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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 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

NASA AMES Remote Operations Center for 2001

There is a Memorandum of Agreement between NASA Ames, JPL, West Virginia University and University of Arizona which led to funding for the MECA microscope and to the establishment of an Ames facility for science analysis of microscopic and other data. The data and analysis will be by agreement of the Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA), Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) and other PI's. This facility is intended to complement other analysis efforts with one objective of this facility being to test the latest information technologies in support of actual mission science operations. Additionally, it will be used as a laboratory for the exploration of collaborative science activities. With a goal of enhancing the science return for both Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) and Astrobiology we shall utilize various tools such as superresolution and the Virtual Environment Vehicle Interface (VEVI) virtual reality visualization tools. In this presentation we will describe the current planning for this facility.

Sims, M.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Institutional environmental impact statement, Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, Louisiana

A description and analysis of Michoud Assembly Facility as an operational base for both NASA and NASA-related programs and various government tenant-agencies and their contractors is given. Tenant-agencies are governmental agencies or governmental agency contractors which are not involved in a NASA program, but utilize office or manufacturing space at the Michoud Assembly Facility. The statements represent the full description of the likely environmental effects of the facility and are used in the process of making program and project decisions.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2023

Advances in Integral and Separate Effects Experiments for Water Cooled Small Modular Reactors

This paper focuses on the progress being made in water-cooled small modular reactor (SMR) advanced integral effects and separate effects experiments for reactor licensing. SMRs, considered modular in design, are mostly factory-built and then shipped to the reactor site. Of the several types of SMR designs available, water-cooled SMRs are likely to receive regulatory approval faster than others, as most of the technologies involved (e.g., the fuel and coolant technologies) are matured. However, the unique safety systems of SMRs, which depend on specific SMR design features, require integral and separate effects experiments to achieve reactor licensing. Thus, of the many SMR designs being proposed, only a few have successfully undergone licensing and reached the final development and demonstration stage. Many nuclear vendors and newcomer companies are investing millions of dollars to develop integral and separate effects testing facilities for preparing final safety analysis reports to include in licensing applications. Development and analysis of these experimental facilities is costly and takes about four to five years. The unique challenges involved can be reduced when stakeholders synergistically apply lessons learned, knowing the critical role played by advancements in experiments that support the licensing of SMR safety systems. Identification of knowledge/research gaps with the phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) and designing experimental facilities focusing on the phenomena of interest (POI) and figures of merit (FOMs) are pivotal to select the critical path to successful design demonstration and licensing application.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cost analysis of alternative large-scale high-temperature solid oxide electrolysis hydrogen production facilities

We extend our past cost analysis of gigawatt-scale solid oxide electrolysis (SOE) facilities that produce high purity hydrogen gas from water by estimating construction and operating costs for three new alternative design cases: (1) offsite feed steam generation; (2) near-atmospheric pressure (NAP) stack; and (3) onsite electric boiler feed steam generation. Pressure effects on hydrogen electrode-(cathode-)supported SOE cell (SOEC) stack performance are estimated for the same assumed cell and stack construction and used to determine facility-wide stack capital costs for achieving a fixed H2 production at different pressures. Modular balance of plant (BOP) process equipment capital costs are estimated for each new alternative design case using our past equipment sizing, design, and cost data and scaling relationships. Furthermore, we update BOP equipment sizing and design for the NAP case using Aspen®. Vendor quotes for electric boilers are used to estimate costs for the electric boiler design case. Factory and onsite assembly and installation costs for SOEC stacks and BOP equipment are calculated using our past simplified first-principles approach. First-of-a-kind (FOAK) and N th -of-a-kind (NOAK) production maturity cost estimates are included for all results. The case with NAP stacks offers the lowest facility total capital cost (TCC, ~23% lower than base) while use of small electric boilers requires the highest TCC (~3% higher than base). H 2 production prices decrease from the base of ~$\$2.17$ /kgH 2 to ~$\$1.92$/kgH 2 for 1 GW e DC SIP facilities utilizing NAP stacks supplied by offsites steam situated in large modules and blocks for $\$0.030$/kWh e and $0.009/kWh t prices for electricity and thermal energy, respectively. We report all costs in 2021 US dollars.

Balance of plant (BOP) process equipment↗
DOE OSTI2023

ProFAST (Production Financial Analysis Scenario Tool) [SWR-23-88]

The Production Financial Analysis Scenario Tool (ProFAST) provides a quick and convenient in-depth financial analysis for production facilities. The model uses a generally accepted accounting principles analysis framework and provides annual projections of income statements, cash flow statements, and balance sheets. ProFAST allows users to calculate the levelized cost of the produced commodity by providing an expected financial performance, or on the other hand, calculate the financial performance based on an input price. Model inputs generally capital expenditures, operating expenditures, and financing structure. The programmatic approach of ProFAST allows users to easily perform large sensitivity analyses and integrates easily with other python tools.

Kee, Jamie↗
NASA NTRS1996

Finite Element Analysis of a NASA National Transonic Facility Wind Tunnel Balance

This paper presents the results of finite element analyses and correlation studies performed on a NASA National Transonic Facility (NTF) Wind Tunnel balance. In the past NASA has relied primarily on classical hand analyses, coupled with relatively large safety factors, for predicting maximum stresses in wind tunnel balances. Now, with the significant advancements in computer technology and sophistication of general purpose analysis codes, it is more reasonable to pursue finite element analyses of these balances. The correlation studies of the present analyses show very good agreement between the analyses and data measured with strain gages and therefore the studies give higher confidence for using finite element analyses to analyze and optimize balance designs in the future.

Lindell, Michael C.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Finite Element Analysis of a NASA National Transonic Facility Wide Tunnel Balance

This paper presents the results of finite element analyses and correlation studies performed on a NASA National Transonic Facility (NTF) Wind Tunnel balance. In the past NASA has relied primarily on classical hand analyses, coupled with relatively large safety factors, for predicting maximum stresses in wind tunnel balances. Now, with the significant advancements in computer technology and sophistication of general purpose analysis codes, it is more reasonable to pursue finite element analyses of these balances. The correlation studies of the present analyses show very good agreement between the analyses and data measured with strain gages and therefore the studies give higher confidence for using finite element analyses to analyze and optimize balance designs in the future.

Lindell, Michael C.↗
DOE OSTI2024

System Level Analysis Software Validation with Argonne's THETA Experimental Facility (Final CRADA Report)

Under this CRADA, the Contractor will be generating and collecting sodium-based experimental data with modern instrumentation. The Contractor will work symbiotically with the Participant to generate SAS4A/SASSYS-1 and SAM computational models of the THETA experimental facility for validation of the system-level analysis codes utilized by Oklo, Inc. This effort will be specifically focused on the design basis event space scoped by Chapter 15 of the NRC’s Standard Review Plan (NUREG-0800) with an emphasis on natural circulation and thermal stratification phenomena in a prototypic sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR).

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS2003

Guide for Hydrogen Hazards Analysis on Components and Systems

The physical and combustion properties of hydrogen give rise to hazards that must be considered when designing and operating a hydrogen system. One of the major concerns in the use of hydrogen is that of fire or detonation because of hydrogen's wide flammability range, low ignition energy, and flame speed. Other concerns include the contact and interaction of hydrogen with materials, such as the hydrogen embrittlement of materials and the formation of hydrogen hydrides. The low temperature of liquid and slush hydrogen bring other concerns related to material compatibility and pressure control; this is especially important when dissimilar, adjoining materials are involved. The potential hazards arising from these properties and design features necessitate a proper hydrogen hazards analysis before introducing a material, component, or system into hydrogen service. The objective of this guide is to describe the NASA Johnson Space Center White Sands Test Facility hydrogen hazards analysis method that should be performed before hydrogen is used in components and/or systems. The method is consistent with standard practices for analyzing hazards. It is recommended that this analysis be made before implementing a hydrogen component qualification procedure. A hydrogen hazards analysis is a useful tool for hydrogen-system designers, system and safety engineers, and facility managers. A hydrogen hazards analysis can identify problem areas before hydrogen is introduced into a system-preventing damage to hardware, delay or loss of mission or objective, and possible injury or loss of life.

Beeson, Harold↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The BioMole Facility: Advancement of In Situ Microbiome Analysis for the International Space Station

Characterization of the International Space Station (ISS) microbiome has been enabled by sample return and Earth-based analysis. As human exploration pushes beyond low-Earth orbit, microbial-related crew health, planetary protection, and space research requires in situ capabilities. Steps toward reducing Earth-dependence for complex sample analysis began in 2016 with the amplification of DNA within the miniPCR thermal cycler and DNA sequencing with the MinION sequencer onboard the ISS; for both, samples were prepared on Earth. In 2017, these platforms synergistically enabled the in-situ identification of unknown bacteria collected and cultured from ISS surfaces, thereby shifting the paradigm that microbial cultures had to be returned to Earth. The following year, a culture-independent, swab-to-sequencer method further advanced spaceflight microbiology, demonstrating that culturing could be excluded and provided enhanced insight into the bacterial profile of ISS surfaces. Based on the success of these payloads in confirming the ability to meet crew health identification requirements and the benefits accompanying a culture-independent method, the BioMole Facility was established by the medical operations Crew Health Care Systems team. BioMole is the set of hardware, consumables, and procedures required to support sample preparation and nanopore sequencing onboard the ISS. BioMole goals include expanding sample sources, comparing data to previous methods, demonstrating onboard data analytics, and validating new hardware. To date, comparative surface analysis, molecular- and culture-based, has been completed. Additionally, the demonstration of a sample-to-answer process was achieved when BioMole data was processed onboard using the IBM Open Data and AI Edge software platform installed on the ISS-residing Spaceborne Computer-2. The taxonomic profiles generated from the edge analysis were as expected and paralleled that of the downlinked processed data. Future BioMole efforts involve microbial profiling of the ISS water system, ISS validation of the MinION Mk1C, and an expansion to a research facility available to investigators.

Sarah L. Castro-Wallace↗
NASA NTRS2014

CFD Analysis of Flexible Thermal Protection System Shear Configuration Testing in the LCAT Facility

This paper documents results of computational analysis performed after flexible thermal protection system shear configuration testing in the LCAT facility. The primary objectives were to predict the shear force on the sample and the sensitivity of all surface properties to the shape of the sample. Bumps of 0.05, 0.10,and 0.15 inches were created to approximate the shape of some fabric samples during testing. A large amount of information was extracted from the CFD solutions for comparison between runs and also current or future flight simulations.

Ferlemann, Paul G.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development of a robust damage analysis scheme at the National Ignition Facility

The onset of laser-induced damage in optical materials is a limiting factor in the design and operation of most high-energy laser systems. As such, significant effort has been dedicated to developing laser damage testing protocols and procedures to inform laser system design and operating limits. These tests typically rely on multiple laser exposures for statistical validation. Historically, small beam single fluence (N / 1) or ramped fluence (R / 1) tests have been used to quantify the “laser-induced damage threshold” of a material. However, due to various distributions in damage precursor populations, the laser fluence at which damage occurs for a given sample varies with beam size and is therefore better described as the onset of observed damage for that testing geometry. In conclusion, we document the development of irradiation, measurement, and analysis methods for damage testing resulting in damage initiation density as a function of incident fluence or ρ(ϕ) which is suitable for both small and large beam area testing and more conducive to extrapolating from one to the other.

Beam diameter↗
NASA NTRS2018

Nosetip Bluntness Effects on Transition at Hypersonic Speeds: Experimental and Numerical Analysis Under NATO STO AVT-240

The existing database of transition measurements in hypersonic ground facilities has established that the onset of boundary layer transition over a circular cone at zero angle of attack shifts downstream as the nosetip bluntness is increased with respect to a sharp cone. However, this trend is reversed at sufficiently large values of the nosetip Reynolds number, so that the transition onset location eventually moves upstream with a further increase in nosetip bluntness. This transition reversal phenomenon, which cannot be explained on the basis of linear stability theory, was the focus of a collaborative investigation under the NATO STO group AVT-240 on Hypersonic Boundary-Layer Transition Prediction. The current paper provides an overview of that effort, which included wind tunnel measurements in three different facilities and theoretical analysis related to modal and nonmodal amplification of boundary layer disturbances. Because neither first and second-mode waves nor entropy-layer instabilities are found to be substantially amplified to initiate transition at large bluntness values, transient (i.e., nonmodal) disturbance growth has been investigated as the potential basis for a physics-based model for the transition reversal phenomenon. Results of the transient growth analysis indicate that disturbances that are initiated within the nosetip or in the vicinity of the juncture between the nosetip and the frustum can undergo relatively significant nonmodal amplification and that the maximum energy gain increases nonlinearly with the nose radius of the cone. This finding does not provide a definitive link between transient growth and the onset of transition, but it is qualitatively consistent with the experimental observations that frustum transition during the reversal regime was highly sensitive to wall roughness, and furthermore, was dominated by disturbances that originated near the nosetip.

Numerical analysis↗
NASA NTRS1984

Recertification analysis and inspection planning for environmental test facilities

Program development and implementation for recertification of pressure vessels used at NASA facilities are outlined, together with inspection procedures. The recertification is carried out in three phases: analysis, inspection planning, and long term inspection plans and management. A data base was developed for each piece of equipment and the associated performance parameters. Either documentation was obtained or NDT was performed on the vessels to confirm design and Code compliance. A Failure Modes and Effects Analysis technique was used to target recurring inspection items and guidelines were drawn up for inspections of parts and systems and intervals between inspections. The steps taken in establishing the program are considered applicable in both research and industrial situations.

Rebeck, K. J.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utilizing a Virtual Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor Digital Twin to Aid in Diversion Pathway Analysis for International Safeguards Applications

We report digital twin technology has the potential to improve the effectiveness of international safeguards inspectors by providing a tool which can: first, perform an accurate diversion path analysis, identify their indicators, and required sensors to detect them; and second, monitor facilities in real-time using critical data streams that benefit from this safeguards-by-design approach. Safeguards inspectors are required to visit facilities and verify the nuclear material to ensure no diversion has taken place and detect misuse of the facility; however, this analysis and verification effort is time consuming, and with limited funding it is imperative that time spent at a nuclear facility is focused on key areas. A virtual digital twin of three prototypic sodium fast reactors was developed, where diversion and misuse scenarios were explored to determine how a digital twin could provide inspectors with an understanding of how proliferation may occur and where the most likely areas for proliferation would be. For each of the three reactors, an optimization algorithm was able to find core designs which would be difficult to detect via sensors alone; however, the use of a machine learning adapter provided by the digital twin was able to show general trends in where proliferation as likely to take place.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A generic scenario analysis of end-of-life plastic management: Chemical additives

Plastic growing demand and the increment in global plastics production have raised the number of spent plastics, out of which over 90% are either landfilled or incinerated. Both methods for handling spent plastics are susceptible to releasing toxic substances, damaging air, water, soil, organisms, and public health. Improvements to the existing infrastructure for plastics management are needed to limit chemical additive release and exposure resulting from the end-of-life (EoL) stage. This article analyzes the current plastic waste management infrastructure and identifies chemical additive releases through a material flow analysis. Additionally, we performed a facility-level generic scenario analysis of the current U.S. EoL stage of plastic additives to track and estimate their potential migration, releases, and occupational exposure. Potential scenarios were analyzed through sensitivity analysis to examine the merit of increasing recycling rates, using chemical recycling, and implementing additive extraction post-recycling. Our analyses identified that the current state of plastic EoL management possesses high mass flow intensity toward incineration and landfilling. Although maximizing the plastic recycling rate is a reasonably straightforward goal for enhancing material circularity, the conventional mechanical recycling method requires improvement because major chemical additive release and contamination routes act as obstacles to achieving high-quality plastics for future reuse and should be mitigated through chemical recycling and additive extraction. In conclusion, the potential hazards and risks identified in this research create an opportunity to design a safer closed-loop plastic recycling infrastructure to handle additives strategically and support sustainable materials management efforts to transform the US plastic economy from linear to circular.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗