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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 OSTI2025

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Annual Report for CY2024: Regulation for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Gas-Insulated Equipment

This report is in response to the “Regulation for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Gas Insulated Equipment (GIE),” Section 95355, Title 17, California Code of Regulations. This report includes GIE at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 200, located in Livermore, CA, and Site 300, located 10 miles west of the City of Tracy, in San Joaquin County.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Repurposing Offshore Infrastructure for Clean Energy (ROICE) vs. Decommissioning – Commercial Considerations

Abstract The Repurposing Offshore Infrastructure for Clean Energy (ROICE) Program, a collaboration of the energy industry and University of Houston, proposes extending the life of up to 1,500 oil and gas platforms in the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico, USA. Rather than decommissioning or converting them to underwater reefs at the end of their oil and gas production phase, the platforms could be transformed for 10–20+ years of renewable energy development, such as green hydrogen production or carbon dioxide injection and storage, resulting in significant economic, environmental, and social benefits. ROICE has already published papers on the technical and regulatory considerations for such repurposing projects. This paper focuses on the commercial considerations needed to ensure ROICE projects are economically viable and sustainable for all involved. There are potentially many entities that can come together to progress a repurposing project, including oil and gas asset owners, operators, investors, developers, contractors, manufacturers, and regulators. This paper looks at possible combinations of these entities in a ROICE project team and the various commercial agreements that will be needed to ensure a mutually successful outcome. The paper proposes adapting existing industry agreements and templates to suit, including asset transfer agreements (ATA), asset purchase agreements (APA) and joint purchasing agreements (JOA). An ATA or APA can be drafted to address the obligations and issues involved in the sale or transfer of an existing oil and gas facility to the developer, operator, non-operating interests, and financial investors in a ROICE project, while a JOA can be drafted to govern the rights, obligations, and financial requirements of the parties involved in the development and operation.

Legge, G. [Endeavor Management, USA]↗
NASA NTRS1988

Adaptive control experiment with a large flexible structure

A large space antenna-like ground experiment structure has been developed for conducting research and validation of advanced control technology. A set of proof-of-concept adaptive control experiments for transient and initial deflection regulation with a small set of sensors and actuators were conducted. Very limited knowledge of the plant dynamics and its environment was used in the design of the adaptive controller so that performance could be demonstrated under conditions of gross underlying uncertainties. High performance has been observed under such stringent conditions. These experiments have established a baseline for future studies involving more complex hardware and environmental conditions, and utilizing additional sets of sensors and actuators.

Ih, Che-Hang Charles↗
DOE OSTI2025

Air Dispersion Modeling for the Idaho National Laboratory Permit to Construct P-2020.0045 Facility Emission Cap Revision Request

The U.S. Department of Energy Idaho Operations Office (DOE-ID) is seeking to modify permit to construct (PTC) P-2020.0045 issued to U S Dept. of Energy – Idaho National Laboratory (INL) on January 29, 2021 by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This PTC allowed the INL to become a synthetic minor source of air pollutants using a facility emission cap (FEC). Air dispersion modeling was performed as part of the permit revision application process to demonstrate that the modifications will comply with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This report documents the modeling methodology and complete results for the air dispersion impact analysis and is supplied as an appendix to the permit revision request, Idaho National Laboratory Permit to Construct P-2020.0045 (INL 2025). All criteria air pollutants (CAPs) regulated under Section 109 of the Clean Air Act were modeled with the exception of lead (Pb) and ozone which are not required to be modeled by DEQ. Consistent with the original permit application, modeling was not performed for toxic air pollutants (TAPs) as uncontrolled emissions did not exceed screening emission levels for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic TAPs. Acceptable model design values (concentrations) for each CAP and averaging period were summed with average background concentrations and compared to NAAQS. The results demonstrate the impacts of requested FEC limits for CAPs are less than applicable standards and demonstrate emissions up to FEC limits will not cause a violation of ambient air quality standards.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Retiring environmental risks of marine renewable energy devices: The “habitat change” case

The installation, presence, operation, and decommissioning of marine renewable energy (MRE) devices inevitably alters the surrounding ocean habitats. These changes may include direct effects on the benthos from the installation or removal of foundations and anchors, changes in community composition on and near devices, artificial reef effects, and indirect effects such as alteration of the food web or facilitation of non-native, invasive species dispersal. Although there is no expectation that MRE devices affect marine environments differently than other anthropogenic ocean uses, regulators and stakeholders continue to have questions about potential negative impacts to species and habitats from development. Research studies and survey reports that inform our understanding of habitat changes related to MRE devices and associated equipment were compiled into an evidence base, sorted into categories of effects, and evaluated by a group of international experts to assess potential risk to habitats and biota from small numbers of MRE devices, as well as to identify knowledge gaps. These gaps were organized by category and divided up by relevance to consenting, research, or project development and monitoring responsibilities. Identifying these “known unknowns” allows for study design and collaboration from various perspectives to fill the knowledge gaps. Distribution of the evidence base and remaining uncertainties and knowledge gaps to the MRE community, coupled with new research, will help advance the MRE industry while resolving concerns about the potential risks of habitat change for small numbers of devices.

Hemery, Lenaig G.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Wetlands Delineation Report and Classification: PNNL – Sequim (formerly MSL) Wetland Delineation for the Water and Sewer Line

A wetlands delineation report summarizes the wetland delineation on the southern portion of PNNL-Sequim campus to support campus development, maintenance, and potential research activities. The delineation was conducted in accordance with state and federal wetland regulations and summarizes the potential jurisdiction. This will used to support biological reports, NEPA documents, and permit applications.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2006

Radiation Tolerant Intelligent Memory Stack (RTIMS)

The Radiation Tolerant Intelligent Memory Stack (RTIMS), suitable for both geostationary and low earth orbit missions, has been developed. The memory module is fully functional and undergoing environmental and radiation characterization. A self-contained flight-like module is expected to be completed in 2006. RTIMS provides reconfigurable circuitry and 2 gigabits of error corrected or 1 gigabit of triple redundant digital memory in a small package. RTIMS utilizes circuit stacking of heterogeneous components and radiation shielding technologies. A reprogrammable field programmable gate array (FPGA), six synchronous dynamic random access memories, linear regulator, and the radiation mitigation circuitries are stacked into a module of 42.7mm x 42.7mm x 13.00mm. Triple module redundancy, current limiting, configuration scrubbing, and single event function interrupt detection are employed to mitigate radiation effects. The mitigation techniques significantly simplify system design. RTIMS is well suited for deployment in real-time data processing, reconfigurable computing, and memory intensive applications.

Ng, Tak-kwong↗
NASA NTRS1972

Maximal Oxygen Uptake, Sweating and Tolerance to Exercise in the Heat

The physiological mechanisms that facilitate acute acclimation to heat have not been fully elucidated, but the result is the establishment of a more efficient cardiovascular system to increase heat dissipation via increased sweating that allows the acclimated man to function with a cooler internal environment and to extend his performance. Men in good physical condition with high maximal oxygen uptakes generally acclimate to heat more rapidly and retain it longer than men in poorer condition. Also, upon first exposure trained men tolerate exercise in the heat better than untrained men. Both resting in heat and physical training in a cool environment confer only partial acclimation when first exposed to work in the heat. These observations suggest separate additive stimuli of metabolic heat from exercise and environmental heat to increase sweating during the acclimation process. However, the necessity of utilizing physical exercise during acclimation has been questioned. Bradbury et al. (1964) have concluded exercise has no effect on the course of heat acclimation since increased sweating can be induced by merely heating resting subjects. Preliminary evidence suggests there is a direct relationship between the maximal oxygen uptake and the capacity to maintain thermal regulation, particularly through the control of sweating. Since increased sweating is an important mechanism for the development of heat acclimation, and fit men have high sweat rates, it follows that upon initial exposure to exercise in the heat, men with high maximal oxygen uptakes should exhibit less strain than men with lower maximal oxygen uptakes. The purpose of this study was: (1) to determine if men with higher maximal oxygen uptakes exhibit greater tolerance than men with lower oxygen uptakes during early exposure to exercise in the heat, and (2) to investigate further the mechanism of the relationship between sweating and maximal work capacity.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗
DOE OSTI2022

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

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

Ou, Shawn↗
DOE OSTI2021

Design Readiness And Maturity Assessment (DRAMA) Tool for Advanced Reactors

Abstract – This research is developing a formal, repeatable method to assess the readiness and maturity of an advanced nuclear reactor design for licensing and deployment. This design readiness and maturity assessment (DRAMA) tool will be capable of determining the readiness of the design and of all parties needed to bring a particular advanced reactor design to fruition. Beneficiaries and stakeholders include the design team, research organizations (required to collect needed data and develop design tools), standards organizations, research facilities to support gathering of needed data, supply chain and construction organizations, and everyone responsible for legal and regulatory infrastructure (including defining import-export requirements). Recent experience has shown that even the most experienced engineering and construction organizations, with decades of experience in the nuclear power business, have had significant challenges in bringing designs to completion, licensing the designs, and constructing new plants. For new entries into the field, simply understanding the unique environmental and regulatory requirements have been daunting. A significant part of the challenge is that new entries into the market do not know what they don't know. This tool will provide design teams a better understanding of their readiness to proceed to licensing (and other steps in the process), while at the same time providing a valuable metric for other interested organizations, such as funding agencies, national regulators, and international markets. The DRAMA tool will provide an assessment of the likelihood of successfully completing licensing and deployment and will also create the capability to assess the ability of regulatory infrastructure and the supply chain to support the deployment of any design or class of designs. It will also help prioritize research and policy efforts to improve the likelihood of deployment of the next generation of advanced reactors.

Arndt, Steven↗
DOE OSTI2021

Contrasting Responses of Soil Inorganic Carbon to Afforestation in Acidic Versus Alkaline Soils

Afforestation is recommended as an effective approach for carbon sequestration and environmental benefits. However, it remains less clear, and sometimes controversial, regarding how afforestation may impact soil inorganic carbon (SIC), a crucial component of the ecosystem carbon pool. Here, using field data from 619 afforested plots and 163 control plots across northern China, we investigated the relative and absolute differences in SIC between afforested and corresponding control plots. Our results suggested that afforestation increased SIC in acidic soils, while decreased SIC in alkaline soils. Fitting a linear mixed model and further a structure equation model, we found that afforestation-induced soil pH change was the most significant factor regulating SIC responses. In particular, SIC was more sensitive to pH change in more arid areas, where both soil pH and SIC stocks were high. Other factors could indirectly affect SIC responses to afforestation through modulating soil pH and soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. Moreover, afforestation-induced SIC changes also varied considerably among different species of tree plantations and across different soil depths. Importantly, in plantations of Pinus sylvestris var. mongholica, Pinus tabuliformis, and Populus spp., changes in SIC caused by afforestation were even comparable to that in SOC. Overall, our findings provide a data-based understanding on the comprehensive soil carbon dynamics following afforestation and its underlying mechanisms. With the increased use of afforestation and reforestation as nature-based solutions to climate change, their associated impacts on SIC need to be taken into account, especially in SIC-rich areas.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Breaking the Ice: A Review of Phages in Polar Ecosystems

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect and replicate within bacterial hosts, playing a significant role in regulating microbial populations and ecosystem dynamics. However, phages from extreme environments such as polar regions remain relatively understudied due to challenges such as restricted ecosystem access and low biomass. In this study, understanding the diversity, structure, and functions of polar phages is crucial for advancing our knowledge of the microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of these environments. In this review, we will explore the current state of knowledge on phages from the Arctic and Antarctic, focusing on insights gained from -omic studies, phage isolation, and virus-like particle abundance data. Metagenomic studies of polar environments have revealed a high diversity of phages with unique genetic characteristics, providing insights into their evolutionary and ecological roles. Phage isolation studies have identified novel phage–host interactions and contributed to the discovery of new phage species. Virus-like particle abundance and lysis rate data, on the other hand, have highlighted the importance of phages in regulating bacterial populations and nutrient cycling in polar environments. Overall, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge about polar phages, and by synthesizing these different sources of information, we can better understand the diversity, dynamics, and functions of polar phages in the context of ongoing climate change, which will help to predict how polar ecosystems and residing phages may respond to future environmental perturbations.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Democratizing life cycle assessment by developing a streamlined model of greenhouse gas emissions from US natural gas supply chains

Natural gas (NG) supply chains contribute substantially to the global energy supply and anthropogenic methane emissions, making them frequent subjects of life cycle assessments (LCAs). To better characterize central tendencies and variability, we systematically reviewed and harmonized published estimates of life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from United States NG supply chains. Results informed a streamlined LCA model (SLiNG-GHG: streamlined LCAs of NG-GHGs) that quantifies carbon dioxide and methane from three gates: transmission, distribution, and shipping. Median estimates employing harmonized emission inputs, are 10, 11, and 21 g CO2e/MJ gas (100-year global warming potentials [GWPs]), and 20, 22, and 33 g CO2e/MJ gas (20-year GWPs), delivered to each gate, respectively. Alternatively, inputting available, independent methane measurements, SLiNG-GHG estimates varied from -23% to +316% relative to baseline. Bottom-up inventories used in LCAs tend to underestimate methane compared with measurements. Results underscore the need for open-source, streamlined LCA models that can easily incorporate rapidly evolving measurements for non-experts like investors and regulators.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Biogeochemical Processes Across Aquatic Interfaces

The aquatic interfaces exposing terrestrial soils to oxic-anoxic regime shifts represent biogeochemical “hotspots” that are extremely sensitive to climate and environmental change. However, processes and interaction across theses aquatic interfaces are poorly understood and underrepresented in current Earth system models. In this project, we aim to develop predictive understanding of the feedbacks between microbial systems and geochemical environments that determine emergent ecosystem behaviors and resilience in response to disturbances. We use experimental, mechanistic modeling and meta-analysis tools to elucidate interactions among soil, water, geomorphology and microbiology that regulate the molecular transformations and fluxes of carbon, nutrients, and redox-sensitive compounds across aquatic interfaces.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Semiannual Categorical Process Report - January Through June 2023

The Sandia National Laboratories, in California (SNL/CA) is a research and development facility, owned by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration agency (DOE/NNSA). The laboratory is located in the City of Livermore (the City) and is comprised of approximately 410 acres. The SNL/CA facility is operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC (NTESS) under a contract with the DOE/NNSA. The DOE/ NNSA’s Sandia Field Office (SFO) oversees the operations of the site. North of the SNL/CA facility is the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), in which SNL/CA’s sewer system combines with before discharging to the City’s Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) for final treatment and processing. The City’s POTW authorizes the wastewater discharge from SNL/CA via the assigned Wastewater Discharge Permit #1251 (the Permit), which is issued to the DOE/NNSA’s main office for Sandia National Laboratories, located in New Mexico (SNL/NM). The Monitoring and Reporting Condition 2.B of the Permit requires compliance with the semiannual reporting requirements contained in federal categorical pretreatment standards regulations (40 CFR 403.12). These regulations set numerical limits on the concentration of pollutants allowed to discharge from certain categories of industrial processes. This report is submitted to the City to satisfy this reporting requirement.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

CSP Plant Optimization Study for the California Power Market (“CalCSP”) (Final Technical Report)

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) with thermal energy storage offers a unique and strategic opportunity to support California’s clean energy transition. Unlike photovoltaic (PV) systems, CSP with thermal storage can generate electricity after sunset and during periods of high demand, making it a valuable complement to intermittent renewable resources. CSP also provides synchronous, inertia-contributing generation, long-duration storage, and flexible dispatch—capabilities increasingly important as thermal plants retire. This report summarizes the findings of the CSP Plant Optimization Study for the California Power Market or “CalCSP study,” which evaluated the technical, economic, environmental, and policy factors that influence the deployment of CSP technologies in California. The CalCSP study was conducted to assess how CSP can contribute to California’s long-term decarbonization goals while enhancing grid reliability, supporting local economic development, and making efficient use of land and transmission resources. It draws on detailed modeling of CSP performance and costs, site suitability analysis, policy reviews, and stakeholder engagement across utilities, regulators, developers, and community organizations. The analysis focuses on mature molten-salt tower technology and incorporates lessons learned from the global CSP fleet, distinguishing today’s CSP from earlier first-of-a-kind projects in the U.S. The findings support a more prominent role for CSP in California’s evolving clean energy landscape. With strategic planning, targeted policy support, and continued cost improvements, CSP can complement PV and batteries to deliver reliable, around-the-clock clean electricity—especially in areas with high solar resource and constrained grid capacity.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1988

Intracellular proteins produced by mammalian cells in response to environmental stress

The nature of the response of mammalian cells to environmental stress is examined by reviewing results of studies where cultured mouse L cells and baby hamster kidney cells were exposed to heat shock and the synthesis of heat-shock proteins and stress-response proteins (including HSP70, HSC70, HSP90, ubiquitin, and GRP70) in stressed and unstressed cells was evaluated using 2D-PAGE. The intracellular roles of the individual stress response proteins are discussed together with the regulation of the stress response system.

Goochee, Charles F.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Politics of problem definition: Comparing public support of climate change mitigation policies using machine learning

Public support is a key contributor to successful policy adoption and implementation. Given the urgency of climate change mitigation, scholars have explored various determinants that affect public support for climate change mitigation policy. However, the relative decisiveness of these factors in shaping public support is insufficiently examined. Therefore, we deploy interpretable machine learning to understand which factors, among many previously investigated, are most decisive for structuring public support for various climate change mitigation policies. In this paper, we particularly look at the decisiveness of problem definition for shaping public support among various factors. Using U.S national survey data, we find that how individuals define the issue of climate change is more decisive for structuring public support for promoting renewable energy and regulating pollutants to mitigate the risks associated with climate change. However, the results also indicate that the most decisive factors associated with public support vary depending on the types of mitigation policy. Here, we conclude that different strategies should be utilized to increase public support for various climate change mitigation policy options. Our findings contribute to a scholarly understanding of the specific politics of problem definition in the context of environmental and climate change policy.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗