confidence level are placed on the signal strength for Higgs boson production in association with bottom quarks; the observed (expected) upper limit is 3.7 (6.1) times the standard model prediction

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

SMEFT ATLAS: The landscape beyond the Standard Model

The Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) based on the unbroken gauge group SU(3) 𝐶 ⊗SU(2) 𝐿 ⊗U(1) 𝑌 and containing only particles of the Standard Model (SM) has developed in the last decade to a mature field. It is the framework to be used in the energy gap from scales sufficiently higher than the electroweak scale up to the lowest energy scale at which new particles show up. We summarize the present status of this theory with a particular emphasize on its role in the indirect search for new physics (NP). While flavour physics of both quarks and leptons is the main topic of our review, we also discuss electric dipole moments, anomalous magnetic moments (𝑔−2) 𝜇,𝑒 , 𝑍-pole observables, Higgs observables and high-𝑝𝑇 scattering processes within the SMEFT. We group the observables into ten classes and list for each class the most relevant operators and the corresponding renormalization group equations (RGEs). We exhibit the correlations between different classes implied both by the operator mixing and the SU(2) 𝐿 gauge symmetry. Our main goal is to provide an insight into the complicated operator structure of this framework which hopefully will facilitate the identification of valid ultraviolet completions behind possible anomalies observed in future data. Numerous colourful charts, and 85 tables, while representing rather complicated RG evolution from the NP scale down to the electroweak scale, beautify the involved SMEFT landscape. Over 1000 references to the literature underline the importance and the popularity of this field. We discuss both top-down and bottom-up approaches as well as their interplay. This allows us eventually to present an atlas of different landscapes beyond the SM that includes heavy gauge bosons and scalars, vector-like quarks and leptons and leptoquarks.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Standardization of the Distributed Ledger Technology cybersecurity stack for power and energy applications

The global trend towards the integration of distributed energy resources is opening the doors to advanced, complex, and distributedmarketplaces. Such advanced ecosystems, where utility-owned and non utility-owned assets can contribute towards grid operations,generally require distributed communication and grid architectures, which can be supported by Distributed Ledger Technologies(DLTs). However, the potential of DLTs for long-term scalable solutions in operational technology applications has not been fullyutilized, partly due to the lack of standardization across and between different DLTs, as well as other supporting building blocks(e.g., communication protocols). This paper attempts to address this gap by proposing a DLT cybersecurity stack specificallydesigned for researchers, DLT technology developers, and end users (such as utilities). The DLT cybersecurity stack has beennotionally mapped to related cybersecurity components, namely: the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, the TransmissionControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite, and existing Smart Grid architecture frameworks. In addition, the paper discussesseveral cybersecurity implications, and demonstrates the potential uses of the DLT stack through multiple power and energy usecases. It is important to note that the stack can be also applied to the DLT use cases that are outside the power and energy domain.This work has been performed by the Cybersecurity Task Force under the IEEE P2418.5 Blockchain for Energy Standard workinggroup that is stationed under the IEEE Power and Energy Society’s Smart Buildings, Loads, and Customer Systems (SBLC)technical committee.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2019

The Renewable Fuel Standard May Limit Overall Greenhouse Gas Savings by Corn Stover-Based Cellulosic Biofuels in the U.S. Midwest: Effects of the Regulatory Approach on Projected Emissions

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program specifies a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction threshold for cellulosic biofuels, while the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program in California does not. Here, we investigate the effects of the GHG threshold under the RFS on projected GHG savings from two corn stover-based biofuel supply chain systems in the United States Midwest. The analysis is based on a techno-economic framework that minimizes ethanol selling price. The GHG threshold lowers the lifecycle GHG of ethanol: 34.39 +/- 4.92 gCO(2) MJ(-1) in the RFS-compliant system and 46.30 +/- 10.05 gCO(2) MJ1 in the non RFS-compliant system. However, hypothetical biorefinery systems complying with the RFS will not process the more GHG-intensive corn stover, and thus much less biofuel will be produced compared to the non RFS-compliant system. Thus, taken as a whole, the non RFS-compliant system would achieve more GHG savings than an RFS-compliant system: 10.7 TgCO(2) year(-1) in the non RFS-compliant system compared with 4.4 TgCO(2) year1 in the RFS-compliant system. These results suggest that the current RFS GHG reduction threshold may not be the most efficient way to carry out the purposes of the Energy Security and Independence Act in the corn stover-based biofuel system: relaxing the threshold could actually increase the overall GHG savings from corn stover-based biofuels. Therefore, the LCFS-type regulatory approach is recommended for the corn stover-based cellulosic biofuel system under the RFS program. In addition, our calculation of the GHG balance for stover-based biofuel accounts for SOC losses, while the current RFS estimates do not include effects on SOC.

CARBON, BIOMASS, VOLUME↗
DOE OSTI2018

Standards and Protocols for Data Acquisition and Reporting for Studies of the Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide

Objective evaluation of the performance of electrocatalysts for CO 2 reduction has been complicated by a lack of standardized methods for measuring and reporting activity data. In this perspective, we advocate that standardizing these practices can aid in advancing research efforts toward the development of efficient and selective CO 2 reduction electrocatalysts. Using information taken from experimental studies, we identify variables that influence the measured activity of CO 2 reduction electrocatalysts and propose procedures to account for these variables in order to improve the accuracy and reproducibility of reported data. We recommend that catalysts be measured under conditions which do not introduce artifacts from impurities, from either the electrolyte or counter electrode, and advocate the acquisition of data measured in the absence of mass transport effects. Furthermore, measured rates of electrochemical reactions should be normalized to both the geometric electrode area as well as the electrochemically active surface area to facilitate the comparison of reported catalysts with those previously known. We demonstrate that, when these factors are accounted for, the CO 2 reduction activities of Ag and Cu measured in different laboratories exhibit little difference. Furthermore, adoption of the recommendations presented in this perspective would greatly facilitate the identification of superior catalysts for CO 2 reduction arising solely from changes in their composition and pretreatment.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Standardized Residue Numbering and Secondary Structure Nomenclature in the Class D β-Lactamases

Over 1370 class D β-lactamases are currently known, and they pose a serious threat to the effective treatment of many infectious diseases, particularly in some pathogenic bacteria where evolving carbapenemase activity has been reported. Detailed understanding of their molecular biology, enzymology, and structural biology are critically important, but the lack of a standardized residue numbering scheme and inconsistent secondary structure annotation has made comparative analyses sometimes difficult and cumbersome. Compounding this, in the post-AlphaFold world where we currently find ourselves, an extraordinary wealth of detailed structural information on these enzymes is literally at our fingertips; therefore it is vitally important that a standard numbering system is in place to facilitate the accurate and straightforward analysis of their structures. In conclusion, here we present a residue numbering and secondary structure scheme for the class D enzymes based on the sequence and structure of OXA-48 and apply it to test targets to demonstrate the ease with which it can be used.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

The DOE E3SM coupled model version 1: Overview and evaluation at standard resolution

This work documents the first version of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) new Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SMv1). We focus on the standard resolution of the fully--coupled physical model designed to address DOE mission-relevant water cycle questions. Its components include atmosphere and land (110km grid spacing), ocean and sea ice (60km in the mid-latitudes and 30km at the equator and poles), and river transport (55km) models. This base configuration will also serve as a foundation for additional configurations exploring higher horizontal resolution as well as augmented capabilities in the form of biogeochemistry and cryosphere configurations. The performance of E3SMv1 is evaluated by means of a standard set of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Characterization of Klima (CMIP6 DECK) simulations consisting of a long pre-industrial control, historical simulations (ensembles of fully coupled and prescribed SSTs) as well as idealized CO 2 forcing simulations. The model performs well overall with biases typical of other CMIP-class models, although the simulated Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is weaker than many CMIP-class models. While the E3SMv1 historical ensemble captures the bulk of the observed warming between pre-industrial (1850) and present-day, the trajectory of the warming diverges from observations in the second half of the 20th century with a period of delayed warming followed by an excessive warming trend. Using a two-layer energy balance model, we attribute this divergence to the model's strong aerosol-related effective radiative forcing (ERF ari+aci = -1.65 W m -2 ) and high equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS = 5.3 K).

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Standardized Data to Improve Understanding and Modeling of Soil Nitrogen at Continental Scale

Abstract Nitrogen (N) is a key limiting nutrient in terrestrial ecosystems, but there remain critical gaps in our ability to predict and model controls on soil N cycling. This may be in part due to lack of standardized sampling across broad spatial–temporal scales. Here, we introduce a continentally distributed, publicly available data set collected by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) that can help fill these gaps. First, we detail the sampling design and methods used to collect and analyze soil inorganic N pool and net flux rate data from 47 terrestrial sites. We address methodological challenges in generating a standardized data set, even for a network using uniform protocols. Then, we evaluate sources of variation within the sampling design and compare measured net N mineralization to simulated fluxes from the Community Earth System Model 2 (CESM2). We observed wide spatiotemporal variation in inorganic N pool sizes and net transformation rates. Site explained the most variation in NEON’s stratified sampling design, followed by plots within sites. Organic horizons had larger pools and net N transformation rates than mineral horizons on a sample weight basis. The majority of sites showed some degree of seasonality in N dynamics, but overall these temporal patterns were not matched by CESM2, leading to poor correspondence between observed and modeled data. Looking forward, these data can reveal new insights into controls on soil N cycling, especially in the context of other environmental data sets provided by NEON, and should be leveraged to improve predictive modeling of the soil N cycle.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

A gravitational-wave standard siren measurement of the Hubble constant

On 17 August 2017, the Advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors observed the gravitational-wave event GW170817—a strong signal from the merger of a binary neutron-star system. Less than two seconds after the merger, a γ-ray burst (GRB 170817A) was detected within a region of the sky consistent with the LIGO–Virgo-derived location of the gravitational-wave source. This sky region was subsequently observed by optical astronomy facilities, resulting in the identificationof an optical transient signal within about ten arcseconds of the galaxy NGC 4993. This detection of GW170817 in both gravitational waves and electromagnetic waves represents the first ‘multi-messenger’ astronomical observation. Such observations enable GW170817 to be used as a ‘standard siren’ (meaning that the absolute distance to the source can be determined directly from the gravitational-wave measurements) to measure the Hubble constant. This quantity represents the local expansion rate of the Universe, sets the overall scale of the Universe and is of fundamental importance to cosmology. Here we report a measurement of the Hubble constant that combines the distance to the source inferred purely from the gravitational-wave signal with the recession velocity inferred from measurements of the redshift using the electromagnetic data. In contrast to previous measurements, ours does not require the use of a cosmic ‘distance ladder’: the gravitational-wave analysis can be used to estimate the luminosity distance out to cosmological scales directly, without the use of intermediate astronomical distance measurements. We determine the Hubble constant to be about 70 kilometres per second per megaparsec. Furthermore, this value is consistent with existing measurements, while being completely independent of them. Additional standard siren measurements from future gravitational-wave sources will enable the Hubble constant to be constrained to high precision.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Forty years of durability assessment of nuclear waste glass by standard methods

Abstract Standard methods to assess the durability of vitrified radioactive waste were first developed in the 1980’s and, over the last 40 years, have evolved to yield a range of responses depending on experimental conditions and glass composition. Mechanistic understanding of glass dissolution has progressed in parallel, enhancing our interpretation of the data acquired. With the implementation of subsurface disposal for vitrified radioactive waste drawing closer, it is timely to review the available standard methodologies and reflect upon their relative advantages, limitations, and how the data obtained can be interpreted to support the post-closure safety case for radioactive waste disposal.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Standardized multi-omics of Earth’s microbiomes reveals microbial and metabolite diversity

Despite advances in sequencing, lack of standardization makes comparisons across studies challenging and hampers insights into the structure and function of microbial communities across multiple habitats on a planetary scale. Here we present a multi-omics analysis of a diverse set of 880 microbial community samples collected for the Earth Microbiome Project. We include amplicon (16S, 18S, ITS) and shotgun metagenomic sequence data, and untargeted metabolomics data (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography mass spectrometry). We used standardized protocols and analytical methods to characterize microbial communities, focusing on relationships and co-occurrences of microbially related metabolites and microbial taxa across environments, thus allowing us to explore diversity at extraordinary scale. In addition to a reference database for metagenomic and metabolomic data, we provide a framework for incorporating additional studies, enabling the expansion of existing knowledge in the form of an evolving community resource. We demonstrate the utility of this database by testing the hypothesis that every microbe and metabolite is everywhere but the environment selects. Our results show that metabolite diversity exhibits turnover and nestedness related to both microbial communities and the environment, whereas the relative abundances of microbially related metabolites vary and co-occur with specific microbial consortia in a habitat-specific manner. We additionally show the power of certain chemistry, in particular terpenoids, in distinguishing Earth’s environments (for example, terrestrial plant surfaces and soils, freshwater and marine animal stool), as well as that of certain microbes including Conexibacter woesei (terrestrial soils), Haloquadratum walsbyi (marine deposits) and Pantoea dispersa (terrestrial plant detritus). This Resource provides insight into the taxa and metabolites within microbial communities from diverse habitats across Earth, informing both microbial and chemical ecology, and provides a foundation and methods for multi-omics microbiome studies of hosts and the environment.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Community standards and future opportunities for synthetic communities in plant–microbiota research

Harnessing beneficial microorganisms is seen as a promising approach to enhance sustainable agriculture production. Synthetic communities (SynComs) are increasingly being used to study relevant microbial activities and interactions with the plant host. Yet, the lack of community standards limits the efficiency and progress in this important area of research. Here, to address this gap, we recommend three actions: (1) defining reference SynComs; (2) establishing community standards, protocols and benchmark data for constructing and using SynComs; and (3) creating an infrastructure for sharing strains and data. We also outline opportunities to develop SynCom research through technical advances, linking to field studies, and filling taxonomic blind spots to move towards fully representative SynComs.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

STREAMS guidelines: standards for technical reporting in environmental and host-associated microbiome studies

The interdisciplinary nature of microbiome research, coupled with the generation of complex multi-omics data, makes knowledge sharing challenging. The Strengthening the Organization and Reporting of Microbiome Studies (STORMS) guidelines provide a checklist for the reporting of study information, experimental design and analytical methods within a scientific manuscript on human microbiome research. Here, in this Consensus Statement, we present the standards for technical reporting in environmental and host-associated microbiome studies (STREAMS) guidelines. The guidelines expand on STORMS and include 67 items to support the reporting and review of environmental (for example, terrestrial, aquatic, atmospheric and engineered), synthetic and non-human host-associated microbiome studies in a standardized and machine-actionable manner. Based on input from 248 researchers spanning 28 countries, we provide detailed guidance, including comparisons with STORMS, and case studies that demonstrate the usage of the STREAMS guidelines. In conclusion, STREAMS, like STORMS, will be a living community resource updated by the Consortium with consensus-building input of the broader community.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗