Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Tracking Progress”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Advanced silicon tracking detector developments for the future Electron-Ion Collider

The proposed Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) will operate high-luminosity high-energy electron+proton and electron+nucleus collisions at the collision energies from 20 GeV to 141 GeV to solve several fundamental questions in the high energy and nuclear physics fields. Its instantaneous luminosity can reach 10 33-34 cm -2 s -1 and the bunching crossing rate is around 10 ns. The EIC project has received CD1 approval from the US DOE in 2021 and moves toward the machine design and preparation for construction. To realize various particle measurements with high precision at the future EIC, a low material-budget and high-granularity silicon vertex and tracking detector with fine spatial and momentum resolutions and nearly 4π solid angle coverage is desired. The Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS) and AC Coupled Low Gain Avalanche Diode (AC-LGAD) technologies stand out of several advanced technology options for the EIC silicon vertex and tracking detector subsystems. The MAPS technology has advanced features of low material budget, low power consumption, good radiation resistance and fine spatial resolution. The AC-LGAD technology can achieve fast timing resolution. Latest studies and progress of the EIC silicon vertex and tracking detector conceptual design, performance validations in simulation and ongoing MAPS and AC-LGAD R&D will be shown. Furthermore, schedule and plan of the EIC project detector development will be discussed as well.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

A population data-driven workflow for COVID-19 modeling and learning

CityCOVID is a detailed agent-based model that represents the behaviors and social interactions of 2.7 million residents of Chicago as they move between and colocate in 1.2 million distinct places, including households, schools, workplaces, and hospitals, as determined by individual hourly activity schedules and dynamic behaviors such as isolating because of symptom onset. Disease progression dynamics incorporated within each agent track transitions between possible COVID-19 disease states, based on heterogeneous agent attributes, exposure through colocation, and effects of protective behaviors of individuals on viral transmissibility. Throughout the COVID-19 epidemic, CityCOVID model outputs have been provided to city, county, and state stakeholders in response to evolving decision-making priorities, while incorporating emerging information on SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology. Here we demonstrate our efforts in integrating our high-performance epidemiological simulation model with large-scale machine learning to develop a generalizable, flexible, and performant analytical platform for planning and crisis response.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Offshore Wind Market Report: 2023 Edition

The Offshore Wind Market Report: 2023 Edition provides detailed information on the U.S. and global offshore wind energy industries to inform policymakers, researchers, and analysts about technology, economic, and market trends. The scope of the report covers the status of over 293 global operating offshore wind energy projects as well as the broader global pipeline of projects in various stages of development through December 31, 2022. To provide up-to-date information and discussion on this emerging industry in the United States, this report tracks the significant U.S. domestic industry progress and events from January 1, 2022, through May 31, 2023. The U.S. offshore wind energy project development pipeline has reached a potential generating capacity of over 52 gigawatts, and the industry has seen strong support from state and federal governments (such as from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the announced Floating Offshore Wind Shot to reduce the cost of floating wind by 70%). There are contracts for over 17 gigawatts of the electricity from these offshore wind projects and state policies are in place to procure over 42 gigawatts by 2040. Although some projects are facing economic headwinds due to rising costs and higher interest rates (corresponding to project cost increases of 11% - 30% in 2022), there has still been significant investment in a domestic supply chain (including manufacturing facilities, new vessels, and upgraded or planned ports). Technologies continue to evolve as offshore wind turbines in the 15-megawatt class advance towards commercial production. Key offshore wind energy market indicators, such as commercial leasing, state energy planning targets, procurement policies, offtake agreements, and federal support for U.S. jobs and supply chain development, point toward sustained market growth when viewed together, but the macroeconomic hurdles facing the first generation of commercial projects could significantly stunt that growth.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

2015 China Green Low-Carbon City scorecard

In China’s rapid urbanization and industrialization, cities are playing important roles in helping the country reach its climate change mitigation goal of peaking CO2 emissions around 2030, and improving environmental quality. During the 12th Five-Year Plan (12th FYP) period (2011–2015), Chinese cities set ambitious goals and implemented diverse policies aimed at transitioning to a greener economy. The Chinese central government also set targets on a number of indicators, such economic energy intensity and carbon intensity (e.g., CO2 per unit GDP), and air quality (e.g., PM2.5 concentration). These targets are helpful for tracking implementation of individual policies or progress at a sectoral level. However, a more comprehensive and integrated approach is needed to assess progress and capture the multi-dimensional aspects of Chinese cities’ transition to a greener economy, an approach that offers comparison with international best practices, as well as working with data availability in China’s statistical system. This paper presents the development of a China Green LowCarbon City Index2 (CGLCCI, or City Index) and its application to 115 Chinese cities – the largest assessment of Chinese cities to date. The GCLCCI includes 23 key indicators across seven categories: economy, energy, industry, buildings, transportation, environment and land use, and climate policy and outreach. This paper applied the CGLCCI to benchmark the green and low-carbon development status of 115 Chinese cities in the year 2015. Data for the analysis came from government and publicly available data sources. The CGLCCI methodology provides a standardized method to benchmark each indicator, calculate overall city scores, and rank the cities.3 The results showed that the low-carbon transition in Chinese cities is still in its early stages. Compared to the best practices benchmarks, the 2015 City Index scores ranged from a low of 28 to a high score of 70 in 2015 (maximum score is 100). This paper also presents three top-performing cities in different stages of development and discusses how their scores across the index categories. Creating a green low-carbon index that relies on publicly available data in China, and regularly evaluating city performance, can encourage Chinese cities to learn best practices from each other, and to strengthen their goals and implementation efforts toward a green low-carbon transition.

Zhang, Jingjing↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mesoporous Thin Film Architectures: Addressing Material Demands through Molecular Self-Assembly

Mesoporous thin films spark interest across a wide range of disciplines due to their tunable nanostructures, large internal surface areas, and strong compatibility with planar optical, electronic, and microfluidic devices. While attention in the porous materials community has shifted toward macroporous or disordered nanoporous systems, a resurgence in mesoporous thin film research is underway, driven by new molecular self-assembly methods, advanced materials chemistry, and improved characterization techniques. The integration of high-χN block copolymer design, kinetically persistent micelle templating, and postdeposition processing protocols now allows control over structural parameters such as pore size, wall thickness, porosity, and connectivity. These advances have overcome many of the thermodynamic and processing constraints that previously limited widespread adoption. Rather than serving only as high-surface-area supports, mesoporous thin films are engineered as active interfaces where responsive chemistries and nanoscale confinement act in tandem. Embedding switchable ligands, thermoresponsive polymers, redox mediators, or ion-selective groups directly within the pore walls enables real-time control over transport, optical, and electrochemical properties. These capabilities open up new directions in adaptive coatings, gated membranes, and fast-response biosensors. To further expand their functional scope, mesoporous films are integrated into hierarchical and multicomponent architectures. Techniques such as triblock terpolymer templating, crack-directed assembly, and nanoimprint lithography allow for control over spatial organization on the micron and submicron scale and pore system orientation. This enables programmable anisotropy, enhanced molecular diffusion, and wavelength-selective photonic behavior, essential for next-generation sensing, catalysis, and energy applications. Such structural and functional complexity requires equally sophisticated characterization. Multimodal and in situ techniques can track material dynamics under operational conditions. Recent progress includes extended-range ellipsometric porosimetry (EP) for hierarchical architectures, vacuum EP for interface energetics, time-resolved EP for diffusion kinetics, and correlative AFM-SAXS mapping. The introduction of advanced neutron-based spectroscopies, particularly quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS), promises to provide real-time access to ion transport dynamics and segmental motion under nanoscale confinement, offering a path toward deeper mechanistic understanding of structure-performance correlations in mesoporous systems. This Account reflects the technical advances made and the interdisciplinary collaborations that have shaped our collective vision. The particular dimensions of mesopores enable us to subtly tune interactions at the molecular, interfacial, and mesoscopic levels that permit us to harness nanoconfinement. What emerges is a versatile, modular platform capable of chemical gating, energy transduction, and sensing with a level of tunability unmatched by other porous materials. We highlight critical challenges including the need for more robust large-area processing, a deeper understanding of dynamic behavior under cycling, and better integration with device-level architectures. Our strategies support the transition of mesoporous thin films into active high-performance components in next-generation energy, environmental, and biomedical systems.

oxides↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantifying the regional stranded asset risks from new coal plants under 1.5 °C

Momentum to phase out unabated coal use is growing globally. This transition is critical to meeting the Paris climate goals but can potentially lead to large amounts of stranded assets, especially in regions with newer and growing coal fleets. Here we combine plant-level data with a global integrated assessment model to quantify changes in global stranded asset risks from coal-fired power plants across regions and over time. With new plant proposals, cancellations, and retirements over the past five years, global net committed emissions in 2030 from existing and planned coal plants declined by 3.3 GtCO 2 (25%). While these emissions are now roughly in line with initial Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement, they remain far off track from longer-term climate goals. Progress made in 2021 towards no new coal can potentially avoid a 24% (503 GW) increase in capacity and a 55% ($520 billion) increase in stranded assets under 1.5 °C. Stranded asset risks fall disproportionately on emerging Asian economies with newer and growing coal fleets. Recent no new coal commitments from major coal financers can potentially reduce stranding of international investments by over 50%.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Probing Microplasticity in Small-Scale FCC Crystals via Dynamic Mechanical Analysis

In small-scale metallic systems, collective dislocation activity has been correlated with size effects in strength and with a steplike plastic response under uniaxial compression and tension. Yielding and plastic flow in these samples is often accompanied by the emergence of multiple dislocation avalanches. Dislocations might be active preyield, but their activity typically cannot be discerned because of the inherent instrumental noise in detecting equipment. We apply alternate current load perturbations via dynamic mechanical analysis during quasistatic uniaxial compression experiments on single crystalline Cu nanopillars with diameters of 500 nm and compute dynamic moduli at frequencies 0.1, 0.3, 1, and 10 Hz under progressively higher static loads until yielding. By tracking the collective aspects of the oscillatory stress-strain-time series in multiple samples, we observe an evolving dissipative component of the dislocation network response that signifies the transition from elastic behavior to dislocation avalanches in the globally preyield regime. We postulate that microplasticity, which is associated with the combination of dislocation avalanches and slow viscoplastic relaxations, is the cause of the dependency of dynamic modulus on the driving rate and the quasistatic stress. We construct a continuum mesoscopic dislocation dynamics model to compute the frequency response of stress over strain and obtain a consistent agreement with experimental observations. The results of our experiments and simulations present a pathway to discern and quantify correlated dislocation activity in the preyield regime of deforming crystals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Benchmarking U.S. Small Wind Costs with the Distributed Wind Taxonomy

The objective of this report is to benchmark costs for small wind projects installed in the United States using a distributed wind taxonomy. Consequently, this report is a starting point to help expand the U.S. distributed wind market by informing potential areas for small wind cost-reduction opportunities and providing a benchmark to track future small wind cost-reduction progress.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Benchmarking U.S. Small Wind Costs with the Distributed Wind Taxonomy

The objective of this report is to benchmark costs for small wind projects installed in the United States using a distributed wind taxonomy. Consequently, this report is a starting point to help expand the U.S. distributed wind market by informing potential areas for small wind cost-reduction opportunities and providing a benchmark to track future small wind cost-reduction progress.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Waste Management Project Success - Regulatory Assurance Systems - 20118

Waste management (WM) and remediation projects are essential within a restorative environmental culture. Despite years of experience, challenges and obstacles associated with efficient and effective WM project execution remain. Although some obstacles are project specific, a common challenge is navigating the regulatory landscape from planning through execution, particularly with first of a kind (FOAK) and first in a while (FIAW) projects. The absence of a comprehensive regulatory assurance strategy places significant hurdles in the path of project success. To clear a path for the successful execution of increasingly complex WM projects, this paper focuses on development of a comprehensive regulatory assurance strategy and implementation plan that effectively engages stakeholders, agencies, and performers to produce project plans that fully and cost effectively integrate applicable regulatory requirements. The most reliable way to align regulatory processes and decisions needed for mission success is through a regulatory assurance system. This system establishes a healthy interface with regulatory decision makers, to work in a collaborative manner, to create a common vision for regulatory decisions on an agreed upon schedule. A regulatory assurance system consists of several elements. Although the mission may vary from cleanup to site closure to nuclear component production, the elements of a regulatory assurance system remain essentially constant and must include: 1) identifying a common vision or end state, 2) developing a long-term, integrated strategy and schedule, 3) establishing a regulatory partnering team consisting of key decision-makers, 4) regular and frequent communication with decision-makers, 5) ensuring consistent surveillance for early identification of issues and changes that may impact the project, 6) quick resolution of emerging issues to prevent schedule impact, 7) identifying core compliance functions, 8) periodically assessing progress of the project as it relates to regulatory assurance and, 9) providing constructive feedback to improve the process. A regulatory assurance system provides a living, multi-faceted approach to planning, visioning, communicating and tracking to avoid surprises and ensure smooth and timely progress to the project. The overall success measures will be whether the system produces common sense regulatory decisions supporting the vision on time without appeal. Effective regulatory frameworks rarely happen on their own. Balanced, common-sense regulatory decisions stem from teams that are trained to work together to achieve shared goals. In this paper, particular attention is placed on the importance of starting with a shared vision for a regulatory assurance and execution strategy that leverages experience to establish optimal approaches. (authors)

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

Lithospheric instability and the source of the Cameroon Volcanic Line: Evidence from Rayleigh wave phase velocity tomography

The Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL) is a 1800 km long volcanic chain, extending SW-NE from the Gulf of Guinea into Central Africa, that lacks the typical age progression exhibited by hot spot-related volcanic tracks. Our study investigates the upper mantle seismic structure beneath the CVL and surrounding regions to constrain the origin of volcanic lines that are poorly described by the classic plume model. Rayleigh wave phase velocities are measured at periods from 20 to 182 s following the two-plane wave methodology, using data from the Cameroon Seismic Experiment, which consists of 32 broadband stations deployed between 2005 and 2007. These phase velocities are then inverted to build a model of shear wave velocity structure in the upper mantle beneath the CVL. Our results show that phase velocities beneath the CVL are reduced at all periods, with average velocities beneath the CVL deviating more than –2% from the regional average and +4% beneath the Congo Craton. This distinction is observed for all periods but is less pronounced for the longest periods measured. Inversion for shear wave velocity structure indicates a tabular low velocity anomaly directly beneath the CVL at depths of 50 to at least 200 km and a sharp vertical boundary with faster velocities beneath the Congo Craton. Finally, these observations demonstrate widespread infiltration or erosion of the continental lithosphere beneath the CVL, most likely caused by mantle upwelling associated with edge-flow convection driven by the Congo Craton or by lithospheric instabilities that develop due to the nearby edge of the African continent.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Two lectures on Yang-Lee edge singularity and analytic structure of QCD equation of state

These lecture notes, prepared for the 2024 XQCD PhD, provide an introduction to the analytic structure of an equation of state near a second-order phase transition and its most prominent landmark: the Yang-Lee edge singularity. In addition to discussing general properties, the notes review recent theoretical progress in locating the QCD critical point by tracking the trajectory of the Yang-Lee edge singularity.

Skokov, Vladimir (ORCID:0000000176191796)↗
DOE OSTI2016

Collaborative Research: Equipment for and Running of the PSI MUSE Experiment

The R&D funding from this award has been a significant tool to move the Muon Scattering Experiment (MUSE) at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland forward to the stage of realization. Specifically, this award has enabled Dr. Michael Kohl and his working group at Hampton University to achieve substantial progress toward the goal of providing beam particle tracking with Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors for MUSE experiment. Establishing a particle detection system that is capable of operating in a high-intensity environment, with a data acquisition system capable of running at several kHz, combined with robust tracking software providing high efficiency for track reconstruction in the presence of noise and backgrounds will have immediate application in many other experiments.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Flexible Fuel Electric Hybrid Glass Furnace Demonstration

The furnace contractor completed General Arrangement (GA) layouts and Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID) for both furnaces during this reporting period. Preliminary equipment lists accompanied this work. Control system architecture in progress. Key furnace design elements and deliverables on track to be complete by end of phase. The facilities design and integration contractor completed a 3D scan and modeling of the facility. The work during this period focused on preliminary design with a focus on overall project scope and feasibility. This key work supports the overall project deliverables for 30% preliminary engineering and Preliminary Design Report (PDR) which are on track to be complete by the end of the phase. These deliverables are approximately 50% complete through the end of this reporting period. The batch house operations design contractor continues development of site plan and General Arrangement (GA) layout to support the 30% preliminary engineering and design package. This work is 60% complete by the end of this reporting period and is on track to be complete by the end of the phase.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2015

Groundwater remediation at the Fernald preserve, Cincinnati, Ohio modeling and resulting 2014 well field operational changes - 15324

The Fernald Preserve became a US DOE Office of Legacy Management site in November 2006, for long-term surveillance and maintenance following completion (with the exception of completing groundwater cleanup) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; environmental remediation; and site restoration. When the site was turned over to the Office of Legacy Management, approximately 76 hectares (189 acres) of the Great Miami Aquifer (GMA) remained contaminated with uranium above the final remediation level of 30 micrograms per liter. Uranium contamination is being removed from groundwater in the GMA through a pump-and-treat operation that is predicted by groundwater modeling to continue until 2033. Certifying that cleanup objectives have been met and removing the remediation infrastructure after pump-and-treat (P and T) operations are complete will require a minimum of 3 additional years. The current P and T remedy has operated well. From August 1993 through December 2013 the remedy has been used to remove 5,345 kg (11,784 lb) of uranium from the GMA. A variety of metrics are used to track how the P and T operation is progressing and are reported each year in the Site Environmental Report for the Fernald site. The metrics show that the effectiveness of uranium removal is slowly decreasing (a common observation for P and T remedies) and that operational changes needed to be considered. Several different operational changes were modeled to determine if model-predicted cleanup dates could be shortened and if the effectiveness of the groundwater remediation could be improved. With the concurrence and support of US EPA, Ohio EPA, and site stakeholders, operational changes were agreed upon and implemented in 2014 that are predicted to increase the effectiveness of the ongoing operation and shorten cleanup times for a portion of the aquifer. Although the overall predicted length of the remediation was not shortened, modeling predicts that key areas of the uranium plume will be re-mediated sooner. This paper provides a status of the groundwater remediation under way at the Fernald Preserve near Cincinnati, presents the operational changes that were implemented in 2014, and summarizes the groundwater modeling that supported the changes. This paper also illustrates the potential benefits that can be gained by pro-actively managing a pump-and-treat operation and looking for innovative ways to adjust the operation. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Direct Feed Low Activity Waste Program Integration - 16638

The mission of Program Integration is to champion and steer the development and implementation of common and consistent programs between the Tank Operating Contract (TOC) contractor and the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) contractor. TOC is managed by Washington River Protection Solutions LLC (WRPS) and WTP is managed by Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI). The DOE Office of River Protection (DOE ORP) is the Program Owner. WRPS has been actively managing the TOC at the Hanford Site Tank Farms (TF) since 2008. Programs are already developed, verified, and in use for the TOC, whereas WTP is still in the construction phase. WTP Programs are established for construction only, but not developed for commissioning and future operations. An extensive effort is underway at WTP to develop commissioning programs. In order to drive consistency and minimize differences in program requirements between TF, which will feed the tank waste, and WTP, which will receive and treat the tank waste, DOE-ORP requires the two contractors to integrate and collaborate in program development. Advantages of integration are: - Achieves cost and time savings as WTP is able to review existing TOC programs as starting points in development of its programs. - Promotes interfaces with industry counterparts to share experiences, issues, and lessons learned. ? Minimizes difference in program requirements between the companies. - Helps prepare for and ultimately succeed in Operational Readiness Reviews (ORR). Program Integration is a priority for TOC and WTP, and in order to maintain the focus and drive to this effort, a unified One System Program Integration Council (OSPIC) was created in 2012. Membership of the OSPIC consists of senior managers from both companies and the OSPIC chair's report directly to their respective President. Thirty (30) programs are subject to integration, including but not limited to Conduct of Operations, Worker Safety and Health, Quality Assurance, Contractor Assurance, and Environmental Management. Progress of program development and integration efforts are tracked and monitored, and barriers to integration are resolved in a collaborative fashion within both companies. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

U.S. Efforts in Support of Examinations at Fukushima Daiichi - November 2022 Meeting Notes and Information Request Status

Information obtained from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (Daiichi) is required to inform future Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) activities, improving the ability of the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated (TEPCO Holdings) to characterize potential hazards and to ensure the safety of workers involved with cleanup activities. This information also has important implications for the safety and operation of U.S. commercial nuclear power plants. This document summarizes results from the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023) U.S. effort to review Daiichi information and extract insights to enhance the safety of existing and future nuclear power plant designs. This U.S. effort, which was initiated in 2014 by the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy, is completed by a group of experts in reactor safety and plant operations that identify examination needs and evaluate recent Daiichi examination data to address these needs. Fukushima-related information and associated discussions during these meetings benefit operating, new, and advanced reactors. Significant safety insights have been and are continuing to be obtained in several areas: system and component performance, radionuclide surveys and sampling, debris end-state location, combustible gas effects, and plant operations and maintenance. In addition to reducing uncertainties related to severe accident modeling progression, these insights have and continue to be used to update guidance for severe accident prevention, mitigation, and emergency planning. Furthermore, Daiichi-related activities, such as code modeling improvements and analysis, testing, and new technology deployment efforts, have the potential to offer additional benefits to the operating fleet and new LWR and non-LWR designs. U.S. evaluations of obtained examination information and input regarding future Daiichi examinations are of interest to several organizations within Japan. Since its inception, the U.S. has provided consensus input for high priority time-sequenced examination tasks and supporting research activities. In their Mid-to-Long-term Examination Plan for 1F investigations, TEPCO included all remaining U.S. consensus information requests and additional information requests they identified. TEPCO periodically provides reports on the status of these requests (reflecting D&D priorities, new insights from investigations, and new technologies that become available). Hence, U.S. experts agreed that it was appropriate for TEPCO to track and prioritize these information requests as D&D progresses. U.S. experts will continue to review and comment on the information obtained from examinations and, as needed, provide additional details and relevant background material to support future examinations. As documented in this report, several other items, such as additional details on information requests pertaining to ex-vessel examinations, relevant references from prior research, additional documents to provide insights regarding recent investigation findings, and reviews of recently released documents, were agreed to during the FY2023 meeting.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗