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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 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Structural Design Variations in Beetle Elytra

Abstract Beetles typically use their protective wing coverings or elytra to shield their membranous hindwings from the environment. Elytra in some terrestrial species have evolved a greater protective role capable of shielding the organism from powerful antagonistic predators. The structure–function relationships of these biological composites identify how architectural and chemical variations of the cuticle are tuned to create light‐weight, impact resistant composites. Specifically, the elytral structures of a tree dwelling beetle capable of flight, Trypoxylus dichotomus , and a terrestrial beetle incapable of flight, Phloeodes diabolicus , are compared to understand how their varied environmental needs forged the elytra to facilitate fight or resist fatal predator strikes. Mechanical and microstructural analysis reveals P . diabolicus has a harder, stiffer elytra that incorporate through‐thickness fibers to resist greater mechanical stresses imposed by bending and puncture. Conversely, the elytra of T . dichotomus have a compliant structure with large voids that facilitates localized deformation. Variations in flexural strength and puncture resistance remain attributed to P . diabolicus possessing a thicker cuticle with a greater degree of cross‐linking and an increased amount of endocuticular layers. These findings may provide useful insight into the design and manufacturing of composite materials for use in light‐weight or energy‐absorbing applications.

Rivera, Jesus↗
DOE OSTI2022

Overcoming Shockley-Queisser limit using halide perovskite platform?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reveals that the global temperature has reached its highest level in the last 2,000 years. Development of emissions-free electrification technologies such as photovoltaics (PV) can be a great paramountcy to balance the climate pressure and the growing demand on energy. Although many PV technologies have been demonstrated so far, all the single-junction PVs are still subjected to the well-known efficiency cap of the Shockley-Queisser limit (33.7%), with most of the absorbed solar energy lost into heat. In parallel to delicate system-level designs, such as tandem, multi-junction, photothermal, or up-/down-conversion, we ask the question about the feasibility of overcoming the SQ limit at material level. In this study, we first dissect the origin of the limit, and then, by using the emerging perovskite as the platform, we list several potential pathways (i.e., hot carrier, multi-exciton generation, intermediate band gap, and ferroelectricity that have been newly discovered or can be introduced in the perovskite) to the roadmap of exceeding the SQ limit.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Creating heralded hyper-entangled photons using Rydberg atoms

Entangled photon pairs are a fundamental component for testing the foundations of quantum mechanics, and for modern quantum technologies such as teleportation and secured communication. Current state-of-the-art sources are based on nonlinear processes that are limited in their efficiency and wavelength tunability. This motivates the exploration of physical mechanisms for entangled photon generation, with a special interest in mechanisms that can be heralded, preferably at telecommunications wavelengths. Here we present a mechanism for the generation of heralded entangled photons from Rydberg atom cavity quantum electrodynamics (cavity QED). We propose a scheme to demonstrate the mechanism and quantify its expected performance. The heralding of the process enables non-destructive detection of the photon pairs. The entangled photons are produced by exciting a rubidium atom to a Rydberg state, from where the atom decays via two-photon emission (TPE). A Rydberg blockade helps to excite a single Rydberg excitation while the input light field is more efficiently collectively absorbed by all the atoms. The TPE rate is significantly enhanced by a designed photonic cavity, whose many resonances also translate into high-dimensional entanglement. The resulting high-dimensionally entangled photons are entangled in more than one degree of freedom: in all of their spectral components, in addition to the polarization—forming a hyper-entangled state, which is particularly interesting in high information capacity quantum communication. We characterize the photon comb states by analyzing the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference and propose proof-of-concept experiments.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Superlative mechanical energy absorbing efficiency discovered through self-driving lab-human partnership

Energy absorbing efficiency is a key determinant of a structure’s ability to provide mechanical protection and is defined by the amount of energy that can be absorbed prior to stresses increasing to a level that damages the system to be protected. Here, we explore the energy absorbing efficiency of additively manufactured polymer structures by using a self-driving lab (SDL) to perform >25,000 physical experiments on generalized cylindrical shells. We use a human-SDL collaborative approach where experiments are selected from over trillions of candidates in an 11-dimensional parameter space using Bayesian optimization and then automatically performed while the human team monitors progress to periodically modify aspects of the system. The result of this human-SDL campaign is the discovery of a structure with a 75.2% energy absorbing efficiency and a library of experimental data that reveals transferable principles for designing tough structures.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Recycled Glass Polypropylene Composites from Transportation Manufacturing Waste

In recent years there has been growing interest in developing recycling technologies for composites manufacturing scrap, process waste and end-of-life parts. The focus of this work was to establish processing routes and mechanical property bounds for glass-polypropylene (PP-GF) scrap from the production of parts for truck trailers, automobiles, and rail cars. This study considered PP-GF scrap and demonstrated extrusion-compression molding (ECM) as a viable route for the closed-loop manufacture of composite parts. The results were promising in terms of the strength and modulus retention of the PP-GF recyclate. The tensile strength and modulus was the highest for 50% and 66% recycled content, compared with 100% and 83% recycle content. The flexural strength and modulus of the 100% and 83% recycled compositions was higher than the 66% and 50% recycled content, respectively. The impact energy absorption of the PP-GF recyclate at at all fiber loadings was superior in absorbing energy compared with the incumbent (benchmark) plywood. This work is useful to designers seeking to incorporate recycled materials in their products.

Vaidya, Uday↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design Study of a Superconducting Quadrupole Magnet System Sustainable Under Dark Current Heating in ILC Main Linac

The International Linear Collider (ILC) main linac comprises a series of 12 m-long cryomodules. The cryomodule contains eight 9-cell superconducting (SC) RF (SRF) cavities and an SC quadrupole magnet combined with dipole correctors to focus and steer electron and positron beams. The magnets are installed between the SRF cavity string and at the longitudinal center of a common cryomodule/cryostat. These magnets are conductively cooled by pure aluminum channels thermally connected to a 2 K two-phase helium pipe for cooling the SRF cavities. A recent study shows that field-emitted electrons, so-called “dark current” initiated in the SRF cavities, are transmitted through the SRF cavity string and reach the SC magnet. The energy is inevitably absorbed in the SC coil due to the magnetic field, resulting in risks of a quench caused by the coil heating. We are investigating alternate magnet designs by using Nb $_{3}$ Sn or $\text{MgB}_{2}$ SC and by adding the dark current absorber surrounding the beam-pipe to realize sustainable magnet operation under the dark current heating. We report the design study of the magnet system and interfaces to the cryomodule accommodating it with the SRF cavities.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fabrication of neutron absorbing metal hydride entrained ceramic matrix shield composites

With significant improvement in High Temperature Superconductors (HTS), several projects are adopting HTS technology for fusion power systems. Compact HTS tokamaks offer potential advantages including lower plant costs, enhanced plasma control, and ultimately lower cost of electricity. However, as compact reactors have a reduced radial build to accommodate shielding, HTS degradation due to radiation damage or heating is a significant and potentially design limiting issue. Shielding must mitigate threats to the superconducting coils: neutron cascade damage, heat deposition and potentially organic insulator damage due x-rays. Unfortunately, there are currently no hi-performance shielding materials to enable the potential performance enhancement offered by HTS. In this work, we present a manufacturing method to fabricate a new class of composite shields that are high performance, high operating temperature, and simultaneously neutron absorbing and neutron moderating. The composite design consists of an entrained metal-hydride phase within a radiation stable MgO ceramic host matrix. We discuss the fabrication, characterization, and thermophysical performance data for a series of down-selected composite materials inspired by future fusion core designs and their operational performance metrics. To our knowledge these materials represent the first ceramic composite shield materials containing significant metal hydrides.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Performance Analyses of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide-Based Parabolic Trough Collectors with Double-Glazed Receivers

Supercritical carbon dioxide is becoming a hot research topic as a potential heat transfer fluid in parabolic trough concentrators since it enables operating the solar system at high temperatures for a higher quality of energy. However, the corresponding inflated thermal losses necessitate alternative receiver designs. This work examines four double-glazed receivers, with each annular space being evacuated or non-evacuated, in terms of the absorber tube's diameter (53-80 mm) and the diameter ratios of the two glass shells (1.2-2.0). An analytical model is developed and validated for this purpose, and the four designs are further examined using ground-level solar and meteorological measurements. The results demonstrate higher performance in the case of fully evacuating the receiver and using the smallest possible diameters of the three concentric cylinders, where the energy and exergy efficiencies reach 65.3 and 40.3%, respectively. Yet, evacuating only the inner annular space is sufficient to achieve virtually the same performance level. This energy efficiency decreases to 62% in case of increasing the tube diameter to 80 mm. As the operating temperature increases from 423 to 850 K, the specific thermal losses increase by 3.98-4.34 folds, depending on the receiver design. Double glazing the receivers is favorable only at high operating temperatures of sCO2, where the reduction in thermal losses overcomes the drop in optical efficiency. For an inlet sCO2 temperature of 850 K, thermal losses are reduced by 33.64 and 53.92%, compared to evacuated and non-evacuated single-glazed receivers, respectively. Throughout the year, the fully evacuated and fully non-evacuated double-glazed receivers have energy efficiencies of 54.96 and 52.39%, exergy efficiencies of 33.64 and 32.06%, and thermal losses of 348.8 and 402.5 W/m, respectively.

analytical model↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design, construction and commissioning of a technological prototype of a highly granular SiPM-on-tile scintillator-steel hadronic calorimeter

The CALICE collaboration is developing highly granular electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters for detectors at future energy frontier electron-positron colliders. After successful tests of a physics prototype, a technological prototype of the Analog Hadron Calorimeter has been built, based on a design and construction techniques scalable to a collider detector. The prototype consists of a steel absorber structure and active layers of small scintillator tiles that are individually read out by directly coupled SiPMs. Each layer has an active area of 72 × 72 cm^2 and a tile size of 3 × 3 cm^2. With 38 active layers, the prototype has nearly 22,000 readout channels, and its total thickness amounts to 4.4 nuclear interaction lengths. The dedicated readout electronics provide time stamping of each hit with an expected resolution of about 1 ns. The prototype was constructed in 2017 and commissioned in beam tests at DESY. It recorded muons, hadron showers and electron showers at different energies in test beams at CERN in 2018. In this paper, the design of the prototype, its construction and commissioning are described. The methods used to calibrate the detector are detailed, and the performance achieved in terms of uniformity and stability is presented.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Comparison of Designs of Hydrogen Isotope Separation Columns by Numerical Modeling

Mixtures of gas-phase hydrogen isotopologues (diatomic combinations of protium, deuterium, and tritium) can be separated using columns containing a solid such as palladium that reversibly absorbs hydrogen. A temperature-swing process can transport hydrogen into or out of a column by inducing temperature-dependent absorption or desorption reactions. Here, we consider two designs: a thermal cycling absorption process, which moves hydrogen back and forth between two columns, and a simulated moving bed (SMB), where columns are in a circular arrangement. We present a numerical mass and heat transport model of absorption columns for hydrogen isotope separation. It includes a detailed treatment of the absorption–desorption reaction for palladium. By comparing the isotope concentrations within the columns as a function of position and time, we observe that SMB can lead to sharper separations for a given number of thermal cycles by avoiding the remixing of isotopes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimizing molecular light absorption in the strong coupling regime for solar energy harvesting

The strong coupling of optical absorbers (e.g., molecules or semiconductors) to confined photonic modes fundamentally alters the physical properties of the coupled system via the formation of hybrid light-matter states. One potential application of strong light-matter coupling relies on exploiting it to localize light-induced charge excitation processes to small volumes of material. Applications that would benefit from this localization include thin-film photovoltaics, photodetection, photocatalysis, and others, where the overall performance depends on the ability of a material to amplify light absorption (i.e., the formation of electron-hole pairs) within specific locations in space. This contribution investigates how strong light-matter coupling affects light absorption rates in molecular absorbers coupled to photonic nanostructures. Here, our results show that the molecular light absorption efficiencies are highest in configurations where the strongly coupled molecules interact directly with the incoming photon flux. We also identify a nonlinear dependence in the molecular absorption as a function of concentration, unique to the strongly coupled systems. Based on these results, we propose design principles for engineering nanostructured systems that allow for high efficiencies of charge carrier localization into strongly coupled absorbers.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enhancement of Two Heterogeneous Reactions in the Production of the Medical Isotope 188 W

We report the efficiency of heterogeneous reactions is influenced by kinetic conditions with an emphasis on reactants in different phases to have effective interactions. Optimal interactions of reactants rely on the rational design of the equipment and engineering parameters for the reaction process, especially for the process on a large scale. 188 W production at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is such an example. In processing the irradiated 186 W metal target for the 188 W product, two of the heterogeneous reactions are essential ones: (1) the gas–solid reaction of O 2 + W to form WO 3 and (2) the gas–liquid reaction of OsO 4 being absorbed by the NaOH sorbent. Better understanding of the two reactions has led to revisions to the design of the quartz reaction vessel (gas–solid reaction) and the scrubbing system (gas–liquid reaction). The optimized quartz vessel resulted in less heating hours, whereas a more efficient OsO 4 scrubbing system ensured that all volatile OsO 4 was qualitatively captured.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Metamaterials as a Platform for the Development of Novel Materials for Energy Applications

To explore the fundamental properties of metamaterials (MMs) / metasurfaces and their potential for control of energy at the sub‐wavelength scale in support of the mission of the Department of Energy and the office of Basic Energy Sciences. Electromagnetic metamaterials provide a platform for the discovery and design of new materials with novel structures, functions, and properties. The PI proposes to advance the knowledge base of these materials through fundamental investigations of the experimental and theoretical properties of metamaterials for the discovery, prediction and design of new materials with novel structures, functions, and properties. The proposed research activities emphasize a complete basic research program including the conceptual / computational design, fabrication / synthesis of the materials, and the characterization and analysis of their electromagnetic properties. The proposed project explores the fundamental properties of metamaterials / metasurfaces and their potential for energy applications. There are three main topics which will be investigated: 1) Dispersion engineering with metamaterials and metasurfaces, 2) Epsilon near zero metamaterial absorbers and emitters, and 3) All dielectric metamaterials. The program implements a complete basic research program consisting of theory / design, modeling, characterization, and analysis, in order to fully characterize metamaterials and metasurfaces, while at the same time minimizing iterations necessary to achieve the proposal goals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

MASK4 Test Campaign for Sandia WaveBot Device

This data and report details the findings from a wave tank test focused on production of useful work of a wave energy converter (WEC) device. The experimental system and test were specifically designed to validate models for power transmission throughout the WEC system. Additionally, the validity of co-design informed changes to the power take-off (PTO) were assessed and shown to provide the expected improvements in system performance. These data describe the "MASK4" wave tank test of the Sandia WaveBot device. The WaveBot device has been tested a number of times in different permutations at the US Navy's Maneuvering and Sea Keeping (MASK) basin. Each test in this series is referred to as MASK1, MASK2, etc. The WaveBot device was first tested in one degree of freedom (heave) in 2016. This MASK1 test focused primarily on system identification and modeling. After MASK1, major modifications were performed to improve the overall real-time control and measurement system, improve the heave drive train, and add surge and pitch degrees of freedom. The second set of testing, which was broken up in to two stages: MASK2A and MASK2B, focused on bench testing and closed-loop control performance as well as nonlinear modeling. MASK3 then focused on multi-input, multi-output modeling and control for maximization of electrical power. The attached report presents the results from MASK4, which focuses on detailed modeling of the power conversion chain and validation co-design principles by way of the introduction of a magnetic spring. The test log, report, and data from the MASK4 test of the WaveBot augmented with a tunable magnetic spring. Processing codes can be found at the Github link below.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2022

An e-beam irradiation beamline at Jefferson Lab for 1,4-dioxane and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remediation in wastewater

The Upgraded Injector Test Facility (UITF) at Jefferson Lab, providing a beam energy up to 10 MeV, is suitable for wastewater remediation research. To investigate the degradation of 1,4-dioxane and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), widespread in wastewater and potential to be regulated in near future, a beamline for electron-beam irradiation has been designed, installed and successfully commissioned at the UITF. A solenoid with a peak axial magnetic field of up to 0.28 T and a raster were used to obtain a Gaussian beam profile with a transverse standard deviation of 15 mm. It was applied to irradiate 1,4-dioxane sample filled in the target cell that was designed to let the entire sample receive significant irradiation doses. The dose distribution and absorbed dose, few studied in the current publications, are necessary measures for the degradation mechanism investigation and have been innovatively achieved in this work using simulations which were calibrated with opti-chromic dosimeter rods directly exposed to the electron beam. This approach provides an important way for investigating the environmental remediation impact of electron-beam irradiation.

Li, Xi↗
DOE OSTI2022

Gen3 Gas Phase System Development and Demonstration (Final Technical Report)

Work undertaken in this project seeks to transform the current baseline technology – which is a collection of related but separately developed components and concepts – into a unified and operating test facility and an accompanying preliminary commercial design. This project is motivated by the primary goal of developing a system to absorb concentrated solar energy and deliver it into thermal energy storage at temperatures above 700°C, thereby enabling integration with a high-efficiency supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO 2 ) power cycle to achieve or exceed a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) target of 6 ¢ per kilowatt-hour electric (kW e -hr). The proposed baseline solution utilizes a high-temperature gas phase (GP) system interfacing with a two-tank particle thermal energy storage (TES) and intermediate heat exchangers to supply sCO 2 at 20-25 megapascals (MPa) and 700°C at the turbine inlet.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Performance Evaluation of an Additively Manufactured ultra-High Operating Temperature SiC Solar-Thermal Air Receiver (HOTSSTAR) Test Module

Increasing operating temperatures of solar receivers is paramount to the efficiency of concentrated solar thermal and solar power systems. GE Aerospace Research in collaboration with Heliogen Inc and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is engaged in the development of ultra-High Operating Temperature SiC-matrix Solar Thermal Air Receiver (HOTSSTAR) enabled by additive manufacturing. HOTSSTAR goal is to demonstrate SiC receiver with air exit temperatures up to 1100oC. We discuss fabrication and on-sun test results of a prototype 50kWth test module. The receiver architecture is based on a radial airflow design and consists of a series of radial SiC receiver sectors organized around central absorber. These components were fabricated using binder-jet printed SiC followed by melt-infiltration reaction bonding process. To enhance the thermo-mechanical reliability of SiC test articles in thermal gradient/ shock environment of the application, the components were laminated with GE’s MI SiC CMC. A dedicated test facility was constructed at SNL Solar Tower to evaluate the operational performance of HOTSSTAR module under solar fluxes >200 W/cm2. We report on our final 50kW test module fabrication, integration at the test facility at Sandia, and discuss on-sun test results. We compare the performance of HOTSSTAR module relative to our model predictions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Design and testing of a free floating dual flap wave energy converter

With a wide variety of wave energy device archetypes currently under consideration, it is a major challenge to ensure that research findings and methods are broadly applicable. In particular, the design and testing of wave energy control systems, a process which includes experimental design, empirical modeling, control design, and performance evaluation, is of interest. This goal motivated the redesign and testing of a floating dual flap wave energy converter. As summarized in this paper, the steps taken in the design, testing, and analysis of the device mirrored those previously demonstrated on a three-degree of freedom point absorber device. The method proposed does not require locking WEC degrees of freedom to develop an excitation model, and presents a more attainable system identification procedure for at-sea deployments. The results show that the methods employed work well for this dual flap device, lending additional support for the broad applicability of the design and testing methods applied here. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that these models are particularly useful for deducing areas of device design or controller implementation that can be reasonably improved to increase device power capture.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗