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Results for “Propellant Tank”

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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DOE OSTI2023

Propellant Mass Gauging in a Spherical Tank under Micro-Gravity Conditions Using Capacitance Plate Arrays and Machine Learning

Propellant mass gauging under micro-gravity conditions is a challenging task due to the unpredictable position and shape of the fuel body inside the tank. Micro-gravity conditions are common for orbiting satellites and rockets that operate on limited fuel supplies. Capacitance sensors have been investigated for this task in recent years; however, the effect of various positions and shapes of the fuel body is not analyzed in detail. In this paper, we investigate this with various fill types, such as annular, core-annular, and stratified fills at different positions. We compare the performance among several curve-fitting-based approaches and a machine-learning-based approach, the latter of which offers superior performance in estimating the fuel content.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2021

Power Generation and Oxygen Transfer Analyses for Micro Hydro-Turbine Installed in Wastewater Treatment Aeration Tank

This study targets one of the major energy consumers in the U.S. It suggests a new mechanical system that can recover a portion of the energy in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). The proposed system entails a hydro-turbine installed above the air diffuser in the aeration tank to extract the water-bubble current’s kinetic energy and converts it to electricity. Observing the optimum location of the turbine required multiple experiments where turbine height varies between 35% and 95% (water height percentages above the diffuser), while varying the airflow between 1.42 L/s (3 CFM) and 2.12 L/s (4.5 CFM) with a 0.24 L/s (0.5 CFM) increment. Additionally, three water heights of 38.1 cm (15*), 53.4 cm (21*), and 68.6 cm (27*) were considered to study the influence of the water height. It was noticed that the presence of the system has an adverse effect on the standard oxygen transfer efficiency (SOTE). Therefore, a small dual-blade propeller was installed right above the diffuser to directly mix the water in the bottom of the tank with the incoming air to enhance the SOTE. The results showed that the maximum reclaimed power was obtained where the hydro-turbine is installed at 65–80% above the diffuser. A reduction of up to 7.32% in SOTE was observed when the setup was placed inside the tank compared to the tank alone. The addition of the dual-blade propeller showed an increase in SOTE of 7.27% with a power loss of 6.21%, ensuring the aeration process was at its standards.

Energy & Fuels↗

DOE OSTI2025

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles

A hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) is two to three times more efficient than a comparable vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine running on gasoline. Because of their efficient operation, FCEVs can travel long distances with less fueling. An FCEV also produces clean tailpipe exhaust, emitting only water vapor and warm air. FCEVs have driving ranges of more than 300 miles per tank of hydrogen. Drivers can fuel their FCEVs in less than five minutes at a dispenser that looks and feels similar to gasoline dispensers except for the high-pressure gaseous connection.1 In addition, FCEVs are propelled by an electric motor, so they are very quiet, have very few moving parts and fewer fluids to change, and have minimal maintenance requirements overall.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2025

Cold Spray Field Deployment Evaluation for Double-Shell Tank 241-AN-105

This report highlights the documentation that supported Cold Spray field deployment in double-shell tank (DST) 241-AN-105 (AN-105) in July of 2025. This work was a collaborative effort between VRC Metal Systems (VRC), Robotic Technologies of Tennessee (RTT), the Hanford Tank Waste Operation and Closure (H2C) Chief Technology Office, H2C Tank Farm Projects Engineering, H2C Tank and Pipeline Integrity (TAPI) and H2C Ultrasonic Testing (UT) Operations & Support. Since 2019, the Chief Technology Office has been developing Cold Spray technology for refurbishing Hanford’s DSTs (RPP-RPT-65015). This technology is particularly relevant for addressing localized corrosion within the annulus of the DSTs by propelling metal powder particles at supersonic speeds to targeted areas. This process results in high-quality coatings characterized by high bond strength and low porosity result.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗