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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 1,531 records · Page 85
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Hydrogen Assisted Magnesiothermic Reduction (HAMR) of Commercial TiO 2 to Produce Titanium Powder with Controlled Morphology and Particle Size

A two-step thermochemical reduction was developed to remove oxygen from commercial titanium dioxide, TiO 2 , producing metallic titanium powder. The first step was to remove >95% of the oxygen by Mg reduction in a hydrogen atmosphere, followed by a de-oxygenation step. The goal is to produce Ti powder that meets the standard specifications for titanium. Several ancillary steps including granulation and heat treatment were introduced to modify the powder morphology, particle size and powder density to make the powder suitable for a range of applications. Detailed compositional analysis indicated that the final product meets the ASTM B299 for general-purpose titanium sponge. Lastly, the powder can be irregularly shaped or spherical with different granulation treatments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

The softening factor c b of commercial titanium alloy wires

The strain-rate sensitivity exponent m and activation volume υ* are often used to characterize the strain-rate sensitivity of strength behavior in metals and alloys. Complications can arise when the m and υ* values become indeterminate, due to factors such as an inherent scatter in the mechanical property data. Here, the study of commercial Ti-alloy wires is considered wherein to overcome this limitation, the formulation of the Kocks–Mecking (K–M) model is modified to provide a parameter c b that characterizes the microstructural scale responsible for the observed plasticity and work hardening behavior. The softening factor c b is found to be independent of strain-rate for the Ti-alloy wires of this study. It is proposed that c b !can offer a versatile and complementary computation to the activation volume υ* since its formulation includes the yield and ultimate strength values along with the plastic strain. For the tensile testing of Ti-alloy wires, a low c b -value of 14 is calculated for Ti-6Al-4V that is consistent with >10 % plasticity during work hardening whereas a high c b -value of 135 for Ti-6Al-7Nb corresponds with <4 % plasticity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Representing Small Commercial Building Faults in EnergyPlus, Part II: Model Validation

Automated fault detection and diagnosis (AFDD) tools based on machine-learning algorithms hold promise for lowering cost barriers for AFDD in small commercial buildings; however, access to high-quality training data for such algorithms is often difficult to obtain. To fill the gap in this research area, this study covers the development (Part I) and validation (Part II) of fault models that can be used with the building energy modeling software EnergyPlus® and OpenStudio® to generate a cost-effective training data set for developing AFDD algorithms. Part II (this paper) first presents a methodology of validating fault models with OpenStudio and then presents validation results, which are compared against measurements from a reference building. We discuss the results of our experiments with eight different faults in the reference building (a total of 39 different baseline and faulted scenarios), including our methodology for using fault models along with the reference building model to simulate the same faulted scenarios. Then, we present validation of the fault models by comparing results of simulations and experiments either quantitatively or qualitatively.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Microbiological, Physicochemical, and Immunological Analysis of a Commercial Cashew Nut-Based Yogurt

Nut-based milks and yogurts are gaining popularity, but may not offer the same benefits as dairy yogurts to consumers. Cashew nuts often cause severe allergic reactions, and cashew nut allergens are stable to several types of processing. To compare its characteristics to dairy yogurt and characterize the effects of fermentation on the Ana o 1–3 cashew nut allergens, a commercial yogurt made from cashew nuts (Cashewgurt) was evaluated for microbiological, physiochemical, and immunological properties. Average counts for lactobacilli and Streptococcus thermophilus were greater than 10 million colony forming units per milliliter, indicating the capacity to provide a health benefit. Cashewgurt pH and viscosity values were comparable to cow milk yogurts, and it was off white in color. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated a clear reduction in Ana o 1 and 2, and immuno-assay with polyclonal anti-cashew IgG antibody and cashew-allergic IgE indicated an overall reduction in allergen content. In contrast, SDS-PAGE, mass spectrometry, immunoblot, and ELISA all revealed that Ana o 3 was relatively unaffected by the fermentation process. In conclusion, Ana o 1 and Ana o 2 are sensitive to degradation, while Ana o 3 survives lactic acid bacterial fermentation during yogurt production. The analysis presented here indicates that cashew nut yogurt is not suitable for those with cashew nut allergy.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Spark Plasma Sintering of Commercial Zirconium Carbide Powders: Densification Behavior and Mechanical Properties

Commercial zirconium carbide (ZrC) powder is consolidated by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). Processing temperatures range from 1650 to 2100 °C. Specimens with various density levels are obtained when performing single-die SPS at different temperatures. Besides the single-die tooling setup, a double-die tooling setup is employed to largely increase the actual applied pressure to achieve higher densification in a shorter processing time. In order to describe the densification mechanism of ZrC powder under SPS conditions, a power-law creep constitutive equation is utilized, whose coefficients are determined by the inverse regression of the obtained experimental data. The densification of the selected ZrC powder is shown to be likely associated with grain boundary sliding and dislocation glide controlled creep. Transverse rupture strength and microhardness of sintered specimens are measured to be up to 380 MPa and 24 GPa, respectively. Mechanical properties are correlated with specimens’ average grain size and relative density to elucidate the co-factor dependencies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Precision and Limits of Detection for Selected Commercially Available, Low-Cost Carbon Dioxide and Methane Gas Sensors

The performance of a sensor platform for environmental or industrial monitoring is sensitive to the cost and performance of the individual sensor elements. Thus, the detection limits, accuracy, and precision of commercially available, low-cost carbon dioxide and methane gas concentration sensors were evaluated by precise measurements at known gas concentrations. Sensors were selected based on market availability, cost, power consumption, detection range, and accuracy. A specially constructed gas mixing chamber, coupled to a precision bench-top analyzer, was used to characterize each sensor during a controlled exposure to known gas concentrations. For environmental monitoring, the selected carbon dioxide sensors were characterized around 400 ppm. For methane, the sensor response was first monitored at 0 ppm, close to the typical environmental background. The selected sensors were then evaluated at gas concentrations of several thousand ppm. The determined detection limits accuracy, and precision provides a set of matrices that can be used to evaluate and select sensors for integration into a sensor platform for specific applications.

Honeycutt, Wesley T. (ORCID:0000000236814810)↗
DOE OSTI2019

Application of Sapphire-Fiber-Bragg-Grating-Based Multi-Point Temperature Sensor in Boilers at a Commercial Power Plant

Readily available temperature sensing in boilers is necessary to improve efficiencies, minimize downtime, and reduce toxic emissions for a power plant. The current techniques are typically deployed as a single-point measurement and are primarily used for detection and prevention of catastrophic events due to the harsh environment. In this work, a multi-point temperature sensor based on wavelength-multiplexed sapphire fiber Bragg gratings (SFBGs) were fabricated via the point-by-point method with a femtosecond laser. The sensor was packaged and calibrated in the lab, including thermally equilibrating at 1200 °C, followed by a 110-h, 1000 °C stability test. After laboratory testing, the sensor system was deployed in both a commercial coal-fired and a gas-fired boiler for 42 days and 48 days, respectively. The performance of the sensor was consistent during the entire test duration, over the course of which it measured temperatures up to 950 °C (with some excursions over 1000 °C), showing the survivability of the sensor in a field environment. The sensor has a demonstrated measurement range from room temperature to 1200 °C, but the maximum temperature limit is expected to be up to 1900 °C, based on previous work with other sapphire based temperature sensors.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Identification of a Continuously Stable and Commercially Available Cell Line for the Identification of Infectious African Swine Fever Virus in Clinical Samples

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is causing outbreaks both in domestic pigs and wild boar in Europe and Asia. In 2018, the largest pig producing country, China, reported its first outbreak of African swine fever (ASF). Since then, the disease has quickly spread to all provinces in China and to other countries in southeast Asia, and most recently to India. Outbreaks of the disease occur in Europe as far west as Poland, and one isolated outbreak has been reported in Belgium. The current outbreak strain is highly contagious and can cause a high degree of lethality in domestic pigs, leading to widespread and costly losses to the industry. Currently, detection of infectious ASFV in field clinical samples requires accessibility to primary swine macrophage cultures, which are infrequently available in most regional veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Here, we report the identification of a commercially available cell line, MA-104, as a suitable substrate for virus isolation of African swine fever virus.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Genome sequence of the Medicago-nodulating Ensifer meliloti commercial inoculant strain RRI128

Ensifer meliloti strain RRI128 is an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod. RRI128 was isolated from a nodule recovered from the roots of barrel medic (Medicago truncatula) grown in the greenhouse and inoculated with soil collected from Victoria, Australia. The strain is used in commercial inoculants in Australia. RRI128 nodulates and forms an effective symbiosis with a diverse range of lucerne cultivars (Medicago sativa) and several species of annual medic (M. truncatula, Medicago littoralis and Medicago tornata), but forms an ineffective symbiosis with Medicago polymorpha. Here we describe the features of E. meliloti strain RRI128, together with genome sequence information and annotation. The 6,900,273 bp draft genome is arranged into 156 scaffolds of 157 contigs, contains 6,683 protein-coding genes and 87 RNA-only encoding genes, and is one of 100 rhizobial genomes sequenced as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 Genomic Encyclopedia for Bacteria and Archaea-Root Nodule Bacteria (GEBA-RNB) project.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Heat of Vaporization and Species Evolution Suring Gasoline Evaporation Measured by DSC/TGA/MS for Blends of C1 to C4 Alcohols in Commercial Gasoline Blendstocks

Evaporative cooling of the fuel-air charge by fuel evaporation is an important feature of direct-injection spark-ignition engines that improves fuel knock resistance and reduces pumping losses at intermediate load, but in some cases, may increase fine particle emissions. We have reported on experimental approaches for measuring both total heat of vaporization and examination of the evaporative heat effect as a function of fraction evaporated for gasolines and ethanol blends. In this paper, we extend this work to include other low-molecular-weight alcohols and present results on species evolution during fuel evaporation by coupling a mass spectrometer to our differential scanning calorimetry/thermogravimetric analysis instrument. The alcohols examined were methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, isopropanol, 2-butanol, and isobutanol at 10 volume percent, 20 volume percent, and 30 volume percent. The results show that total heat of vaporization of the alcohol gasoline blends is in line with the decreasing heat of vaporization in kilojoules per kilogram with increasing alcohol carbon number, as expected. Mass spectrometer results show that methanol fully evaporates at significantly lower fraction evaporated relative to other alcohols even though it is present at higher molar concentration at a fixed volumetric concentration. Certain alcohols, especially methanol and ethanol, can suppress the evaporation of aromatic compounds such as cumene during the evaporation process in some samples. While the use of mass spectrometry to analyze the composition of the evolving gas mixture provided useful results for a relatively simple research gasoline (FACE B), additional research is required to practically apply this methodology to more complex commercial gasolines.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Real-Time Dynamic Brake Assessment for Heavy Commercial Vehicle Safety

This paper summarizes initial results and findings of a model developed to determine the braking performance of commercial motor vehicles in motion regardless of brake type or gross weight. Real-world data collected by Oak Ridge National Laboratory for a U.S. Department of Energy study was used to validate the model. Expanding on previous proof-of-concept research showing the linear relationship of brake application pressure and deceleration additional parameters such as elevation were added to the model. Outputs from the model consist of coefficients calculated for every constant pressure braking event from a vehicle that can be used to calculate a deceleration and thus compute a stopping distance for a given scenario. Using brake application pressure profiles derived from the dataset, stopping distances for light and heavy loads of the same vehicle were compared for various speed and road grades. For a constant brake application pressure profile (i.e. the pressure is relatively constant throughout the entire stop) it was shown that the lighter vehicle was able to stop in a shorter distance than the heavier vehicle in most scenarios other than large uphill grades. Significant changes in weight can be observed through the fuel efficiency of the vehicle to determine if the model needs to be calibrated with new or additional braking events. The model was initially developed for tracking brake performance to inform routine maintenance and the ordering of vehicles in a platoon but can be expanded to other connected and automated research areas.

Siekmann, Adam↗
DOE OSTI2023

Designing Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer Corridors for Heavy Duty Battery Electric Commercial Freight Vehicles

The use of wireless power transfer systems, consisting of inductive electrical coils on the vehicle and the power source may be designed for dynamic operations where the vehicle will absorb energy at highway speeds from transmitting coils in the road. This has the potential to reduce the onboard energy storage requirements for vehicles while enabling significantly longer missions. This paper presents an approach to architecting a dynamic wireless power transfer corridor for heavy duty battery electric commercial freight vehicles. By considering the interplay of roadway power capacity, roadway and vehicle coil coverage, seasonal road traffic loading, freight vehicle class and weight, vehicle mobility energy requirements, on-board battery chemistry, non-electrified roadway vehicle range requirements, grid capacity, substation locations, and variations in electricity costs, we minimize the vehicle TCO by architecting the electrified roadway and the vehicle battery simultaneously. The idea optimizes battery size and chemistry so that the depth of discharge between recharge events and expected life are balanced, thus fully utilizing the energy available throughout the course of the battery system's life. The approach is illustrated by applying it to the I-75 freight corridor, where the framework developed may be expanded and applied to a larger interstate system, expanded regional corridor, or other transportation network.

Sujan, Vivek↗
DOE OSTI2019

Initial Results From a Field Campaign of Wake Steering Applied at a Commercial Wind Farm: Part 1

Wake steering is a form of wind farm control in which turbines use yaw offsets to affect wakes in order to yield an increase in total energy production. In this first phase of a study of wake steering at a commercial wind farm, two turbines implement a schedule of offsets. Results exploring the observed performance of wake steering are presented, as well as some first lessons learned. For two closely spaced turbines, an approximate 13 % increase in energy was measured on the downstream turbine over a 10° sector. Additionally, the increase of energy for the combined upstream/downstream pair was found to be in line with prior predictions. Lastly, the influence of atmospheric stability over the results is explored.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Initial results from a field campaign of wake steering applied at a commercial wind farm – Part 1

Wake steering is a form of wind farm control in which turbines use yaw offsets to affect wakes in order to yield an increase in total energy production. In this first phase of a study of wake steering at a commercial wind farm, two turbines implement a schedule of offsets. Results exploringthe observed performance of wake steering are presented and somefirst lessons learned. For two closely spaced turbines, an approximate 14% increase in energy was measured on the downstream turbine over a 10° sector, with a 4% increase in energy production of the combined upstream–downstream turbine pair. Lastly, the influence ofatmospheric stability over the results is explored.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Continued results from a field campaign of wake steering applied at a commercial wind farm – Part 2

This paper presents the results of a field campaign investigating the performance of wake steering applied at a section of a commercial wind farm. It is the second phase of the study for which the first phase was reported in Fleming et al. (2019). The authors implemented wake steering on two turbine pairs, and compared results with the latest FLORIS (FLOw Redirection and Induction in Steady State) model of wake steering, showing good agreement in overall energy increase. Further, although not the original intention of the study, we also used the results to detect the secondary steering phenomenon. Results show an overall reduction in wake losses of approximately 6.6 % for the regions of operation, which corresponds to achieving roughly half of the static optimal result.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Results from a wake-steering experiment at a commercial wind plant: investigating the wind speed dependence of wake-steering performance

Wake steering is a wind farm control strategy in which upstream wind turbines are misaligned with the wind to redirect their wakes away from downstream turbines, thereby increasing the net wind plant power production and reducing fatigue loads generated by wake turbulence. In this paper, we present results from a wake-steering experiment at a commercial wind plant involving two wind turbines spaced 3.7 rotor diameters apart. During the 3-month experiment period, we estimate that wake steering reduced wake losses by 5.6% for the wind direction sector investigated. After applying a long-term correction based on the site wind rose, the reduction in wake losses increases to 9.3%. As a function of wind speed, we find large energy improvements near cut-in wind speed, where wake steering can prevent the downstream wind turbine from shutting down. Yet for wind speeds between 6–8 m/s, we observe little change in performance with wake steering. However, wake steering was found to improve energy production significantly for below-rated wind speeds from 8–12 m/s. By measuring the relationship between yaw misalignment and power production using a nacelle lidar, we attribute much of the improvement in wake-steering performance at higher wind speeds to a significant reduction in the power loss of the upstream turbine as wind speed increases. Additionally, we find higher wind direction variability at lower wind speeds, which contributes to poor performance in the 6–8 m/s wind speed bin because of slow yaw controller dynamics. Further, we compare the measured performance of wake steering to predictions using the FLORIS (FLOw Redirection and Induction in Steady State) wind farm control tool coupled with a wind direction variability model. Although the achieved yaw offsets at the upstream wind turbine fall short of the intended yaw offsets, we find that they are predicted well by the wind direction variability model. When incorporating the expected yaw offsets, estimates of the energy improvement from wake steering using FLORIS closely match the experimental results.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Milone eTape Liquid Level Sensor Laboratory Calibration with a Commercial 12.2 cm HS-Flume and 3D Printed 4 cm Micro-HS-Flumes

The NGEE Arctic Rainfall Simulator (NARS) is a variable intensity rainfall simulator (RFS) with a frame design based on the Humphry et al. (2002) RFS and a water delivery system based on the Walnut Gulch (Paige et al., 2004) RFS. The NARS uses an aluminum frame that is fully deconstructable for transportation to field locations and a water system that enables variable rain intensity. Prior to field deployment, H-flume discharge and the corresponding Milone eTape Liquid Level Sensor (eTape) resistance values were measured in the laboratory so that discharge measurements from the NGEE Arctic Rainfall Simulator could be automated. eTape resistance was measured with increasing fluid heights for the full range of the eTape to calculate sensor detection limits and resolution. The eTape was calibrated to both a commercially available 12.2 cm HS-flume and a 3D printed 4 cm Micro-HS-flume. This data package contains two .csv files, one for the eTape calibration and the other for the flume calibrations, and two .stl files to 3D print the 4 cm Micro-HS-Flume design with a 1 cm x 3.6 cm stilling well opening. The .stl files can be opened in most 3D printing or CAD programs/software. Two .kml files of the laboratory location and broader area where testing was conducted are also included in this data package.The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a research effort to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research.The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska.Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy's Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Timber Harvesting Economics in Early Commercial Thinning and Group Selection Prescriptions

Forest management decisions that consider both short- and long-term objectives are becoming more challenging and costly, due to market uncertainty, labor shortages, and the evolving forest industry. Under such unpredictable circumstances, a better understanding of the production economics of various silvicultural prescriptions is crucial in implementing sound forest management activities. The objectives of this study were to: a) estimate stump to landing productivity and cost for Early Commercial Thinning (ECT) and Group Selection (GS) prescriptions; and b) compare the harvest system cost ($/PMH) using machine rate and PATH (Planning and Analysis in Timber Harvesting) methods. Detailed time-motion studies were conducted in the spruce-fir forest of Northern Maine, USA, during the summer of 2019. The results, as expected, indicated the harvesting costs were 23% higher for ECT (21.08 $/m3) compared to GS (16.32 $/m3). The average productivity of the harvester and forwarder were reduced by 15 and 37%, respectively, for ECT compared to GS. The estimated harvesting system cost ($/PMH) was 4% higher as indicated by PATH compared to machine rate method. Higher operational productivity in GS can be attributed to the larger volume of logs, and shorter travel loaded distance than ECT. These findings can help forest managers make more informed decisions while implementing appropriate silvicultural prescriptions under varying conditions based on management objectives and market conditions.

Forestry↗