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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

DiaMonD: An Integrated Multifaceted Approach to Mathematics at the Interfaces of Data, Models, and Decisions

DiaMonD is a multi-institutional DOE MMICC effort that aims to address the challenges of end-to-end, data-to-decisions modeling and simulation for complex computational science and engineering problems in a unified, systematic, and integrated fashion. Institutions involved are Colorado State, Florida State, Los Alamos, MIT, Oak Ridge, Stanford, and UT-Austin. The goals of DiaMonD are (1) to develop advanced mathematical methods and analysis for multimodel, multiphysics, multiscale model problems driven by frontier DOE applications, including those in subsurface energy and environmental flows, materials for energy storage and conversion, and ice sheet dynamics; (2) to create theory and algorithms for integrated inversion, optimization, and uncertainty quantification for these complex problems; and (3) to disseminate the philosophy of an integrated end-to-end, data-to-decisions approach to modeling and simulation of complex problems to the broader applied math and computational science communities through workshops and other outreach.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Production of the thermal scattering law and neutron scattering cross sections for ice from first principles - 14503

Water ice can exist in many polymorphic phases as a result of the wide range of geometric ordering possible for the hydrogen bonds between H{sub 2}O molecules. Ice Ih, which can form under normal atmospheric pressure at 273 K, is the most common type. Ab initio density functional theory, incorporating the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for the exchange-correlation energy, is used to simulate the hexagonal structure of ice Ih and calculate phonon dispersion relations with harmonic lattice dynamics. While the unit cell for ice Ih contains four molecules with particular alignments of the H{sub 2}O molecules possible, the structure has globally disordered proton arrangement. To improve capturing this random distribution, a 12-molecule unit cell is incorporated along with a 2x2x2 supercell. The total phonon density of states is determined by randomly sampling dispersion relations in the first Brillouin zone. The translational, librational, bending, and stretching modes are produced with high-quality resolution and are consistent with the optical peaks and ranges observed in Raman, infrared, and inelastic neutron scattering experiments [1]. The phonon spectrum is used to calculate the S(α,β) thermal scattering law for ENDF [2] publication in the incoherent approximation, which is appropriate due to the relatively small coherent nuclear scattering cross section for H{sub 2}O. These theoretical results are compared to experimental S(α,β) at 268 K [3] and trends are found to be in good agreement. Finally, total scattering cross sections are calculated by integrating over S(α,β) to determine the incoherent inelastic cross sections and then separately adding the absorption and incoherent elastic components. These results are compared to experimental total cross sections for ice Ih at 115 K over a range of incident energies [4] and found to provide excellent agreement. (authors)

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Detailed thermodynamic investigation of an ICE-driven, natural gas-fueled, 1 kWe micro-CHP generator

Here, the purpose of this work is to record the baseline performance of a state-of-the-art micro-combined heat and power (mCHP) system. A second goal of this work is to provide detailed thermodynamic first and second law performance measurements of the internal combustion engine and generator subsystems. A global technology survey was conducted to identify the leading mCHP systems in the 1 kW electric range. The Honda ECOWILL was identified as the state-of-the-art system in the United States, and an unused unit was procured. The ECOWILL underwent round-robin performance testing at three independent laboratories. First law (energy) and second law (exergy) analyses were conducted on the steady state data. Analysis revealed the ECOWILL operated at a first law electrical efficiency of 23.5 ± 0.4% and a utilization factor of 74.5 ± 3.2%. The primary energy loss was heat transfer from the device, followed by chemical and thermal energy in the exhaust stack. The second law analysis showed the ECOWILL operated at a second law electrical efficiency of 23.1 ± 0.4% and total (including exergy in both the electrical and recovered waste heat streams) second law efficiency of 30.2 ± 2.3%. Key areas of exergy destruction were, in decreasing magnitude, heat transfer, combustion irreversibility, and generator and friction losses.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Measurement and Analysis of Extreme Wave and Ice Actions in the Great Lakes for Offshore Wind Platform Design

This project, funded by the Department of Energy as DE-EE0005376, successfully measured wind-driven lake ice forces on an offshore structure in Lake Superior through one of the coldest winters in recent history. While offshore regions of the Great Lakes offer promising opportunities for harvesting wind energy, these massive bodies of freshwater also offer extreme and unique challenges. Among these challenges is the need to anticipate forces exerted on offshore structures by lake ice. The parameters of interest include the frequency, extent, and movement of lake ice, parameters that are routinely monitored via satellite, and ice thickness, a parameter that has been monitored at discrete locations over many years and is routinely modeled. Essential relationships for these data to be of use in the design of offshore structures and the primary objective of this project are measurements of maximum forces that lake ice of known thicknesses might exert on an offshore structure.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advanced Micro Combined Heat and Power Device

U.S. buildings account for approximately 40% of total U.S. energy consumption and 75% of electricity use, emphasizing the need for efficient, resilient, and secure energy solutions. Micro-combined heat and power (micro-CHP) systems provide an effective approach by simultaneously generating electricity and recovering waste heat for thermal use. However, current commercial micro-CHPs face challenges in achieving higher efficiency, lower emissions, and reduced cost. To address these limitations, a novel micro-CHP prototype powered by a unique opposed-piston four-stroke (OP4S) engine was developed. The OP4S features a simplified, low-cost design with reduced heat losses and dual-piston operation that enables higher thermal efficiency. Experimental results demonstrated up to 35.2% AC electrical efficiency under lean combustion, surpassing the best-performing ICE-based micro-CHPs reported publicly. In addition, the micro-CHP enables a total CHP efficiency exceeding 93%. The prototype operates reliably for over 600 hours, providing flexible and efficient thermal and electrical outputs. This novel OP4S-based micro-CHP offers a resilient, low-cost, and energy-efficient solution suitable for residential, light commercial, and remote community applications across diverse climate zones.

Gao, Zhiming [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000271397995)↗
DOE OSTI2017

An assessment of thermodynamic merits for current and potential future engine operating strategies

The present work compares the fundamental thermodynamic underpinnings (i.e., working fluid properties and heat release profile) of various combustion strategies with engine measurements. The approach employs a model that separately tracks the impacts on efficiency due to differences in rate of heat addition, volume change, mass addition, and molecular weight change for a given combination of working fluid, heat release profile, and engine geometry. Comparative analysis between measured and modeled efficiencies illustrates fundamental sources of efficiency reductions or opportunities inherent to various combustion regimes. Engine operating regimes chosen for analysis include stoichiometric spark-ignited combustion and lean compression-ignited combustion including HCCI, SA-HCCI, RCCI, GCI, and CDC. Within each combustion regime, effects such as engine load, combustion duration, combustion phasing, combustion chamber geometry, fuel properties, and charge dilution are explored. Model findings illustrate that even in the absence of losses such as heat transfer or incomplete combustion, the maximum possible thermal efficiency inherent to each operating strategy varies to a significant degree. Additionally, the experimentally measured losses are observed to be unique within a given operating strategy. The findings highlight the fact that in order to create a roadmap for future directions in ICE technologies, it is important to not only compare the absolute real-world efficiency of a given combustion strategy, but to also examine the measured efficiency in context of what is thermodynamically possible with the working fluid and boundary conditions prescribed by a strategy.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Colloquium: Ice rule and emergent frustration in particle ice and beyond

Geometric frustration and the ice rule are two concepts that are intimately connected and widespread across condensed matter. The first refers to the inability of a system to satisfy competing interactions in the presence of spatial constraints. The second, in its more general sense, represents a prescription for the minimization of the topological charges in a constrained system. Both can lead to manifolds of high susceptibility and nontrivial, constrained disorder where exotic behaviors can appear and even be designed deliberately. This Colloquium describes the emergence of geometric frustration and the ice rule in soft condensed matter. It excludes the extensive developments of mathematical physics within the field of geometric frustration, but rather focuses on systems of confined microscopic or mesoscopic particles that emerge as a novel paradigm exhibiting spin degrees of freedom. In such systems, geometric frustration can be engineered artificially by controlling the spatial topology and geometry of the lattice, the position of the individual particle units, or their relative filling fraction. These capabilities enable the creation of novel and exotic phases of matter and also potentially lead toward technological applications related to memory and logic devices that are based on the motion of topological defects. The rapid progress in theory and experiments is reviewed and the intimate physical connections with other frustrated systems at different length scales are discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Application of Hybrid Geo-Spatially Granular Fragility Curves to Improve Power Outage Predictions

Fragility curves depict the relationship between a weather variable (wind speed, gust speed, ice accumulation, precipitation rate) and the observed outages for a targeted infrastructure network. This paper describes an empirical study of the county by county distribution of power outages and one minute weather variables during Hurricane Irene with the objective of comparing 1) as built fragility curves (statistical approach) to engineering as designed (bottom up) fragility curves for skill in forecasting outages during future hurricanes; 2) county specific fragility curves to find examples of significant deviation from average behavior; and 3) the engineering practices of outlier counties to suggest future engineering studies of robustness. Outages in more than 90% of the impacted counties could be anticipated through an average or generic fragility curve. The remaining counties could be identified and handled as exceptions through geographic data sets. The counties with increased or decreased robustness were characterized by terrain more or less susceptible to persistent flooding in areas where above ground poles located their foundations. Land use characteristics of the area served by the power distribution system can suggest trends in the as built power grid vulnerabilities to extreme weather events that would be subjects for site specific studies.

classification of impacted areas↗
DOE OSTI2018

Productive Use of Energy in African Micro-Grids: Technical and Business Considerations

Demand for electricity from small industry and businesses, which is defined as the productive use of energy (PUE), is a key success factor for micro-grids. Because of the typically low energy usage of residential customers, without linkage to and support for these energy users, micro-grids are likely to struggle to reach the critical revenue needed for financial viability. This report is a resource entrepreneurs and developers can use to understand the technical and business model challenges related to PUE in smaller micro-grids. It focuses on small agricultural processing, and small industrial and commercial loads. This report examines best practices for promoting PUE and the business models used by developers. It starts with background information and a literature review followed by a discussion of key enterprise considerations for productive use (PU) including: value chain and business case analysis, enterprise development and training, appliance financing, and developers running PU businesses. Unlike many other reports on PUE, this report is based on application specific data. The report is also unique in that it provides actual customer demographics and load profiles. This report considers PUE from both business and technical perspectives, and it considers the interests of both the micro-grid operators and the microenterprises and entrepreneurs they serve. It looks at the service levels required by different PUs and the technical characteristics and challenges of different types of PU equipment. The report also includes examples of business cases for some of the most important PU opportunities, including milling, ice making, carpentry, egg incubation, and water treatment. This report is a resource that entrepreneurs, governments, and non-governmental organizations can use to help design programs to meet their individual goals of PUE in micro-grids and economic development in rural Africa. It can also be used by developers, engineers, and other organizations designing micro-grids to inform their technical and business decisions and to improve system design, reduce risk, and increase success with adding PU loads to both new and existing micro-grids.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Phase transitions of ordered ice in graphene nanocapillaries and carbon nanotubes

New phase diagrams for water confined in graphene nanocapillaries and single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are proposed, identifying ice structures, their melting points and revealing the presence of a solid-liquid critical point. For quasi-2D water in nanocapillaries, we show through molecular-dynamics simulations that AA stacking in multilayer quasi-2D ice arises from interlayer hydrogen-bonding and is stable up to three layers, thereby explaining recent experimental observations. Detailed structural and energetic analyses show that quasi-2D water can freeze discontinuously through a first-order phase transition or continuously with a critical point. The first-order transition line extends to a continuous transition line, defined by a sharp transition in diffusivity between solid-like and liquid-like regimes. For quasi-1D water, confined in CNTs, we observe the existence of a similar critical point at intermediate densities. In addition, an end point is identified on the continuous-transition line, above which the solid and liquid phases deform continuously. The solid-liquid phase transition temperatures in CNTs are shown to be substantially higher than 273 K, confirming recent Raman spectroscopy measurements. In conclusion, we observe ultrafast proton and hydroxyl transport in quasi-1D and -2D ice at 300 K, exceeding those of bulk water up to a factor of five, thereby providing possible applications to fuel-cells and electrolyzers.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2014

EMERGING CAPABILITIES FOR MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION WITH POLYCHROMATIC MICRODIFFRACTION8

Polychromatic microdiffraction is an emerging tool for mapping local crystal structure with submicron three-dimensional resolution. The method is sensitive to the local crystal phase, crystallographic orientation, elastic strain, and lattice curvature. For many materials it is also nondestructive, which allows for unique experiments that probe how particular structural configurations evolve during processing and service. This capability opens up the possibility of testing and guiding theories without the limitations imposed by destructive techniques, surface-limited measurements or ensemble averages. This new capability will impact long-standing issues of materials science ranging from the factors that control anisotropic materials deformation to factors that influence grain growth, grain boundary migration, electromigration and stress driven materials evolution. Such mesoscopic phenomena are at the heart of virtually all materials processing and form the basis for modern materials engineering. Here we describe the state-of-the-art, and discuss new instrumentation with the promise of better sensitivity and better real and reciprocal space resolution. Example science and future research opportunities are described.

Ice, Gene E↗
DOE OSTI2019

A Highly Miniaturized Cloud and Aerosol Instrument Package for Small UAS's

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS’s), which include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) and tethered balloon systems (TBS) offer significant advantages over conventional research aircraft. They are capable of long-duration measurements of cloud properties in regions where piloted aircraft are unsafe, e.g., at very low altitudes over remote regions, such as tundra and open ocean. TBS and UAV’s are now widely recognized as a technology that can provide unprecedented insights into cloud and radiation processes, but development of miniature sensors capable of providing sophisticated measurements of cloud, aerosol and radiative properties lag behind. In Phase II of this SBIR research, Stratton Park Engineering Company, Inc. (SPEC) designed and fabricated a miniature combination optical particle probe (micro-COPP) that is capable of being flown on small UAV’s and TBS. The micro-COPP measures the size distribution of cloud particles from 2 microns to several millimeters and records high-definition images that distinguish ice particle from water drops, which is essential in mixed-phase clouds. The micro-COPP was installed along with miniature instruments to measure aerosols, cloud condensation nuclei, position and atmospheric state parameters on a small UAV and TBS that were deployed in the Arctic at the Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (78° N. latitude).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Nuclear fusion powered Titan aircraft

This paper discusses a system for Titan exploration enabled by nuclear fusion power. Titan is one of the most interesting locations in the solar system with a thick atmosphere, surface oceans, under-ice oceans and complex terrain. This paper provides a conceptual design of a fusion-powered system to explore many parts of Titan and enable the use of high-power instruments. The design includes a fusion-powered orbital transfer vehicle and an electric Titan science aircraft. A Direct Fusion Drive (DFD) propulsive engine could bring a sizable spacecraft to Titan orbit in less than two years. A second fusion reactor, configured as a closed-loop power generator, would be used for an electric Titan science aircraft. Both reactors are based on the Princeton Field-Reversed Configuration (PFRC) concept which combines an FRC with a magnetic mirror. PFRC uses a novel radio-frequency plasma heating system and deuterium-helium-3 fuel. A lower temperature plasma flows around the closed-field FRC region removing the fusion products. In the DFD propulsive configuration, this secondary flow permits direct and variable thrust and exhaust velocity. The science aircraft would do a powered entry to Titan and then have the capability to fly anywhere on the moon at subsonic speeds. The DFD-powered transfer vehicle would allow the in-orbit transfer stage to change inclination as needed to cover different areas of the surface.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Preliminary K20 Test Results [Slides]

The NVIDIA K20 was tested at the LANSCE ICE House in Sept 2014. The tests focused on characterizing the different types of memories to get an understanding of the underlying neutron sensitivities of the component.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

MOSAiC Radar b1 Processing: Corrections, Calibrations, and Processing Report

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility deployed many instruments on board a German ice breaker, the Research Vessel (RV) Polarstern, for one year from October 2019 to October 2020. The purpose of the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) field campaign was to study the decline in the sea-ice pack around the North Pole, and what factors may be at play. After the campaign ended, efforts were undertaken to provide a calibrated radar data set for future studies. MOSAiC presented new challenges to this process, as existing methodologies often were not applicable for the frozen environment with little to no ground clutter, and concurrent engineering updates or calibrations could not be accomplished once the ship set off. Like the previous Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) and Cold-air Outbreaks in the Marine Boundary Layer Experiment (COMBLE) documentation (Hardin et al. 2020, Matthews et al. 2023), the data correction and calibration process is known in ARM as creating a “b1” datastream. This means that the radar datastreams have been well characterized to the best possible quality. This report will detail the status of the raw “a1” level data sets during the MOSAiC campaign, the corrections that were applied to create the “b1” data files, and the details of the applied methods.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

From vertices to vortices in magnetic nanoislands

We report recent studies in magnetic nanoarrays show that a variety of complex magnetic states and textures emerge as a function of a single magnetic nanoisland's aspect ratio. We propose a model that, in addition to fitting experiments, predicts magnetic states with continuous symmetry at particular aspect ratios and reveals a duality between vortex and vertex states. Our model opens new means of engineering novel types of artificial spin systems, and their application to complex magnetic textures in devices and computing.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗