SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “Technology Transfer”
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Advanced blade-shaped thermal energy storage device: Development and application
Thermal energy storage (TES) using phase change materials (PCMs) is a promising approach for capturing and reusing excess thermal energy, yet widespread adoption is limited by low thermal conductivity, bulky configurations, and inadequate scalability. Here, this study presents a modular, blade-shaped TES prototype designed to address these challenges. The device integrates a lightweight aluminum shell, an embedded serpentine coil for active or passive heat exchange, and a cost-effective corrugated metal mesh for enhanced PCM thermal conductivity. With thickness-to-length and thickness-to-width ratios of 0.03 and 0.08, respectively, the blade-shaped TES achieves a compact, modular form factor suitable for space-constrained applications. Experimental testing demonstrated the efficient charge and discharge behavior of blade-shaped TES, capturing PCM superheating, phase-change transitions, and subcooling dynamics, with charging and discharging efficiencies of 94.9% and 94.6%, respectively. Also, the system can potentially achieve higher energy density than that of conventional TES designs. When integrated into a household refrigerator during the study, three blade-shaped TES modules successfully shifted 100% of peak-time compressor operation to off-peak hours, reducing energy consumption while maintaining more stable compartment temperatures. The blade-shaped TES's thin geometry, modularity, and enhanced thermal performance support scalable deployment across residential, commercial, and industrial applications, providing a versatile, cost-effective solution for high-efficiency, demand-flexible thermal energy management.
Economic feasibility of in-motion wireless power transfer in a high-density traffic corridor
Electricity is expected to become a dominant power source in the transportation sector, but under a stationary recharging model, electric powered vehicles still suffer some disadvantages relative to conventional vehicles. Recent developments in wireless power transfer (WPT) technology can enable an alternative vehicle recharging model wherein power is supplied to vehicles while they are moving, mitigating the need for charging stops and high-capacity on-board energy storage. One of the greatest concerns associated with dynamic WPT is that the required infrastructure costs would be prohibitively high; however, the life-cycle costs and benefits of such a system have been under-researched. Here in this work, we apply a systems-level assessment to a case study of a WPT charging system located on the densely trafficked I-710 corridor in Los Angeles, California. Detailed cost estimates for electronics and implementation, high-fidelity energy consumption modeling, and survey-derived adoption projections are applied to evaluate scenarios of economic feasibility and environmental impact. Results show that a “1st-of-a-kind” system can achieve a payback in 20 years while maintaining operating cost advantages relative to petroleum fueling. System economics are shown to improve substantially with “nth-of-a-kind” capital costs. Discussion focuses on the effect of uptake trajectory on economic viability and detailed economics outcomes for light duty and heavy duty vehicles.
Requirements and Implementation of a Lung SBRT Program in a Developing Country: Benefits of International Cooperation
No abstract prepared.
Advanced surface treatments for medium-velocity superconducting cavities for high-accelerating gradient continuous-wave operation
Not Available
Investigation of TiO{sub x} barriers for their use in hybrid Josephson and tunneling junctions based on pnictide thin films
We tested oxidized titanium layers as barriers for hybrid Josephson junctions with high I{sub c}R{sub n}-products and for the preparation of junctions for tunneling spectroscopy. For that we firstly prepared junctions with conventional superconductor electrodes, such as lead and niobium, respectively. By tuning the barrier thickness, we were able to change the junction's behavior from a Josephson junction to tunnel-like behavior applicable for quasi-particle spectroscopy. Subsequently, we transferred the technology to junctions using Co-doped BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition as base electrode and evaporated Pb as counter electrode. For barriers with a thickness of 1.5 nm, we observe clear Josephson effects with I{sub c}R{sub n}≈90 μV at 4.2 K. These junctions behave SNS'-like (SNS: superconductor-normal conductor-superconductor) and are dominated by Andreev reflection transport mechanism. For junctions with barrier thickness of 2.0 nm and higher, no Josephson but SIS'- (SIS: superconductor-insulator-superconductor) or SINS'-like (SINS: superconductor-normal conductor-insulator-superconductor) behavior with a tunnel-like conductance spectrum was observed.
Dopant-controlled single-electron pumping through a metallic island
We investigate a hybrid metallic island/single dopant electron pump based on fully depleted silicon-on-insulator technology. Electron transfer between the central metallic island and the leads is controlled by resonant tunneling through single phosphorus dopants in the barriers. Top gates above the barriers are used to control the resonance conditions. Applying radio frequency signals to the gates, non-adiabatic quantized electron pumping is achieved. A simple deterministic model is presented and confirmed by comparing measurements with simulations.
A comparison of different database technologies for the CMS AsyncStageOut transfer database
AsyncStageOut (ASO) is the component of the CMS distributed data analysis system (CRAB) that manages users transfers in a centrally controlled way using the File Transfer System (FTS3) at CERN. It addresses a major weakness of the previous, decentralized model, namely that the transfer of the user’s output data to a single remote site was part of the job execution, resulting in inefficient use of job slots and an unacceptable failure rate. Currently ASO manages up to 600k files of various sizes per day from more than 500 users per month, spread over more than 100 sites. ASO uses a NoSQL database (CouchDB) as internal bookkeeping and as way to communicate with other CRAB components. Since ASO/CRAB were put in production in 2014, the number of transfers constantly increased up to a point where the pressure to the central CouchDB instance became critical, creating new challenges for the system scalability, performance, and monitoring. This forced a re-engineering of the ASO application to increase its scalability and lowering its operational effort. In this contribution we present a comparison of the performance of the current NoSQL implementation and a new SQL implementation, and how their different strengths and features influenced the design choices and operational experience. We also discuss other architectural changes introduced in the system to handle the increasing load and latency in delivering output to the user.
Characterization of melted fuel by neutron resonance spectroscopy
Neutrons can be used as a tool to study properties of materials and objects. An evolving activity in this field focusses on neutron induced reaction cross sections. The probability that a neutron interacts with nuclei strongly depends on the energy of the neutron. The cross sections reveal the presence of resonance structures, the energy and width of which are isotope specific. As such, these resonance structures can be used as fingerprints to determine the elemental and isotopic composition of materials and objects. They are the basis of two analytical methods which have been developed at Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC-IRMM): Neutron Resonance Capture Analysis (NRCA) and Neutron Resonance Transmission Analysis (NRTA). The first technique is based on the detection of gamma rays emitted during a neutron capture reaction in the sample being studied; the latter determines the fraction of neutrons transmitted through a sample positioned in a neutron beam. In the past both techniques have been applied to determine the composition of archaeological objects and to characterize nuclear reference materials. More recently a combination of NRTA and NRCA is being studied as a non-destructive method to determine the heavy metal content of particle-like debris of melted fuel that is formed in severe nuclear accidents such as the one which occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. This study is part of a collaboration between the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and ECJRC- IRMM and is a spin-off from the core activity of IRMM, i.e. the production of nuclear data for nuclear technology applications. This contribution focusses on a newly developed NRTA measurement station that has been set up recently at one of the flight paths of the neutron time-of-flight facility GELINA at the EC-JRC-IRMM. The basic principles of NRTA and first results of measurements at the new set up will be discussed. (authors)
A Novel Honeycomb-DD Multi Coil Design for Wireless Power Transfer Systems
Wireless power transfer (WPT) technology has received significant attention recently as an alternative charging method for batteries in a wide range of power levels. In the literature, many types of coil structures have been well-studied. Honeycomb coil arrays, which have been used mostly for low-power applications, have not been well-studied for high-power-level applications. In this paper, a novel honeycomb-DD coil design is proposed for high-power wireless battery charging systems. The proposed coil design with step by step design process is given and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was performed to observe the full performance characteristics of the system for a 100 kW system. In addition, the misalignment tolerance of the proposed system was observed by shifting the secondary side charging pad at different misalignment positions, and the electromagnetic compatibility to the standards was investigated. The core and strand losses were obtained. The results show that the honeycomb coil array provides high coupling coefficient and better misalignment tolerance, making it a potential coil topology for WPT applications.
Visualizing the Impacts of Renewable Energy Growth in the U.S. Midcontinent
Not Available
Evaluation of large volume yeast interfering RNA lure-and-kill ovitraps for attraction and control of Aedes mosquitoes
Aedes mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), principle vectors of several arboviruses, typically lay eggs in man-made water-filled containers located near human dwellings. Given the widespread emergence of insecticide resistance, stable and biofriendly alternatives for mosquito larviciding are needed. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that inactivated yeast interfering RNA tablets targeting key larval developmental genes can be used to facilitate effective larvicidal activity while also promoting selective gravid female oviposition behaviour. In this work, we examined the efficacy of transferring this technology toward development of lure-and-kill ovitraps targeting Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) female mosquitoes. Insectary, simulated field and semi-field experiments demonstrated that two mosquito-specific yeast interfering RNA pesticides induce high levels of mortality among larvae of both species in treated large volume containers. Small-scale field trials conducted in Trinidad, West Indies demonstrated that large volume ovitrap containers baited with inactivated yeast tablets lure significantly more gravid females than traps containing only water and were highly attractive to both A. aegypti and A. albopictus females. Finally, these studies indicate that development of biorational yeast interfering RNA-baited ovitraps may represent a new tool for control of Aedes mosquitoes, including deployment in existing lure-and-kill ovitrap technologies or traditional container larviciding programs.
TH-D-16A-01: Medical Physics Workshop: Editorial Vision and Guidance On Writing and Reviewing Papers
On January 1, 2014, editorial leadership of Medical Physics passed from esteemed long-time Editor Bill Hendee to a collective editorial group composed of the three presenters listed above. In this presentation, we would like to outline our vision for the future of Medical Physics and review recent work-in-progress initiatives to implement this vision. Finally, we will close with guidance to authors on how to write a good Medical Physics paper. Vision for Medical Physics and current initiatives: Jeff Williamson, Editor-in-Chief We cannot improve on Dr. Hendee's succinct vision statement “to continue the Journal's tradition of publishing the very best science that propels our discipline forward and improves our contribution to patient care.” More concretely, the Journal should be s the preeminent forum for electronic exchange of cutting edge medical physics science. We seek to identify the best contributions in (a) high impact clinical physics innovations; (b) clinical translation and validation of basic science innovations; or (c) cutting edge basic science developments with potential for patient care improvements. Among the challenges and opportunities we face are: are electronic-only and open access publishing; trends towards more interactive, social-media based scientific communities; and diversification of the medical physics research, authorship, and readership domains, including clinical applications quite foreign to core ABR clinical competencies. To address these issues over the next 3 years, we have reduced the size of our Editorial Board and focused its efforts on improving the Journal's impact through 4 working groups (WGs): WG-1: Review process quality and selectivity Creation of 120 member Board of Associate Editors to improve review uniformity by placing Ms. management in fewer hands New reviewer guidelines and templates Answer: “what is the scope of medical physics research?” Recursive taxonomy for tagging review expertise and article contents WG-2 Improving reader experience Redesigning http://MedPhys.org to host interactive features and gateway to electronic issue archive Experimentation with interactive features beginning with “Point/Counterpoint” Data mining and Journal quality evaluation Find out who are audiences are Identify characteristics of high impact articles Measure effectiveness of innovations Outreach to related communities Special issues presenting high-impact work in designated subcommunities Addressing the needs of new research constituencies: engineers, biophysicists, clinicians Guidelines and templates for reviewers and associate editors: Shiva Das, Therapy Physics Editor We will discuss the Med. Phys. review process and a new initiative to create review templates that attempts to address current shortcomings. Template design is informed by the literature on of the review process effectiveness and practices of other journals. Its goals are to provide authors more constructive criticism to improve the manuscript; quantifying perceived importance and potential impact; and providing structured sections that prompt the reviewer to addresses important technical and editorial elements. While the template is recommended to be used, reviewers could alternatively enter their comments in the older free-form style. The expectations of the template are that it will enable consistently thorough, high quality reviews that accurately separate acceptable vs. substandard submissions but continue our tradition of helping authors to enhance papers with high potential. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce variability and subjectivity in the peer-review process, in turn leading to articles with higher research and clinical impact. We will also discuss interesting perspectives from several journals on aspects of the peer-review process such as public input via comments, influence of author-suggested reviewers, and bias in reviewer selection. Writing good scientific papers and responding to critiques: Mitch Goodsitt, Imaging Physics Editor The essential components of the abstract, introduction, methods, discussion and conclusion sections, as well as the desired writing style and style of the figures and tables will be reviewed. Publishable Medical Physics Ms. must include a clear and concise statement of the novelty and clinical and/or scientific importance of their work. Examples of novelty include: new technical solution to an important clinical problem; new generalizable knowledge; or first demonstration that an existing engineering solution solves a clinical problem. Authors must also include: sufficient background information and rationale; enough detail that the work can be reproduced by others; sufficient statistical analysis to refute or validate their hypothesis, how it compares to; is distinct from, and improves upon others' work; and the limitations of their study. When the authors receive critiques from the referees and associate editor, the authors should provide a detailed point-bypoint response to each comment. We now ask that the authors' rebuttal include the text of the original criticism, the authors' response, and the modified text along with the line numbers in the revised article. We also ask that the new text be highlighted in a different font color in the revised submission. These changes and others will be discussed. Their purpose is to facilitate the review process.
Transfer of EP and Doping Technology for PIP-II HB650 Cavities from Fermilab to Industry
Fermilab has optimized the surface processing conditions for PIP-II high beta 650 MHz cavities. This encompasses conditions for bulk electropolishing, heat treatment, nitrogen doping, post-doping final electropolishing, and post-processing surface rinsing. The technology has been effectively transitioned to industry. This paper highlights the efforts made to fine-tune the process and to smoothly share them with the partner labs and an associated vendor.
PNNL Technical Support to The Implementation of EMTA and EMTA-NLA Models in Autodesk ® Moldflow ® Packages
Under the Predictive Engineering effort, PNNL developed linear and nonlinear property prediction models for long-fiber thermoplastics (LFTs). These models were implemented in PNNL’s EMTA and EMTA-NLA codes. While EMTA is a standalone software for the computation of the composites thermoelastic properties, EMTA-NLA presents a series of nonlinear models implemented in ABAQUS ® via user subroutines for structural analyses. In all these models, it is assumed that the fibers are linear elastic while the matrix material can exhibit a linear or typical nonlinear behavior depending on the loading prescribed to the composite. The key idea is to model the constitutive behavior of the matrix material and then to use an Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach (EMTA) combined with numerical techniques for fiber length and orientation distributions to determine the behavior of the as-formed composite. The basic property prediction models of EMTA and EMTA-NLA have been subject for implementation in the Autodesk ® Moldflow ® software packages. These models are the elastic stiffness model accounting for fiber length and orientation distributions, the fiber/matrix interface debonding model, and the elastic-plastic models. The PNNL elastic-plastic models for LFTs describes the composite nonlinear stress-strain response up to failure by an elastic-plastic formulation associated with either a micromechanical criterion to predict failure or a continuum damage mechanics formulation coupling damage to plasticity. All the models account for fiber length and orientation distributions as well as fiber/matrix debonding that can occur at any stage of loading. In an effort to transfer the technologies developed under the Predictive Engineering project to the American automotive and plastics industries, PNNL has obtained the approval of the DOE Office of Vehicle Technologies to provide Autodesk, Inc. with the technical support for the implementation of the basic property prediction models of EMTA and EMTA-NLA in the Autodesk ® Moldflow ® packages. This report summarizes the recent results from Autodesk Simulation Moldlow Insight (ASMI) analyses using the EMTA models and EMTA-NLA/ABAQUS ® analyses for further assessment of the EMTA-NLA models to support their implementation in Autodesk Moldflow Structural Alliance (AMSA). PNNL’s technical support to Autodesk, Inc. included (i) providing the theoretical property prediction models as described in published journal articles and reports, (ii) providing explanations of these models and computational procedure, (iii) providing the necessary LFT data for process simulations and property predictions, and (iv) performing ABAQUS/EMTA-NLA analyses to further assess and illustrate the models for selected LFT materials.
Equipment Only - Solar Resources Measurements at the University of Texas at Austin, TX: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report
Faculty and staff at the University of Texas at Austin collected solar resource measurements at their campus using equipment on loan from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The equipment was used to train students on the operation and maintenance of solar radiometers and was returned to NREL's Solar Radiation Research Laboratory upon completion of the CRADA. The resulting data augment the solar resource climatology information required for solar resource characterizations in the U.S. The cooperative agreement was also consistent with NREL's goal of developing an educated workforce to advance renewable energy technologies.
Development of Novel RTP-like Processing for Solar Cell Fabrication using UV-Rich Light Sources: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report
NREL and Mattson Technology are interested in developing new processing techniques for fabrication of solar cells using UV-rich optical processing. UV light has a very high absorption coefficient in most semiconductors, allowing the semiconductor surface to be heated locally and, in some cases, without a significant increase in the substrate temperature. NREL has several projects related to cell processing that currently use an optical furnace (having a spectrum rich in visible and infrared light). Mattson Technology has developed a UV rich light source that can be used in either pulse or continuous modes. The objective of this CRADA is to explore applications in solar cell processing where absorption characteristics of UV light can lead to lower cell cost and/or higher efficiencies.
Organic Based Nanocomposite Solar Cells (CRADA Final Report)
This CRADA will focus on the development of organic-based solar cells. Key interfacial issues in these cells will be investigated. In this rapidly emerging technology, it is increasingly clear that cell architecture will need to be at the nanoscale and the interfacial issues between organic elements (small molecule and polymer), transparent conducting oxides, and contact metallizations are critical. Thus this work will focus on the development of high surface area and nanostructured nanocarpets of inorganic oxides, the development of appropriate surface binding/acceptor molecules for the inorganic/organic interface, and the development of next-generation organic materials. Work will be performed in all three areas jointly at NREL and Konarka (with their partner in the third area of the University of Delaware). Results should be more rapid progress toward cheap large-area photovoltaic cells.