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At least 1,135 records · Page 63
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Solid-state batteries enabled by ultra-high-frequency self-heating

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) are promising next-generation batteries due to their high energy density and enhanced thermal stability and safety. However, their sluggish kinetics and transport at room temperature result in high internal impedance and critically reduce the attainable discharge energy density. Taking advantage of their strong temperature-dependent ionic conductivity, here we introduce ultra-high-frequency (greater than 105 Hz) self-heating (UHFSH) of SSBs, which can rapidly warm up the batteries from room temperature to operating temperature (∼65°C) in less than a minute. As proof of concept, UHFSH experiments were conducted on symmetric solid-state cells with lithium aluminum germanium phosphate electrolyte in different configurations. Using an experimentally validated model, pack-level simulations predict fast heating (50 K/min) and minimized heating energy consumption (less than 4%). Without any modification of the materials or structure of the batteries, our non-intrusive self-heating strategy potentially enables SSBs to discharge more than 2-fold energy in 25°C ambient.

pulse heating↗
DOE OSTI2023

Molten Sodium Penetration in NaSICON Electrolytes at 0.1 A cm –2

High-conductivity solid electrolytes, such as the Na superionic conductor, NaSICON, are poised to play an increasingly important role in safe, reliable battery-based energy storage, enabling advanced sodium-based batteries. Coupled demands of increased current density (≥0.1 A cm –2 ) and low-temperature (<200 °C) operation, combined with increased discharge times for long-duration storage (>12 h), challenge the limitations of solid electrolytes. Here, we explore the penetration of molten sodium into NaSICON at high current densities. Previous studies of β"-alumina proposed that Poiseuille pressure-driven cracking (mode I) and recombination of ions and electrons within the solid electrolyte (mode II) are the two main mechanisms for Na penetration, but a comprehensive study of Na penetration in NaSICON is necessary, particularly at high current density. To further understand these modes, this work employs unidirectional galvanostatic testing of Na|NaSICON|Na symmetric cells at 0.1 A cm –2 over 23 h at 110 °C. Further, while galvanostatic testing shows a relatively constant yet increasingly noisy voltage profile, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) reveals a significant decrease in cell impedance correlated with significant sodium penetration, as observed in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further SEM analysis of sodium accumulation within NaSICON suggests that mode II failure may be far more prevalent than previously considered. Further, these findings suggest that total (dis)charge density (mAh cm –2 ), as opposed to current density (mA cm –2 ), may be a more critical parameter when examining solid electrolyte failure, highlighting the challenge of achieving long discharge times in batteries using solid electrolytes. Together, these results provide a better understanding of the limitations of NaSICON solid electrolytes under high current and emphasize the need for improved electrode–electrolyte interfaces.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor: Licensing Part III

Recent Licensing Experience- Advanced and Micro- Reactors Recent Designs Additional Designs Licensing Challenges for advanced reactors Functional Containment Emergency Planning Zones Autonomous and Remote Operation Transportation Manufacturing Licenses NRC License vs. DOE Authorization Siting and Environmental Impact

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

High resolution diagnostic tools for superconducting radio frequency cavities

Superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities are one of the fundamental building blocks of modern particle accelerators. To achieve the highest quality factors (10 10 –10 11 ), SRF cavities are operated at liquid helium temperatures. Magnetic flux trapped on the surface of SRF cavities during cool-down below the critical temperature is one of the leading sources of residual RF losses. Instruments capable of detecting the distribution of trapped flux on the cavity surface are in high demand in order to better understand its relation to the cavity material, surface treatments and environmental conditions. We have designed, developed, and commissioned two high-resolution diagnostic tools to measure the distribution of trapped flux at the surface of SRF cavities. One is a magnetic field scanning system, which uses cryogenic Hall probes and anisotropic magnetoresistance sensors that fit the contour of a 1.3 GHz cavity. This setup has a spatial resolution of ~ 13 μm in the azimuthal direction and ~ 1 cm along the cavity contour. The second setup is a stationary, combined magnetic and temperature mapping system, which uses anisotropic magnetoresistance sensors and carbon resistor temperature sensors, covering the surface of a 3 GHz SRF cavity. This system has a spatial resolution of 5 mm close to the iris and 11 mm at the equator. Initial results show a non-uniform distribution of trapped flux on the cavities’ surfaces, dependent on the magnitude of the applied magnetic field during field-cooling below the critical temperature.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fuel Behavior Implications of Reactor Design Choices in Pressurized Water SMRs

Small pressurized water reactors (PWRs) can feature boron free operation, natural circulation mode, reduced height assemblies and/or long refueling cycles. This paper attempts to explore core design optimization for each of these design evolutions. In consequence, five core design layouts are developed incorporating boron free operation with continuous control rods insertion, natural circulation with low burnup/low power density design, natural circulation with high burnup/low power density design, forced circulation with standard core power density design, and forced circulation with high power density design. These cores’ performance is compared to a standard 4-loop PWR. The design process aims to improve the fuel cycle cost under safety constraints through core design optimization using CASMO4E/SIMULATE3 reactor physics codes and FRAPCON4.1 fuel performance assessment tool. Core modeling assumes standard 17x17 PWR fuel assemblies loaded with low enriched uranium (LEU) up to 5wt% or LEU+ (i.e., below 10wt% enrichment) pellets with gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) as the burnable poison. Satisfactory core and fuel performances are obtained for all the designed cores under steady state and considered overpower transients. For low power density operation, long cycle lengths are achieved reaching a 2.5- and a 5-year cycles and peak rod-average burnup is pushed to 83 MWd/kgU. Other cycle lengths are maintained at 18 months. Boron free operation exhibits the ability to achieve longer cycle lengths at the cost of higher peaking factors leading to high local power and fuel temperatures which prevents sizable power uprates and is deemed uneconomical. Fuel assembly height reduction allows coolant velocity retrofit which enables higher core power density without violating structural integrity of the fuel assembly. As a result, a core power density of 123 kW/l is reached where total cladding hoop strain becomes the limiting parameter.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2026

A high power, low temperature molten sodium battery

Low temperature molten sodium batteries promise low-cost, grid-scale energy storage using earth-abundant materials. To be economically viable, they must demonstrate high current (power) at relevant discharge times. Here a low temperature (135 °C) molten sodium battery with a NaI–AlCl 3 molten salt catholyte and NaSICON separator is explored, minimizing cell ohmic resistances and avoiding precipitation reactions in the molten salt catholyte. Operating currents were increased by as much as 100× compared to the energy-dense baseline design (197 Wh kg −1 and 248 mAh cm −2 ). Cells were cycled 100 times at 50 mA cm −2 (150 mW cm −2 ), averaging 99.8% coulombic efficiency and 79.7% energy efficiency for 30% of the theoretical capacity. Charging currents up to 250 mA cm −2 (1070 mW cm −2 ) are demonstrated for 10% of the theoretical capacity. Toward extending the accessible capacity in these high current systems, the volume ratio of catholyte molten salt to a graphite felt current collector was varied, altering (1) the local current density in the graphite felt and (2) the discharge time at a fixed current density. Optimizing the catholyte : felt ratio dramatically increased capacity utilization to 60% (102 mAh cm −2 ) at 50 mA cm −2 (150 mW cm −2 ) charge and 10 mA cm −2 discharge. This catholyte : felt ratio of 1.4 significantly decreased the cell impedance, minimizing electrode blocking effects seen previously in NaI–AlCl 3 catholytes. Together, these high areal loadings and impressive power outputs demonstrate how low temperature molten sodium batteries can compete with commercialized sodium systems operating at more than twice the temperature.

NaSICON↗
DOE OSTI2022

Advances in the long-pulse steady-state high beta H-mode scenario with active controls of divertor heat and particle fluxes in EAST

Since the last IAEA-Fusion Energy Conference, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) research program has been, in support of ITER and CFETR, focused on development in terms of the long-pulse steady-state (fully noninductive) high beta H-mode scenario with active controls of the stationary and transient divertor heat and particle fluxes. The operational domain of the steady-state H-mode plasma scenario has been significantly extended with ITER-like tungsten mono-block divertor, plasma control and heating schemes. EAST has achieved several important milestones in the development of high β p H-mode scenario and its key physics and technologies. A 60 s-scale long-pulse steady-state high β p H-mode discharge with the major normalized plasma parameters similar to the designed performance of the CFETR 1GW fusion power operation scenario has been successfully established and sustained by pure RF heating and current drive. Several feedback control schemes have been developed for a sustained detachment with good core confinement. This includes control of the total radiation power, target electron temperature, and particle flux measured using divertor Langmuir probes or a combination of the control of target electron temperature and AXUV radiation near the X point. The detachment feedback control schemes have been integrated with small-ELM regimes and high β p scenario via neon seeding, enabling a core and edge compatible integrated high-beta scenario applicable to long-pulse operations. ELM suppression has been achieved using various methods, including resonant magnetic perturbations and impurity seeding. Full suppression of ELMs by using n=4 RMPs has been demonstrated for ITER for the first time in low input torque plasmas in EAST. Finally, EAST has been operated with helium to support the ITER research requirements for the first time. For a long-pulse, high bootstrap current fraction operation, a new lower tungsten divertor with active water-cooling has been installed, along with improvements in the heating and current drive capability.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

ZIPPER: Zonal isolation with plug and perf in enhanced reservoirs (Final Technical Report)

Modern multistage hydraulic stimulation treatments in cased wellbores require an effective method of isolating stages between treatments. A commonly used method in the oil and gas industry, plug and perf, is not currently viable for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) due to limitations of a critical component of the system – the ball drop (flow through) frac plug. Commercially available ball drop frac plugs do not meet the temperature or wellbore diameter requirements needed for use in EGS stimulations. For example, one particular drillable bridge and frac plug line from a large tool developer is only rated to 175 °C, while another is only available up to casing sizes of 5 ½” and rated up to 204 °C. We developed, prototyped, and field tested an upgraded ball drop frac plug to meet the requirements of EGS stimulations, including high-temperature (225+ °C), differential pressure (6000+ psi), and wellbore diameters ranging from 6 5/8” to 10 5/8”. We focused on designs and materials to optimize drillability, a key cost driver in plug and perf systems. The primary objective was to upgrade a drillable frac plug (currently rated to a temperature of 175°C and a pressure of 10,000 psi in 7” casing) to withstand temperatures of 225+°C. The upgraded frac plug was tested in the laboratory as well as in a field trial at a geothermal field. Engineering design and fabrication of the new plug was completed in 2019. Lab testing, validation, and qualification of the plug was completed in 2020. Ultimately the plug was successfully run during a multistage stimulation treatment in a fully horizontal EGS well in 2022. Prior to this project, a ball-drop, flow-through stimulation plug had never been used in a geothermal well. At the conclusion of this project, three different types of zonal isolation plugs were evaluated under full-scale operating conditions across 16 stimulation treatment stages in a first-of-a-kind EGS project called Project Red. This trial included the newly designed high-temperature, large-diameter plug. The plugs met all of 5 the technical requirements for commercial viability. Project Red has since been fully commissioned and is generating electricity on the Nevada grid - the first EGS project to successfully deliver power to the grid in the US.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Integration of Online Cross-Section Generation Capability with Depletion and Transient Solvers in Griffin

Griffin is a Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE)-based reactor multiphysics analysis application jointly developed by Argonne and Idaho National Laboratories under the DOENE Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program. In FY25, an online crosssection generation capability based on the Self-Shielding Application Programming Interface (SSAPI) was demonstrated for TRISO-fueled reactor problems under steady-state conditions. This fiscal year, that capability was extended to support depletion and transient multiphysics calculations, enabling high-fidelity analyses that generate self-shielded cross sections on the fly from the actual evolving composition and temperature states rather than from pre-tabulated libraries. For depletion, a two-way coupling was established in which SSAPI computes compact-averaged self-shielded cross sections that the depletion solver then uses to advance the Bateman equations, with the updated compositions returned to SSAPI at each step; the depletion module was refactored to support both library-based and SSAPI-based cross sections, and additional logic was added to track daughter isotopes and to exclude minor isotopes for efficiency. For transient analysis, the SSAPI multigroup library was extended with the kinetics data required for time-dependent calculations, the Improved Quasi-Static (IQS) scheme was coupled with SSAPI, and several supporting capabilities were implemented, including a self-shielding treatment that lets control rods and drums move within a self-shielded model, which had previously been impossible and had ruled out rod- and drum-movement transients with on-the-fly cross sections altogether, a new mixing scheme for delayed-neutron precursor decay constants, a checkpoint-based restart workflow, and performance improvements such as pointwise cross-section interpolation and the bypassing of unnecessary Dancoff factor calculations. The implemented capabilities were verified against Serpent Monte Carlo solutions. For depletion, a prismatic pin-cell problem based on a Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Very High Temperature Reactor benchmark showed excellent agreement, with eigenvalue differences within 200 pcm over the entire burnup range (up to 140 MWD/kgU) and fission-product and actinide inventories agreeing to within 0.8% and 2.5%, respectively; a heat-pipe microreactor assembly problem with a much higher fuel loading confirmed the same behavior and quantified the bias introduced when the multigroup equivalence effect is neglected. For transient analysis, a pin-cell problem with a step reactivity insertion and temperature feedback reproduced the analytically expected asymptotic power and showed close agreement between the direct and IQS solutions, and a two-dimensional microreactor core problem with control-drum rotation exercised the new moving-drum self-shielding treatment and demonstrated successful coupling of the online crosssection generation with both the direct and IQS transient methods. The capability was further exercised on a full-core pebble-bed problem, in which Griffin was coupled with the System Analysis Module (SAM) to simulate load-following operation of the gPBR with the Doppler feedback resolved at the TRISO fuel kernel temperature. These developments in Griffin provide a convenient, high-fidelity approach to cross-section generation for advanced thermal reactors with geometrically complex and highly heterogeneous configurations, including TRISO-fueled prismatic and pebble-bed systems, and support steady-state, depletion, and transient multiphysics calculations. They also enable self-shielded cross sections to be evaluated directly at the actual coupled state of the system, thereby establishing a foundation for high-fidelity, fully coupled multiphysics analysis of advanced reactors

Park, H.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Integration of Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) Systems Optimized with Second-Generation, High-Temperature Superconducting (2G-HTS) Technology with a Major Fossil-Fueled Asset

Utility companies and fossil fueled generation assets are seeking combinations of “hybrid energy storage” to allow power to be provided in advance of, and to otherwise complement, peaking natural gas-fired generation. American Maglev Technology of Florida Inc. (AMT) learned during the Phase I program based on interactions with NRG Energy (NRG) that energy storage such as superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) can qualify as a Black Start unit in most markets, ensuring orderly re-start of grid operations and fossil fueled power plants and serving as an important asset of hybrid energy storage technology. In conjunction with the University of Houston (UH), AMT and NRG are working together to scale up low-cost, high- efficiency, second-generation high-temperature superconducting (2G-HTS) technology for deployment across several markets, with a primary focus on the commercial development of utility grid-scale SMES (g-SMES) systems. Ultimately the program confirmed that the novel g-SMES design can meet the performance and financial requirements of the fossil power plant industry, while exhibiting continuous grid-voltage regulation; cost-effective, peak-hour energy storage with almost infinite life; increased input/output efficiency; and the capability to undergo millions of charging cycles, without degradation, representing a significant improvement over lithium ion and other conventional storage technologies. We believe wide scale deployment of this technology is feasible and practical when compared to the higher life cycle cost and relatively short lifespan of chemical batteries. Based on these findings, the future for deployment of SMES at many fossil-fueled power plants exceeding 100MW capability is bright. Further de-risking g-SMES technology would pave the way for the construction of a subscale prototype. Eventually, scaled-down versions of SMES are expected to be competitive with the multi-billion-dollar lithium-ion market for a wide range of commercial, industrial, and transportation uses. There is long-term potential for commercialization and widespread deployment of this disruptive technology, which would spawn a new worldwide supply chain and create domestic, high-tech manufacturing jobs in the green industry.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multilayer Silicon Carbide Composite Material Technology for High-Temperature Concentrated Solar-Thermal Power Components

In 2012, the U.S Department of Energy defined aggressive targets to achieve lower component costs and higher system efficiencies for concentrated solar-thermal power (CSP), and this, in turn, has led to the exploration of technology options that can operate at higher temperatures [1]. These next-generation CSP options, referred to as Generation 3 (a.k.a. Gen3), are targeting temperatures at or above 700 °C for the energy being delivered to the power cycle, and the more challenging plant conditions have necessitated a review and selection of alternative receiver heat transfer fluids as well as a search for materials that can meet the associated high-temperature component requirements. Nickel-based alloys are currently being considered, but these generally experience a significant drop in strength at temperatures > 775 °C [2] and may not be able to achieve corrosion and other lifetime requirements. Furthermore, these alloys are expensive, frequently have cost and schedule volatility, and offer little potential for lower cost at high production volumes. As an alternative, Ceramic Tubular Products, LLC (CTP) has developed a multilayer silicon carbide composite that can complement or replace alloys currently being considered for these Gen3 CSP applications.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Machine-learning-assisted material discovery of oxygen-rich highly porous carbon active materials for aqueous supercapacitors

Abstract Porous carbons are the active materials of choice for supercapacitor applications because of their power capability, long-term cycle stability, and wide operating temperatures. However, the development of carbon active materials with improved physicochemical and electrochemical properties is generally carried out via time-consuming and cost-ineffective experimental processes. In this regard, machine-learning technology provides a data-driven approach to examine previously reported research works to find the critical features for developing ideal carbon materials for supercapacitors. Here, we report the design of a machine-learning-derived activation strategy that uses sodium amide and cross-linked polymer precursors to synthesize highly porous carbons (i.e., with specific surface areas > 4000 m 2 /g). Tuning the pore size and oxygen content of the carbonaceous materials, we report a highly porous carbon-base electrode with 0.7 mg/cm 2 of electrode mass loading that exhibits a high specific capacitance of 610 F/g in 1 M H 2 SO 4 . This result approaches the specific capacitance of a porous carbon electrode predicted by the machine learning approach. We also investigate the charge storage mechanism and electrolyte transport properties via step potential electrochemical spectroscopy and quasielastic neutron scattering measurements.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of High-Temperature SiPM Noise

Introduction • Background: Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are compact, low-power, and high-efficiency detectors that are increasingly used in radiation detection applications like medical imaging and nuclear safeguards. The have advantages of PMTs because they are smaller, operate at lower voltages, and offer high photon detection efficiency. • Challenges: SiPMs suffer from increased dark count rate (DCR) and optical crosstalk (OCT), which degrades performance. • Purpose of study: This study compares the Advansid ASD-NUV3S-P-40, Broadcom AFBR-S4K33C0147L, and Onsemi MicroFJ-30035-TSVTR under four different temperatures to compare their performance in harsh environments.

Fritchie, Jacob↗
DOE OSTI2021

CSP Gen3: Liquid-Phase Pathway to SunShot

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) established the Concentrating Solar Power Generation 3 (CSP Gen3) program to promote the development of advanced CSP systems capable of producing electricity at a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) less than $60/MWh, based on criteria published in the CSP Gen3 Roadmap and a subsequent funding opportunity announcement (Gen3 FOA). This report documents the progress and potential of the “Liquid Pathway” to meet these objectives. The Liquid Pathway proposes the use of low-cost molten chloride salts for energy storage, mated with an operationally flexible solar receiver that employs liquid-metal sodium for heat capture and transfer to the storage salt. This approach leverages molten-salt technology from the current state-of-the-art CSP power towers embodied by plants such as Gemasolar, Crescent Dunes, Noor III, and the DEWA 700 CSP project. Furthermore, the design builds on the knowledge gained over decades of use of liquid-metal sodium as a high-temperature heat transfer fluid (HTF) in solar tests and nuclear-power applications. The commercial representation of the proposed Gen3 design incorporates a high-efficiency sodium receiver operating at ~740°C, with a liquid-liquid heat exchanger feeding a two-tank, molten-chloride salt storage system. Chloride salt is dispatched to a supercritical CO 2 (sCO 2 ) power cycle to provide electric power to the grid. The design integration is a conceptual match for the current sodium receiver → solar salt storage → steam-Rankine power cycle promoted by developer Vast Solar, which may facilitate commercial acceptance and development.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors: Core Design

General Attributes of Modular Prismatic and Pebble Bed HTGRs Common features and physics Neutronics Thermal-Fluidics Plant Systems and Power Conversion Instrumentation and Control Normal Operation and Power Maneuvers

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

High temperature energy storage device

Disclosed herein is a method for fabricating an ultracapacitor, the method comprising disposing an energy storage cell comprising energy storage media within a housing; and constructing the ultracapacitor to operate within a temperature range between about 80 degrees Celsius to about 210 degrees Celsius.

Signorelli, Riccardo↗
DOE OSTI2021

High temperature mechanical properties of fluorite crystal structured materials (CeO 2 , ThO 2 , and UO 2 ) and advanced accident tolerant fuels (U 3 Si 2 , UN, and UB 2 )

The mechanical interaction between the fuel and cladding that occurs during operation of a nuclear reactor is important to understand as it can lead to cladding failures and release of radioactive material into the coolant. Additionally, in order to develop better models of the pellet-clad mechanical interactions, the mechanical properties of the fuel at relevant operating temperatures, like the elastic moduli, are needed for current and advanced accident tolerant fuels (ATFs). In this work, elevated temperature nanoindentation and resonant ultrasound spectroscopy were used to measure the moduli and hardness of several fluorite materials (CeO 2 , ThO 2 , UO 2 ) and several ATF candidates (ATF) (U 3 Si 2 , UN, UB 2 ). In addition, a comparison of the two techniques was performed in this study to independently validate the mechanical properties.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Influence of Soil Properties on Sea-Breeze Circulations in the Southeast U.S.

Sea-breeze circulations (SBCs) are common weather phenomena at and near coastal regions. They form because of a thermal gradient between the land surface at the coast and the sea surface. In a mid-day regime, a “thermal low” generated at the warm coast will lead to rising air motion, creating a wind shift coming from the sea near the surface displacing the coastal air. A “return flow” moving back towards the sea is generated by upper-level divergence because of the rising motion from the thermal low. SBCs propagate and serve as a method of urban pollutant dispersion in the Los Angeles region of California and are constrained to the coast due to the topography of surrounding mountains serving as a boundary for further inland propagation. Within the northeast U.S. SBCs are seen in the warm season but tend to remain coastally bound due to Coriolis distortion over long distances. Within the southeast U.S. (SEUS), the paradigmatic example of SBCs occurs over the Florida peninsula, where thunderstorms form on a nearly daily occurrence due to the convergence of SBCs from the east and west sides of the peninsula. However, there are further examples of sea-breezes in the SEUS that warrant study. Within the region bordering the SEUS and the Mid-Atlantic, just east of the southern Appalachian Mountains, warm-season SBCs form at the coast of Georgia and the Carolinas. Relatively flat topography ~150-200km inland allows for mostly unimpeded inland SBC propagation. Through visual analysis, Viner et al. catalogued several SBCs that propagated as far inland as the Central Savannah River Area surrounding Augusta, Georgia. Wermter et al. found that while the land-sea thermal gradient at the coast can influence coastal SBC genesis, the inland-coastal thermal gradient over the land is the primary influencer on the speed and depth of inland propagation of SBCs in this region. Additionally, soil moisture itself is a known correlative factor to sea-breeze formation, as it influences the soil temperature and the thermal gradient needed for SBC genesis and inland penetration. Physick determined that higher latent heat fluxes associated with wetter soil dampen the land-sea thermal gradient and suppress the formation of a SBC. Physick determined that higher latent heat fluxes associated with wetter soil dampen the land-sea thermal gradient and suppress the formation of a SBC. Conversely, drier soil enhances the thermal gradient and promotes SBC formation. However, while there is an inverse relationship between soil moisture and SBCs, higher soil moisture can actually promote more convective rainfall following a SBC if it does not significantly impact the thermal gradient. While the relationship between soil moisture and SBC formation has been conceptually explored and modeled numerically, there is a research gap in observed connections. The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite mission has been operational since 2015 and has been used to create high-resolution re-analytical Level 4 (L4) datasets of soil moisture and soil temperature at different soil depths: the surface (0-5cm) and rootzone (0-1m). The surface soil temperature effectively acts as the “skin temperature” of the surface at these levels, and a spatial map of the land-sea as well as the coastal-inland thermal gradients can be represented. SMAP data are also assimilated in some atmospheric models such at the High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) mesoscale model. We propose leveraging the use of SMAP products to fill in spatial gaps left by weather and mesonet stations within the SEUS region, as well as assessing the effectiveness of utilizing SMAP products towards SBC forecasting in both deterministic and machine learning (ML) models.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗