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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 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

De novo Materials Design of Catalytic Surface Motifs for Water-Gas-Shift (Final Progress Report DOE Grant DE-SC0019281)

This project was aimed at developing innovative theoretical methods and models to understand essential catalysis-relevant issues such as CO 2 conversion, fuel cells, and lithium batteries. Through collaborations with experimentalists, we strive to develop new quantum and machine learning methods for the understanding of surface and interfacial chemistry that can empower the design of energy and sustainability systems. Overall, our work under this grant brings cross-disciplinary insights into catalytic materials, microenvironments, and other conditions, which can serve to provide design rules for the next generation of catalysts.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

FY24 Progress Report: Disposition of Cracks & Features Observed in the Inner Can Closure Weld Region (ICCWR) of the 3013 Package

The long-term integrity of the 3013 containers is of interest for the safe storage of Pu materials. Although the 3013 standard embodies multiple barrier concept, the integrity of the inner container is considered to be crucial since it protects the Safety Class outer container from its contents. The container is designed to withstand high pressures that could result from the complete radiolysis of the maximum water content permissible by the 3013 standard. Shelf-life studies and destructive examination have not found high gas pressures but have found that corrosive gases are generated. Pitting and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) are considered to be critical corrosion modes for the performance of the inner container and have been observed during destructive examinations. Considerable research has been conducted on the possibility of aqueous electrolytes condensing on the inner container that can promote SCC. These studies indicate the uncertainties surrounding the formation of corrosive environments and the corrosion behavior of container materials. In this initial report, a Bayesian network (BN) model is described that can consider the uncertainties and the causal connections between various factors influencing the corrosion modes of the inner container. The BN model is preliminary and provides an initial framework to identify the necessary information. The report also provides initial experimental results on the electrochemical behavior of stainless steels in anticipated condensed environments from gas phase migration of acidic gases. The experimental results are consistent with the corrosion model. Recommendation for further work on the BN model include assembling an expert group to provide input to the BN structure and quantification of the conditional probability matrix, experimental studies to characterize the microstructure of the container, electrochemical studies to identify critical potentials for localized corrosion and SCC, and crack growth rate studies

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

Integrated Hydro-terrestrial Modeling 2.0: Progress and Path Forward on Building a National Capability

It is the role of the U.S. federal government and its supporting agencies, including academia and future scientists, to ensure that its people have sustained and equitable freshwater services, as well as the critical knowledge necessary to make decisions about the future as it relates to freshwater services. Clear and consistent information and guidance from federal agencies is critical. Integrated Hydro-Terrestrial Modeling (IHTM), as a United States (U.S.) national capability, focuses on understanding, quantifying, and managing the replenishment of water supply through hydrologic cycle processes and their governing forces. To provide that information, we need enhanced IHTM capabilities that capitalize on the strengths of each U.S. governmental agency and its core mission. The first IHTM workshop was held in 2019, and its subsequent report was published in 2020. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and member agencies held a second IHTM workshop (IHTM 2.0) from October 31 to November 2, 2023 in Reston, Virginia. The IHTM 2.0 workshop focused on the need to support a multiscale framework to accelerate research insights, better integrate operational and planning perspectives, and bridge national-to-regional capabilities to address major interdependent societal water challenges. The workshop was organized according to a “WHAT” and “HOW” framework, with the common underlying “WHY” being the integrated water resource challenges and the “WHO” defined through interagency and cooperating academic partners. The report provides a summary of plenary presentations and breakout discussions, and a road map that focuses on near-term activities.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Whole Algae Hydrothermal Liquefaction and Upgrading: A review of progress and challenges and insight into the future

This report summarizes the research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to evaluate the economic viability and environmental impact of using microalgae to produce fuels and other products via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). Over the past several years, PNNL has examined key aspects of feedstock cost and availability, formatting and conversion techniques, and the utilization of all HTL products. Investigations of feedstock cost led to opportunities to work with cost-advantaged algal feedstocks that can be provided at minimal cost for HTL processing. Cost-advantaged algae include wastewater-grown algae and harvested algal blooms. Although farm-cultivated algae offer the best possible biomass composition and scalability for HTL processing, the cost of the feedstock is too high to yield an economically competitive biofuel. Processing cost-advantaged feedstocks creates other unique challenges in adapting HTL to upgrade biomass with higher than typical ash content and less preferred composition (low lipid). Despite the challenges, HTL of cost-advantaged algae results in economically competitive pricing scenarios and significant advantages in reducing net emissions below 70% of the petroleum baseline. The utilization of a variety of potential non-fuel products from algal HTL, such as the use of HTL solids as a cement additive, provides a significant reduction in net emissions by offsetting emissions from other carbon-intense products. This report presents an analysis of the research conducted at PNNL to develop an economically and environmentally beneficial process for algae HTL.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Using ARM Observations to Evaluate Process-Interactions in MCS Simulations Across Scales (Final Progress Report)

This project, funded by DOE Atmospheric System Research (DE-SC0020050), focused on improving the representation of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) in numerical weather and climate models by leveraging high-resolution observations from the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. The research aimed to evaluate model sensitivities to grid spacing, microphysics, and planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes, with a particular emphasis on improving convection parameterization for high-resolution modeling. Findings from this work highlight several key advancements. Model validation against ARM radar wind profiler data from the Southern Great Plains (SGP) and Manaus (MAO) sites revealed systematic biases in simulated convective mass flux profiles, leading to the development of an observationally constrained evaluation framework for diagnosing and improving model performance. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that the representation of Amazonian MCSs was highly dependent on PBL scheme selection, while mid-latitude MCSs were more strongly influenced by microphysics parameterizations. A series of high-resolution WRF simulations, ranging from 4 km to 125 m grid spacing, provided insight into the behavior of convective drafts across scales. While updraft properties converged at sub-kilometer resolutions, biases in downdraft intensity persisted even at the finest resolution tested, emphasizing the need for further refinements in model physics. Additionally, comparisons of MCS vertical structures between mid-latitude and tropical environments revealed stronger updrafts and larger mass flux in mid-latitude MCSs, providing critical insights for improving climate model representations of storm-scale dynamics. The project’s findings have already contributed to advancing numerical modeling capabilities, particularly in WRF, MPAS, ICON, and DOE’s SCREAM model, by refining how convective processes are represented in high-resolution climate simulations. Results were disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and ARM/ASR Research Highlights, engaging the broader scientific community. The project also provided valuable training opportunities for two postdoctoral researchers, who played central roles in model development, analysis, and dissemination of results. Their work contributed to several publications and conference presentations, helping prepare them for careers in atmospheric modeling. By improving the simulation of MCSs, this research directly supports the development of next-generation climate models capable of more accurately representing extreme precipitation and convective processes. The insights gained will inform future improvements in convective parameterization and guide the design of high-resolution weather and climate simulations, ultimately enhancing the reliability of climate projections and weather forecasts.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterizing falling particle curtain receivers at commercially relevant scales: Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR-1)

Sandia will construct a cold flow receiver test platform in order to characterize falling particle curtain receivers at commercially relevant scales. While Sandia has extensive experience in R&D of falling particle curtain receivers, most have been at pilot scale and smaller - on the order of 1 MW th with characteristic dimensions of nominally 1-2 m to adequately collect solar energy from the heliostat field at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF). However, scaling up receivers to commercially relevant scales (25 MW th and above) will require a thorough understanding of particle curtain dynamics at larger scales, especially longer drop heights, for design certainty. The goal of this project will be to construct a cold falling particle curtain test rig capable of simulating particle characteristics that are expected in a commercial scale CSP plant, namely the drop height, curtain thickness, and particle mass flow rate (normalized by length of curtain). This will enable data collection on curtain opacity and spread, both of which are correlated to receiver efficiency and reliable construction, for commercially relevant scales. It will also permit validation of numerical models that will enable detailed receiver characterization and design past currently validated scales.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating Microchannel Heat Exchanger Lifetime for Concentrating Solar Power Applications Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR-1)

Microchannel heat exchanger technology is being pursued for next generation CSP concepts for primary power cycle heat addition and power cycle heat recuperation due to the high heat transfer coefficients and pressure containment advantages of small sCO 2 channels. The economics of future CSP plants as dictated by the SETO 2020 or 2030 targets depend on a heat exchanger with a 30-year lifetime (resisting creep, fatigue, corrosion, erosion) and operational characteristics such as fast ramping and the ability to withstand thermal shock. However, the lifetime and operational limits of microchannel heat exchangers operating at high temperatures, particularly those constructed from high-nickel alloys, are not well known. This uncertainty has resulted in heat exchanger vendors not being able to accurately forecast heat exchanger lifetime as required by customers, specify operational limits as required by process engineers to prevent premature heat exchanger failure, or overdesign heat exchanger which leads to higher cost than necessary.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Los Alamos National Laboratory Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY24 Annual Progress Report and Report on Completed Projects

The Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Annual Report for fiscal year 2024 (FY24) is organized as follows: Overview: A description of the LDRD program at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), including the program’s structure and objectives; a summary of the program’s value; and highlights of outstanding program accomplishments.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Progress in $Nb_3Sn$ SRF Technology: Opportunities and Outlook

Nb3Sn superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities can expand performance capabilities of particle accelerators for both the fundamental research and the industrial applications. The technology holds a great appeal especially to small-scale applications, where it can enable a turn-key compact cryocooler operation eliminating the need for complex sub-atmospheric liquid helium cryogenic plants. Since the research into Nb3Sn SRF coatings using vapor diffusion technique restarted in 2009 at Cornell University, there has been a growing number of SRF groups around the world developing this technology with a steady increase in cavity performance and system complexity. In this talk, after a short overview of SRF technology, I will present on some of the recent developments in Nb3Sn SRF cavities, focusing on recent efforts to complete the first-of-its-kind Nb3Sn 2-cavity CEBAF-type cryomodule, which was assembled and tested last year. The talk will conclude with a short overview on some of the ongoing projects and the future possibilities for Nb3Sn cavities in accelerator applications.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Sustaining the Z Facility (FY24 Progress Report)

Based on planning and reviews conducted in 2020, it is clear today that the Z Facility must be sustained through 2040 or longer. This requires a well-developed and executed maintenance and sustainment effort. Z’s Sustainment Plan outlines the approach that Sandia’s Pulsed Power Sciences Center will pursue to assure that the Z Facility maintains its world class research and development program supporting the NNSA’s Science Based Stockpile Stewardship efforts. In FY24, the Pulsed Power Center at SNL planned and executed many substantial sustainment projects as well as maintenance-driven-sustainment aligned to the Sustainment Plan. These projects are listed in this section with brief descriptions of the work executed.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Replacement of Fly Ash with Natural Pozzolans in Cementitious Waste Forms: Progress Report

The Department of Energy Environmental Management (DOE EM) Office is currently responsible for treating radioactive and mixed waste, environmental restoration, and closing contaminated tanks and facilities resulting from radioactive isotope production for defense applications during the Cold War. Cementitious reagents are the most widely used materials for (1) chemically stabilizing and encapsulating radionuclides and hazardous metals contaminated with radionuclides and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous metals and (2) solidifying radioactive and mixed wastewater for final disposal. Cementitious grouts and flowable concretes are also the most widely used materials for DOE waste tank and facility closures.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Imprinted Micelle Integration into a Commercial Platform (Progress Report)

PNNL has successfully integrated a commercial aerosol detector and the imprinted micelle technology. The integrated systems have been shown to have a limit of detection between 33-47 particles with several options for data analysis presented that vary on computational requirements. It is possible to integrate these systems and receive response data on the second time scale. While more work is needed, these technologies are compatible, which opens up a large field of air sampling looking for specific contaminates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Establishing an Early CO 2 Storage Complex in Kemper County, Mississippi: Project ECO 2 S (Phase III) (Final Progress Report)

“Establishing an Early CO 2 Storage Complex in Kemper County, Mississippi (Project ECO 2 S)” is an early mover project within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise, or CarbonSAFE, initiative. Phase III of Project ECO2S advanced the foundational work of Phase II, which confirmed the potential for safely, permanently, and economically storing commercial volumes of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the regionally significant saline reservoir system near Mississippi Power Company’s (MPC) Kemper County Energy Facility. The primary objective of Phase III was to complete detailed site characterization necessary to obtain an Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI Permit to Construct from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This involved transitioning from regional geologic assessments to high-resolution site-specific analyses.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Q-Fibre Quarterly Performance Progress Report

The project titled Quantitative Strain Monitoring for Well and Seal Integrity through Wellbore Fiber Optic Cable s, or Q-Fibre in short, is a multi-national collaborative project under the Clean Energy Transitional Partnership (CETP) program. The lead organization of the project is the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), and the LLNL team joins as a beneficiary member. The LLNL team receives the funding from the U.S. Department of Energy with the amount of $\$$1 million across three years, and the budget is primarily allocated to Work Package 3 (WP3) of the project, which focuses on Numerical Modeling of Fiber Optic Cable Data . Figure 1 presents all work packages involved in the project and corresponding lead organization for each work package. The LLNL team leads WP3.

42 ENGINEERING↗