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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 1,063 records · Page 59
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

CO 2 Oxidative Ethane Dehydrogenation on CeO 2 /SiO 2 ‐Supported NiFe 3 Catalysts

CO 2 -assisted oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane is a sustainable alternative to steam cracking for ethylene production. In this study, a series of CeO 2 on SiO 2 supported NiFe 3 catalysts were synthesized by incipient wetness impregnation and tested for oxidative dehydrogenation performance. The CeO 2 /SiO 2 supported catalysts with high weight loading of CeO 2 (50%–75%) provided higher activity than the lower CeO 2 (0%–25%) loaded catalysts (with ethylene production rates of 0.62–0.98 µmol/g cat /s and 0.19–0.3 µmol/g cat /s, respectively) while maintaining high ethylene selectivity (43%–45%). In contrast, the NiFe 3 supported on only CeO 2 also exhibited high activity (ethylene production rate of 0.71 µmol/g cat /s), but the ethylene selectivity (16%) was greatly decreased compared to the mixed system. Temperature programmed reduction, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy all indicate the creation of a solid solution of the Fe and Ni doped into the CeO 2 crystal structure in the catalysts with high CeO 2 loading/bulk CeO 2 support. Here, the high ethylene selectivity in the high CeO 2 loading catalysts indicates that the Fe is preferentially creating the solid solution, with the decrease in selectivity observed in the CeO 2 -only supported catalyst likely resulting from CeO 2 interacting directly with Ni, creating Ni-CeO X interfaces that are known active sites for the unwanted side reaction of dry reforming.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1967

Scoping support to program requirements

Scoping of logistics support to program requirements - participation of logistician during conceptual, design, development, production, and deployment phases

SUPPORT SYSTEM↗
NASA NTRS2010

VIIRS Product Evaluation at the Ocean PEATE

The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) mission will support the continuation of climate records generated from NASA missions. The NASA Science Data Segment (SDS) relies upon discipline-specific centers of expertise to evaluate the NPP data products for suitability as climate data records, The Ocean Product Evaluation and Analysis Tool Element (PEATE) will build upon Well established NASA capabilities within the Ocean Color program in order to evaluate the NPP Visible and Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Ocean Color and Chlorophyll data products. The specific evaluation methods will support not only the evaluation of product quality but also the sources of differences with existing data records.

Patt, Frederick S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A 'breadboard' biomass production chamber for CELSS

The Breadboard Project of the Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Program is the first attempt by NASA to integrate the primary components of a bioregenerative life support system into a functioning system. The central component of this project is a Biomass Production Chamber (BPC). The BPC is under construction, and when finished will be sealed for the study of the flux of gases, liquids, and solids through the production module of a CELSS. Features of the CELSS breadboard facility will be covered as will design requirements for the BPC. Cultural practices developed for wheat for the BPC wil be discussed.

Prince, Ralph P.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Small-Scale Irrigation: Improving Food Security under Changing Climate and Water Resource Conditions in Ethiopia

We develop a new systems modeling tool that integrates knowledge from hydrology, agriculture, and economics to understand the effect of small-scale irrigation on food security and groundwater sustainability in Ethiopia. Irrigation is an effective tool to mitigate climate impacts and improve agricultural yields. Small-scale irrigation, such as decentralized groundwater irrigation, is well suited for developing countries where smallholder farming communities are widely dispersed and can only afford small infrastructure investment. We study the underlying interdependencies between food and water systems in Ethiopia, where small-holder agriculture is the foundation of the nation’s economy and climate variability has led to great challenges to its food security. Our coupled market and crop model with groundwater module captures the interdependencies of climate, water availability (including irrigation), crop yield, farmland allocation, crop production, transport and consumption based on a system approach across multiple spatial scales. We study the implication of small-scale irrigation to Ethiopia’s food security and water resource conditions as a “what-if” question by comparing an irrigation scenario to the calibrated baseline in 2015, a year of significant drought and crop failure over a large portion of Ethiopia. Our model offers fresh insights into geographic disparities in outcomes that are driven by baseline climate variability, soil fertility, and market conditions. In general, we find that small-scale irrigation can potentially improve food security through increases in food consumption, but it requires policy support to direct the increases of production to domestic consumption while maintaining a sustainable groundwater condition. By using Ethiopia as an example, we show the strength of our model to study how water infrastructure resources support critical functions and service in water and food systems.

Zhang, Ying↗
DOE OSTI2021

Argonne Leadership Computing Facility: 2021 Operational Assessment Report

This Operational Assessment Report describes how the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) met or exceeded every one of its goals for calendar year (CY) 2021 as an advanced scientific computing center. In CY 2021, the ALCF operated its production resource, Theta, an Intel-based Cray XC40 system (11.7-petaflops) augmented with 24 NVIDIA DGX A100-based nodes (3.9-petaflops) that supports diverse workloads, integrating data analytics with artificial intelligence (AI) training and learning in a single platform. In 2021, we began deploying Polaris, our newest 40- petaflops system, and augmented this powerful testbed system with an additional 28 nodes to support the integration of real-time experiments and HPC resources. We also deployed our two largest storage systems yet, named Grand and Eagle, that will bring new services to our users and will power data-driven research for years to come. Last year, Theta delivered a total of 20.8 million node-hours to 16 Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment (INCITE) projects and 7.2 million node-hours to ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge (ALCC) projects (32 awarded during the 2020–2021 ALCC year and 17 awarded during the 2021–2022 ALCC year), as well as substantial support to Director’s Discretionary (DD) projects (5.5 million node-hours). As Table ES.1 shows, Theta performed exceptionally well in terms of overall availability (95.1 percent), scheduled availability (99.4 percent), and utilization (98.1 percent; Table 2.1). As of the submission date of this document, ALCF’s user community has published 249 papers in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals and technical proceedings. At the 2021 International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis (SC’21), Argonne researchers won two HPCwire Readers’ Choice Awards and were part of a Gordon Bell Prize finalist team recognized for developing an AI-enabled, multi-resolution simulation framework for studying complex biomolecular machines. Their framework was used to observe the SARS-CoV-2 replication-transcription machinery in action, by directly integrating experimental data. ALCF also provided a comprehensive program of high-performance computing (HPC) support services to help our community make productive use of the facility’s diverse and growing collection of resources. We are now entering the exascale era, with exascale machines being planned for national laboratories across the country, including Aurora at Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) in 2023. ALCF researchers have been leading and guiding numerous strategic activities that will push the boundaries of what’s possible in computational science and engineering and allow us to deliver science on day one.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1999

Effects of Space Flight, Clinorotation, and Centrifugation on the Growth and Metabolism of Escherichia Coli

Previous experiments have shown that space flight stimulates bacterial growth and metabolism. An explanation for these results is proposed, which may eventually lead to improved terrestrial pharmaceutical production efficiency. It is hypothesized that inertial acceleration affects bacterial growth and metabolism by altering the transport phenomena in the cells external fluid environment. It is believed that this occurs indirectly through changes in the sedimentation rate acting on the bacteria and buoyancy-driven convection acting on their excreted by-products. Experiments over a broad range of accelerations consistently supported this theory. Experiments at I g indicated that higher concentrations of excreted by products surrounding bacterial cells result in a shorter lag phase. Nineteen additional experiments simulated 0 g and 0.5 g using a clinostat, and achieved 50 g, 180 g, and 400 g using a centrifuge. These experiments showed that final cell density is inversely related to the level of acceleration. The experiments also consistently showed that acceleration affects the length of the lag phase in a non-monotonic, yet predictable, manner. Additional data indicated that E. coli metabolize glucose less efficiently at hypergravity, and more efficiently at hypogravity. A space-flight experiment was also performed. Samples on orbit had a statistically significant higher final cell density and more efficient metabolism than did ground controls. These results. which were similar to simulations of 0 g using a clinostat, support the theory that gravity only affects bacterial growth and metabolism indirectly, through changes in the bacteria's fluid environment.

Brown, Robert B.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Reducing NPR 7120.5D to Practice: Preparing for a Life-Cycle Review

In March 2007, NASA issued revised rules for space flight project management, NPR 7120.5D, 'NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements.' Central to the new rules was the construct of Key Decision Points, maturity gates that the project team must pass in order to continue development. In order that the KDP decision be fully informed, the NPR required, as entrance criteria for the gate, the generation and delivery of specified planning, technical, and cost/schedule documents (gate products) and a life-cycle review, the Preliminary Design Review. Building on JPL experience on the Prometheus and Juno projects, the team successfully organized for and conducted these reviews on an aggressive schedule. Key actions were taken to proactively interact with the SRB, produce high-quality gate products with stakeholder review, generate review presentation materials, and handle a myriad of supporting logistical functions. A review preparation team was established, including a Review Captain and leads for documentation, information systems, and logistics, and their roles, responsibilities and task assignments were identified. Aids were produced, including a detailed review preparation schedule and a comprehensive gate products production table. Institutional support was leveraged early and often. Implementation strategy reflected the needs of a nationally-distributed team, as well as applicable export control and IT security requirements. This paper gives a brief overview of the GRAIL mission and its project management challenges, provides a detailed description of project PMSR and PDR preparation and execution activities, including positive and negative lessons learned, and identifies recommendations for future NASA (and non-NASA) project teams.

NPR 7120.5D↗
NASA NTRS1991

NASA spinoffs to bioengineering and medicine

Through the active transfer of technology, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Technology Utilization (TU) Program assists private companies, associations, and government agencies to make effective use of NASA's technological resources to improve U.S. economic competitiveness and to provide societal benefit. Aerospace technology from areas such as digital image processing, space medicine and biology, microelectronics, optics and electrooptics, and ultrasonic imaging have found many secondary applications in medicine. Examples of technology spinoffs are briefly discussed to illustrate the benefits realized through adaptation of aerospace technology to solve health care problems. Successful implementation of new technologies increasingly requires the collaboration of industry, universities, and government, and the TU Program serves as the liaison to establish such collaborations with NASA. NASA technology is an important resource to support the development of new medical products and techniques that will further advance the quality of health care available in the U.S. and worldwide.

Biomedical Engineering/instrumentation/trends↗
NASA NTRS2017

Validation and Scaling of Soil Moisture in a Semi-Arid Environment: SMAP Validation Experiment 2015 (SMAPVEX15)

The NASA SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) mission conducted the SMAP Validation Experiment 2015 (SMAPVEX15) in order to support the calibration and validation activities of SMAP soil moisture data products. The main goals of the experiment were to address issues regarding the spatial disaggregation methodologies for improvement of soil moisture products and validation of the in situ measurement upscaling techniques. To support these objectives high-resolution soil moisture maps were acquired with the airborne PALS (Passive Active L-band Sensor) instrument over an area in southeast Arizona that includes the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW), and intensive ground sampling was carried out to augment the permanent in situ instrumentation. The objective of the paper was to establish the correspondence and relationship between the highly heterogeneous spatial distribution of soil moisture on the ground and the coarse resolution radiometer-based soil moisture retrievals of SMAP. The high-resolution mapping conducted with PALS provided the required connection between the in situ measurements and SMAP retrievals. The in situ measurements were used to validate the PALS soil moisture acquired at 1-km resolution. Based on the information from a dense network of rain gauges in the study area, the in situ soil moisture measurements did not capture all the precipitation events accurately. That is, the PALS and SMAP soil moisture estimates responded to precipitation events detected by rain gauges, which were in some cases not detected by the in situ soil moisture sensors. It was also concluded that the spatial distribution of the soil moisture resulted from the relatively small spatial extents of the typical convective storms in this region was not completely captured with the in situ stations. After removing those cases (approximately10 of the observations) the following metrics were obtained: RMSD (root mean square difference) of0.016m3m3 and correlation of 0.83. The PALS soil moisture was also compared to SMAP and in situ soil moisture at the 36-km scale, which is the SMAP grid size for the standard product. PALS and SMAP soil moistures were found to be very similar owing to the close match of the brightness temperature measurements and the use of a common soil moisture retrieval algorithm. Spatial heterogeneity, which was identified using the high-resolution PALS soil moisture and the intensive ground sampling, also contributed to differences between the soil moisture estimates. In general, discrepancies found between the L-band soil moisture estimates and the 5-cm depth in situ measurements require methodologies to mitigate the impact on their interpretations in soil moisture validation and algorithm development. Specifically, the metrics computed for the SMAP radiometer-based soil moisture product over WGEW will include errors resulting from rainfall, particularly during the monsoon season when the spatial distribution of soil moisture is especially heterogeneous.

SMAPVEX15↗
DOE OSTI2021

Simulated hydrological dynamics and coupled iron redox cycling impact methane production in an Arctic soil: Modeling Archive

This Modeling Archive is in support of an NGEE Arctic publication "Simulated hydrological dynamics and coupled iron redox cycling impact methane production in an Arctic soil" in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences. We simulated biogeochemical cycling in arctic soils using the PFLOTRAN geochemical model combined with measurements from previous NGEE Arctic incubations of polygonal permafrost soils in northern Alaska (Zheng et al., 2018). Simulated iron cycling, carbon dioxide production, and methane production were compared with incubation measurements and the parameterized model was then used to simulate coupled iron and carbon cycling over repeated oxic-anoxic cycles at different levels of carbon substrate availability and pH. The most recent data version (2.0) in the archive incorporates changes to the model and simulations as suggested by reviewers during the manuscript review process. These changes include an updated parameterization of the model; a new set of simulations omitting the iron cycle for direct evaluation of how iron cycle processes affect modeled outcomes; and a set of simulations testing different scenarios of carbon substrate availability in addition to scenarios of initial soil pH. This archive contains simulation code, model output, and analysis code for PFLOTRAN simulations. All scripts are python except the batch script for submitting multiprocessor jobs. Note that the model also requires compiled versions of the Alquimia interface and the NGEE Arctic fork of the PFLOTRAN geochemical simulator (see the README_INSTALL document for basic instructions). The Output directory contains eight data files in netCDF format generated by the model. The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a 10-year research effort (2012-2022) to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska. Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy's Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Do Agrivoltaics Improve Public Support for Solar Photovoltaic Development? Survey Says: Yes!

Agrivoltaic systems allow for the simultaneous production of solar-generated electricity and agriculture. As the climate change related impacts of conventional energy and food production intensify, finding strategies to increase the deployment of solar photovoltaic systems, preserve agricultural land, and minimize competing land uses is urgent. Given the proven technical, economic, and environmental advantages provided by agrivoltaic systems, increased proliferation is anticipated, which necessitates accounting for the nuances of community resistance to solar development on farmland. Minimizing siting conflict and addressing agricultural communities’ concerns will be key in promoting public support for agrivoltaics, as localized acceptance of solar is a critical determinant of project success. This survey study assessed if public support for solar development increases when energy and agricultural production are combined in an agrivoltaic system. Results show that 81.8% of respondents would be more likely to support solar development in their community if it combined the production of both energy and agriculture. This increase in support for solar given the agrivoltaic approach highlights a development strategy that can improve local social acceptance and the deployment rate of solar photovoltaics. Survey respondents prefer agrivoltaic projects that a) are designed to provide economic opportunities for farmers and the local community b) are located on private property or existing agricultural land c) do not threaten local interests and d) ensure fair distribution of economic benefits. Proactively identifying what the public perceives as opportunities and concerns related to agrivoltaic development can help improve the design, business model, and siting of systems in the U.S.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Column separation of tetravalent cerium fission products from trivalent rare earth radio-isotopes

Rapid and efficient isolation of individual rare earth element (REE) radioisotopes from complex mixtures is necessary to support the fields of nuclear forensics, medical isotope production and nuclear physics measurements. The separations must be robust and generate sufficiently high purity samples for subsequent radiological analysis. Current methodologies utilize a laborious two step Ce(IV)-iodate precipitation followed by Ce(IV)-nitrate di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid/n-heptane extraction. This work reports an alternative method to isolate Ce fission product isotopes equilibrated with milligrams of cold carrier, from the remaining REE’s using a Ce(IV)/LN-resin (Eichrom Technologies) based separation. Optimization of Ce(IV) loading, REE(III) elution volume and subsequent Ce(III) stripping step utilized 166m Ho tracer. Mixed fission product experiments provided a further test of this LN-resin method, with analysis of purified 141/144 Ce, 147 Nd and 91 Y. Overall, while decontamination factors were lower for the LN-resin method, (vs. the combined precipitation/extraction) the simplicity of the technique and the satisfactory fission product analysis results point to the efficacy of this method.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2024

Narrowing lab–to–market gaps: Device innovations in fuel generation, solar–cell, and photodetection

Academic translational research efforts to industry are often an underlying sought–after goal among various researchers. Through the interchanges of research endeavors between academia–industry, great innovations can/has been achieved that cater to the real–world application by bridging “industrially relevant” problem solving with pursuing fundamental studies. It is pertinent that most of the studies from university–level research works may not translate into demonstrable market products due to various reasons. Funding support, individual researcher goals, socioeconomic factors, and most importantly the technical know–how of generating revenue strategies for startups, are a few of the factors that have slowed the pace of collaborative efforts. However, we believe that the most crucial component is the identification of the critical parameters that solve long–standing problems that hinder the scale–up of the lab scale research into marketable products considering the techno–economic analysis. Here, to illustrate this, we take the three most relevant examples of devices for fuel generation, devices to utilize solar radiation, and devices for detection and other related applications. In this perspective, we provide an in–depth case study of each of these critical parameters to comment on the direction of research avenues that can serve as step–stones for the commercialization of university–level lab research studies.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

A life cycle analysis (LCA) primer for the agricultural community

Consumer demand for sustainably produced agricultural products is increasing. One approach that can be used to evaluate and compare product sustainability is to conduct a life cycle analysis (LCA). The term LCA is broadly used to describe a suite of analytical resources and standardized methods. Life cycle analyses are a transdisciplinary tool which can and are used by all professions but work best when conducted by teams with diverse skills and backgrounds. The objective of this paper is to provide a primer on LCAs for the agricultural community and for LCA practitioners unfamiliar with agronomy. Agricultural LCAs can differ greatly because agricultural products have multiple end uses, complex socio-economic and environmental trade-offs, and can be generated using a variety of different practices, resources, and production systems. Through worldwide agricultural marketing, intricate agronomic supply chains and support systems have been developed to produce, store, and distribute agricultural products. In many situations, the production practices are not linked to the products consumers purchase. This limitation can be partially overcome by conducting an LCA, which is a systematic summation of the multiple environmental impacts associated with the production, use, and disposal of a product. However, the large number and types of analyses can make it difficult for non-practitioners and decision-makers to use and interpret LCA results. Finally, it is important for members of the agricultural community to be aware of these analyses and how they can be used and how they affect product markets.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1992

Options for a lunar base surface architecture

The Planet Surface Systems Office at the NASA Johnson Space Center has participated in an analysis of the Space Exploration Initiative architectures described in the Synthesis Group report. This effort involves a Systems Engineering and Integration effort to define point designs for evolving lunar and Mars bases that support substantial science, exploration, and resource production objectives. The analysis addresses systems-level designs; element requirements and conceptual designs; assessments of precursor and technology needs; and overall programmatics and schedules. This paper focuses on the results of the study of the Space Resource Utilization Architecture. This architecture develops the capability to extract useful materials from the indigenous resources of the Moon and Mars. On the Moon, a substantial infrastructure is emplaced which can support a crew of up to twelve. Two major process lines are developed: one produces oxygen, ceramics, and metals; the other produces hydrogen, helium, and other volatiles. The Moon is also used for a simulation of a Mars mission. Significant science capabilities are established in conjunction with resource development. Exploration includes remote global surveys and piloted sorties of local and regional areas. Science accommodations include planetary science, astronomy, and biomedical research. Greenhouses are established to provide a substantial amount of food needs.

Roberts, Barney B.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Life Cycle Analysis of Renewable Natural Gas and Lactic Acid Production from Waste Feedstocks

Producing fuels and chemicals from waste is considered economically favorable, due to low feedstock cost, and environmentally favorable, due to avoided emissions from conventional waste management practices. In this study, we evaluate the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction benefits of renewable natural gas (RNG) and lactic acid (LA) production from four types of wet waste feedstocks (wastewater sludge, food waste, swine manure, and fats, oil, and grease [FOG]) via anaerobic digestion (AD) and LA fermentation, respectively. RNG can be used as an alternative to fossil natural gas, while LA from waste feedstocks can displace conventional LA production pathways (mainly from corn via fermentation). Providing comprehensive life cycle GHG emissions of the combinations of waste feedstocks and products through different routes helps identify the GHG hotspots and show where emissions savings come from. The results show that the carbon intensities (CIs) of waste-derived RNG and LA are much lower than those of their counterparts. We estimated the life cycle GHG emissions for RNG to be between -146 and 27 g carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)/MJ, much lower than the CI of fossil fuels. Waste-derived LA pathways also show substantially lower CIs, ranging from -4.2 to -1.4 kgCO2e/kg LA, compared to the CIs of LA from corn and corn stover (1.2 and 0.3 kgCO2e/kg LA, respectively). We will also discuss that the low CIs of waste-derived products can come from low yields leading to high emission credits. Thus, life cycle analysis results presented per weight of treated waste can be used to support decisions about which waste feedstocks and products are to be used for sustainable waste valorization. In addition, we found that monetary emission reduction credits can play an important role in driving waste valorization.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS2015

NASA SMD Airborne Science Capabilities for Development and Testing of New Instruments

The SMD NASA Airborne Science Program operates and maintains a fleet of highly modified aircraft to support instrument development, satellite instrument calibration, data product validation and earth science process studies. This poster will provide an overview of aircraft available to NASA researchers including performance specifications and modifications for instrument support, processes for requesting aircraft time and developing cost estimates for proposals, and policies and procedures required to ensure safety of flight.

Earth Sciences↗