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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1953

Effect of Axially Staged Fuel Introduction on Performance of One-quarter Sector of Annular Turbojet Combustor

The design principle of injecting liquid fuel at more than one axial station in an annual turbojet combustor was investigated. Fuel was injected into the combustor as much as 5 inches downstream of the primary fuel injectors. Many fuel-injection configurations were examined and the performance results are presented for 11 configurations that best demonstrate the trends in performance obtained. The performance investigations were made at a constant combustor-inlet pressure of 15 inches of mercury absolute and at air flows up to 70 percent higher than values typical of current design practice. At these higher air flows, staging the fuel introduction improved the combustion efficiency considerably over that obtained in the combustor when no fuel staging was employed. At air flows currently encountered in turbojet engines, fuel staging was of minor value. Radial temperature distribution seemed relatively unaffected by the location of fuel-injection stations.

COMBUSTION - EFFECT OF ENGINE OPERATING CONDITIONS↗
NASA NTRS1988

Regenerative fuel cell energy storage system for a low earth orbit space station

A study was conducted to define characteristics of a Regenerative Fuel Cell System (RFCS) for low earth orbit Space Station missions. The RFCS's were defined and characterized based on both an alkaline electrolyte fuel cell integrated with an alkaline electrolyte water electrolyzer and an alkaline electrolyte fuel cell integrated with an acid solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) water electrolyzer. The study defined the operating characteristics of the systems including system weight, volume, and efficiency. A maintenance philosophy was defined and the implications of system reliability requirements and modularization were determined. Finally, an Engineering Model System was defined and a program to develop and demonstrate the EMS and pacing technology items that should be developed in parallel with the EMS were identified. The specific weight of an optimized RFCS operating at 140 F was defined as a function of system efficiency for a range of module sizes. An EMS operating at a nominal temperature of 180 F and capable of delivery of 10 kW at an overall efficiency of 55.4 percent is described. A program to develop the EMS is described including a technology development effort for pacing technology items.

Martin, R. E.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Maximizing Solar and Transportation Synergies

This report considers the technological and market pathways that will enable better use of photovoltaic (PV) electricity as fuel for future transportation demand. Most of the pathways identified will require collaborative research and development (R&D) efforts to improve the capabilities of multiple technologies, including PV, energy storage, vehicles, electrolyzers, electrofuels, and infrastructure. For plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), technologies that enable wide-scale managed and coordinated charging are among the highest priorities for continued research, development, and deployment in the near term. Furthermore, managed and coordinated charging capabilities are foundational for future vehicle-to-grid (V2G) functionality in the long term. For hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), the use of PV electricity for electrolysis provides an opportunity to increase PV deployment. For rail, air, and maritime transportation, the feasibility of increased PV use varies in the near term; opportunities for synergies with solar include the electrification of rail, increased reliability from airport microgrids, and switching from heavy fuel oil to clean maritime electrofuels made from PV-based hydrogen. Over the longer term, battery swap stations for electric airplanes and the co-location of solar with hydrogen fueling stations at shipping ports may enable greater synergies between PV and transportation.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

I-80 Mid-America Clean Fuels Corridor: Deployment Plan Report

The I-80 Mid-America Clean Fuels Corridor, which spans I-80 from Fort Lee, New Jersey, to Council Bluffs, Iowa, was designated an Alternative Fuels Corridor (AFC) in Round 1 of the Alternative Fuels Corridor program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Originally called the “I-80 Mid-America Alternative Fuels Corridor,” it is now named the “I-80 Mid-America Clean Fuels Corridor.” As of Round 6 AFC designation, parts of the corridor have sufficient direct current fast charging (DCFC) stations to be designated Electric Vehicle (EV)-Ready and sufficient compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations to be designated CNG-Ready. However, much of the corridor’s approximately 1,240 miles (mi) are not yet EV- or CNG-Ready. This includes about 1,130 mi that are designated EV-Pending and 700 mi that are designated CNG-Pending. This report presents a plan to develop EV charging and CNG fueling infrastructure sufficient to convert the entire length of the corridor to EV-Ready and CNG-Ready. Specific sites are not identified for future infrastructure. Rather, priority exits are identified, and information, analysis, and additional steps are recommended to support further refinement of these locations, as well as additional outreach and deployment efforts.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1988

Tethered versus attached cryogenic propellant storage at Space Station

The space-based orbital transfer vehicle will require a large cryogenic fuel storage facility at the Space Station. An alternative to fuel storage on-board the Space Station is on a tethered orbital refueling facility (TORF) which is separated from the Space Station by a sufficient distance to induce a gravity gradient to settle the propellants. Overall costs and benefits of a particular tethered facility design have been defined relative to a representative zero-gravity facility on the Space Station. Results indicate that the TORF hardware and operations costs are roughly 40 percent higher than the comparable zero-g facility costs. The cost difference is negligible when compared to the launch cost of the fuel over the facility 10-year lifetime.

Fester, Dale A.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hydrogen and Electric Charging Infrastructure for Heavy-Duty Trucks: A Nationally Scalable Megaregion Assessment

Decarbonizing regional and long-haul freight is challenging due to the limitations of battery-electric commercial vehicles and infrastructure constraints. Hydrogen fuel cell medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs) offer a viable alternative, aligning with the decarbonization goals of the Department of Energy and commercial entities. Historically, alternative fuels like compressed natural gas and liquefied propane gas have faced slow adoption due to barriers like infrastructure availability. To avoid similar issues, effective planning and deploying zero-emission hydrogen fueling infrastructure is crucial. This research develops deployment plans for affordable, accessible, and sustainable hydrogen refueling stations, supporting stakeholders in the decarbonized commercial vehicle freight system. It aims to benefit underserved and rural energy-stressed communities by improving air quality, reducing noise pollution, and enhancing energy resiliency. This research also provides a blueprint for replacing diesel in over-the-road Class 8 freight truck applications with hydrogen fueling solutions. The study focuses on the Texas Triangle Megaregion (I-45, I-35, and I-10), the I-10 corridor between San Antonio, TX, and Los Angeles, CA, and the I-5/CA-99 corridors between Los Angeles, CA, and San Francisco, CA. This area represents a significant portion of U.S. heavy-duty freight movement, carrying ~8.5% of the national freight volume. Using the OR-AGENT (Optimal Regional Architecture Generation for Efficient National Transport) modeling framework, the study conducts an advanced assessment of commercial vehicles, road and freight networks, and energy systems. The framework integrates data on freight mobility, traffic, weather, and energy pathways to deliver a region-specific, optimized vehicles powertrain architectures, infrastructure deployment solutions, operational logistics, and energy pathways. By considering all vehicle origin-destination pairs utilizing these corridors and all feasible fueling station location options, the framework's genetic algorithm identifies the minimum number and optimal locations of hydrogen refueling stations, ensuring no vehicle is stranded. It also determines fuel schedules and quantities at each station. A roadmap for station deployment based on multiple adoption trajectories ensures a strategic rollout of hydrogen refueling infrastructure.

Sujan, Vivek [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000269882342)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Connected and Learning Based Optimal Freight Management for Efficiency

The management of the future heterogenous fleet is a complex decision-making problem. The heterogenous fleet is emerging as decarbonization technologies are deployed by fleets toward lowering the freight operation emissions in Medium and Heavy-duty vehicles. Traditionally, in fleets characterized by a homogeneous Diesel Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) powertrain, the process of fleet planning and operational optimization unfolds sequentially without the necessity to account for powertrain and vehicle-specific characteristics during dispatch decisions. Fleets with trucks less than 5 years old tend to maintain stable vehicle efficiency with minimal operational reliability risks for fleet managers. However, the landscape changes with the incorporation of emerging powertrain technologies, which lack extensive operational data and service experiences. This includes technologies like hybrid, Electric, Fuel Cell, or alternative fuel ICE. Operational decisions for fleets featuring heterogeneous powertrain technologies and facing limited access to alternative fueling and charging stations become intricate, requiring careful consideration and optimization at each dispatch. The difference in efficiency characteristics of emerging technologies, their range limitations, and the restricted availability of charging/alternative fueling infrastructure, coupled with sensitivity to driving conditions (e.g., EV range reduction in low temperatures) and their impact on component aging (such as batteries), become pivotal factors influencing the reliable and efficient freight transportation. To make the path toward low emission freight transportation efficient and reliable, an AI-assisted fleet management software is developed in this project to help fleet managers in optimizing both adoption of emerging powertrain decarbonization, connected and automated technologies and also operating the fleet after such technologies are deployed as schematically. Freight transportation requirements are different depending on the cargos to be shipped, customer requirements and regions of operations. This further highlights the need for software and digital solutions to tailor deployment and operation of emerging powertrain, connectivity, and automation technologies toward the specific fleet operation requirements. The fleet management optimizer was also integrated with a model of the fleet to simulate the operation of the fleet over 1 year of the baseline fleet operation (250,000+ shipments) indicating the significance of day-to-day variations on emissions and energy consumption of a freight transportation fleet. The results demonstrate ≥20% improvement in freight efficiency in terms of WTW CO2 per ton-mile of cargo shipments while all fleet operation constraints are enforced, and the cost (CapEx and OpEx) is minimized.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS1986

Space Station tethered refueling facility operations

The space-based orbital transfer vehicle will require a large cryogenic fuel storage facility at the Space Station. An alternative to fuel storage onboard the Space Station, is on a tethered orbital refueling facility (TORF) which is separated from the Space Station by a sufficient distance to induce a gravity gradient to settle the propellants. Facility operations are a major concern associated with a tethered LO2/LH2 storage depot. A study was carried out to analyze these operations so as to identify the preferred TORF deployment direction (up or down) and whether the TORF should be permanently or intermittently deployed. The analyses considered safety, contamination, rendezvous, servicing, transportation rate, communication, and viewing. An upwardly, intermittently deployed facility is the preferred configuration for a tethered cryogenic fuel storage.

Kiefel, E. R.↗
DOE OSTI2020

H2Fills™ [SWR-19-67]

H2FillS: Hydrogen Filling Simulation The Hydrogen Filling Simulation (H2FillS) software is a thermodynamic model designed to track and report on the transient change in hydrogen temperature, pressure, and mass flow when filling a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). H2FillS simulates gas flow from the hydrogen station to the FCEV storage system. Using empirical fueling data sets, the model has been validated over a range of fueling conditions to match common light-duty FCEV fill profiles. Overall, it provides significant benefits to the light-duty fueling market and fill knowledge gaps of the interaction between a hydrogen station and an FCEV. Capabilities Use the comprehensive H2FillS model to: Safely design and operate a hydrogen fueling station Support code refinement with readily available data Develop system and operational improvements to reduce capital or operating costs at hydrogen stations or on-board FCEVs. How It Works H2FillS uses a "drag-and-drop" graphical user interface to simulate station and vehicle systems with preset parameters for common hydrogen station components as default values. When needed, users can define their own parameters to create their own station or vehicle components. Download H2FillS in Two Steps Read the terms of the end user software license agreement. Register to download the software. There are two versions of the model: A full-station model starts the simulation at high-pressure ground storage, runs through a dispenser, and ends at a vehicle storage system. A partial-station model starts at the dispenser breakaway and consists solely of the dispenser components and the vehicle storage system. H2FillS will automatically output fill performance data from the vehicle by tracking pressure and temperature throughout the fill. Users can input their own fill profiles into the model to run a variety of simulations.

Peters, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1989

Advanced space transportation technologies

A wide range of propulsion technologies for space transportation are discussed in the literature. It is clear from the literature review that a single propulsion technology cannot satisfy the many mission needs in space. Many of the technologies tested, proposed, or in experimental stages relate to: chemical and nuclear fuel; radiative and corpuscular external energy source; tethers; cannons; and electromagnetic acceleration. The scope and limitation of these technologies is well tabulated in the literature. Prior experience has shown that an extensive amount of fuel needs to be carried along for the return mission. This requirement puts additional constraints on the lift off rocket technology and limits the payload capacity. Consider the possibility of refueling in space. If the return fuel supply is guaranteed, it will not only be possible to lift off more payload but also to provide security and safety of the mission. Exploration to deep space where solar sails and thermal effects fade would also be possible. Refueling would also facilitate travel on the planet of exploration. This aspect of space transportation prompts the present investigation. The particle emissions from the Sun's corona will be collected under three different conditions: in space closer to the Sun, in the Van Allen Belts; and on the Moon. It is proposed to convert the particle state into gaseous, liquid, or solid state and store it for refueling space vehicles. These facilities may be called space pump stations and the fuel collected as space fuel. Preliminary estimates of fuel collection at all three sites will be made. Future work will continue towards advancing the art of collection rate and design schemes for pumping stations.

Raj, Rishi S.↗
DOE OSTI2024

ARC-100 Reactor Security-by-Design Summary

This report applies the security-by-design methodology developed in a previous National Nuclear Security Administration–sponsored work to the Advanced Reactor Concepts 100 (ARC-100) sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) design. The report contains no proprietary information specific to the ARC 100 reactor. The insights developed in this report are high-level, and generally applicable to other sodium fast reactor designs. The information presented here is the result of a qualitative safety-based analysis and would not inform any potential adversary beyond what would be found in a docketed safety analysis report. The scope of this present report covers ARC-100’s reactor core, used fuel storage, and used fuel assembly wash station. These systems are also compared to a generic SFR design assumed in the previous study. The security assessment results show changes in structures, systems, and components (SSCs) safety importance relative to the generic SFR SSCs. However, the consequence assessment results are the similar to a previously assessed generic SFR. Several SSCs have higher importance rankings than others, and it is recommended that protection efforts are prioritized for these SSCs. This work will continue in the Fiscal Year 2025 for the remaining ARC-100 systems, including cesium trap, sodium cold trap, noble gas decay tanks (dewar bottles), and used fuel dry storage facility, to provide safety-and-security-by-design insights and recommendations on non-core systems. Results from this work will furnish a technical justification for the feasibility of these solutions for the ARC reactor's design and, where applicable, identify any regulatory benefits conferred by the proactive design aspect within a risk management framework. This initiative will contribute to a more secure design of the ARC reactor and support its licensing process.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Numerical predictions of cryogenic hydrogen vertical jets

Here, a comparison of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) predictions with measurements is presented for cryo-compressed hydrogen vertical jets. The stagnation conditions of the experiments are characteristic of unintended leaks from pipe systems that connect cryogenic hydrogen storage tanks and could be encountered at a fuel cell refueling station. Jets with pressure up to 5 bar and temperatures just above the saturation liquid temperature were examined. Comparisons are made to the centerline mass fraction and temperature decay rates, the radial profiles of mass fraction and the contours of volume fraction. Two notional nozzle approaches are tested to model the under-expanded jet that was formed in the tests with pressures above 2 bar. In both approaches the mass and momentum balance from the throat to the notional nozzle are solved, while the temperature at the notional nozzle was assumed equal to the nozzle temperature in the first approach and was calculated by an energy balance in the second approach. The two approaches gave identical results. Satisfactory agreement with the measurements was found in terms of centerline mass fraction and temperature. However, for test with 3 and 4 bar release the concentration was overpredicted. Furthermore, a wider radial spread was observed in the predictions possibly revealing higher degree of diffusion using the k-ε turbulence model. An integral model for cryogenic jets was also developed and provided good results. Finally, a test simulation was performed with an ambient temperature jet and compared to the cold jet showing that warm jets decay faster than cold jets.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2026

What Shapes Transportation Charging Infrastructure Availability? Evidence from Tennessee

This study examines how community, travel, and freight characteristics relate to public charging infrastructure availability across Tennessee ZIP codes. We link Alternative Fuels Data Center station locations with traffic, socioeconomic, demographic, commuting, and freight employment data to build a ZIP code-level dataset. Ordinary least squares regression captures variation in chargers per 10,000 residents (R2=0.311). Quantile regressions at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, with pseudo R2 values up to 0.099, show that the determinants of infrastructure availability differ across low-, medium-, and high-availability areas. Percent female, percent car commuters, average household size, and median age are negatively associated with charging availability across much of the distribution. Truck traffic is positively associated only in lower-availability ZIP codes, while vehicle miles traveled shifts from a negative association at the lower end of the distribution to a positive association at the upper end. The results provide insight into how public charging deployment aligns with community characteristics, mobility demand, and freight activity across Tennessee. Future work can distinguish charger types and power levels, incorporate land-use and temporal rollout patterns, and examine how charging infrastructure needs differ across urban and rural contexts.

Calderón, Oriana [University of Tennessee, Knoxvil↗
DOE OSTI2026

Hydrogen Infrastructure Modeling and Optimization

HyET, established in 2008, is a small business developing electro-chemical hydrogen compressors. HyET’s goals are for a low-cost, efficient, high-pressure compressor ready for market and installation into hydrogen infrastructure stations servicing mobile fuel cell applications. NLR has been working on hydrogen infrastructure research for over a decade and includes electrolyzer production via electrolysis, storage, compression, dispensing, safety, and performance validation. Accelerating technologies into the marketplace is one goal of NLR’s hydrogen research. Therefore, HyET and NLR have teamed up to provide one year of support for HyET’s modeling and small-scale experiments optimization efforts for HyET’s next-generation electro-chemical compressor.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS1981

Investigation of air transportation technology at Princeton University, 1980

Several aspects of air transportation technology are discussed. The following are included: evaluation of an OMEGA-dead reckoning hybrid navigation system; implementation of a microprocessor controlled flight research ground station; investigation of fuel use characteristics of general aviation aircraft; investigation of a dead reckoning concept incorporating a fluidic rate sensor; experimentation related to ultrasonic altimetry; and concept development for a laser based collision avoidance system.

Stengel, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Triple flames and flame stabilization

It is now well established that when turbulent jet flames are lifted, combustion begins, i.e., the flame is stabilized, at an axial station where the fuel and air are partially premixed. One might expect, therefore, that the beginning of the combustion zone would be a triple flame. Such flames have been described; however, other experiments provide data that are difficult to reconcile with the presence of triple flames. In particular, laser images of CH and OH, marking combustion zones, do not exhibit shapes typical of triple flames, and, more significantly, the lifted flame appears to have a propagation speed that is an order of magnitude higher than the laminar flame speed. The speed of triple flames studied thus far exceeds the laminar value by a factor less than two. The objective of the present task is the resolution of the apparent conflict between the experiments and the triple flame characteristics, and the clarification of the mechanisms controlling flame stability. Being investigated are the resolution achieved in the experiments, the flow field in the neighborhood of the stabilization point, propagation speeds of triple flames, laboratory flame unsteadiness, and the importance of flame ignition limits in the calculation of triple flames that resemble lifted flames.

Broadwell, James E.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assessment of Heavy-Duty Fueling Methods and Components-Modeling and Analysis

The goal of the Assessment of Heavy-Duty Fueling Methods and Components project was to comprehensively assess heavy-duty (HD) fuel cell electric vehicle fueling protocols and their effects on techno-economic assessments (TEA) and total cost of ownership (TCO). The project leveraged and built upon ongoing international HD fueling protocols and fueling component development activities to deliver component performance assessments, modeling tools and methods evaluations, TEA of industry-selected protocol structures, and experimental validations of the strategies at the station scale. The effects of the protocols on the fueling times, station costs, and TCO were explored. Fueling time, which was influenced by temperature and protocol selection, had a large impact on the station cost due to component sizing and satisfying hourly demand. As the fleet size increased, the station cost was shown to exponentially decrease by achieving economies of scale. Technology year and fuel economy were the largest contributors to the TCO; however, the choice of fueling protocol had a minor impact on the TCO.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS1991

A trajectory planning scheme for spacecraft in the space station environment

Simulated annealing is used to solve a minimum fuel trajectory problem in the space station environment. The environment is special because the space station will define a multivehicle environment in space. The optimization surface is a complex nonlinear function of the initial conditions of the chase and target crafts. Small permutations in the input conditions can result in abrupt changes to the optimization surface. Since no prior knowledge about the number or location of local minima on the surface is available, the optimization must be capable of functioning on a multimodal surface. It was reported in the literature that the simulated annealing algorithm is more effective on such surfaces than descent techniques using random starting points. The simulated annealing optimization was found to be capable of identifying a minimum fuel, two-burn trajectory subject to four constraints which are integrated into the optimization using a barrier method. The computations required to solve the optimization are fast enough that missions could be planned on board the space station. Potential applications for on board planning of missions are numerous. Future research topics may include optimal planning of multi-waypoint maneuvers using a knowledge base to guide the optimization, and a study aimed at developing robust annealing schedules for potential on board missions.

Soller, Jeffrey Alan↗