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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 1,675 records · Page 93
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Study of Energy Saving Analysis for Different Industries

This study analyzes the energy consumption and saving performance in the industries in the U.S.A. All energy assessments implemented were for facilities whose annual energy consumptions were less than 9,000,000 kWh (small- and medium-sized industries) that belong to the manufacturing industries with Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes ranging from 2000 to 3999 in addition to SIC codes starting with 49. In this study, assessments are classified based on the SIC codes with recommendations analysis for each classification to get a better idea of what recommendations were suggested in each major industrial sector, knowing that 68 assessments were made, and their SIC ranged from 14 to 49. In addition, this study could be considered as a guide for energy engineers and other personnel involved in the energy assessment process. The information investigated can give a better prediction for composing better energy-demanding industries and minimizing energy consumption. More than 61 energy assessments were conducted for manufacturing facilities and analyzing the data gathered and processed. Through the research, the Fabricated Metal industry achieved the highest average kWh savings and cost savings within the industries studied in this study. According to the average gigajoule (GJ) savings, the fabricated metal industry ranked second within the studied industries. Conversely, Food and Kindred Products achieved the highest GJ energy savings within the studied industries. Overall, lighting, motors, compressors, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) were the most contributing industries in a total of 547 recommendations.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Spotlight SAR Data Collection Geometry from ECEF Coordinates

High-performance spotlight Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) requires measurement of the radars motion during the synthetic aperture. A convenient coordinate frame for motion measurement is often not the convenient coordinate frame for motion compensation during the SAR data generation and image formation processing. A convenient frame for radar motion measurement is the Earth-Centered Earth-Fixed (ECEF) coordinate frame, whereas spotlight SAR processing typically require s polar coordinates from a selected Scene Reference Point (SRP). This report presents the conversion from ECEF coordinates to appropriate parameters for SAR processing.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Improving Fission Products at CARIBU: Near Field Detection (Q2/FY22 Quarterly Progress Report)

We continued our work on preparation for the upcoming branching ratio measurements. The CARIBU facility has not been delivering radioactive beams since January this year due to an issue with the magnet that is used for mass separation. The parts needed to be replaced to fix the issue has been since ordered, shipped from Germany, and installed at CARIBU. The CARIBU is now operational and the first experiments that are ran will be those that had to be cancelled in January due to the facility complications, and we are in a position to schedule our next sample collection. In the meantime, we have been continuing work on data analysis of fission product mass measurements in the Canadian Penning Trap. This analysis is now complete. We continue our outreach to recruit a graduate student who would be interested in working with us on this project. In the past month, we have a conversation with a potential student at UC Berkeley and Texas A&M. There students are still to decide if they would accept the offer to these graduate schools.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1980

Analysis and measurements of low frequency lightning component penetration through aerospace vehicle metal and graphite skins

An analysis of the shielding properties of mixed metal and graphite composite structures has illustrated some important aspects of electromagnetic field penetration into the interior. These include: (1) that graphite access doors on metallic structures will attenuate lightning magnetic fields very little; conversely, metal doors on a graphite structure will also attenuate fields from lightning strike currents very little, i.e., homogeneity of the shield is a critical factor in shielding and (2) that continuous conductors between two points inside a graphite skin such as an air data probe metallic tubing connection to an air data computer can allow large current penetrations into a vehicle interior. The true weight savings resulting from the use of composite materials can only be evaluated after the resulting electromagnetic problems such as current penetrations have been solved, and this generally requires weight addition in the form of cable shields, conductor bonding or external metallization.

Robb, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A Unified Representation Scheme for Solid Geometric Objects Using B-splines (extended Abstract)

A geometric representation scheme called the B-spline cylinder, which consists of interpolation between pairs of uniform periodic cubic B-spline curves is discussed. This approach carries a number of interesting implications. For one, a single relatively simple database schema can be used to represent a reasonably large class of objects, since the spline representation is flexible enough to allow a large domain of representable objects at very little cost in data complexity. The model is thus very storage-efficient. A second feature of such a system is that it reduces to one the number of routines which the system must support to perform a given operation on objects. Third, the scheme enables easy conversion to and from other representations. The formal definition of the cylinder entity is given. In the geometric properties of the entity are explored and several operations on such objects are defined. Some general purpose criteria for evaluating any geometric representation scheme are introduced and the B-spline cylinder scheme according to these criteria is evaluated.

Bahler, D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

An experimental investigation of agglutinate melting mechanisms - Shocked mixtures of Apollo 11 and 16 soils

Mixtures of chemically contrasting lunar soils have been shocked at pressures ranging from 18.2-62.0 GPa. Other than the generation of impact melts, modal and textural changes caused by shock include destruction of pore space and fused soil clasts and conversion of plagioclase to maskelynite. The loss of the fused soil component in these runs indicates that low agglutinate contents in shocked and/or compacted regolith breccias cannot be considered by themselves to be evidence of formation from immature regolith. From the petrographic and chemical data it appears that the impact glass formed mainly from the fine fraction and the fused soil component in the target, with relatively minor contributions from the other coarse clasts. The impact glasses exhibit the same chemical enrichments and depletions as their corresponding fine fractions and plot on or near a mixing line between the bulk and fine fraction of the soil in which they were formed. From this as well as several other studies it appears that the fusion of the finest fraction model is valid and that it accurately predicts the chemical systematics of impact glass formed from lunar soil. In addition, fusion of agglutinates present in the target soil is an important process.

Simon, S. B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Cloud-generated radiative heating and its generation of available potential energy

The generation of zonal available potential energy (APE) by cloud radiative heating is discussed. The APE concept was mathematically formulated by Lorenz (1955) as a measure of the maximum amount of total potential energy that is available for conversion by adiabatic processes to kinetic energy. The rate of change of APE is the rate of the generation of APE minus the rate of conversion between potential and kinetic energy. By radiative transfer calculations, a mean cloud-generated radiative heating for a well defined set of cloud classes is derived as a function of cloud optical thickness. The formulation is suitable for using a general cloud parameter data set and has the advantage of taking into account nonlinearities between the microphysical and macrophysical cloud properties and the related radiation field.

Stuhlmann, R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Long-term monitoring of the earth's radiation budget; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 17, 18, 1990

The uses of the broadband flux measurements as well as the improvements in the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment in instrumentation and data reduction are summarized. Scientific uses of earth-radiation budget data are discussed, along with a perspective on the instrumentation giving a new foundation for studies of the radiation budget, with emphasis on calibration and long-term stability. Cloud identification and angular modeling are covered including angular dependence models for radiance to flux conversion and the pattern recognition of clouds and ice in polar regions. The surface-radiation budget and atmospheric radiative flux divergence from the Clouds and Earth Radiant Energy System are covered, and time dependence of the earth's radiation fields, determination of the outgoing longwave radiation and its diurnal variations are considered.

Barkstrom, Bruce R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Compensated digital readout family

ISC has completed test on an IC which has 32 channels of amplifiers, low pass anti-aliasing filters, 13-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) converters with non-uniformity correction per channel and a digital multiplexer. The single slope class of A/D conversion is described, as are the unique variations required for incorporation of this technique for use with on-focal plane detector readout electronics. This paper describes the architecture used to implement the digital on-focal plane signal processing functions. Results from measured data on a test IC are presented for a circuit containing these functions operating at a sensor frame rate of 1000 hertz.

Ludwig, David E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Joint Acceptance Attenuation Factor of Integrated Pressure with Unsteady Pressure-Sensitive Paint Measurements

The Unsteady Pressure-Sensitive Paint (uPSP) is widely used to measure the surface pressure of the scaled model in the wind tunnel tests. Compared to the conventional pressure transducers, uPSP has the advantage of high spatial resolution. With multiple high-speed cameras, the uPSP data collected with the camera pixels are mapped to the surface grid of the scaled model and converted to pressure. The shot noise, which is associated with the quantum processes both in the generation of the photons by the luminescent uPSP and in the conversion of the photons into electrons within the camera, is the dominant component of the noise in the uPSP measurement. The integrated pressure is usually computed as an area-weighted average of the uPSP measured pressures on the grid nodes of a user-defined patch. The effect of the shot noise is reduced in the integrated pressure; however, the measurement of the aerodynamic pressure is also attenuated. This paper discusses the Joint Acceptance Attenuation Factor (JAAF) of the integrated pressure with uPSP measurements. The JAAF is defined as the ratio of the auto or cross Power Spectral Density (PSD) of the integrated aerodynamic pressure on the patch to the average auto PSD of the aerodynamic pressure on the grid nodes of the patch. Under the assumption that the cross spectrum of the aerodynamic pressure can be described with the Corcos model, the closed-form formula of the JAAF is derived for the integrated pressure on rectangular patches via the summation of uPSP measurements on discrete grid nodes. The closed-form formula is verified via the integration of the pressure field of Corcos model over continuous areas. The properties of the JAAF with different parameters are presented and the applications in the comparison of the spectrum of the pressure transducers and uPSP measurements, which were collected in the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) tests with the 11-by-11-foot transonic wind tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center in December 2017 and September 2019 respectively, are also discussed. The work described in this paper is a part of NASA’s development of a new state-of-the-art uPSP capability in production wind tunnels. Funding was provided by the NASA Aerosciences Evaluation and Test Capabilities(AETC) Portfolio Office.

Unsteady Pressure-Sensitive Paint↗
DOE OSTI2023

Signal Processing of Multiplexed Optical PWM Signals for Sensor Arrays in Nuclear Environments

Safe and effective generation of terrestrial nuclear power greatly benefits from the actionable data provided by the array of sensors located throughout a plant to provide a holistic online indication of reactor operation. This array includes sensors for monitoring coolant flow and pressure, temperature and heat transfer, radiation levels, structure health monitoring, and other critical parameters for reactor operation. While sensors capable of measuring these parameters have been developed, the electronics used in the pre-amplification and analog-to-digital conversion of the small signals they produce are extremely sensitive and susceptible to damage by high-temperatures and radiation environments nuclear reactors encounter while generating power. The small signals from sensors in nuclear power plants (NPPs) are transmitted over long cable runs which introduce dispersion artifacts into the signals of interest as well as electromagnetic interference (EMI) from lighting fixtures, pumps, mains electricity, and other equipment. To overcome these challenges, a front-end digitization (FREND) platform has been developed to use radiation-tolerant electronics to multiplex, amplify, and optically encode signals from an array of sensors for transmission over an optical fiber to mitigate dispersion and EMI artifacts from long runs of electrical cabling. To recover the optically transmitted data, a signal processing scheme based on 1-dimensional template matching to an indexing channel is described herein and demonstrated to have an effective bit-depth of 9.2 bits (1%). This scheme has been validated in proof-of-concept, non-nuclear testing and preliminary experimental results show good agreement between the measured optical output and and sensor input signals. The FREND system represents a low-loss data link between sensors in nuclear environments and data acquisition hardware which is aimed at improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the data acquired from these sensors to provide better information to operators and researchers.

Sweeney, Dan↗
NASA NTRS2018

The Ocean Carbon States Database: A Proof-of-Concept Application of Cluster Analysis in the Ocean Carbon Cycle

In this paper, we present a database of the basic regimes of the carbon cycle in the ocean, the 'ocean carbon states', as obtained using a data mining/pattern recognition technique in observation-based as well as model data. The goal of this study is to establish a new data analysis methodology, test it and assess its utility in providing more insights into the regional and temporal variability of the marine carbon cycle. This is important as advanced data mining techniques are becoming widely used in climate and Earth sciences and in particular in studies of the global carbon cycle, where the interaction of physical and biogeochemical drivers confounds our ability to accurately describe, understand, and predict CO2 concentrations and their changes in the major planetary carbon reservoirs. In this proof-of-concept study, we focus on using well-understood data that are based on observations, as well as model results from the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) climate model. Our analysis shows that ocean carbon states are associated with the subtropical-subpolar gyre during the colder months of the year and the tropics during the warmer season in the North Atlantic basin. Conversely, in the Southern Ocean, the ocean carbon states can be associated with the subtropical and Antarctic convergence zones in the warmer season and the coastal Antarctic divergence zone in the colder season. With respect to model evaluation, we find that the GISS model reproduces the cold and warm season regimes more skillfully in the North Atlantic than in the Southern Ocean and matches the observed seasonality better than the spatial distribution of the regimes. Finally, the ocean carbon states provide useful information in the model error attribution. Model air-sea CO2 flux biases in the North Atlantic stem from wind speed and salinity biases in the subpolar region and nutrient and wind speed biases in the subtropics and tropics. Nutrient biases are shown to be most important in the Southern Ocean flux bias.

carbon cycle↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hydrolysis of methylphosphonic anhydride solid to methylphosphonic acid probed by Raman and infrared reflectance spectroscopies

Much is still unknown about the mechanisms and rates of environmental degradation of organophosphorous pesticides and agents. In this study we focus on the degradation of one organophosphorous compound, namely solid methyl phosphonic acid anhydride [CH3P(O)OHOP(O)OHCH3, MPAN] and its rate of conversion to methyl phosphonic acid (MPA) via heterogeneous hydrolysis. Pure MPAN was synthesized and loaded in open sample cups placed inside exposure chambers containing saturated salt solutions to control the relative humidity (RH). The reaction was monitored in the sample cup at various times using both infrared hemispherical reflectance (HRF) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Calibrated HRF and Raman spectra of both pure reagents as well as gravimetrically prepared mixtures were used to quantify the concentrations of MPAN and MPA throughout the reaction. Results show that both HRF and Raman spectroscopies are convenient non-invasive methods for detection of solid chemicals. The MPAN degradation rate displayed a very strong dependence on relative humidity: At room temperature the reaction showed 50% conversion of the MPAN in 761 ± 54 hours at 33% RH, 33 ± 4 hours at 43% RH, 17 ± 2 hours at 54% RH and just 7 ± 1 hours at 75% RH. Although MPAN hydrolysis is a second-order reaction, the 33 and 43% RH data, at early reaction times, could be fit with a zeroth order reaction, indicating water vapor and MPAN concentrations were not initially rate controlling. The 54 and 75% RH experiments showed significant deliquescence and decay data could only be fit assuming multiple reactions, implying chemical and/or physical processes partially controlled the hydrolysis rate, in contrast to a single process at low relative humidity.

methyl phosphonic acid, methyl phosphonic anhydrid↗
DOE OSTI2020

Highly Available Nuclear Power for Mission-Critical Applications

Some energy consumers require power on an anytime, all-year-round basis with a high level of certainty, including defense installations, isolated communities, and some industrial processes. For these customers, interruptions in electricity or heat can mean substantial financial loss or even loss of life. In the absence of grid-scale energy storage, a high level of power availability can be accomplished only through the robustness and redundancy of power generators. The NuScale small modular reactor design is well suited to provide highly available power because of several features related to both the nuclear steam supply system and the overall plant design. In analogy to Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) systems used to provide highly reliable data storage, a NuScale plant can assure sustained power generation by virtue of its Redundant Array of Integral Reactors (RAIR).This paper describes the NuScale RAIR plant features and summarizes the results of a rigorous analysis of RAIR availability as a function of power or, conversely, the RAIR plant output power as a function of power availability. The analysis utilized the Matrix Laboratory code (MATLAB) and included probability distributions for the frequency and duration of module outages due to planned and unplanned events. Further, the study evaluated the impact of implementing turbine bypass rather than module shutdown and using one or more modules to supply house loads in the case of loss of off-site power (LOOP). Availability results are presented for a 12-module RAIR plant with and without turbine bypass enabled during a LOOP and for different possible connections to the off-site power distribution grid and dedicated service loads. Results indicate that a very high level of availability can be achieved at relatively high power output levels, regardless of turbine bypass and dedicated load connection, compared to the operating fleet.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Interpretation of Lyman opacity measurements in JET with the ITER-like wall using a particle balance approach

Recent measurements of the Ly β /D α ratio in the JET ITER-like wall (ILW) divertor show comparatively more pronounced Ly β reabsorption relative to previous results in JET with the carbon wall (JET-C). At the outer horizontal target ion current rollover point a Ly β reabsorption rate of 60% is measured, increasing to 80% in more pronounced detachment, implying a Ly α reabsorption rate of 90%–98%. The radially resolved Ly β /D α measurements are used to constrain Lyman opacity corrections to atomic rate coefficients using the population escape factor technique in order to capture the local changes to the excited state population structure in the high Lyman opacity regions at and outboard of the outer strike point. To check the self-consistency of the Lyman opacity measurements, a detailed spectroscopic interpretation of the outer divertor particle balance is presented, in which the impact of opacity corrections to the Ly α inverse photon efficiency coefficients is assessed. A five-fold deficit in the estimated D + source rate obtained with optically thin plasma assumptions is reconciled once the opacity corrections are factored into the Ly α photon rate to ionization rate conversion. The experiment results are reproduced in EDGE2D-EIRENE density scan simulations in which an imposed ad hoc Lyman reabsorption rate is recovered spectroscopically using synthetic measurements, and a similar shortfall in the D + source rate estimates is reconciled using Lyman opacity corrected atomic data. The model limitations prevent a more detailed self-consistent analysis of the Lyman opacity impact on divertor parameters and detachment evolution, and hence motivate renewed efforts to re-establish routine exploitation of the photon transport modelling capabilities in the EIRENE code package. Lyman opacity corrections to atomic data coefficients are necessary for spectroscopic interpretation of the JET-ILW divertor plasma, with significant influence on the divertor plasma also a likely consequence of the presence of strong Ly α reabsorption. Finally, a scan of auxiliary heating powers spanning L-mode and H-mode conditions reveals a strong correlation of the measured Ly β opacity with the outer target temperature, suggesting new possibilities for using Lyman opacity measurements in establishing detachment scalings.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

System Integration of Rationally Designed Dilute Alloy Catalysts for Energy-Efficient Electrochemical CO 2 -To-Fuel Conversion

Energy effiecient electrochemical conversion of CO 2 to high-demand chemicals and transportation fuels using renewable solar and wind energy is a key technology needed for a high-productivity, low-carbon future. However, the development of scalable, low-cost, active, selective, and stable electrocatalysts remains a key challenge that needs to be overcome to enable high-volume conversion of CO 2 to feedstock chemicals for the chemical industry. In previous work, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has developed a rational design platform for dilute alloy transition metal electrocatalysts that promise to make electrochemical CO 2 conversion more energy efficient and selective. In this project, we worked with our industrial partners, Twelve and TotalEnergies, to improve scale up, integration, and stability of LLNL’s dilute alloy catalyst technology into an industry-relevant zero gap electrolyzer platform. Through virtual experiments and data analysis, we designed efficient and cost-effective copper-based catalysts. The catalyst was specifically designed to streamline the slowest and most energy-intensive step of the electrochemical chemical transformation of CO 2 to multi-carbon products – that is making the carbon-carbon bond by dimerization of the reaction intermediate carbon monoxide - resulting in up to 10% improvement in energy efficiency for C 2 products while simultaneously increasing the selectivity towards C 2 products. We tested two different scalable catalyst coating technologies and down-selected magnetron sputtering as the technique that provided the best control over catalyst loading, composition, and morphology. Using this technology, we successfully demonstrated integration of our dilute alloy catalysts into a 100 cm 2 electrolyzer platform with Faradaic efficiencies for ethylene production reaching 40% at a current density of 200 mA/cm 2 . We also developed the technology to integrate a well-defined nanoscale porosity by depositing alloy compositions that were compatible with dealloying, that is, selective leaching of an alloy component to generate nanoscale porosity. We observed that integration of the dealloying-derived nanoporosity improved catalyst performance and stability by leading to a more hydrophobic catalyst/anion exchange membrane interface. Unsolved problems that still need to be addressed are corrosion of the Cu catalyst -specifically if the used catalyst is exposed to air - as well as long term stability do to salt formation/deposition and flooding of the catalyst/electrolyzer flow channels, especially at higher current densities. As we only worked on optimization of catalyst composition, coating thickness, and morphology, further performance optimization will require a system level approach that includes optimization of electrolyzer design and membrane technology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

AC Transit Fuel Cell Electric Bus Progress Report (Data Period Focus: Jan. 2020 through Dec. 2020) [Slides]

This report presents early results from a deployment of fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) operated by Alameda Contra-Costa Transit (AC Transit) in the east bay area of California. The ten FCEBs, produced by New Flyer, feature an electric drive propulsion system powered by a Ballard fuel cell system. The project team is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to evaluate the buses in revenue service. The goal of this evaluation is to compare the FCEB performance to that of conventional technology and to track progress over time toward meeting the technical targets set by DOE and the Department of Transportation (DOT). The FCEBs were delivered beginning in late-2019. The data period covers January 2020 through July 2020. NREL collects data on two different baseline bus fleets for comparison: five 2017 model year diesel buses and five 2016 model year diesel hybrid buses.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Foil Bearing Supported Compressor-Expander

R&D Dynamics Corporation (RDD) is developing a fuel cell system compressor-expander designed for heavy-duty vehicle applications. The system emphasizes high reliability, versatility, long service life, and cost-effective mass production. Its design integrates a high-speed centrifugal compressor/expander, oil-free foil air/gas bearings, a direct current permanent magnet (DCPM) motor, and an inverter utilizing silicon carbide (SiC) switches. Key advantages include high efficiency, compact size and reduced weight, enhanced reliability, and elimination of oil contamination risks. The technology targets multiple sectors such as long-haul semi-trucks, mining and construction equipment, power generation, data centers, marine systems, and other heavy machinery. Evaluation units are ready for shipment, and manufacturing capabilities are currently being developed. Contract Number: DE-EE0009617 (2021).

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗