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DOE OSTI2024

Feasibility of using nuclear microreactor process heat for bioconversion and agricultural processes

Introduction There is a global goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2023. Nuclear microreactors, a subset of small modular reactors, offer a potential solution due to their compact size, transportability, and carbon-neutral power generation capabilities. Methods This study explores the feasibility of using heat from nuclear microreactors for bioconversion and agricultural processes, including transforming biomass into energy carriers and products such as syngas, bio-oil, and pasteurized milk. Operating requirements for gasification, pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonization, hydrothermal liquefaction, hydrothermal gasification, ethanol production, anaerobic digestion, and pasteurization were obtained through a literature review. A Brayton cycle model based on the eVinci TM microreactor was developed to assess the feasibility of powering these processes using nuclear microreactor heat. Results and Discussion Exergetic efficiency values for high-temperature processes ranged from 72% to 100%, whereas lower-temperature processes ranged from 2% to 53%. These efficiencies depend on the available source temperature for each microreactor design. There were trade-offs between producing net power and using process heat, particularly for high-temperature processes. Three heat exchanger locations were considered: before the turbine (600 ℃ ), between the turbine and regenerator (370 ℃ ), and after the regenerator (192 ℃ ). High-temperature processes like gasification require temperatures too high for feasibility. Middle temperature processes are better suited to a heat exchanger between the turbine and regenerator, while also operable before the turbine. Lower-temperature processes like pasteurization and anaerobic digestion can use waste heat after the regenerator and do not impact power production. These findings are valuable for optimizing nuclear microreactor heat use and aligning with global climate initiatives.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

NASA NTRS2026

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Technology Development Plan

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is NASA’s next large space telescope, selected by the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics to search for and characterize habitable exoplanets while enabling a broad range of transformative astrophysics. In August 2024, the HWO Technology Maturation Project Office (TMPO) was formed to begin exploring the HWO science, technology, and mission architectures toward a Mission Concept Review (MCR) at the end of the decade. A primary deliverable of this effort is this technology development plan that identifies critical technologies that enable the mission, defines a process for assessing the readiness of those technologies, and outlines a strategy for developing those technologies to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 before the MCR. This document covers technologies organized along three “tracks”: Coronagraph System technologies, Ultra-stable Telescope System technologies, and High-sensitivity Ultraviolet and Visible Instrumentation technologies. Additional emerging and enhancing technologies are also discussed.

technology development↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Technology Development Plan

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is NASA’s next large space telescope, selected by the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics to search for and characterize habitable exoplanets while enabling a broad range of transformative astrophysics. In August 2024, the HWO Technology Maturation Project Office (TMPO) was formed to begin exploring the HWO science, technology, and mission architectures toward a Mission Concept Review (MCR) at the end of the decade. A primary deliverable of this effort is a technology development plan that identifies critical technologies that enable the mission, defines a process for assessing the readiness of those technologies, and outlines a strategy for developing those technologies to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 before the MCR. In this paper we summarize the HWO technology development plan which comprises three “tracks”: Coronagraph System technologies, Ultra-stable Telescope System technologies, and High-sensitivity Ultraviolet and Visible Instrumentation technologies. Each track has completed an initial assessment of technology gaps, prioritized the gaps for investment, and laid out development roadmaps to mature candidate technologies to close those gaps.

Matthew R Bolcar↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Benchmark Problem Development for Testing Maturity of Intelligent Contingency Management Tools

This paper presents a process used to develop appropriate scenarios and metrics for evaluating the maturity of intelligent contingency management algorithms. A benchmark scenario is a reference point against which something can be measured, compared, or assessed. Creating an accurate benchmark requires considerable research and expertise. The scenario itself is an artificial representation of a real-world event, designed to achieve a set of learning objectives through experiential learning. Designing an effective benchmark simulation scenario requires careful planning, including identification of clear objectives; capability assessment of the algorithm/tool being evaluated; assessment of necessary levels of fidelity; development of a process flow map of events and event interactions; and identification of metrics that map back to objectives. Thus, a benchmark scenarios for contingency management might consist of one or several commonly used functions taken from real world applications, used for evaluation, characterization and performance measurement of a contingency management algorithm. Behavior of the contingency management algorithm under different environmental conditions should then be able to be predicted using a set of benchmark functions. The paper describes the resulting benchmark problem as an illustration of the application of this process.

Jon Holbrook↗

DOE OSTI2024

Development of New Reactor Core Configuration for Power Uprate - Fuel Reload & Heat Processing Analyses, Core Design, System Safety Assessments, and Fuel Performance Analyses

With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022, the United States stands at a critical juncture for the future of nuclear power. These landmark policies provide significant support for clean energy initiatives, positioning nuclear power as a key component of the nation’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions and achieve energy security. This growing emphasis on nuclear energy is driven by the need for reliable, low-carbon power sources as the country transitions away from fossil fuels. Federal policy, along with increasing state-level support, is encouraging investment in nuclear technology advancements to meet these demands. Building new nuclear power plants (NPPs), however, presents significant challenges due to high costs and long construction timelines. As a result, increasing the power output of existing NPPs through power uprates has emerged as a more feasible and cost-effective strategy. One key area of advancement is the development of accident-tolerant fuel (ATF), such as chromium-coated zirconium alloy cladding, which offers enhanced material performance, enabling power uprates in light water reactors (LWRs). Given the growing demand for nuclear energy fueled by federal policies and state initiatives, it is essential to evaluate the feasibility and benefits of significant power uprates in existing pressurized water reactors (PWRs) using advanced fuel technologies. The introduction of ATF concepts opens new opportunities for safely and economically achieving these power increases. Assessing whether these innovations can support substantial power uprates while maintaining operational safety is crucial to maximizing the potential of the nation’s existing nuclear infrastructure. This project aims to explore how power uprates can be achieved by boosting reactor thermal power output and optimizing reactor core design, while ensuring the safety and economic viability of NPPs. Specifically, it will focus on demonstrating the technical and economic feasibility of power uprates in a PWR using low 5-10% enrichment uranium (LEU+) high burnup (HBU) fuel combined with ATF concepts. In fiscal year 2024 (FY24), the research and development focus on building foundational models and conducting multi-physics performance and safety analyses to support the power uprate. The findings of the study would be shared through LWRS Seasonal Meetings, conferences and workshops with utility companies and researchers. These also serve as a basis for further study of fuel reloading optimization with ATF claddings.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

NASA NTRS1994

Materials processing in space tasks. WBS task 5.4: Generic tasks

This task encompassed a wide range of activities related to materials processing in space. For example, all aspects of the space station's flight and ground based systems design were assessed for the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology (OACT) Space Processing Division Office. Activities for that organization also included the consolidation of space processing payload requirements for the space station and the development of an OACT payload operations plan. Similar duties were performed for the MSFC Payload Project Office. The SPACECOM database was used to conduct preliminary design studies for microgravity payload carriers and to conduct assessments of materials processing technology. Concepts for the Advanced Protein Crystal Growth Facility (APCGF) were developed. Materials processing vent products were analyzed and a furnace facility filter concept was developed using those studies. A preliminary design for a space station aluminum payload rack was developed. Analysis was conducted to characterize the acceleration environment onboard the space shuttle. Equipment for two fluid experiment apparatus was designed and manufactured for the Space Science Laboratory. The Fluids and Materials Experiments (FAME) data base was expanded. Also, Mir payload integration, technology transfer, and spacelab-to-space station transition studies were conducted.

Crull, Robert↗

NASA NTRS1979

Assessment of low-cost manufacturing process sequences

An extensive research and development activity to reduce the cost of manufacturing photovoltaic solar arrays by a factor of approximately one hundred is discussed. Proposed and actual manufacturing process descriptions were compared to manufacturing costs. An overview of this methodology is presented.

Chamberlain, R. G.↗

NASA NTRS2019

The Cognition and Fine Motor Skills Test Batteries: Normative Data and Interdependencies

Space mission success and safety relies upon astronaut functional state. Since spaceflight stressors affect cognitive processing and fine motor skills, NASA requires that measures of performance of these things remain within clinically accepted values (NASA STD 3001). NASA is in the process of developing two test batteries for the assessment of crew cognitive and fine motor skills before, during and after spaceflight. Toward that goal, the current project collected normative scores in 91 “astronaut-like” military and civilian pilots. The Cognition Test Battery (CTB) contains ten sub-tests that measure a range of cognitive abilities. For five of the ten CTB sub-tests, we propose scores to improve the battery’s sensitivity. Among the ten sub-tests, response times were more highly correlated than accuracy scores. Principle component analysis of the correlations revealed that the first response time factor could explain over 40% of the total variance and appeared to represent the tendency of observers to try to respond more quickly. The first accuracy factor (explaining only 20%) gave a high weight to the higher level cognitive sub-tests and a negative weight to tasks associated with motor and lower level cognitive processing. The Fine Motor Skills (FMS) test battery contains four sub-tests (Tracking, Pointing, Tracing, Rotating) performed on an Apple iPad tablet computer. Principle component analysis on the sub-test response time correlations revealed that the first two factors accounted for ~80% of the variance in performance. The first component captured overall speed on all four of the sub-tests. The second factor separated the sub-tasks into two groups (Drag-Point vs Trace-Rotate). Previous work found the first group response times correlated with that of a standard peg board task, while those of the other group did not. Correlations were computed between the first FMS factor and the response time and accuracy scores from each CTB sub-task. Performing fine motor behaviors rapidly was significantly correlated with the ability to perform many of the CTB sub-tests rapidly. This ability cannot be simple motor speed since scores on the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) subtask did not correlate with the ability to perform the other tasks rapidly. Speed on fine motor skills correlated significantly with accuracy on the short-term-memory sub-test. We hypothesize that eye movements, which can be regarded as a fine motor skill, may explain this relationship.

cognition↗

NASA NTRS1986

Senstitivty analysis and optimization of nodal point placement for vibration reduction

A method is developed for sensitivity analysis and optimization of nodal point locations in connection with vibration reduction. A straightforward derivation of the expression for the derivative of nodal locations is given, and the role of the derivative in assessing design trends is demonstrated. An optimization process is developed which uses added lumped masses on the structure as design variables to move the node to a preselected location - for example, where low response amplitude is required or to a point which makes the mode shape nearly orthogonal to the force distribution, thereby minimizing the generalized force. The optimization formulation leads to values for added masses that adjust a nodal location while minimizing the total amount of added mass required to do so. As an example, the node of the second mode of a cantilever box beam is relocated to coincide with the centroid of a prescribed force distribution, thereby reducing the generalized force substantially without adding excessive mass. A comparison with an optimization formulation that directly minimizes the generalized force indicates that nodal placement gives essentially a minimum generalized force when the node is appropriately placed.

Pritchard, J. I.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Sensitivity derivatives and optimization of nodal point locations for vibration reduction

A method is developed for sensitivity analysis and optimization of nodal point locations in connection with vibration reduction. A straightforward derivation of the expression for the derivative of nodal locations is given, and the role of the derivative in assessing design trends is demonstrated. An optimization process is developed which uses added lumped masses on the structure as design variables to move the node to a preselected location; for example, where low response amplitude is required or to a point which makes the mode shape nearly orthogonal to the force distribution, thereby minimizing the generalized force. The optimization formulation leads to values for added masses that adjust a nodal location while minimizing the total amount of added mass required to do so. As an example, the node of the second mode of a cantilever box beam is relocated to coincide with the centroid of a prescribed force distribution, thereby reducing the generalized force substantially without adding excessive mass. A comparison with an optimization formulation that directly minimizes the generalized force indicates that nodal placement gives essentially a minimum generalized force when the node is appropriately placed.

Pritchard, Jocelyn I.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Sensitivity analysis and optimization of nodal point placement for vibration reduction

Pritchard, J. I.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Applicability of Satellite Freeze Forecasting and Cold Climate Mapping to the Other Parts of the United States

Tasks performed to determine the value of using GOES satellite thermal imagery to enhance fruit crop production in Michigan are described. An overview is presented of the system developed for image processing and thermal image and surface environmental data bases prepared to assess the physical models developed in Florida. These data bases were used to identify correlations between satellite apparent temperatures patterns and Earth surface factors. Significant freeze events in 1981 and the physical models used to provide a perspective on how Florida models can be applied in the context of the Michigan environment are discussed.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2011

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

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

Massie, Michael J.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Defining Handling Qualities of Unmanned Aerial Systems: Phase II Final Report

Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) are no longer coming, they are here, and operators from first responders to Google and Amazon are demanding access to the National Airspace System (NAS) for a wide variety of missions. This includes a proliferation of small UAS or sUAS that will operate beyond line of sight at altitudes of 500 ft and below. A myriad of issues continues to slow the development of verification, validation, and certification methods that will enable the safe introduction of UAS to the NAS. These issues include the lack of both a consensus in UAS categorization process and quantitative certification requirements, including the definition of handling qualities. Because of the wide variety of UAS types (fixed wing, rotary wing from traditional helicopters to multirotor configurations, ducted fans, airships, etc.) and vehicle size from micro vehicles to the Global Hawk with a wing span similar to that of a Boeing 737, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all set of requirements. To address these issues, Systems Technology Inc. (STI) has developed the UAS Handling Qualities Assessment (UAS-HQ) process and corresponding draft specification that will guide UAS stakeholders through a systematic evaluation process. The work described herein builds on the existing, highly successful, military rotorcraft handling qualities specifications that features a mission-oriented approach, a concept that originated at STI. The vehicle is first identified by a simple weight-based classification and then the associated vehicle mission task elements are considered. These missions have specific tasks inclusive to them that then dictate the criteria and demonstration maneuvers necessary to evaluate the UAS handling qualities. An assessment of both modeled responses and flight test data can then be conducted to examine the predicted versus actual handling qualities and, if required, design modifications can then be made. Mr. David Klyde, Vice President and Technical Director, Engineering Services, served as Principal Investigator, while Dr. Natalia Alexandrov served as the NASA LaRC technical representative. In the Phase II program, STI was joined by David Mitchell of Mitchell Aerospace Research and the University of Minnesota. Mr. Mitchell led the draft specification development effort, while the University of Minnesota UAV Lab conducted sUAS flight tests under the direction of Dr. Peter Seiler.

Klyde, David H.↗

DOE OSTI2024

A Framework Using Applied Process Analysis Methods to Assess Water Security in the Vu Gia–Thu Bon River Basin, Vietnam

The Vu Gia–Thu Bon (VG–TB) river basin is facing numerous challenges to water security, particularly in light of the increasing impacts of climate change. These challenges, including salinity intrusion, shifts in rainfall patterns, and reduced water supply in downstream areas, are of great concern. This study comprehensively assessed the current state of water security in the basin using robust statistical analysis methods such as the Process Analysis Method (PAM), SMART principle, and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). This resulted in the development of a comprehensive assessment framework for water security in the VG–TB river basin. This framework identified five key dimensions, with basin development activities (0.32), the ability to meet water needs (0.24), and natural disaster resilience (0.19) being the most crucial and water resource potential being the least crucial (0.11) according to the AHP methodology. The latter also highlighted 15 indicators, four of which are particularly influential, including waste resources (0.54), flood (0.53), water storage capacity (0.45), and basin governance (0.42). Furthermore, 28 variables with high weight factors were identified. This framework aligns with the UN-Water water security definition and addresses the global water sustainability criteria outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6). It enables the computation of a comprehensive Water Security Index (WSI) for specific regions, providing a strong foundation for decision-making and policy formulation. It aims to enhance water security in the context of climate change and support sustainable basin development, thereby guiding future research and policy decisions in water resource management.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1976

SAMIS - A simulation of the solar array manufacturing industry

SAMIS is a continuing activity of the Project Analysis and Integration Task of the Low-cost Silicon Solar Array Project (LSSA). It provides a standardized procedure for producing reliable estimates of the cost of manufacturing solar arrays or their components. These estimates are based on descriptions of the manufacturing processes which are being studied and developed by LSSA subcontractors and will be used to assess the commercial viability of those processes and to set research priorities.

Chamberlain, R. G.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Engine Development Design Margins Briefing Charts

New engines experience durability problems after entering service. The most prevalent and costly is the hot section, particularly the high-pressure turbine. The origin of durability problems can be traced back to: 1) the basic aero-mechanical design systems, assumptions, and design margins used by the engine designers, 2) the available materials systems, and 3) to a large extent, aggressive marketing in a highly competitive environment that pushes engine components beyond the demonstrated capability of the basic technology available for the hardware designs. Unfortunately the user must operate the engine in the service environment in order to learn the actual thrust loading and the time at max effort take-off conditions used in service are needed to determine the hot section life. Several hundred thousand hours of operational service will be required before the demonstrated reliability of a fleet of engines or the design deficiencies of the engine hot section parts can be determined. Also, it may take three to four engine shop visits for heavy maintenance on the gas path hardware to establish cost effective build standards. Spare parts drive the oerator's engine maintenance costs but spare parts also makes lots of money for the engine manufacturer during the service life of an engine. Unless competition prevails for follow-on engine buys, there is really no motivation for an OEM to spend internal money to improve parts durability and reduce earnings derived from a lucrative spare parts business. If the hot section life is below design goals or promised values, the OEM migh argue that the engine is being operated beyond its basic design intent. On the other hand, the airframer and the operator will continue to remind the OEM that his engine was selected based on a lot of promises to deliver spec thrust with little impact on engine service life if higher thrust is used intermittently. In the end, a standoff prevails and nothing gets fixed. This briefing will propose ways to hold competing engine manufacturers more accountable for engine hot section design margins during the entire Engine Development process as well as provide tools to assess the design temperature margins in the hot section parts of Service Engines.

Bentz, Chuck↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Vapor Growth of ZnSe-based Compound Semiconductors in Low Gravity environment on International Space Station

Six low-gravity experiments of crystal growth of ZnSe-based compound semiconductors by physical vapor transport (PVT) are scheduled to be processed inside Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) on Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR) in Material Science Laboratory (MSL) on International Space Station (ISS) starting from February 27th, 2023. The flight samples consist of three unseeded growths of ZnSe, Cr-doped ZnSe and ZnSeTe as well as growth of ZnSe on top of three single crystal ZnSe seeds with orientation of (100), (110) and (111). The main scientific objective of the flight experiments is to establish the effects of gravity-driven fluid flows on Earth to (i) the non-uniform incorporation of impurities and defects and (ii) the deviation from stoichiometry observed in the grown crystals caused by growth interface fluctuations and evolution as the results of buoyancy-driven convection and irregular fluid-flows. The investigation will also evaluate the effects of gravity on the PVT process by examining (i) the growth kinetics on various seed orientations, (ii) the dopant segregation and distribution in the Cr doped ZnSe, and (iii) the compositional segregation and distribution in the ternary ZnSeTe crystal grown by PVT. Additionally, from X-ray diffraction/topography and by measuring the density and distribution of various crystalline defects it will assess the self-induced strain effects developed during processing at elevated temperatures caused by the weight of the crystals. During the ground-based preparations, the following tasks have been accomplished: • Establish the thermodynamic properties of the ZnSe binary and related ternary systems by measuring the partial pressures of the vapor phase coexisting with the condensed phases and perform phase diagram calculations for comparison. • Evaluate the effects of gravity-driven convection in the growth process by performing experiments under various vapor transport orientations relative to gravity vector, i.e., horizontal, vertically stabilized and destabilized configurations. • Establish a quantitative correlation between growth parameters and the characteristics and properties of the grown crystals by characterizing the crystals using a variety of techniques. • Evaluate the fundamentals of the current theories on vapor transport and crystal growth kinetics by performing in-situ and real-time monitoring techniques during growth. • Develop a one-dimensional diffusion limited theory of mass transport and two- and three-dimensional numerical simulations of both mass transport and heat transfer and thus establish the microgravity requirements for the flight experiments and to predict the characteristics of the grown crystals such as the solid-vapor interface shapes… etc. and establish a fundamental understanding of the crystal growth process from the comparison with experimental results.

ZnSe↗