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At least 127 records · Page 7

Strategic Plan: Decrease Critical Minerals Waste Through Enabling Advanced Manufacturing Techniques

In this report we developed a strategic outlook derived from previous findings by our Phase-2 Scorecard Report and the Critical Mineral Evaluation Report. In addition, Phase 2 Materials Scorecards have been developed in 2022 to provide a detailed justification and traceability for the adoption of additively manufactured structural materials and ceramics for nuclear deployment. The report provides a strategic vision to harvest the benefits of reduced material and energy demands by enhanced deployment of advanced manufacturing in nuclear technology. The objective of this report is to address the needs for imminent experimental/computational studies to optimize the deployment of advanced manufacturing for its energy-, cost-, and critical materials saving potentials. We display what further actions are needed to minimize supply risks of critical minerals and to lower the economic vulnerability when implementing the additional nuclear capacity projected by 2050, in support of the U.S. goal of net-zero carbon emission. The critical minerals essential for Gen-IV nuclear technology show either low disruption potential (supply risks) combined with high economic vulnerability, such as: copper, nickel, and chromium; or low supply risks combined with medium economic vulnerability, such as: manganese, molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium, tantalum, and zirconium. Enhancements in quality and yield of critical mineral recycling and the recovery of critical minerals from solid and industrial waste streams are needed to enhance supply security for stainless-steel production and to shift the time to scarcity for society to future years.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

ARM Aerosol Measurement Science Group 2024 Strategic Planning Workshop Report

This report summarizes the results of the 2024 Strategic Planning Workshop conducted by the Aerosol Measurement Science Group (AMSG) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility. The objective of this workshop was to provide ARM facility guidance through specific recommendations relating to aerosol science for a period of five years. The AMSG primary focus of this workshop was to help advance strategic external partnership engagement for ARM’s aerosol measurement program. The workshop was held July 9-10, 2024 at the University of Utah. This was the third such workshop since the AMSG was chartered in 2015 to enhance coordination of ARM observations of aerosols and atmospheric trace gases with the needs of ARM users.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Strategic Qualitative Risk Assessment of Thousands of Legacy Wells within the Area of Review (AoR) of a Potential CO2 Storage Site

The subsurface confinement of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) demands robust risk assessment methodologies to identify potential leakage pathways. Legacy wells within the Area of Review (AoR) represent one potential leakage pathway. Robust methodologies require enormous amounts of data, which are not available for many old legacy wells. This study strategically categorizes 4386 legacy wells within the AoR of a potential CO2 storage site in the Illinois basin and identifies the high-risk wells by leveraging publicly available data—reports and well logs submitted to state regulatory agencies. Wells were categorized based on their proximity to the injection well location, depth, the mechanical integrity of well barriers, and the accessibility to these wells throughout the project lifecycle. Wells posing immediate risks were identified, guiding prioritized corrective actions and monitoring plans. Out of 4386 wells, 54 have high priority for corrective action, 10 have medium priority, and the remainder are of low priority. Case study results from the Illinois basin demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of this approach, to assess the risk associated with legacy wells within the AoR of potential CO2 storage site, strategically categorizing over 4000 such wells despite data limitations.

Arbad, Nachiket (ORCID:0000000215353656)↗

A status review of NASA's COSAM (Conservation Of Strategic Aerospace Materials) program

The use and supply of strategic elements in nickel base superalloys for gas turbine engines are reviewed. Substitution of strategic elements, advanced processing concepts, and the identification of alternate materials are considered. Cobalt, tantalum, columbium, and chromium, the supplies of which are 91-100% imported, are the materials of major concern.

Stephens, J. R.↗

SiC or B4C-B/low strategic element content composite

Advancements in materials technologies are needed to provide the aerospace industry with alternate material options in the event of future strategic metal shortages and to optimize performance of engines. Composite materials are promising candidates for such an application. The potential of SiC and B4C-B filament reinforced low strategic element iron-base alloy content composites or use at 760 to 870 C is considered. A limiting factor towards developing this material for high temperature use has been the reaction between the filament and matrix material during fabrication and service which degrades filament strength. A low temperature fabrication process to limit filament/matrix reaction is being developed which involves the use of hollow cathode sputtering to coat the filaments with iron-base alloys of various compositions. An investigation is being conducted to determine the interfacial reaction effects of SiC and B4C-B filaments with iron-base alloys to develop an understanding of filament/matrix alloy compatibility for 760 to 870 C service.

Petrasek, D. W.↗

Considerations of technology transfer barriers in the modification of strategic superalloys for aircraft turbine engines

A typical innovation-to-commercialization process for the development of a new hot section gas turbine material requires one to two decades with attendant costs in the tens of millions of dollars. This transfer process is examined to determine the potential rate-controlling steps for introduction of future low strategic metal content alloys or processes. Case studies are used to highlight the barriers to commercialization as well as to identify the means by which these barriers can be surmounted. The opportunities for continuing joint government-university-industry partnerships in planning and conducting strategic materials R&D programs are also discussed.

Stephens, J. R.↗

Use of cooling air heat exchangers as replacements for hot section strategic materials

Because of financial and political constraints, strategic aerospace materials required for the hot section of future engines might be in short supply. As an alternative to these strategic materials, this study examines the use of a cooling air heat exchanger in combination with less advanced hot section materials. Cycle calculations are presented for future turbofan systems with overall pressure ratios to 65, bypass ratios near 13, and combustor exit temperatures to 3260 R. These calculations quantify the effect on TSFC of using a decreased materials technology in a turbofan system. The calculations show that the cooling air heat exchanger enables the feasibility of these engines.

Gauntner, J. W.↗

Use of cooling air heat exchangers as replacements for hot section strategic materials

Because of financial and political constraints, strategic aerospace materials required for the hot section of future engines might be in short supply. As an alternative to these strategic materials, this study examines the use of a cooling air heat exchanger in combination with less advanced hot section materials. Cycle calculations are presented for future turbofan systems with overall pressure ratios to 65, bypass ratios near 13, and combustor exit temperatures to 3260 R. These calculations quantify the effect on TSFC of using a decreased materials technology in a turbofan system. The calculations show that the cooling air heat exchanger enables the feasibility of these engines. Previously announced in STAR as N83-34946

Gauntner, J. W.↗

Strategic materials availability and supply

An evaluation is made of the supply sources and current availability of elements involved in superalloy compositions, as well as of development trends in the substitution of strategic materials for superalloys, giving attention to the results thus far achieved by NASA's Conservation of Strategic Aerospace Materials program, which formally operated only from 1980 to 1984 but whose various research initiatives have been continued under other NASA programs. Peacetime and wartime economies' need and probable availability analyses are presented for bauxite/aluminum, the Pt-group metals, and the alloying elements Mn, Nb, Ta, Co, Cr, Ni, W, Fe, Cu, Ti, Mo, and Mg.

Stephens, Joseph R.↗

Microgravity strategic planning exercise

The Center for Space and Advanced Technology supported a planning exercise for the Microgravity Program management at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The effort focused on the status of microgravity work at MSFC and elsewhere with the objective of preparing a goal-oriented strategic planning document which could be used for informational/brochure purposes. The effort entailed numerous interactions and presentations with Field Center programmatic components and Headquarters personnel. Appropriate material was consolidated in a draft format for a MSFC Strategic Plan.

Halpern, Richard↗

Workload and strategic adaptation under transformations of visual-coordinative mappings

A study involving a bimanual pursuit-tracking task is conducted to examine strategic exploration of differing visual and motor coordination patterns emphasizing workload as an indicator of strategic behavior. The mappings are conducted for 16 possible variations of order, speed, and combination. Performance is assessed by means of the rms and percent time-on-target, and the NASA task-load index is used to classify subjective reports on workload. The results are broken down into four primary performance mappings and four hybrid mappings called contradictory conditions. The order of difficulty of the conditions is apparently determined by the workload, except that in the case of the three most difficult decoupled conditions some dissociation is reported.

Caird, J. K.↗

Strategic behavior, workload, and performance in task scheduling

Scheduling theory is proposed as a normative model for strategic behavior when operators are confronted by several tasks, all of which should be completed within a fixed time span, and when they are free to choose the order in which the tasks should be done. Three experiments are described to investigate the effect of knowing the correct scheduling rule on the efficiency of performance, subjective workload, and choice of strategy under different conditions of time pressure. The most potent effects are from time pressure. The reasons for the weak effect of knowing the rules are discussed, and implications for strategic behavior, displays, and decision aids are indicated.

Moray, Neville↗

A decision support tool for synchronizing technology advances with strategic mission objectives

Successful accomplishment of the objectives of many long-range future missions in areas such as space systems, land-use planning, and natural resource management requires significant technology developments. This paper describes the development of a decision-support data-derived tool called MisTec for helping strategic planners to determine technology development alternatives and to synchronize the technology development schedules with the performance schedules of future long-term missions. Special attention is given to the operations, concept, design, and functional capabilities of the MisTec. The MisTec was initially designed for manned Mars mission, but can be adapted to support other high-technology long-range strategic planning situations, making it possible for a mission analyst, planner, or manager to describe a mission scenario, determine the technology alternatives for making the mission achievable, and to plan the R&D activity necessary to achieve the required technology advances.

Hornstein, Rhoda S.↗

Alertness management in flight operations - Strategic napping

Strategic napping in two different flight operation environments is considered to illustrate its application as a fatigue countermeasure. Data obtained from commercial short-haul and long-haul operations demonstrated the utility and current practices of strategic napping. A preplanned cockpit nap acted as an acute 'safety valve' for the sleep loss, circadian disruption, and fatigue that occurs in long-haul flying.

Rosekind, Mark R.↗

On operator strategic behavior

Deeper and more detailed knowledge as to how human operators such as pilots respond, singly and in groups, to demands on their performance which arise from technical systems will support the manipulation of such systems' design in order to accommodate the foibles of human behavior. Efforts to understand how self-autonomy impacts strategic behavior and such related issues as error generation/recognition/correction are still in their infancy. The present treatment offers both general and aviation-specific definitions of strategic behavior as precursors of prospective investigations.

Hancock, P. A.↗

Modernization and unification: Strategic goals for NASA STI program

Information is increasingly becoming a strategic resource in all societies and economies. The NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Program has initiated a modernization program to address the strategic importance and changing characteristics of information. This modernization effort applies new technology to current processes to provide near-term benefits to the user. At the same time, we are developing a long-term modernization strategy designed to transition the program to a multimedia, global 'library without walls.' Notwithstanding this modernization program, it is recognized that no one information center can hope to collect all the relevant data. We see information and information systems changing and becoming more international in scope. We are finding that many nations are expending resources on national systems which duplicate each other. At the same time that this duplication exists, many useful sources of aerospace information are not being collected because of resource limitations. If nations cooperate to develop an international aerospace information system, resources can be used efficiently to cover expanded sources of information. We must consider forming a coalition to collect and provide access to disparate, multidisciplinary sources of information, and to develop standardized tools for documenting and manipulating this data and information. In view of recent technological developments in information science and technology, as well as the reality of scarce resources in all nations, it is time to explore the mutually beneficial possibilities offered by cooperation and international resource sharing. International resources need to be mobilized in a coordinated manner to move us towards this goal. This paper reviews the NASA modernization program and raises for consideration new possibilities for unification of the various aerospace database efforts toward a cooperative international aerospace database initiative that can optimize the cost/benefit equation for all participants.

Blados, W.↗

Strategic avionics technology planning

NASA experience in development and insertion of technology into programs had led to a recognition that a Strategic Plan for Avionics is needed for space. In the fall of 1989 an Avionics Technology Symposium was held in Williamsburg, Virginia. In early 1990, as a followon, a NASA wide Strategic Avionics Technology Working Group was chartered by NASA Headquarters. This paper will describe the objectives of this working group, technology bridging, and approaches to incentivize both the federal and commercial sectors to move toward rapidly developed, simple, and reliable systems with low life cycle cost.

Cox, Kenneth J.↗

Strategic planning for aircraft noise route impact analysis: A three dimensional approach

The strategic routing of aircraft through navigable and controlled airspace to minimize adverse noise impact over sensitive areas is critical in the proper management and planning of the U.S. based airport system. A major objective of this phase of research is to identify, inventory, characterize, and analyze the various environmental, land planning, and regulatory data bases, along with potential three dimensional software and hardware systems that can be potentially applied for an impact assessment of any existing or planned air route. There are eight data bases that have to be assembled and developed in order to develop three dimensional aircraft route impact methodology. These data bases which cover geographical information systems, sound metrics, land use, airspace operational control measures, federal regulations and advisories, census data, and environmental attributes have been examined and aggregated. A three dimensional format is necessary for planning, analyzing space and possible noise impact, and formulating potential resolutions. The need to develop this three dimensional approach is essential due to the finite capacity of airspace for managing and planning a route system, including airport facilities. It appears that these data bases can be integrated effectively into a strategic aircraft noise routing system which should be developed as soon as possible, as part of a proactive plan applied to our FAA controlled navigable airspace for the United States.

Bragdon, C. R.↗