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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Long-Term Statistical Process Monitoring of an Ultrafiltration Water Treatment Process

As water treatment technology has improved, the amount of available process data has substantially increased, making real-time, data-driven fault detection a reality. One shortcoming of the fault detection literature is that methods are usually evaluated by comparing their performance on hand-picked, short-term case studies, which yields no insight into long-term performance. In this work, we first evaluate multiple statistical and machine learning approaches for detrending process data. Then, we evaluate the performance of a PCA-based fault detection approach, applied to the detrended data, to monitor influent water quality, filtrate quality, and membrane fouling of an ultrafiltration membrane system for indirect potable reuse. Based on two short case studies, the adaptive lasso detrending method is selected, and the performance of the multivariate approach is evaluated over more than a year. The method is tested for different sets of three critical tuning parameters, and we find that for long-term, autonomous monitoring to be successful, these parameters should be carefully evaluated. However, in comparison with industry standards of simpler, univariate monitoring or daily pressure decay tests, multivariate monitoring produces substantial benefits in long-term testing.

ammonia↗
NASA NTRS2004

Risk Assessment and Control through Countermeasure System Iplementation for Long-term Crew Exposure to Microgravity

Experience with the International Space Station (ISS) program demonstrates the degree to which engineering design and operational solutions must protect crewmembers from health risks due to long-term exposure to the microgravity environment. Risks to safety and health due to degradation in the microgravity environment include crew inability to complete emergency or nominal activities, increased risk of injury, and inability to complete safe return to the ground due to reduced strength or embrittled bones. These risks without controls slowly increase in probability for the length of the mission and become more significant for increasing mission durations. Countermeasures to microgravity include hardware systems that place a crewmember s body under elevated stress to produce an effect similar to daily exposure to gravity. The ISS countermeasure system is predominately composed of customized exercise machines. Historical treatment of microgravity countermeasure systems as medical research experiments unintentionally reduced the foreseen importance and therefore the capability of the systems to function in a long-term operational role. Long-term hazardous effects and steadily increasing operational risks due to non-functional countermeasure equipment require a more rigorous design approach and incorporation of redundancy into seemingly non- mission-critical hardware systems. Variations in the rate of health degradation and responsiveness to countermeasures among the crew population drastically increase the challenge for design requirements development and verification of the appropriate risk control strategy. The long-term nature of the hazards and severe limits on logistical re-supply mass, volume and frequency complicates assessment of hardware availability and verification of an adequate maintenance and sparing plan. Design achievement of medically defined performance requirements by microgravity countermeasure systems and incorporation of adequate failure tolerance significantly reduces these risks. Future implementation of on-site monitoring hardware for critical health parameters such as bone mineral density would allow greater responsiveness, efficiency, and optimized design of the countermeasures system.

Gernand, Jeremy M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Quantitative study of long-term solar and climatic changes

Long term variations in the diameter and the shape of the Sun were studied. Daily observations of the Sun's diameter made at the Greenwich Observatory between 1836 and 1953 were analysed and interpreted. The data was converted into digital form and then screened and processed. It was found that the horizontal diameter of the Sun measured at Greenwich appears to have decreased systematically between 1880 and 1953 at a rate of 1.2 plus or minus 0.6 minutes of arc per century.

Eddy, J. A.↗
DOE OSTI2021

On the dissolution of a borosilicate glass with the use of isotopic tracing – Insights into the mechanism for the long-term dissolution rate

An understanding of the mechanisms responsible for controlling the long-term corrosion rate of nuclear waste glass is paramount if reliable glass dissolution models are to be used to calculate the controlled release of radionuclides from nuclear waste glass under geologic disposal conditions. Additionally, understanding silicate glass dissolution is also important for natural glasses to understand the role from the dissolution of these glasses has on the composition of natural aquatic systems. Two general mechanisms appear to be responsible for the elemental release from glass to the surrounding biosphere - ion exchange (release principally of alkalis) and matrix dissolution (release of the structural components of the glass). Key unknowns related to these mechanisms are the impact of surface layers on the altered glass and how these layers participate in corrosion. To better understand the impact of these layers on glass corrosion, we made two glasses of the same elemental composition, but with selected elements enriched in specific isotopes, e.g. more 10 B than 11 B. We reacted these glasses for 1 y then the solutions from each were exchanged and the chemistry of the solutions and the solids were followed for another 2 y and in some cases 3 y. This allowed us to follow changes in the glasses with respect to these elements and how these elements were transported through the alteration layers with time and, for at least one element, into the glass. Results from these experiments demonstrate that the release behavior of different elements is strongly dependent on their structural role in the glass (e.g. network formers and modifiers), but, more importantly, the role of water transport and subsequent ion exchange has in the long-term dissolution of the glass studied here. In this article, we highlight the behavior of four elements: lithium, sodium, silicon, and boron. Lithium and sodium, network modifying elements, have similar chemistries. The behavior of Li could be tracked in more detail by following both 6 Li and 7 Li; Li penetrates through the gel layer in both directions without hinderance and into and released from the glass deeper than sodium. Silicon, a network forming element, reacts with the silica-rich alteration layer. Boron, a network forming element, does not accumulate in the gel or the pristine glass and has a very sharp elemental profile between the pristine glass and alteration layer. Boron, lithium, and sodium elemental profiles suggest that there is little if any transport control within the alteration layer. The correlation between the Li and Na profiles and that of a water species suggest that the limiting release is a steady state between the diffusion of a water species and matrix dissolution that results in a low release rate for alkali and this provides a steady driving force for the long-term dissolution of glass.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

Long-Term Degradation of Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact Silicon Solar Cell under Light and Heat

Advanced designs enable high-efficiency solar cells; however, more complex structures create new long-term stability concerns. Herein, the long-term degradation processes affecting advanced silicon solar cells using laboratory-based illumination and heating over hundreds of hours are investigated. The activation energy for the degradation of voltage is estimated and the degradation rates to normal solar cell operating temperature ranges are extrapolated. The cell degradation observed at high temperatures in the lab is kinetically similar to the process affecting field-deployed modules contributing to 0.37% year-1 of annualized degradation. Electroluminescence and photoluminescence mapping show that the degradation is dominated by minority carrier lifetime reduction. Suns-open-circuit voltage and light beam-induced current results indicate that the degradation could result from passivation degradation at the surface or defect formation in the near-subsurface region, leading to increased minority carrier recombination. This work highlights a long-term degradation process under elevated temperature and illumination that may continue to affect cells in an irreversible manner that is separate from recoverable light-induced degradation and light- and elevated temperature-induced degradation.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

State changes: insights from the U.S. Long Term Ecological Research Network

Understanding the complex and unpredictable ways ecosystems are changing and predicting the state of ecosystems and the services they will provide in the future requires coordinated, long-term research. This paper is a product of a U.S. National Science Foundation funded Long Term Ecological Research (LTER)network synthesis effort that addressed anticipated changes in future populations and communities. Each LTER site described what their site would look like in50 or 100 yr based on long-term patterns and responses to global change drivers in each ecosystem. Common themes emerged and predictions were grouped into state change, connectivity, resilience, time lags, and cascading effects. Here, we report on the “state change” theme, which includes examples from the Georgia Coastal (coastal marsh), Konza Prairie (mesic grassland), Luquillo(tropical forest), Sevilleta (arid grassland), and Virginia Coastal (coastal grassland) sites. Ecological thresholds(the point at which small changes in an environmental driver can produce an abrupt and persistent state change in an ecosystem quality, property, or phenomenon) were most commonly predicted. For example, in coastal ecosystems, sea-level rise and climate change could convert salt marsh to mangroves and coastal barrier dunes to shrub thicket. Reduced fire frequency has converted grassland to shrubland in mesic prairie, whereas overgrazing combined with drought drive shrub encroachment in arid grasslands. Lastly, tropical cloud forests are susceptible to climate-induced changes in cloud base altitude leading to shifts in species distributions. Overall, these examples reveal that state change is a likely outcome of global environmental change across adverse range of ecosystems and highlight the need for long-term studies to sort out the causes and consequences of state change. The diversity of sites within the LTER network facilitates the emergence of overarching concepts about state changes as an important driver of ecosystem structure, function, services, and futures.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2012

Long-Term Changes in Stratospheric Age Spectra in the 21st Century in the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model (GEOSCCM)

In this study we investigate the long-term variations in the stratospheric age spectra using simulations of the 21st century with the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry- Climate Model (GEOSCCM). Our purposes are to characterize the long-term changes in the age spectra and identify processes that cause the decrease of the mean age in a warming climate. Changes in the age spectra in the 21st century simulations are characterized by decreases in the modal age, the mean age, the spectral width, and the tail decay timescale. Our analyses show that the decrease in the mean age is caused by two processes: the acceleration of the residual circulation that increases the young air masses in the stratosphere, and the weakening of the recirculation that leads to the decrease of tail of the age spectra and the decrease of the old air masses. The weakening of the stratospheric recirculation is also strongly correlated with the increase of the residual circulation. One important result of this study is that the decrease of the tail of the age spectra makes an important contribution to the decrease of the main age. Long-term changes in the stratospheric isentropic mixing are investigated. Mixing increases in the subtropical lower stratosphere, but its impact on the age spectra is outweighed by the increase of the residual circulation. The impacts of the long-term changes in the age spectra on long-lived chemical traces are also investigated. 37 2

Li, Feng↗
DOE OSTI2020

Operando Acoustic Monitoring of SEI Formation and Long-Term Cycling in NMC/SiGr Composite Pouch Cells

Stable long-term cycling and solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI) formation are key challenges in the design of Si/graphite composites as Li-ion battery (LIB) anode materials. Typically, these long-term cycling properties are examined in flooded half-cell settings making use of a Li-metal counter electrode and a Si/graphite working electrode. This form factor has the advantage of offering an unlimited supply of Li-ions and electrolyte, thus isolating performance degradation to the passivation of the working electrode. However, half-cell studies are ineffective in revealing performance and degradation mechanisms of the Si/graphite composite in a more commercially realistic full cell setting. This paper outlines an operando acoustic technique that can offer insights on SEI formation and capacity degradation of Si/graphite composites in a full cell setting. Through a combination of electrochemical and chemical analyses, we show that increasing passivation of the silicon particles in the Si/graphite composite anode is correlated with an increase in the acoustic time-of-flight shift. We further show that temporary loss of the acoustic signal during the first cycle is associated with significant gassing of the cell. The operando acoustic technique outlined here is low-cost, simple to setup and has the potential for localized resolution, indicating usefulness in commercial-scale Si/graphite cell quality control and diagnosis.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1988

Long-term solar-terrestrial observations

The results of an 18-month study of the requirements for long-term monitoring and archiving of solar-terrestrial data is presented. The value of long-term solar-terrestrial observations is discussed together with parameters, associated measurements, and observational problem areas in each of the solar-terrestrial links (the sun, the interplanetary medium, the magnetosphere, and the thermosphere-ionosphere). Some recommendations are offered for coordinated planning for long-term solar-terrestrial observations.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2022

Long Term Damage Testing (NREL)

DOE's Regional Test Center program has fielded several strings of PV modules as part of their Long Term Testing program. Some of these modules have been installed since 2016 and have been exposed to severe weather events. A key to developing long lifespans for PV modules (in excess of 30 years) is understanding how damage and defects develop, propagate and progress. Researchers at the NREL Regional Test Center have started developing testing procedures and analysis tools in order to characterize modules in a controlled manner with the goal of understanding how damage spreads under normal operations. Characterization methods include EL and IR imaging, outdoor and indoor IV curves, and long term exposure monitoring. Modules to be evaluated will be chosen based on severity of defect, ability to track changes in defect and space requirements. The samples will be loaded at maximum power using grid-tied inverters or other means. Gathering and reporting on this data may help engineers and scientists design for damage and improve long-term performance.

crack damage↗
NASA NTRS2015

Method and Apparatus for a Miniature Bioreactor System for Long-Term Cell Culture

A bioreactor and method that permits continuous and simultaneous short, moderate, or long term cell culturing of one or more cell types or tissue in a laminar flow configuration is disclosed, where the bioreactor supports at least two laminar flow zones, which are isolated by laminar flow without the need for physical barriers between the zones. The bioreactors of this invention are ideally suited for studying short, moderate and long term studies of cell cultures and the response of cell cultures to one or more stressors such as pharmaceuticals, hypoxia, pathogens, or any other stressor. The bioreactors of this invention are also ideally suited for short, moderate or long term cell culturing with periodic cell harvesting and/or medium processing for secreted cellular components.

Kleis, Stanley J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Contributions of the SSBUV Experiment to Long-Term Ozone Monitoring

The SSBUV experiment flew eight Space Shuttle missions from October 1989 to January 1996 in conducted eight missions between October 1989 and support of the US long-term ozone monitoring program. Contributions of the SSBUV experiment are reviewed in this paper. SSBUV data are being used to provide and validate the absolute and long-term calibrations of multiple satellite-based ozone monitoring instruments. SSBUV observed a significant decrease in Northern hemisphere total ozone from the winter of 1992 to the following winter, and SSBUV data were combined with Nimbus-7 data to assess long-term ozone changes during the 1980's. SSBUV solar irradiance measurements are being used to determine the absolute solar spectral irradiance in the middle UV, validate solar data from two UARS instruments, and independently measure long-term solar change at wavelengths important for ozone photochemistry. SSBUV data where also used to study the effects of surface reflectivity and rotational Raman scattering on the ozone retrievals, determine the NO column amount and its altitude distribution, measure the UV lunar albedo, and assist in the optimization of wavelengths for new instruments.

Hilsenrath, E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The impact of experimental measurement errors on long-term viscoelastic predictions

The impact of flight error in measured viscoelastic parameters on subsequent long-term viscoelastic predictions is numerically evaluated using the Schapery nonlinear viscoelastic model. Of the seven Schapery parameters, the results indicated that long-term predictions were most sensitive to errors in the power law parameter n. Although errors in the other parameters were significant as well, errors in n dominated all other factors at long times. The process of selecting an appropriate short-term test cycle so as to insure an accurate long-term prediction was considered, and a short-term test cycle was selected using material properties typical for T300/5208 graphite-epoxy at 149 C. The process of selection is described, and its individual steps are itemized.

Tuttle, M. E.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Lack of long-term effect of coarse woody debris dam restoration on ecosystem functioning and water quality in Coastal Plain streams

Coarse woody debris (CWD) addition is a restoration technique that has been used to reduce effects of landscape disturbance on instream habitat. However, efficacy of this technique for improving ecosystem condition is not well established, in part because monitoring designed to evaluate long-term efficacy is rare. We assessed the effectiveness of CWD additions in disturbed Coastal Plain streams at Fort Benning Military Installation, Georgia, USA, 14 y after initial restoration. In October 2003, 4 disturbed streams received CWD additions (restored streams), and 4 streams were left as unrestored controls. Pre-restoration (2001–2003) and post-restoration (2003–2006) monitoring of nutrient uptake, stream metabolism, and water-quality variables revealed 1) minimal change in water-quality variables, 2) increased stream metabolism and nutrient-uptake rates immediately following restoration, and 3) decreased metabolism and uptake over the remainder of the 3-y post-restoration period. We returned to these streams in 2017 and 2018, measured the same variables, and found minimal long-term effects of restoration on water quality, nutrient uptake, and whole-stream metabolism indicators; however, streamwater pH decreased in all streams 14 y after restoration, and there was a weak treatment × period interaction, indicating that CWD additions may decrease pH in the long term. Further, we found few relationships between watershed disturbance and water-quality variables and ecosystem function metrics, although some relationships were apparent during certain seasons and years. Furthermore, our study is one of the few that have assessed the long-term effects of CWD additions, or any other stream-restoration technique, on ecosystem function. These long-term assessments may be necessary to determine if restorations are a good use of limited resources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1986

Long term exposure of metals to hydrazine nitrate blend

A long term testing program is being conducted to determine the effects of materials in contact with a hydrazine nitrate blend for the purpose of designing chemical propulsion systems which can be used for current as well as future planetary spacecraft. Analysis of this data indicates that some aluminum alloys are acceptable for use with the particular blend of fuel used. Titanium alloy was identified as being acceptable for 10-year applications. Corrosion resistant steels, however, were found to have excessive corrosion rates and are therefore considered unacceptable for long-term use. There is also some evidence that the propellant decomposed at a rate far in excess of the acceptable rate of 0.1 percent per year when in contact with stainless steel.

Moran, Clifford M.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Switchgrass ( Panicum Virgatum ) and Miscanthus ( Miscanthus × Giganteus ) Long-Term Yield Patterns Reveal Consistent Productivity Declines

Perennial grasses like switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ) and miscanthus ( Miscanthus × giganteus ) are expected to supply a substantial amount of the United States bioeconomy's feedstock demand. However, uncertainties around their long-term yields challenge the viability of their potential and limit their wider adoption. To resolve their long-term yield patterns, we analyzed over 200 plantings of switchgrass and miscanthus across Michigan and Wisconsin, USA, measured over 5–15 years. We found a consistent two-phase long-term yield dynamic; during a yield-building phase , peak yields occurred within 4–5 years after planting, followed by a yield-decline phase in which switchgrass and miscanthus lost 30%–47% and 14%–40% of peak yields, respectively. Among the potential drivers of this dynamic and the yield decline, we found that weather conditions had little impact, as the variation across years was not large enough to drive the observed yield differences. Added nitrogen increased peak yields by 10%–20% and attenuated the yield decline by 20%–50%. However, since fertilized stands still showed a yield decline, other factors became limiting as stands aged. This conserved long-term yield dynamic has direct implications on management. A farm-to-gate economic analysis suggests replanting switchgrass and miscanthus 5 and 9 years following their peak yields maximizes profit over a 30-year time horizon. Results call for further management and breeding strategies to mitigate the yield-decline phase, and for reparameterization of global bioenergy models with carbon capture and storage, which may overestimate yields and the economic and environmental benefits of crops grown for bioenergy feedstocks.

bioenergy↗