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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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NASA NTRS2023

NASA Standing Review Board Handbook

This handbook provides guidance based on best practices for the planning, preparation, review, reporting, and closeout of Standing Review Board (SRB) activities. Revision C updates the Revision B version of the SRB Handbook published in 2016 to incorporate updates to NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR) 7120.5F, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements. These updates include: - Changing the Dissenting Opinion process to the Formal Dissent process, which retains the current process augmented with an expedited escalation path. - Updates to requirements for establishing an Agency Baseline Commitment (ABC) and for performing Joint Cost and Schedule Confidence Level (JCL) analyses for tightly coupled programs. - Additional requirements for performing a JCL analysis for single-project programs and projects over $1B Life-Cycle Cost (LCC). - Use of initial capability cost estimates instead of LCC estimates in specific, identified instances for single-project programs and projects that plan continuing operations and production, including integration of capability upgrades, with an unspecified Phase E end point. These single-project programs and projects define an initial capability during Phase A and develop an initial capability cost that establishes the ABC at Key Decision Point (KDP) C. Initial capability is the first operational mission flight (or as defined in the KDP B Review Plan) and is documented in the KDP B Decision Memorandum. Initial capability cost includes operations cost for the initial capability. The Phase E cost estimate for continuing operations and production is established separately as part of the Operational Readiness Review (ORR) and KDP E for the 5 years after initial capability and subsequently updated and documented annually for the next 5-year period. Upgrades during Phase E that meet the Agency criteria for a major project for external reporting are treated as projects for the purposes of establishing their own development ABC outside the Phase E cost estimate. The Phase E cost estimate is updated to include production and operations costs associated with these upgrades. Development, production, and operations costs of other (i.e., non-major) upgrades are included in the Phase E cost estimate. (See NPR 7120.5, Sections 2.4.1.5 and 2.4.1.6 and the NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Handbook (PM Handbook), Section 5.5.4 for additional information.) The scope of the SRB’s assessment with respect to initial capability, Phase E cost estimate, and major upgrades for these single-project programs and projects is defined in the Terms of Reference (ToR).

Kevin Michael Gilligan↗
DOE OSTI2022

A review of cladding failure thresholds in RIA conditions based on transient reactor test data and the need for continued testing

Transient reactor experiments on light water reactor (LWR) fuel pins had been conducted since the beginning of the nuclear era to help determine core coolability and cladding failure thresholds. During one such test in November of 1993 at the CABRI transient test reactor on a test involving a high burnup fuel rod with a corroded Zircaloy-4 cladding it was first observed that cladding failures could occur prior to a departure from nucleate boiling (pre-DNB) at lower-than-expected peak radial average enthalpies. Thirteen additional tests would be performed in the CABRI reactor over the next decade on fuel rods with higher burnups [1]. Additionally, a larger testing program at the NSRR reactor in Japan with high burnup fuel would uncover a similar trend of pre-DNB ruptures in high burnup test rods at lower-than-expected peak enthalpies [2]. Numerous out of pile testing programs involving a variety of innovative mechanical testing techniques have been employed in an attempt to better quantify the failure thresholds of corroded zirconium alloy cladding in these rapid heating and loading conditions [3][4][5]. While previously interim guidance had been issued, in June of 2020 the NRC officially published updated regulatory guidance to account of these pre-DNB failures in Regulatory Guide 1.236 [6]. This paper will present an independent review of the publicly available transient reactor test database on higher burnup LWR pins conducted at the CABRI and NSRR reactors as well as review of a selection of published out of pile mechanical testing methods. The purpose of the review is to determine how well the new regulatory limits are supported by experimental data. The review will identify if additional transient reactor tests could provide additional support for the NRC guidance or identify the need for revisions. The evaluation will consider how far the existing database can be extrapolated when considering low hydrogen zirconium alloy claddings (with and without protective coatings) containing very high burnup (> 70 MWd/kgU) UO2 fuel pellets. Finally, the authors will suggest how out of pile mechanical tests can be used in conjunction with a limited number of transient reactor tests to develop cladding specific failure thresholds in RIA type transients.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program: 2021 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report; June 7-11, 2021

This document summarizes peer review comments and scores for the fiscal year 2021 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), held virtually June 7-11, 2021. In response to direction from various stakeholders, including the National Academies, this review process provides project- and program-level evaluations of DOE-funded research, development, demonstration, and analysis of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

AMR↗
DOE OSTI2024

U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program: 2023 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report; June 6-9, 2023

This document summarizes peer review comments and scores for the fiscal year 2023 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), held June 6-9, 2023. This review process provides project- and program-level evaluations of DOE-funded research, development, demonstration, and analysis of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

AMR↗
DOE OSTI2026

Critical Review of Brazil Disk Techniques for Tensile Strength Characterization With an Emphasis on High Explosive Materials

Mechanical properties are a critical performance metric for many high explosive (HE) materials and tensile strength properties are particularly important. Direct tensile measurements using dogbone shaped samples are the gold standard but they have the disadvantage that they are fairly large and require samples machined from billets. Diametral compression, more commonly known as Brazil disk (BD) testing, is an indirect method for measuring tensile strength on smaller and more easily fabricated samples. A review of the BD literature is presented with an emphasis on tensile strength measurements in high explosive materials. BD literature is reviewed in three primary areas: (i) rocks and concrete, (ii) pharmaceutical materials, and (iii) high explosive materials. The literature for rocks/concrete is extensive and dates back over 80 years; despite this there is no consensus on the validity/accuracy of the BD technique or the optimal variant of the BD technique to employ. The pharmaceutical literature is the opposite, being limited in scope and quantity of studies. BD literature on high explosive materials falls in between, not as impressive as in the rocks/concrete community but more substantiative than in the pharmaceutical community. After the review of the literature practical parameters for HE BD testing and recommended future work is discussed.

Brazil disk↗
DOE OSTI2022

Thermal Storage Integrated into Air-Source Heat Pumps to Leverage Building Electrification: A Systematic Literature Review

Air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) can support a decarbonized economy by replacing combustion appliances in homes and electrifying heating systems in buildings. However, ASHPs have not seen significant adoption primarily due to deteriorated performance under cold conditions - at very low temperatures they require auxiliary resistance heating to meet the heating demand and defrost the evaporator. The additional heat lowers the system efficiency. Thermal energy storage (TES) is a candidate technology to help overcome some of these issues. This paper presents a systematic literature review to map the existing research on the integration of TES into ASHPs. Our review of 59 publications indicates that thermal storage increases the ASHP coefficient of performance by 27% on average, albeit with higher initial cost compared to conventional fossil-fueled heating systems. Phase change materials may be ideal to be integrated with ASHPs due to their high energy density and compact design, but only a few publications address TES sizing and design. First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics are widely used to create metrics to assess ASHP-TES integration, and only recently have cost and environmental impact been explored. This literature review suggests that more comprehensive metrics are needed to evaluate the potential benefits of ASHP-TES systems.

air source heat pump↗
DOE OSTI2020

An international review of occupant-related aspects of building energy codes and standards

In light of recent research, it is evident that occupants are playing an increasingly important role in building energy performance. Furthermore, despite the important role of building energy codes and standards in design, the occupant-related aspects are typically simple and have not kept up with the leading research. This paper reviews 23 regions’ building energy codes and standards by first comparing their quantitative aspects and then analyzing their mandated rules and approaches. While the present paper focuses on offices, general recommendations are applicable to other building types as well. The review revealed a wide range of occupant-related values, approaches, and attitudes. For example, code-specified occupant density varies by nearly a factor of three between different codes. This underlines the need for development of advancement in occupant behavior modeling approaches for future occupant-centric building performance codes and standards. Moreover, occupants are often referred to only implicitly; underlying expectations about energy-saving occupant behavior from building occupants varies greatly; and, only a few codes address occupant feedback and system usability. Based on the findings of the review, a set of initial recommendations for future building energy codes is proposed.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

A review of tidal energy—Resource, feedbacks, and environmental interactions

The ocean contains a variety of renewable energy resources, little of which has been exploited. Here, we review both tidal range and tidal stream energy, with a focus on the resource, feedbacks, and environmental interactions. The review covers a wide range of timescales of relevance to tidal energy, from fortnightly (spring-neap) and semi-diurnal variability, down to array, and device-scale turbulence. When simulating the regional tidal energy resource, and to assess environmental impacts, it is necessary to account for feedbacks between the tidal array and the resource itself. We critically review various methods for simulating energy extraction, from insights gained through theoretical studies of “tidal fences” in idealized channels, to realistic three-dimensional model studies with complex geometry and arrays of turbines represented by momentum sinks and additional turbulence due to the presence of rotors and support structures. We discuss how variability can be reduced by developing multiple (aggregated) sites with a consideration of the enhanced phase diversity offered by exploiting less energetic tidal currents. This leads to future research questions that have not yet been explored in depth at first-generation tidal sites in relatively sheltered channels (e.g., the interaction of waves with currents). Such enhanced understanding of real sea conditions, including the effects of wind and waves, leads to our other identified primary future research direction—reduced uncertainties in turbulence predictions, including the development of realistic models that simulate the interaction between ambient turbulence and the turbulence resulting from multiple wakes, and changes to system-wide hydrodynamics, water quality, and sedimentation.

Environmental impacts↗
DOE OSTI2022

Developing new pathways for energy and environmental decision-making in India: a review

Abstract India faces a dual challenge of economic development and responding to climate change. Although India’s per capita emissions are well below global average, the country is one of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters. Indian policymakers and stakeholders require high-quality data and research to assess low-emissions, sustainable development strategies. Peer-reviewed literature is a key source of this information and also a key venue for conversation amongst research leaders. This paper examines the recent peer-reviewed literature on India’s 2030 and 2050 pathways. We conducted a systematic literature review to identify key quantitative national modeling studies. From the 34 studies identified, we synthesized scenario data to draw common conclusions and identify critical research gaps. The main focus was on examining the coverage and the state of information available on low-carbon pathways. Overall, we find a few scenarios that are potentially consistent with a 2070 net-zero goal, but more limited assessment of pathways to reach net-zero emissions before this date. Mitigation pathways with greater ambition are required across all energy sectors to ensure a smooth transition to net-zero emissions by or before 2070. The scenarios confirm that reducing emissions to below 2 GtCO 2 yr −1 by mid-century would necessitate significant transformations of the Indian energy sector, such as, a decrease in unabated coal power capacity, transportation modal shift, and industrial process switching. The assessment also finds substantial differences in final energy estimates reported across studies, particularly in transportation. The lack of consistency in, and transparency about underlying drivers, assumptions, and even outputs across studies points to the critical need for the sorts of coordinated, multi-model studies that have proven exceptionally valuable for decision makers in other major emitting countries.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Promoting Sustainable Transportation Modes: A Systematic Review of Behavior-Change Strategies

In previous studies, many travel-behavior-change strategies often relied on single behavior determinants or psychological theories, overlooking the incorporation of sociopsychological theories for guidance in their design. Integrating these theories could offer consistent guidance for program developers and enhance intervention effectiveness. This paper systematically reviews interventions targeting travel-behavior change, with a focus on self-determination theory and its principles of satisfying individuals’ competence, autonomy, and relatedness needs for enacting change. Additionally, experiment design methods, including randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs, are reviewed and discussed. Key findings highlight the effectiveness of personalized interventions and integrating feedback with goal-setting strategies. Given the limited direct references to sociopsychological theories in existing studies, we explore relevant sociopsychological theories applicable to travel-behavior-change programs to provide examples of how strategies could be designed based on them. This review contributes valuable insights into the development of strategies for changing travel behavior, offering a theoretical framework for researchers and practitioners to guide intervention design, experimentation, and evaluation. In conclusion, leveraging these theories not only facilitates reproducibility but also provides a standardized approach for transportation demand management program developers.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Water Power Technologies Office 2019 Peer Review Final Report

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO, or “the office”) 2019 Peer Review was held on October 8–10, 2019, in Alexandria, Virginia. The purpose of the peer review was to evaluate DOE-funded projects for their contribution to the mission and goals of the office, to assess progress made against stated objectives, and to assess the office’s overall management and performance. All programs within EERE are required to undertake rigorous, objective peer reviews covering their key projects, as well as 80%–90% of their funded active project portfolio every two years.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

2023 IEDO Peer Review Report

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO), we are pleased to share the report from our 2023 peer review. Peer review provides us with invaluable insight into our office strategy and program direction from a diverse group of external thought leaders. The findings and actionable recommendations from peer review inform our decision making and help us maintain a constant state of evolution and growth.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS2023

Quantitative Gas Property Measurements By Filtered Rayleigh Scattering: A Review

Filtered Rayleigh scattering (FRS) is a laser-based diagnostic technique used to nonintrusively quantify various thermodynamic properties of a light-scattering gas. The backbone of FRS is the molecular filtering of Rayleigh scattered light. This concept was initially introduced by the atmospheric LIDAR community before being adopted within the aerospace research field in the early 1990s. Since then, FRS has matured into a versatile quantitative diagnostic tool and has found use in a variety of flow regimes ranging from sub- to supersonic speeds in both reacting and nonreacting environments. This adoption can be attributed to the wealth of information that can be obtained via FRS, including the gas density, pressure, temperature, velocity, species composition, or, in some cases, several of these properties at once. This article reviews the current state of FRS methodology in recovering such gas properties. As knowledge of the fundamentals of Rayleigh scattering and spectral light filtering is crucial to the design of an FRS experiment, we begin by briefly reviewing these areas. Subsequently, we conduct a survey of experimental design strategies, assumptions, and data reduction methods used to measure different gas properties using FRS. We conclude the review with a short discussion on quantification of experimental uncertainty and future trends in FRS.

filtered Rayleigh scattering↗
DOE OSTI2023

U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program: 2022 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report; June 6-8 2022

This document summarizes peer review comments and scores for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program 2022 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), held virtually June 6-8, 2022. The report also provides a brief overview of the Program, highlights key accomplishments since the previous AMR (held in June 2021), and summarizes activities and accomplishments within each Program office. Five Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office subprogram chapters provide summaries of key activities and accomplishments since the preceding AMR, summaries of projects presented orally during this year's AMR, and a summary of peer reviewer comments on the subprogram.

AMR↗
DOE OSTI2020

Panel Session 56: Enhanced Performance Through Joint Assurance Review

This panel focused on the benefits of recent DOE-EM efforts to conduct joint oversight reviews. These reviews enhance partnering and alignment and represent an efficient and cost-effective way to identify and prioritize needed project performance improvements. Panelists with presentations: Enhanced Performance Through Joint Assurance Reviews (Jan Preston)

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

Toward Rational Design of Nickel Catalysts for Thermocatalytic Decomposition of Methane for Carbon Dioxide-Free Hydrogen and Value-Added Carbon Co-Product: A Review

Thermocatalytic decomposition of methane provides opportunities for hydrogen (H2) production with no emission of carbon dioxide. However, high-value carbon products need to be produced for economic deployment of thermocatalytic decomposition and to achieve a minimum H 2 selling price below the U.S, Department of Energy target of $ 1/kg H 2 . In this review, we re-evaluate data on catalyst development reported in the literature and propose correlations between catalyst characteristics, catalytic stability, and properties of carbon co-products. In the first part of the review, growth mechanisms for carbon nanotubes using state-of-the-art chemical vapor deposition are reviewed to catalog the effects of catalyst characteristics, the influence of carbon sources, interactions between metal particles and supports, and metal particle sizes on carbon growth. In the second part, representative developments in mono-, bi-, and tri-metallic nickel catalysts are highlighted. We present kinetic analysis of reactions catalyzed by mono-metallic nickel catalysts, which generates a correlation between metal particle size and catalyst stability. Rational design of Ni-based catalysts for TCD of methane requires attention to the size of the metal particle and effective normalization of the reaction rates. Further attention to the distribution of the metal particle sizes may help identify catalyst properties that contribute longevity and selectivity to processes that use them. While it is tempting to focus on the highest valued carbon products (e.g., CNTs and CFs), analysis of the markets for other carbon products suggests that a more flexible approach may generate comparable returns without the risk associated with specialization.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Review of Factors Affecting the Susceptibility of Juvenile Salmonids to Avian Predation

Abstract We reviewed studies of piscivorous colonial waterbird predation on juvenile salmonids to synthesize current knowledge of factors affecting fish susceptibility to avian predators. Specifically, we examined peer-reviewed publications and reports from academic, governmental, and nongovernmental agencies to identify commonalities and differences in susceptibility of salmonids to avian predation, with a focus on mark–recovery studies in the Columbia River basin. Factors hypothesized to influence salmonid susceptibility to avian predation were grouped into four general categories: (1) salmonid species and populations, (2) environmental factors, (3) prey density, predator density, and migration timing, and (4) prey characteristics. Our review focused on predation by Caspian terns Hydroprogne caspia, double-crested cormorants Nannopterum auritum, and gull species Larus spp. as these are the most well-studied avian predators of salmonids. Results indicated that predator–prey interactions varied across salmonid species and populations and species of avian predator. Inferences across studies supported multiple hypotheses regarding predator–prey dynamics, including environmental factors that influence prey exposure to predators (e.g., river flows, turbidity, alternative prey), variation in predator and prey abundances, predator characteristics (e.g., foraging behavior, colony location), and prey characteristics (e.g., fish length, condition). Mark–recovery studies of avian predation on fish populations have greatly improved our understanding of the factors affecting fish susceptibility to avian predation, the relative contributions of abiotic and biotic factors to predation susceptibility, and the extent to which avian predation affects fish survival and the viability of prey populations. Future studies that jointly model predation and survival and the factors affecting those processes will further broaden our understanding of predator–prey dynamics and directly evaluate the effects of predation on prey population dynamics.

Hostetter, Nathan J. (ORCID:0000000160752157)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Additively manufactured heat exchangers: a review on opportunities and challenges

Heat Exchangers (HXs) are crucial engineering components for thermal management. The broad range of applications and the current limits of traditional manufacturing techniques has directed designers and researchers to utilize additive manufacturing (AM) technologies to open a new chapter in HXs design and development. AM has created a world of opportunity to redesign HXs in pioneering forms, shapes, and sizes. In other words, AM technologies provides significant opportunities to increase surface area to volume ratio in heat transfer devices. On the other hand, there are certain challenges to overcome in order to fully grasp the benefits of AM technologies. This thorough review study is different from other published review as it intends to highlight the challenges and opportunities in design and manufacturing of HXs. In addition, part of this study is dedicated to investigate the experimental characterization of additively manufactured HXs. Furthermore, the significant details associated with experimental characterization are normally overlooked in review studies.

42 ENGINEERING↗