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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 OSTI2016

Adaptive Transmission Planning: Implementing a New Paradigm for Managing Economic Risks in Grid Expansion

The problem of whether, where, when, and what type of transmission facilities to build in terms of minimizing costs and maximizing net economic benefits has been a challenge for the power industry from the beginning-ever since Thomas Edison debated whether to create longer dc distribution lines (with their high losses) or build new power stations in expanding his urban markets. Today's planning decisions are far more complex, as grids cover the continent and new transmission, generation, and demand-side technologies are emerging.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2014

Graves' disease radioiodine-therapy: Choosing target absorbed doses for therapy planning

Purpose: The precise determination of organ mass (m{sub th}) and total number of disintegrations within the thyroid gland (A{sup ~}) are essential for thyroid absorbed-dose calculations for radioiodine therapy. Nevertheless, these parameters may vary according to the method employed for their estimation, thus introducing uncertainty in the estimated thyroid absorbed dose and in any dose–response relationship derived using such estimates. In consideration of these points, thyroid absorbed doses for Graves’ disease (GD) treatment planning were calculated using different approaches to estimating the m{sub th} and the A{sup ~}. Methods: Fifty patients were included in the study. Thyroid{sup 131}I uptake measurements were performed at 2, 6, 24, 48, 96, and 220 h postadministration of a tracer activity in order to estimate the effective half-time (T{sub eff}) of {sup 131}I in the thyroid; the thyroid cumulated activity was then estimated using the T{sub eff} thus determined or, alternatively, calculated by numeric integration of the measured time-activity data. Thyroid mass was estimated by ultrasonography (USG) and scintigraphy (SCTG). Absorbed doses were calculated with the OLINDA/EXM software. The relationships between thyroid absorbed dose and therapy response were evaluated at 3 months and 1 year after therapy. Results: The average ratio (±1 standard deviation) betweenm{sub th} estimated by SCTG and USG was 1.74 (±0.64) and that between A{sup ~} obtained by T{sub eff} and the integration of measured activity in the gland was 1.71 (±0.14). These differences affect the calculated absorbed dose. Overall, therapeutic success, corresponding to induction of durable hypothyroidism or euthyroidism, was achieved in 72% of all patients at 3 months and in 90% at 1 year. A therapeutic success rate of at least 95% was found in the group of patients receiving doses of 200 Gy (p = 0.0483) and 330 Gy (p = 0.0131) when m{sub th} was measured by either USG or SCTG and A{sup ~} was determined by the integration of measured {sup 131}I activity in the thyroid gland and based on T{sub eff}, respectively. No statistically significant relationship was found between therapeutic response and patients’ age, administered {sup 131}I activity (MBq), 24-h thyroid {sup 131}I uptake (%) or T{sub eff} (p ≥ 0.064); nonetheless, a good relationship was found between the therapeutic response and m{sub th} (p ≤ 0.035). Conclusions: According to the results of this study, the most effective thyroid absorbed dose to be targeted in GD therapy should not be based on a fixed dose but rather should be individualized based on the patient'sm{sub th} and A{sup ~}. To achieve a therapeutic success (i.e., durable euthyroidism or hypothyroidism) rate of at least 95%, a thyroid absorbed dose of 200 or 330 Gy is required depending on the methodology used for estimating m{sub th} and A{sup ~}.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2018

3-D treatment planning system—Leksell Gamma Knife treatment planning system

Leksell Gamma Plan (LGP), the treatment planning system for the Leksell Gamma Knife (LGK) stereotactic radiosurgery, has evolved from the primitive KULA system to the present-day powerful version of image-guided stereotactic radiosurgery. Through many years of development, LGP has improved on its dose calculation accuracy, speed, and user interface. This allows more accurate irradiation of the target while sparing the nearby normal tissues and critical structures better.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2023

USAID Colombia Young Leaders Workforce Training Program Action Plans: Planning for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Bogotá

As part of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Young Leaders Workforce Training Program in Colombia, the Grupo Energía Bogotá (GEB) participants leveraged their training and professional experience to develop an action plan for modeling and evaluating Bogotá's projected electric vehicle (EV) charging needs to meet future demand. This case study summarizes the collaboration between USAID-NREL, GEB, and the Bogotá Department of Transportation Mobility Secretariat (SDM) to estimate EV charging station needs to meet projected future EV sales in the city of Bogotá and determine high-priority locations within the greater Bogotá metropolitan area for planning and applying EVSE investment and installation.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Grid Planning for Building Electrification: A Report by the Energy Systems Integration Group’s Grid Planning for Building Electrification Task Force

The increased electrification of buildings across the United States is being driven by technical advancements, cost reductions for some building technologies, consumer preferences, and policy goals for decarbonization. However, the effects of this load growth on the electric distribution system are often only a minor consideration in policymaking and long-term planning studies. The long lead time and useful life of power system equipment means that the decisions taken today are expected to support our society well into the 2060s and beyond. Distribution planning stakeholders can take steps today to establish a grid foundation that captures the new challenges presented by building electrification. This report focuses on building electrification for the residential and commercial sectors, focusing most heavily on space heating, as this end use stands to most strongly impact demand.1 Across all end uses, building electrification could require somewhere between 10% and 70% more electricity generation capacity than exists today depending on technology adoption and energy efficiency.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Plan de Acción Comunitario de Energía: Pastillo Tibes [Community Energy Action Plan: Pastillo Tibes]

El Plan de Acción Comunitario de Energía para Pastillo Tibes es una estrategia integral orientada a fortalecer la resiliencia del sistema eléctrico en la comunidad frente a los desafios energéticos. Este documento preliminar enfatiza la importancia de asumir la responsabilidad del plan, además de la inclusión y la adaptabilidad en el proceso de planificación, y está especificamente diseñado para esta comunidad.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS2022

UAV Path Planning for Wildfires - Sustainably Fighting Wildfires with Automated Path Planning for UAVs

As the severity and frequency of wildfires increase, infrastructure, properties, national parks, animal habitats, and human lives (civilians and firefighters) are put at greater risk. This paper examines the possible application of algorithmic path planning for UAV reconnaissance to reduce damage and safety risks, as aforementioned. When the location of a wildfire is known, UAVs are immediately dispatched from an operating base to fly to the fire and support the firefighters as quickly as possible. Then, the algorithm incrementally analyzes different environmental factors to create a path for the UAV to follow. This work focuses on generating a path for the UAV to follow given a set of polygons representing obstacles. The most important features of this algorithm are its fast response time and obstacle maneuverability. The use of an efficient path planning algorithm could potentially save lives, infrastructure, and acres of forest destruction.

UAV↗
DOE OSTI2015

Load planning in the dark: RH-TRU waste container load planning at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico - 15116

Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) performed several sets of experiments during the 1970's and 1980's with fresh and irradiated mixed oxide (MOX) and uranium oxide (UO{sub 2}) materials designed to simulate various fuel responses under varying reactor conditions. These research materials were from light water and breeder mixed oxide reactors. The experimental vessels and extraneous piece parts resulting from the experiments were identified as eligible for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as remote-handled (RH) transuranic (TRU) waste. Once Sandia received the approval to dispose at WIPP, discussions began with the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) and Nuclear Waste Partnerships, LLC (NWP) to provide Central Characterization Program (CCP) support for certified acceptable knowledge, visual examination, and dose-to-curie for the repackaging effort. In addition to the WIPP support, Sandia was required to prepare a load plan describing the configuration of the parent containers and how they could be repackaged to meet WIPP and other regulatory requirements. However, all of these containers were packaged as material twenty (20) or thirty (30) years ago and the records of the packaging process and configuration were not documented as waste. Therefore, it seemed that the load plans were prepared with limited information regarding parent container configuration, hence in the dark. The design of the Auxiliary Hot Cell Facility (AHCF) in technical area (TA) V, where the repackaging was to take place, along with the shipping requirements for the RH 72-B cask, limited the options for repackaging. This configuration required that 0.114 m{sup 3} (30-gallon) containers be packaged in the hot cell, removed and placed into 0.208 m{sup 3} (55-gallon) containers to mitigate contamination issues. The material had been tracked as accountable nuclear material and Sandia had verified Material Control and Accountability (MC and A) data on each parent container. Based on the MC and A data, scaling factors could be determined and sampling and analysis was not required. However, it meant that parent containers could not be split into two daughter containers, though two or more parent containers could be combined into one daughter. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR for 0νββ: Current Status and Future Plans

The Majorana Demonstrator will search for neutrinoless-double-beta decay in 76Ge, while establishing the feasibility of a future tonne-scale germanium-based neutrinoless-double-beta decay experiment, and performing searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model. The experiment, currently under construction at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, SD, will consist of a pair of modular high-purity germanium detector arrays housed inside of a compact copper, lead, and polyethylene shield. Through a combination of strict materials qualifications and assay, low-background design, and powerful background rejection techniques, the Demonstrator aims to achieve a background rate in the neutrinoless-double-beta decay region of interest (ROI) of no more than 3cnts/(ROI-t-y). The current status of the Demonstrator is discussed, as are plans for its completion.

Green, M. P.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Delivery drone route planning over a battery swapping network

Many enterprises invest on drone delivery research and development to drop off packages at consumers’ doorsteps in a matter of minutes. We study delivery drone route planning over a battery swapping network allowing farther reach by penetrating current battery capacity constraints. A mixed-integer nonlinear programming model is created to plan efficient drone routing over the swapping machines by minimizing the delivery lead time. We develop an exact solution method, evaluate its performance, and compare it with a straightforward nonlinear solver application. A case study highlights the applicability of the model. Data and source code to the solver are publicly shared.

drone battery swapping↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Fast and Scalable Genetic Algorithm-Based Approach for Planning of Microgrids in Distribution Networks

As a result of climate change, extreme weather events are occurring more frequently and with increasing impact. This trend poses a significant challenge for distribution utilities and system operators to ensure that there is uninterrupted power supply to critical loads in their networks; thus, the level of proactive preparation of the distribution system to be able to handle severe impacts of extreme weather events represents the system's resilience. One method that distribution system planners can use to prepare for future extreme events is to plan multiple microgrids which can use local generation as much as possible to supply critical loads. But partitioning an existing distribution system such that multiple feasible islands are planned and which are capable of supporting critical loads is still challenging for distribution systems - first, because of the size of the network graph partitioning problem and, second, because of the difficulty in properly formulating the desired attributes of such islands or microgrids. Therefore, this paper presents a genetic algorithm based approach that facilitates incorporating multiple objectives for grid partitioning by formulating two types of problems - node allocation and edge elimination - and it considers multiple topological and resilience-enhancing objectives. The performance of the proposed genetic algorithm-based approach is numerically evaluated on multiple test systems as well as on a real distribution feeder in Colorado, United States.

genetic algorithm↗