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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2019

Supporting Crew Autonomy in Deep Space Exploration: Preliminary Onboard Capability Requirements and Proposed Research Questions. Technical Report of the Autonomous Crew Operations Technical Interchange Meeting

Communication delays are a critical challenge posed by long duration deep space exploration. Space missions historically have relied on an ever-present Mission Control Center (MCC) to direct operations in near real-time. As unanticipated anomalies that defeat fault detection and resolution systems do arise, the lack of real-time communication will significantly weaken what the MCC support represents: a reliable safety net for the flight crew through its deep and diverse areas of expertise and investigative resources. As a consequence, future space vehicles and habitats need to be equipped with capabilities to support the flight crew to operate with little or no ground support. Considerations must be given to vehicle and mission designs that will fortify the traditionally ground-centered safety net and forge new support systems, when communication delays exist. In August 2018, NASA’s Human Research Program, through its Human Factors and Behavioral Performance Element, convened a Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM) on Autonomous Crew Operations at NASA Ames Research Center. The goal of the meeting was to gather input from NASA centers, industry, academia, and branches of the Department of Defense (DoD) to address how intelligent technologies can be applied to augment onboard capabilities to support crew anomaly response. The TIM featured 24 presentations by 29 speakers and hosted a total of 59 attendees, including 43 from 5 NASA centers (Ames, Johnson, Langley, Marshall, and Jet Propulsion Lab) and 4 from the DoD (3 from Army Research Lab and 1 from Naval Postgraduate School), with remaining attendees from academia (e.g., UC Davis, CMU) and industry (e.g., IBM, Siemens). Discussions were centered around three themes: standards and guidelines, lessons learned in analog environments, and technologies. To help provide a framework for discussion, a concept matrix describing anomaly response processes was created prior to the TIM (Figure 1, page 6). The matrix captures the steps involved (monitoring and detection, diagnosis, solution development and evaluation, solution implementation and verification, resolution documentation) as well as the resources and capabilities required to support these steps (data, knowledge, analysis, synthesis, resource management). A wallpaper size printout of the matrix was utilized at the TIM to solicit attendee inputs along the three themes; the activity garnered 108 submissions of ideas. Overall, what emerged from TIM discussions was a picture of mismatch between crew anomaly response needs and support that can be provided by existing intelligent technologies. The needs are broad, spanning multiple steps and processes/resources, with many of which lacking support from existing technologies, such as knowledge management throughout the steps of problem solving (especially in resolution documentation) and manpower management. The solutions provided by existing intelligent technologies are specific to the steps/processes that they are designed to support and constrained to solving only problems similar to those that have occurred before. What is lacking from technologies is typically made up by humans, specifically their complex critical thinking, creative problem solving, and domain expertise. In the end, the TIM highlighted the pressing need to support responses to onboard anomalies during autonomous crew operations, particularly those that have eluded the system tests, inspection, and other assurance processes. Such anomalies can potentially threaten crew and vehicle safety, as well as significantly impact overall operations with additional workload. These fairly rare events are difficult to anticipate and prepare for, given the state-of-the-art in intelligent technologies. This is true even for anomalies that stem from “unknown knowns”—cases in which there is sufficient external information to characterize the problem but the overall pattern fails to be recognized by the problem solver, or in which the internal knowledge needed to solve a problem is held tacitly and potentially accessible by the problem solver but not articulated. It follows that the ability to tackle anomalies lies not only with the availability of relevant information and knowledge but also their accessibility in times of need. To that end, we propose research questions along the following three broad themes: • How intelligent technologies can help make relevant knowledge and information available? • How intelligent technologies can help make relevant knowledge and information accessible? • How intelligent technologies can help support the crew operating as a team in anomaly response processes?

autonomous crew operations↗
NASA NTRS1991

The chemistry of dense interstellar clouds

The basic theme of this program is the study of molecular complexity and evolution in interstellar and circumstellar clouds incorporating the biogenic elements. Recent results include the identification of a new astronomical carbon-chain molecule, C4Si. This species was detected in the envelope expelled from the evolved star IRC+10216 in observations at the Nobeyama Radio Observatory in Japan. C4Si is the carrier of six unidentified lines which had previously been observed. This detection reveals the existence of a new series of carbon-chain molecules, C sub n Si (n equals 1, 2, 4). Such molecules may well be formed from the reaction of Si(+) with acetylene and acetylene derivatives. Other recent research has concentrated on the chemical composition of the cold, dark interstellar clouds, the nearest dense molecular clouds to the solar system. Such regions have very low kinetic temperatures, on the order of 10 K, and are known to be formation sites for solar-type stars. We have recently identified for the first time in such regions the species of H2S, NO, HCOOH (formic acid). The H2S abundance appears to exceed that predicted by gas-phase models of ion-molecule chemistry, perhaps suggesting the importance of synthesis on grain surfaces. Additional observations in dark clouds have studied the ratio of ortho- to para-thioformaldehyde. Since this ratio is expected to be unaffected by both radiative and ordinary collisional processes in the cloud, it may well reflect the formation conditions for this molecule. The ratio is observed to depart from that expected under conditions of chemical equilibrium at formation, perhaps reflecting efficient interchange between cold dust grains in the gas phase.

Irvine, W. M.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Analysis of neptunium oxides produced through modified direct denitration

Production of neptunium-237 ( 237 Np) target materials for plutonium-238 ( 238 Pu) radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) for deep space exploration requires advanced chemistry and engineering development. Currently, the domestic Pu-238 Supply Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory produces neptunium dioxide (NpO 2 ) for target material using a modified direct denitration (MDD) flowsheet. Although the chemistry, reaction mechanisms, and product characteristics of MDD are well understood for uranium, corresponding studies of the neptunium system are still needed to continue optimization of target material properties, production equipment design, and production flowsheets. Here, the objective of this work is to characterize crystalline phases, morphology, surface texture, and particle size of NpO 2 produced via MDD reactions. Solid-phase characterization techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD) and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), were employed to achieve this objective. Subsequent data processing using the Morphological Analysis for Material Attribution (MAMA) software was performed to analyze particle morphology and size. Broadly, the powders were found to contain a mixture of NpO 2 and Np 2 O 5 after denitration with a variety of morphologies. After high-firing, the product was found to be NpO 2 with a typical polycrystalline oxide morphology and a grain size ranging from 0.72 to 0.94 µm. These analyses provide knowledge on the reaction pathway for a non-traditional NpO 2 synthesis method and offer additional unique insight into production-scale environments for transuranic materials.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2019

EFRC 10@10: Developing the Next Generation of Scientific Talent: Michael Naguib

This is a biography of Michael Naguib, winner of the Workforce Development Award at the EFRC 10@10 Awards Ceremony in 2019. Michael Naguib was born in Egypt and completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Cairo University. He wanted to study advanced materials, but there was no place to do so in Egypt. Instead he enrolled in a PhD program at Drexel University in Philadelphia. There he was assigned to explore whether certain materials that have a layered structure (with three layers, each having a different chemical composition) could be used to make better electrodes for lithium ion batteries. Michael found that the materials were not useful as electrodes because lithium ions (the charge carriers in modern batteries) could not penetrate the material. To address this, he tried to modify the material by removing the middle layer with acid. The unexpected result was the discovery of a completely new nano-material: a titanium-carbon compound in the form of a two-dimensional sheet less than a nanometer thick. He and his advisors at Drexel immediately recognized the new material’s potential for energy storage. Publication of that discovery—of what soon became clear was a whole family of two-dimensional materials now called MXenes—triggered a world-wide surge of research. To explore MXenes and related phenomena in more detail, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science funded an Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) on Fluid Interface Reactions, Structures and Transport. The research team included computational modelers, university experts in materials synthesis and thermodynamic analysis, and scientists at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) who could probe the material’s structure with neutrons and powerful microscopes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Shape-directed dynamics of active colloids powered by induced-charge electrophoresis

Significance Despite recent advances in the ability to “program” the self-assembly of colloidal components, the resulting structures are often static and therefore incapable of performing dynamic functions such as the ability to actuate, heal, replicate, and compute. The realization of colloidal machines that organize in space and time to perform such functions requires new strategies for encoding the dynamic behaviors of colloidal components. Focusing on active colloids powered by induced-charge electrophoresis, we use theory and simulation to show how the shape of a colloidal particle can be rationally tailored to specify complex motions powered by simple energy inputs.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

High Temperature Chemistry of Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Final Technical Report

The primary goal of this research was to uncover the principal reaction channels available to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at high temperatures in the gas phase and to establish the factors that determine which channels will be followed in varying circumstances. New structure-property relationships for PAHs were also studied. The efficient production of clean energy from fossil fuels will remain a major component of the DOE mission until alternative sources of energy eventually displace coal and petroleum. Hydrocarbons constitute the most basic class of compounds in all of organic chemistry, and as the dominant species in fossil fuels, they figure prominently into the programs of the DOE. Much is already known about the normal chemistry of hydrocarbons under ambient conditions, but far less is known about their intrinsic chemistry at temperatures close to those reached during combustion. An understanding of the fundamental molecular transformations, rearrangements, and interconversions of PAHs at high temperatures in the gas phase, as revealed by careful studies on small, well-designed, molecular systems, provides insights into the underlying chemistry of many important processes that are more complex, such as the generation of energy by the combustion of fossil fuels, the uncatalyzed gasification and liquefaction of coal, the production of fullerenes in fuel-rich flames, and the formation of soot and carcinogenic pollutants in smoke (e.g., benzo[a]pyrene). The rational control of any of these processes, whether it be the optimization of a desirable process or the minimization of an undesirable one, requires a clear knowledge of the basic chemistry that governs the fate of the species involved. Advances in chemistry at the most fundamental level come about primarily from the discovery of new reactions and from new insights into how reactions occur. Harnessing that knowledge is the key to new technologies. The recent commercialization of a combustion synthesis of C 60 and other fullerenes depended critically on a knowledge of hydrocarbon reactions at high temperatures in the gas phase, and the research supported by this project enabled further advances in the realm of carbon-rich materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Characterization of Quantum Frequency Processors

Frequency-bin qubits possess unique synergies with wavelength-multiplexed lightwave communications, suggesting valuable opportunities for quantum networking with the existing fiber-optic infrastructure. Although the coherent manipulation of frequency-bin states requires highly controllable multi-spectral-mode interference, the quantum frequency processor (QFP) provides a scalable path for gate synthesis leveraging standard telecom components. Here, we summarize the state of the art in experimental QFP characterization. Distinguishing between physically motivated “open box” approaches that treat the QFP as a multiport interferometer, and “black box” approaches that view the QFP as a general quantum operation, we highlight the assumptions and results of multiple techniques, including quantum process tomography of a tunable beamsplitter—to our knowledge the first full process tomography of any frequency-bin operation. Our findings should inform future characterization efforts as the QFP increasingly moves beyond proof-of-principle tabletop demonstrations toward integrated devices and deployed quantum networking experiments.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1994

Kinetic and mechanistic analysis of dinucleotide and oligonucleotide formation from the 5'-phosphorimidazolide of adenosine on Na(+)-montmorillonite

The rate constants for the condensation reaction of the 5'-phosphorimidazolide of adenosine (ImpA) to form dinucleotides and oligonucleotides have been measured in the presence of Na(+)-volclay (a Na(+)-montmorillonite) in pH 8 aqueous solution at 25 degrees C. The rates of the reaction of ImpA with an excess of adenosine 5'-monophosphoramidate (NH2pA), P1,P2-diadenosine 5',5'-pyrophosphate (A5'ppA), or adenosine 5'-monophosphate (5'-AMP or pA) in the presence of the montmorillonite to form NH2pA3'pA, A5'ppA3'pA, and pA3'pA, respectively, were measured. Only 3',5'-linked products were observed. The magnitude of the rate constants decrease in the order NH2pA3'pA > A5'-ppA3'pA > pA3'pA. The binding of ImpA to montmorillonite was measured, and the adsorption isotherm was determined. The binding of ImpA to montmorillonite and the formation of higher oligonucleotides is not observed in the absence of salts. Mg2+ enhances binding and oligonucleotide formation more than Ca2+ and Na+. The rate constants for the oligonucleotide formation were determined from the reaction products formed from 10 to 40 mM ImpA in the presence of Na(+)-montmorillonite using the computer program SIMFIT. The magnitudes of the rate constants for the formation of oligonucleotides increased in the order 2-mer < 3-mer < 4-mer ... 7-mer. The rate constants for dinucleotide and trinucleotide formation are more than 1000 times larger than those measured in the absence of montmorillonite. The rate constants for the formation of dinucleotide, trinucleotide, and tetranucleotide are 41,2.6, and 3.7 times larger than those for the formation of oligo(G)s with a poly(C) template. The hydrolysis of ImpA was accelerated 35 times in the presence of the montmorillonite. The catalytic ability of montmorillonite to form dinucleotides and oligonucleotides is quantitatively evaluated and possible pathways for oligo(A) formation are proposed.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS2018

The Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) Project

The Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) Project is one of six projects in the Advanced Air Vehicles Program (AAVP) of the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The overarching goal of the RVLT Project is to develop and validate tools, technologies, and concepts to overcome key barriers for vertical lift vehicles. The project vision is to enable the next generation of vertical lift vehicles with aggressive goals for efficiency, noise, and emissions, to expand current capabilities and develop new commercial markets. The RVLT Project invests in technologies that support conventional, non-conventional, and emerging vertical-lift aircraft in the very light to heavy vehicle classes. Research areas include acoustic, aeromechanics, drive systems, engines, icing, hybrid-electric systems, impact dynamics, experimental techniques, computational methods, and conceptual design. The project research is executed at NASA Ames, Glenn, and Langley Research Centers; the research extensively leverages partnerships with the US Army, the Federal Aviation Administration, industry, and academia. The primary facilities used by the project for testing of vertical-lift technologies include the 14- by 22-Ft Wind Tunnel, Icing Research Tunnel, National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex, 7- by 10-Ft Wind Tunnel, Rotor Test Cell, Landing and Impact Research facility, Compressor Test Facility, Drive System Test Facilities, Transonic Turbine Blade Cascade Facility, Vertical Motion Simulator, Mobile Acoustic Facility, Exterior Effects Synthesis and Simulation Lab, and the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Complex. To learn more about the RVLT Project, please stop by booth #1004 or visit their website at https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/programs/aavp/rvlt.

NASA↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Transformation of the NASA Life Sciences Portal to a FAIR Data Point

The FAIR principles emphasize optimizing metadata, the vast majority of which are textual in nature, and often organized into attribute name-value pairs. This uniformity has led to the development of guidelines and best practices for providing programmatic access to scientific data through their metadata, yielding the first iteration of the FAIR Data Point Specifications (FDPS). A key feature of the FDPS is its support for automated agents seeking and fetching data without first needing to learn a plethora of different application programming interfaces. These software agents can interrogate metadata catalogs that adhere to FDPS in a uniform manner because each catalog describes itself and its metadata schema consistently. This approach enhances the sustainability of data retrieval support, allowing systems to refine and update their metadata schemas as needed and without requiring data-seeking software agents to change how they interrogate FDPS catalogs. An essential aspect of the FDPS is the standardization of data catalog semantics, which formalizes concepts such as “metadata” and “metadata service” and links them to other concepts specifications including the Data Catalog Vocabulary (DCAT), a W3C standard that is also the basis of NASA-STD-2831 “Metadata Standard for Data Discoverability,” authored by NASA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer. The FDPS references DCAT (version 2) elements which focus on the distribution of datasets and support the goal of stream-lined catalog integration across repositories for improved data discovery. Additionally, the FDPS also prescribe the use of Linked Data Platform elements for data catalog-metadata record containment descriptions, allowing users to ascertain which data and metadata belong to which catalogs. NASA’s Life Sciences Portal is implementing the FDPS while formalizing its metadata schema to support the accelerated synthesis of knowledge from space life sciences investigations.

platform↗
NASA NTRS1988

Light-regulated protein and mRNA synthesis in root caps of maize

Illumination of maize roots initiates changes in mRNA levels and in the activities of proteins within the root cap. Using Northern analysis we showed a 5-6 fold increase in the levels of three specific mRNAs and a 14-fold increase in plastid mRNA. This increase is rapid, occurring within 30 minutes of illumination. With prolonged periods of darkness following illumination, messages return to levels observed in dark, control caps. For two species of mRNA illumination results in a reduction in message levels. Light-stimulated increases in the levels of specific mRNAs are proportionally greater than are increases in the activities of corresponding proteins. We suggest that the light-stimulated increase in protein activity in root caps may be preceded by and occur as a consequence of enhanced levels of mRNA. Our work suggests that photomorphogenesis in roots could involve changes in the levels of a wide variety of mRNAs within the root cap.

NASA Program Space Biology↗
NASA NTRS1988

4-Coumarate:coenzyme A ligase and isoperoxidase expression in Zinnia mesophyll cells induced to differentiate into tracheary elements

When cultured in inductive medium containing adequate auxin and cytokinin, isolated mesophyll cells of Zinnia elegans L. cv Envy differentiate into tracheary elements with lignified secondary wall thickenings. Differentiation does not occur when cells are cultured in control medium, which has reduced levels of auxin and/or cytokinin. The activities of two enzymes involved in lignin synthesis, 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase and peroxidase, were examined. An induction-specific cationic isoperoxidase, visualized by low pH polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, is detectable in soluble and wall fractions of cultured Zinnia cells long before tracheary elements visibly differentiate and is thus an early marker of differentiation. Compounds (such as antiauxins, anticytokinins, and tunicamycin) that inhibit or delay differentiation alter the expression of this isoperoxidase. 4-Coumarate:coenzyme A ligase activity increases dramatically only as cells differentiate. Together, these results suggest that the onset of lignification in differentiating Zinnia cells might be controlled by the availability of precursors synthesized by way of 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase. These precursors would then be polymerized into lignin in the cell wall by the induction-specific isoperoxidase.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗
NASA NTRS1995

Cytoskeletal filament assembly and the control of cell spreading and function by extracellular matrix

This study was undertaken to analyze how cell binding to extracellular matrix produces changes in cell shape. We focused on the initial process of cell spreading that follows cell attachment to matrix and, thus, cell 'shape' changes are defined here in terms of alterations in projected cell areas, as determined by computerized image analysis. Cell spreading kinetics and changes in microtubule and actin microfilament mass were simultaneously quantitated in hepatocytes plated on different extracellular matrix substrata. The initial rate of cell spreading was highly dependent on the matrix coating density and decreased from 740 microns 2/h to 50 microns 2/h as the coating density was lowered from 1000 to 1 ng/cm2. At approximately 4 to 6 hours after plating, this initial rapid spreading rate slowed and became independent of the matrix density regardless of whether laminin, fibronectin, type I collagen or type IV collagen was used for cell attachment. Analysis of F-actin mass revealed that cell adhesion to extracellular matrix resulted in a 20-fold increase in polymerized actin within 30 minutes after plating, before any significant change in cell shape was observed. This was followed by a phase of actin microfilament disassembly which correlated with the most rapid phase of cell extension and ended at about 6 hours; F-actin mass remained relatively constant during the slow matrix-independent spreading phase. Microtubule mass increased more slowly in spreading cells, peaking at 4 hours, the time at which the transition between rapid and slow spreading rates was observed. However, inhibition of this early rise in microtubule mass using either nocodazole or cycloheximide did not prevent this transition. Use of cytochalasin D revealed that microfilament integrity was absolutely required for hepatocyte spreading whereas interference with microtubule assembly (using nocodazole or taxol) or protein synthesis (using cycloheximide) only partially suppressed cell extension. In contrast, cell spreading could be completely inhibited by combining suboptimal doses of cytochalasin D and nocodazole, suggesting that intact microtubules can stabilize cell form when the microfilament lattice is partially compromised. The physiological relevance of the cytoskeleton and cell shape in hepatocyte physiology was highlighted by the finding that a short exposure (6 hour) of cells to nocodazole resulted in production of smaller cells 42 hours later that exhibited enhanced production of a liver-specific product (albumin). These data demonstrate that spreading and flattening of the entire cell body is not driven directly by net polymerization of either microfilaments or microtubules.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS).

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗
DOE OSTI2023

Development of Instrumented Advanced Test Reactor Irradiation Capsule Experiment for In-situ Thermal Conductivity Measurements of High-Density Fuels

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is developing a first-of-a-kind leadout instrumented capsule experiment design to enable in-situ measurement capabilities in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) core. The Ceramic Advanced Thermal Evolution Research (CRATER) experiment supports the aLEU program objective to accelerate fuel performance irradiation testing for identifying alternative high-assay, low enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel systems. CRATER is a fueled, instrumented capsule experiment to measure in-situ temperature and thermal conductivity of ceramic fuels. Two ceramic fuel types will be used, uranium mono-nitride (UN) and uranium mono-carbide (UC), with a third metallic fuel used for comparison (UMo). The three fuel specimens will use a stainless-steel cladding. Programmatic objectives include linear heat generation rates (LHGR) of 210 ± 25 Watts per cm. and an inner clad temperature of 300-450 °C. The evolution of fuel thermal conductivity during irradiation has never been successfully measured in-situ for these systems and this experiment is designed to use advances in measurement sciences to characterize how thermal transport properties evolve while in reactor. Neutronic simulations of the experiment and its surrounding reactor environment were conducted using the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport code (MCNP) and result in optimized fuel enrichment to meet target linear heat generation rates (LHGRs) influencing fuel temperatures, and fuel burnup requirements. Fabrication research and development (R&D) efforts are underway to produce annular right cylinder UC and UN pellets using carbothermic reduction and nitridation (or hydride-dehydride-nitride) synthesis methods, followed double-action die cold isostatic pressing.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Catalytic copyrolysis of particle board and polypropylene over Al-MCM-48

Highlights: • Al-MCM-48 was used for catalytic copyrolysis of particle board and polypropylene. • Catalytic produced mainly hydrocarbons. • The hydrocarbons produced were mainly in the diesel range. - Abstract: Particle board and polypropylene (PP) at a mixing ratio of 1:1 were copyrolyzed over two Al-MCM-48 catalysts with Si/Al ratios of 20 and 80. The catalyst characteristics were examined by measuring the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, temperature programmed desorption of ammonia, and X-ray diffraction. The main pyrolysis products of particle board were oxygenates, acids, and phenolics, whereas a large quantity of hydrocarbons within the diesel fuel range was produced from copyrolysis with polypropylene. The catalytic copyrolysis of particle board and PP over the Al-MCM-48 catalysts produced bio-oil with a much larger hydrocarbon content than that from the catalytic pyrolysis of particle board only. The hydrocarbons produced were mainly in the diesel range, highlighting the potential for the production of high-quality fuel.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Templating Routes to Supported Oxide Catalysts by Design

The rational design and understanding of supported oxide catalysts requires at least three advancements, in order of increasing complexity: the ability to quantify the number and nature of active sites in a catalytic material, the ability to place external controls on the number and structure of these active sites, and the ability to assemble these active sites so as to carry out more complex functions in tandem. As part of an individual investigator research program that is integrated with the Northwestern University Institute for Catalysis in Energy Processes (ICEP) as of 2015, significant advances were achieved in these three areas. First, phosphonic acids were utilized in the quantitative assessment of the number of active and geometrically-available sites in MO x -SiO 2 catalysts, including nanocrystalline composites, co-condensed materials, and grafted structures, for M=Ti, Zr, Hf, Nb, and Ta. That work built off progress in understanding supported Fe, Cu, and Co oxide catalysts from chelating and/or multinuclear precursors to maximize surface reactivity. Secondly, significant progress was made in the new area of using thin oxide overcoats containing ‘nanocavities’ from organic templates as a method to control the dispersion and thermal stability of subsequently deposited metal nanoparticles or other catalytic domains. Similar methods were used to control surface reactivity in SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 acid catalysts and to control reactant selectivity in Al 2 O 3 -TiO 2 photocatalysts. Finally, knowledge gained from the first two areas has been combined to synthesize a tandem catalyst for hydrotreating reactions and an orthogonal tandem catalyst system where two subsequent reactions in a reaction network are independently controlled by light and heat. Overall, work carried out under this project significantly advanced the knowledge of synthesis-structure-function relationships in supported oxide catalysts for energy applications.

02 PETROLEUM↗
NASA NTRS1993

Integrated design and manufacturing for the high speed civil transport

In June 1992, Georgia Tech's School of Aerospace Engineering was awarded a NASA University Space Research Association (USRA) Advanced Design Program (ADP) to address 'Integrated Design and Manufacturing for the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT)' in its graduate aerospace systems design courses. This report summarizes the results of the five courses incorporated into the Georgia Tech's USRA ADP program. It covers AE8113: Introduction to Concurrent Engineering, AE4360: Introduction to CAE/CAD, AE4353: Design for Life Cycle Cost, AE6351: Aerospace Systems Design One, and AE6352: Aerospace Systems Design Two. AE8113: Introduction to Concurrent Engineering was an introductory course addressing the basic principles of concurrent engineering (CE) or integrated product development (IPD). The design of a total system was not the objective of this course. The goal was to understand and define the 'up-front' customer requirements, their decomposition, and determine the value objectives for a complex product, such as the high speed civil transport (HSCT). A generic CE methodology developed at Georgia Tech was used for this purpose. AE4353: Design for Life Cycle Cost addressed the basic economic issues for an HSCT using a robust design technique, Taguchi's parameter design optimization method (PDOM). An HSCT economic sensitivity assessment was conducted using a Taguchi PDOM approach to address the robustness of the basic HSCT design. AE4360: Introduction to CAE/CAD permitted students to develop and utilize CAE/CAD/CAM knowledge and skills using CATIA and CADAM as the basic geometric tools. AE6351: Aerospace Systems Design One focused on the conceptual design refinement of a baseline HSCT configuration as defined by Boeing, Douglas, and NASA in their system studies. It required the use of NASA's synthesis codes FLOPS and ACSYNT. A criterion called the productivity index (P.I.) was used to evaluate disciplinary sensitivities and provide refinements of the baseline HSCT configuration. AE6352: Aerospace Systems Design Two was a continuation of Aerospace Systems Design One in which wing concepts were researched and analyzed in more detail. FLOPS and ACSYNT were again used at the system level while other off-the-shelf computer codes were used for more detailed wing disciplinary analysis and optimization. The culmination of all efforts and submission of this report conclude the first year's efforts of Georgia Tech's NASA USRA ADP. It will hopefully provide the foundation for next year's efforts concerning continuous improvement of integrated design and manufacturing for the HSCT.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2022

U.S. Pacific Coast Workshop Report on Preconstruction Research Recommendations (U.S. Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research (SEER) Project)

In May 2022, the U.S. Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research (SEER) project team hosted a stakeholder workshop focused on preconstruction (baseline) research needs for potential floating offshore wind (OSW) energy development on the U.S. Pacific Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington. Prior to the workshop, the SEER team developed a set of initial synthesized research recommendations that were identified based on a review of relevant, publicly available resources and with advisory group input. The workshop covered three marine life breakout groups on subsequent days to discuss research recommendations related to 1) marine mammals and sea turtles, 2) fish and invertebrates, and 3) birds and bats. As part of the workshop, over a hundred participants from the public and private sectors provided feedback on various aspects of the initial research recommendations, including associated data and knowledge gaps, benefits/limitations of available methods and technologies, and technological advancements or infrastructure needed to address the recommendation. Approximately 1,000 total comments were received on the workshop MURAL boards and were synthesized in this report. Based on workshop feedback, SEER developed a final database of over 500 specific research recommendations based on more than 40 resources. In Fall 2022, the full database and a tool with updated synthesized research recommendations were disseminated on Tethys (https://tethys.pnnl.gov) to assist with informing future funding opportunities and research programming. There is a continued need to improve awareness of the potential environmental effects, monitoring technologies, and management strategies for floating OSW energy development on the U.S. Pacific Coast. Coordination of these activities will require the sustained involvement of multiple stakeholders from across sectors. Beyond the baseline considerations discussed in this workshop, future state-of-the-science activities should be planned to consider research needs across wind energy life cycle phases for all relevant wildlife taxa and associated habitat and ecosystem processes.

17 WIND ENERGY↗