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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Wind Turbine Railroad Setbacks: Ordinances (2022) and Extrapolated Trends, 115 Hub Height 170 Rotor Diameter

This dataset represents wind energy setback requirements from railroad based on existing county ordinances as of April 2022. A setback requirement is a minimum distance from a railroad that an energy project may be developed, and these varied widely across the counties in which they existed. Two versions are provided: one reflecting only the county ordinances and another incorporating extrapolated trends. In the extrapolated version, a median setback equivalent to 1.1 times the turbine tip-height was applied in counties that lacked specific railroad setback regulations. A TIF data file and a PNG map of the data are provided for both versions, showing areas where wind energy is prohibited or permitted across the contiguous United States. The turbine parameters used were a hub-height of 115 meters and a rotor diameter of 170 meters, as obtained from the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) 2022. For further details and citation, please refer to the publication linked below: Lopez, Anthony, Pavlo Pinchuk, Michael Gleason, Wesley Cole, Trieu Mai, Travis Williams, Owen Roberts, Marie Rivers, Mike Bannister, Sophie-Min Thomson, Gabe Zuckerman, and Brian Sergi. 2024. Solar Photovoltaics and Land-Based Wind Technical Potential and Supply Curves for the Contiguous United States: 2023 Edition. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-6A20-87843.

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DOE OSTI2018

A method for processing the Confidential Carload Waybill Sample for railroad freight analysis

Freight transportation research is often constrained by the availability of appropriate data. Within the context of freight rail research, use of traditional freight datasets present some critical challenges. Aggregating freight data to geographic areas diminishes the ability to perform nuanced analysis. More challenging, the complexity of railroad operations limits the usability of publicly available freight flow data which do not account for which rail company is economically and legally responsible for the movement of the goods or for the contractual arrangements between infrastructure owners and carriers. Finally, detailed data are usually privately owned and not readily-accessible for analysis outside the individual rail companies. As part of their regulatory authority, the Surface Transportation Board has developed the Confidential Carload Waybill Sample, a stratified sample representing 1% to 3% of all rail traffic in the United States for a particular year. While the sample is rich with data, it is limited in spatial information as well as in its implementation in geospatial analysis. This paper introduces a methodology for geospatially enabling the Confidential Carload Waybill Sample which can then be used to generate rail routes based on a topological representation of the U.S. railroad network. As a result, this methodology is applied using two case studies, a freight diversion analysis and transporting hazardous materials.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Solar PV Railroad Setbacks: Ordinances (2022) and Extrapolated Trends

This dataset represents solar energy setback requirements from railroads. A setback requirement is a minimum distance from a railroad that an energy project may be developed. As of April 2022, no ordinances were discovered for any counties. Such ordinances are likely to arise as regulations continue to expand. Therefore, this dataset applies a 30-meter setback, sourced from trends in other infrastructure. A TIF data file and a PNG map of the data are provided, showing areas where solar energy is prohibited or permitted across the contiguous United States. For further details and citation, please refer to the publication linked below: Lopez, Anthony, Pavlo Pinchuk, Michael Gleason, Wesley Cole, Trieu Mai, Travis Williams, Owen Roberts, Marie Rivers, Mike Bannister, Sophie-Min Thomson, Gabe Zuckerman, and Brian Sergi. 2024. Solar Photovoltaics and Land-Based Wind Technical Potential and Supply Curves for the Contiguous United States: 2023 Edition. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-6A20-87843.

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DOE OSTI2020

Railroad block/grade crossing warning system

A train safety system comprises a cable connected to at least two conducting contacts, an electrical load between said two conducting magnetic contacts, and a DC track circuit associated with railroad tracks wherein the at least two conducting plates can be connected to each of the railroad rails in order to shunt the DC track circuit and alert oncoming trains of fouling of the tracks or crossing ahead.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Three Dimensional Analysis of the Final Design of Pier Extensions and West Guide Wall to Mitigate Local Scour Risk at the BNSF Railroad Bridge Downstream of the Prado Dam Supplemental Report

This report is a supplement to a previous report [ref] covering optimization of wedge shaped pier extensions to streamline large bluff body piers as a local scour countermeasure for the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad Bridge over the Santa Ana River downstream of Prado Dam in Riverside County, CA. The optimized design was tested in a 1/30 scale physical model at U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, MS, and the optimized design was used as the base for the construction design. Constructability issues having to do with both materials and site conditions including access underneath the BNSF bridge yielded a construction design that required making the pier extensions wider and either moving the western curve of the west guide wall upstream or changing its geometry.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Three Dimensional Analysis of Pier Extension and Guide Wall Design Alternatives to Mitigate Local Scour Risk at the BNSF Railroad Bridge Downstream of the Prado Dam

The primary objectives of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis are (1) to verify that the design concept of using wedge shaped pier extensions to divert flow around piers as a scour counter measure has the intended effect on the flow, (2) to refine the design of the length and orientation of the pier extensions within the channel and (3) to optimize the guide walls that will protect a set of outer piers and the abutments on each side of the channel. The original proposed design is shown in Figure 1.3. The results of this effort are the recommended designs that are judged to be the best designs based on results from the set of test cases run combined with engineering judgment. The refined designs from the CFD analysis are expected to be tested in a limited set of physical model experiments to verify that they work well.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Assessment of Vibration and Shock Loading Environments on Steels Used in Railroad Applications Considering Hydrogen Embrittlement

Studies that examine the combined effects of hydrogen and rail loading environments in the context of hydrogen embrittlement of steels have not been performed. Large-scale hydrogen storage requires either gaseous hydrogen stored in pressure vessels and tubing or liquid hydrogen in cryogenic, insulated tanks. Since the focus of this study is on steels, we examine the influence of hydrogen on stainless steel used for high pressure tubing and cryogenic tanks and Cr-Mo steel liners used in gaseous pressure vessels. Literature studies show that despite hydrogen degradation, these steels can be used effectively and safely if the stresses are managed. The shock and vibration environment on railcars present unique environments where stresses and loading rates can be high. A literature review was conducted to understand the accelerations experienced in rail by examining instrumented railcars of nuclear fuel casks. Hydrogen studies were examined that focused on steel pressure hardware with an emphasis on fatigue, fast loading rates, and low temperatures. A simplified fatigue assessment was performed to examine design cycles for three different hydrogen components: stainless steel tubing, stainless steel cryogenic tanks, and gaseous pressure vessels. The assessments were idealized and used bounding cases of accelerations in both normal rail conditions and coupling events. In normal shock and vibration environments when accelerations were less than 2 g, infinite design life was calculated. In extreme shock or coupling environments, finite design life was calculated which was shown to be dependent on unsupported lengths of pressure components. It was shown that adjusting the unsupported length can reduce the bending stress thereby increasing design life.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Computed Tomography by Combining Transmission and Scatter Radiography Methods

In 2015, approximately 13 billion tons of freight was transported in the US, roughly 40 tons per person. 40% of all freight on a ton-mile basis will be transported by railroads. Class I railroads have approximately 140,000 miles (224,000 km) of railroad track across the country. Approximately 3,200 crossties per mile secure the rails at the proper gauge, transmit loads to the ballast, and prevent lateral and longitudinal shifting. Wood crossties can fail in many ways including rotting, breaking, cracking, and splitting. Developing new technologies to inspect these crossties are necessary to help maintain and ensure safe railroad operations. The Georgetown Railroad Equipment Company partnered with the University of Florida to develop the Aurora Xi X-ray backscatter inspection system. This system generates 2D backscatter images at 25 mph to detect weakness in wood crossties long before the internal degradation is visible on the tie surface. The railroad industry has a need for a high-speed high resolution 3D inspection method to inspect approximately 20 million newly fabricated railroad crossties per year. Currently new ties are not radiographically inspected to reject internal flaws and verify that rot prevention treatments have adequately penetrated into the crosstie. Current spiral scan computed tomography (CT) systems are not designed for the 100 cm/s to 400 cm/s speed of a wood crosstie production line. Building on the technology developed for the 2D Aurora Xi system, a new 3D fan-beam inspection system and CT method is being developed. A previous scatter CT method by Arsenault and Hussein required moving the Xray source to many positions, averaging the X-ray spectra, and ignoring the Compton scatter change of energy. The proposed design and method combines transmission and scatter radiography in all directions without moving or rotating the X-ray sources or detectors. (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

LNG Safety Assessment Evaluation Methods

Sandia National Laboratories evaluated published safety assessment methods across a variety of industries including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), hydrogen, land and marine transportation, as well as the US Department of Defense (DOD). All the methods were evaluated for their potential applicability for use in the LNG railroad application. After reviewing the documents included in this report, as well as others not included because of repetition, the Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Safety Plan Checklist is most suitable to be adapted to the LNG railroad application. This report was developed to survey industries related to rail transportation for methodologies and tools that can be used by the FRA to review and evaluate safety assessments submitted by the railroad industry as a part of their implementation plans for liquefied or compressed natural gas storage ( on-board or tender) and engine fueling delivery systems. The main sections of this report provide an overview of various methods found during this survey. In most cases, the reference document is quoted directly. The final section provides discussion and a recommendation for the most appropriate methodology that will allow efficient and consistent evaluations to be made. The DOE Hydrogen Safety Plan Checklist was then revised to adapt it as a methodology for the Federal Railroad Administration’s use in evaluating safety plans submitted by the railroad industry.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Preliminary Evaluation of Removing Spent Nuclear Fuel from Shutdown Nuclear Power Plant Sites - 2018 - 19101

This is a technical paper that does not take into account the contractual limitations under the Standard Contract for Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and/or High-Level Radioactive Waste (Standard Contract) (10 CFR Part 961). Under the provisions of the Standard Contract, DOE does not consider spent nuclear fuel in multi-assembly canisters to be an acceptable waste form, absent a mutually agreed to contract amendment. To the extent discussions or recommendations in this paper conflict with the provisions of the Standard Contract, the Standard Contract provisions prevail. The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Integrated Waste Management (DOE-IWM) continues to conduct evaluations of removing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from shutdown nuclear power plant sites. The 14 shutdown sites included in the evaluation to date have nuclear power reactors that have been permanently shut down and the sites have been decommissioned or are undergoing decommissioning. The 14 shutdown sites are Maine Yankee, Yankee Rowe, Connecticut Yankee, Humboldt Bay, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Trojan, La Crosse, Zion, Crystal River, Kewaunee, San Onofre, Vermont Yankee, and Fort Calhoun. The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station ceased operations in September 2018 and will be included in future evaluations. The evaluations of the shutdown sites contain four components: - A characterization of the SNF and greater-than-Class C low-level radioactive waste (GTCC waste) inventory; - A description of the on-site infrastructure at the shutdown sites; - An evaluation of the near-site transportation infrastructure and experience at the shutdown sites - An evaluation of the actions necessary to prepare for and remove SNF and GTCC waste. The primary sources for the inventory of SNF were the DOE GC-859 and RW-859 spent nuclear fuel inventory databases. This inventory has been augmented with data obtained from the shutdown sites for SNF discharges that occurred after June 2013. The primary sources for information on the conditions of site and near-site transportation infrastructure and experience included field observations and information collected during visits to the 14 shutdown sites, information provided by managers and staff at the shutdown sites, and Google Earth imagery. Extensive photographs taken during the shutdown site visits have proven to be particularly useful in documenting the current conditions at and near the shutdown sites. Tribal and state representatives, State and Regional Group representatives, and Federal Railroad Administration representatives have participated in 11 of the shutdown site visits. In addition to visiting the shutdown site, site visits often include activities such as meeting with local railroads to discuss the near-site railroad infrastructure and meeting with community engagement panels. Oyster Creek permanently ceased power operations on September 17, 2018 and fuel was removed from the reactor vessel on September 25, 2018. Planning for the Oyster Creek site visit has begun and is conducted in three stages. In the first stage, data and documents that are applicable to Oyster Creek are collected. In the second stage, questions are developed based on the data and documents collected during the first stage. These questions are submitted to the Oyster Creek site approximately one month before the site visit. The third stage involves establishing specific schedules and participants. Participants will likely include tribal and state representatives, the Council of State Governments - Eastern Regional Conference, and the Federal Railroad Administration. State participation will likely include a representative of the State Rail Safety Participation Program, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the New Jersey Bureau of Nuclear Engineering. The site visit is tentatively expected to occur in April or May of 2019. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Measuring Transverse Displacements Using Unmanned Aerial Systems Laser Doppler Vibrometer (UAS-LDV): Development and Field Validation

Measurement of bridge displacements is important for ensuring the safe operation of railway bridges. Traditionally, contact sensors such as Linear Variable Displacement Transducers (LVDT) and accelerometers have been used to measure the displacement of the railway bridges. However, these sensors need significant effort in installation and maintenance. Therefore, railroad management agencies are interested in new means to measure bridge displacements. This research focuses on mounting Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) on an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to enable contact-free transverse dynamic displacement of railroad bridges. Researchers conducted three field tests by flying the Unmanned Aerial Systems Laser Doppler Vibrometer (UAS-LDV) 1.5 m away from the ground and measured the displacement of a moving target at various distances. The accuracy of the UAS-LDV measurements was compared to the Linear Variable Differential Transducer (LVDT) measurements. The results of the three field tests showed that the proposed system could measure non-contact, reference-free dynamic displacement with an average peak and root mean square (RMS) error for the three experiments of 10% and 8% compared to LVDT, respectively. Such errors are acceptable for field measurements in railroads, as the interest prior to bridge monitoring implementation of a new approach is to demonstrate similar success for different flights, as reported in the three results. This study also identified barriers for industrial adoption of this technology and proposed operational development practices for both technical and cost-effective implementation.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Study of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology for Freight Rail Propulsion and Review of Relevant Industry Standards.

Alternatives to conventional diesel electric propulsion are currently of interest to rail operators. In the U.S., smaller railroads have implemented natural gas and other railroads are exploring hydrogen technology as a cleaner alternative to diesel. Diesel, battery, hydrogen fuel cell, or track electrification all have trade-offs for operations, economics, safety, and public acceptability. A framework to compare different technologies for specific applications is useful to optimize the desired results. Standards from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and other industry best practices were reviewed for applicability with hydrogen fuel cell technology. Some technical gaps relate to the physical properties of hydrogen, such as embrittlement of metals, invisible flames, and low liquid temperatures. A reassessment of material selection, leak/flame detection, and thermal insulation methods is required. Hydrogen is less dense and diffuses more easily than natural gas, and liquid hydrogen is colder than liquefied natural gas. Different densities between natural gas and hydrogen require modifications to tank designs and flow rates. Leaked hydrogen will rise rather than pool on the ground like diesel, requiring a modification to the location of hydrogen tanks on rolling stock. Finally, the vibration and shock experienced in the rail environment is higher than light-duty vehicles and stationary applications for which current fuel cell technology has been developed, requiring a modification in tank design requirements and testing.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Power Technologies for Rail Decarbonization Workshop: Summary Report

Argonne National Laboratory organized the Power Technologies for Rail Decarbonization Workshop for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office. The workshop offered an inclusive venue for different stakeholders to convey their perspective on challenges and opportunities in decarbonizing the rail sector. The first day of the workshop focused on (1) rail decarbonization efforts in the DOE and collaboration opportunities, (2) technology pathways to decarbonize rail, and (3) prime mover and low-carbon options for rail. The second day was devoted to (1) prime mover and zero-carbon options for rail, and (2) rail logistics, infrastructure, and safety. Each day raised challenges and solutions through presentations from national leaders and discussions among panel members and the audience. Through this engagement with different stakeholders, we will produce a cross-disciplinary recommendation for the role of government agencies to contribute meaningful research to address current technology gaps. The workshop included up 139 active participants and featured keynote speakers and panelists from Association of American Railroads, Progress Rail Locomotive, Wabtec, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, Amtrak, Caterpillar, Cummins, Renewable Energy Group-Chevron, DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, California Air Resources Board, Federal Railroad Administration and multiple DOE national laboratories. This summary report presents highlights from participant discussions covering the topics of technology pathways to decarbonize rail, prime mover and low-carbon options, prime mover and zero-carbon options, as well as rail logistics, infrastructure, and safety. The variety of input gathered from the stakeholder attendees is vital, as it helps inform DOE on rail decarbonization challenges and opportunities. Stakeholder feedback is balanced against DOE strategic directions and priorities with consideration of the roles of government and industry.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2023

LOCOMOTIVES - Comprehensive Impact and Cost Assessment Framework of Carbon Lowering Approaches for the US Rail Freight System

The goal of this project is to develop a tool to aid railroads and other stakeholders assess and approach the decarbonization of freight rail operations by identifying new, viable low-carbon energy storage and conversion systems for future locomotive systems and how they should be deployed on the existing US freight rail network. In the first quarter, the project focused on collecting data, establishing a simulation workflow, and engaging industry through the creation of the Industry Advisory Board (IAB). In the second quarter, the project focused on selecting fuel pathways and powertrain technologies, setting performance targets, conducting a techno-economic analyses, and developing the simulation framework that would serve as the backbone of the future toolhead. The third quarter involved developing an industry-oriented interactive dashboard powered by a five-step sequential framework, as well as holding industry advisory board meetings as per the initial technology-to-market plan. In the remaining project quarters, the NUFRIEND dashboard were fine-tuned with the help of IAB member feedback and in-depth scenario analyses were conducted to support the techno-economic analysis of energy sources. Additionally, dashboard documentation, project insights, and open-source code on GitHub were prepared and released. Throughout the project, the team completed testing and analysis of all model components, integrated all initial test scenarios, and conducted stakeholder engagement. Lower-carbon drop-in fuels can be deployed as admixtures and are considered uniform across the network at a desired penetration rate, while hydrogen and battery-electric technology deployment poses a more complex problem as they require significant investments to be made in the siting of refueling/charging facilities and the replacement of locomotive fleets. Thus, strategies for locating and sizing refueling/charging facilities on a railroad’s network to meet their energy demands were developed to inform deployment decisions. To address this challenge, the Northwestern University Freight Rail Infrastructure & Energy Network Decarbonization (NUFRIEND) framework presents a five-step sequential framework to select O-D paths, locate facilities, reroute flows, size facilities, and evaluate the deployment for alternative energy sources that require locomotive powertrains to be converted and new refueling infrastructure to be deployed. The NUFRIEND Framework is an industry-oriented tool for simulating the deployment of new energy technologies across the US freight rail network. The framework provides a comprehensive network-level optimization and scenario simulation tool for decarbonizing the freight rail sector, addressing the uncertainties surrounding technological developments by supporting sensitivity analyses for different operational and technological parameters through a transparent and flexible input module. It offers practical alternatives to diesel locomotives and can be applied for any railroad considering the specific network structure and freight demand, outputting evaluation metrics for the associated emissions and costs relative to diesel operations. A number of relevant simulation scenarios were run and analyzed for key insights on the value of different alternative technologies for freight rail decarbonization. The project developments and findings have been presented at numerous conferences and events.

08 HYDROGEN↗