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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 271 records · Page 15

Powering Up Secure and Reliable Operations at the Port of Honolulu's Kapalama Container Terminal

The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) is providing resilience planning support to the Pasha Group, the operator of Kapalama Container Terminal (KCT) at the Port of Honolulu, by exploring how distributed clean energy resources could help the terminal sustain a 36-hour outage and continue emergency operations. The Department of Energy's Energy Transitions Initiative (ETI) aims to advance self-reliant island and remote communities by promoting resilient, affordable, and sustainable clean energy resources.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Conservation laws and effective hadronization models

Hadronization models based on local string-breaking dynamics are typically Markovian by construction, yet the physical ensemble of final states is shaped by global constraints that couple the entire fragmentation trajectory. Recasting hadronization as a conditioned stochastic diffusion process provides a precise mathematical resolution to this tension. In particular, this language reveals explicitly that constraints stemming from conservation laws induce non-Markovian correlations between otherwise independent fragmentation steps, and that these correlations can be absorbed exactly into a renormalization of the local dynamics through a Doob $h$-transform. We develop this formalism for a $q\bar{q}$ string in the chiral limit, where the longitudinal-transverse factorization of the Lund kernel becomes exact, enabling systematic power counting and clean ultraviolet (UV)/infrared (IR) separation. The dynamics organize naturally into a tower of effective theories distinguished by the remaining string mass, spanning a UV fixed point with scale-invariant transport coefficients, an intermediate regime where transverse phase space induces controlled running, and an IR boundary layer where non-local effects enter at leading order. The tower exhibits genuine Wilsonian structure, including $β$-functions, anomalous dimensions, and systematic matching conditions. The resulting framework achieves a clean factorization of universal microscopic fragmentation dynamics from infrared constraint effects, and opens new directions for both the theoretical analysis and practical simulation of hadronization.

Menzo, Tony [Alabama U.; Fermilab] (ORCID:00000002↗

Permitting Commercial Geologic CO 2 Storage Projects: Lessons Learned

Conference paper presented at 48th International Technical Conference on Clean Energy (Clearwater Clean Energy Conference), Clearwater, Florida, June 16–19, 2024. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) deployment can be a catalyst to drive investment that will extend the operational life of certain facilities and maximize oil recovery, thereby providing and retaining high-paying energy jobs that, in turn, sustain state and local economies.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

An Autonomous MCP Bridge to Rucio: Enhancing Data Management Accessibility for High Energy Physics

The Rucio Data Management System [1] is an important tool used by High Energy Physics experiments, including those at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, to store and manage exabyte-scale scientific datasets. Despite its central role in coordinating data across globally distributed storage sites, Rucio's command line interface (CLI) presents a steep learning curve, and makes it difficult for scientists to navigate through. To solve this issue, a containerized Model Context Protocol (MCP) [2] server was built that connects Large Language Models directly to Rucio, allowing AI agents to handle data tasks by using simple, natural language rather than memorized terminal commands. The core engineering focus of this project was moving the server away from slow terminal commands that require text parsing and replacing them with a native Python Client API toolset and a planned REST API framework. Moving to the Python API handles data operations directly in memory, which helps clear up formatting errors, provides the AI with clean, structured JSON data and speeds up tool execution. To prove that the system actually works, a benchmarking pipeline was also built with various questions to test the AI across four different model configurations. The questions included finding data scopes, tracking down specific datasets, and checking replication rules. Through benchmarking, early runs showed that with raw terminal text, the model would get confused and stuck, whereas switching to the Python API to feed the AI clean, structured data yielded massive improvement. By creating an intelligent and autonomous bridge to a storage network, this project shows how AI can be implemented in scientific data management, which ultimately helps scientists at Fermilab spend less time sorting through data and more time focusing on their experiments and analysis.

Akella, Kashyap [William Rainey Harper Coll.]↗

Project Development of an Electrochemical Denitration and Caustic Generation System for HLW Pretreatment at Hanford - 26350

An engineering-scale electrochemical processing skid is proposed to perform the denitration of Hanford tank waste, which would help to mitigate a key process concern with the direct feed processing of the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). The reduction of nitrates and organic compounds in the waste feed will directly reduce hazardous NOx and ammonia gases generated during the vitrification process, which in turn will aid in addressing potential regulatory and safety challenges associated with processing large volumes of tank waste. This paper highlights the past legacy work, project layout, accomplishments from Phase 1 and research and development envisioned for Phase 2. An innovative electrochemical denitration and caustic generation (EDCGe) process was demonstrated for the pretreatment of tank waste at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in the early 2000s. The denitration electrolyzer, off-gas abatement system, and caustic generator electrolyzer are being developed with the intent that the denitration electrolyzer will convert nitrate and nitrite anions to nitrogen gas while also yielding other gaseous byproducts, which may include N2O, NH3, VOCs, and H2. The gaseous byproducts will be managed via a tandem off-gas catalyst-bed treatment system. The caustic generation electrolyzer will recycle NaOH from the feed to produce a clean caustic stream for use within the batching tanks at Hanford, aiding in the preparation of waste for WTP. The reduction in hazardous emissions and improved waste treatment processes provides a robust solution for nuclear waste management, contributing to environmental safety and regulatory compliance. The EDCGe technology is being adapted, modified, and updated for the preparation of the Direct Feed-High Level Waste (DF-HLW) flowsheet at Hanford. Phase 1 demonstrated a bench-scale proof-of-concept for reactions involving the denitration electrolyzer and gas phase abatement of ammonia. The electrochemical technology is drawing on the scientific outcomes that were reported in the legacy work. The results from Phase 1 demonstrated the viability of the EDCGe system in reducing the nitrogen species of simple non-radioactive waste simulants. Commercially available alloys used as electrode materials and membranes are being studied for the denitration and caustic generation electrolyzers. The continuation of this project holds promise for broader applications, such as energy-efficient ammonia production, and contributes significant advancements in nuclear waste management. Additional material discovery has been investigated into ceramic Na super ion conductive (NaSICON) materials and off-gas abatement catalyst discovery. NaSICON is of interest for selective transport of Na within the electrolyzers to make a clean caustic stream. Future integration and optimization efforts, informed by Phase 1 results and ongoing research, will continue to drive advancements in nuclear waste management technology. The technology developed for the EDCGe treatment of tank waste will also have broader potential to inform other fields, such as energy-efficient ammonia production, as well as ammonia abatement catalysis through the lessons learned in electrochemical nitrate reduction. The applications and benefits of this research extend beyond Hanford and the Savannah River Site, supported by a collaborative team of scientists and engineers from national labs, academia, and industry, ensuring a comprehensive approach to solving complex waste treatment challenges. The team is leveraging advanced electrochemical technologies, machine learning, novel catalysts tailored for gaseous nitrogen species, and cutting-edge reactor systems to enhance the process efficiency and effectiveness of the denitration process.

Rodene, Dylan [Savannah River National Laboratory ↗

Filer City Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) Net-Negative Study

NorthStar Clean Energy Company (NorthStar) conducted the Filer City Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) Net-Negative Study to develop a conceptual design and cost estimate for retrofitting the TES Filer City Station with post-combustion carbon capture technology in Mainstee Michigan. The Filer City BiCRS Net-Negative Study allowed NorthStar and team to confirm the commercial feasibility of a post-combustion carbon capture system applied to biomass-fired boilers. At the time of the study, there were no operating facilities in the world with carbon capture applied to flue gas from woody biomass as proposed for Filer City. Due to the solvent-agnostic nature of B&W’s SolveBright™ technology, the team determined that multiple amines, both traditional and proprietary, would be capable of 95% CO 2 capture efficiency with the steam available from Filer City’s existing boilers after modifications to burn 100% biomass. Based on the cost estimates produced, NorthStar can now confirm the Filer City BiCRS Project is economically viable with a combination of tax credits available from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and high-quality Carbon Dioxide Removal Credits sold on the Voluntary Carbon Market. The Filer City BiCRS project is uniquely positioned to become one of the first projects to capture and sequester large volumes of CO 2 from a biogenic source, removing existing CO 2 from the atmosphere. The unlimited version of the Filer City Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) Net-Negative Study Final Technical Report is attached.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

ARC-100 Reactor Security-by-Design Summary 2025

This report applies the security-by-design methodology developed in a previous National Nuclear Security Administration–sponsored work to the ARC-100, a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) being developed by ARC Clean Technology, Inc (ARC). The report contains no proprietary information specific to the ARC 100 reactor. The insights developed in this report are high-level, and generally applicable to other sodium fast reactor designs. The information presented here is the result of a qualitative safety-based analysis and would not inform any potential adversary beyond what would be found in a docketed safety analysis report. The scope of this present report covers ARC-100’s reactor core, used fuel storage, used fuel assembly wash station, cesium trap, sodium cold trap, noble gas decay tanks, used fuel dry storage facility, damaged fuel storage facility, and radioactive waste building. These systems are also compared to a generic SFR design assumed in the previous study. The security assessment results show changes in structures, systems, and components (SSCs) safety importance relative to the generic SFR SSCs. Several SSCs have higher importance rankings than others, and it is recommended that protection efforts are prioritized for these SSCs. Results from this work will furnish a technical justification for the feasibility of these solutions for the ARC reactor's design and, where applicable, identify any regulatory benefits conferred by the proactive design aspect within a risk management framework. This initiative will contribute to a more secure design of the ARC reactor and support its licensing process.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗

Equitable Resilience: Opportunities to Advance Solar Paired with Battery Storage in Historically Marginalized Communities

This report was produced as part of the Equitable Solar Communities of Practice program through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO). Clean Energy Group (CEG) managed the Resilience, Storage, and Grid Benefits Community of Practice, which aimed to research, evaluate, and identify opportunities to scale the meaningful benefits of solar paired with battery storage in historically marginalized communities. The report is designed to 1) educate a broad audience on the benefits of solar paired with battery storage, 2) identify barriers to deploying solar paired with battery storage in historically marginalized communities, 3) amplify early-adopters and innovative programs that support battery storage access across the nation, and 4) recommend best practices for programs and policies to adopt in advancing equitable access to solar and battery storage technologies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Leveraging a Southern California Energy Innovation Cluster to Pilot and Validate Emerging Energy Technologies

The EPIC Pilot Program, led by the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), was designed to help early-stage clean technology startups accelerate technical validation, investment readiness, and market entry. The project focused on supporting startups in designing and deploying small-scale pilots with the guidance of EPIC Partners, a network of regional stakeholders in the Southern California energy ecosystem, including but not limited to: the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the California Energy Commission (CEC), Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), and Edison International, among others. Through mentorship, funding, and site access for technology deployments, the program provided a structured pathway for startups to test and refine their technologies in real-world settings.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Nuclear Safety [Vol. 33, No. 4, October-December 1992]

Nuclear Safety is a review journal that covers significant developments in the field of nuclear safety. Its scope includes the analysis and control of hazards associated with nuclear energy, operations involving fissionable materials, and the products of nuclear fission and their effects on the environment. Primary emphasis is on safety in reactor design, construction, and operation; however, the safety aspects of the entire fuel cycle, including fuel fabrication, spent-fuel processing, nuclear waste disposal, handling of radioisotopes, and environmental effects of these operations, are also treated. Table of Contents for this issue follows. GENERAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS: 499 Technical Note: Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Examination Question Bank System, C. L Jensen and N. L. Skinner; 506 Report on the Specialists’ Meeting on Passive and Active Safety Features of Liquid-Metal Fast Breeder Reactors Organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency at Oarai Engineering Centre of Power Reactor and Nuclear Development Corporation, Japan, November 5-7,1991, S. R. Paranjpe; ACCIDENT ANALYSIS: 514 A Review of Hydrogen Production During Melt/Water Interaction in LWRs, D. F. Fletcher, B. D. Turland, and S. P. A. Lawrence; 535 A Review of the U 3 0 8 -Al Reaction as a Potential Heat Source in Research and Test Reactor Accidents, J. L. Snelgrove; CONTROL AND INSTRUMENTATION: 543 Multilevel Interfaces for Power Plant Control Rooms II: A Preliminary Design Space, K. J. Vicente; DESIGN FEATURES: 549 Twenty-Second DOE/NRC Nuclear Air Cleaning and Treatment Conference, R. R. Bellamy, D. W. Moeller, and M. W. First; 562 Book Review: Safety Assessment of Unit 5 (WWER-440/W-213) of the Greifswald Nuclear Power Station, M. H. Fontana; WASTE AND SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT: 576 Activities Related to Waste and Spent Fuel Management, M. D. Muhlheim and E. G. Silver; OPERATING EXPERIENCES: 586 Analysis of Corrective Actions Applied to Nuclear Power Plant Operations, A. E. Cross; 593 Reactor Shutdown Experience, Compiled by J. W. Cletcher; 596 Operating U.S. Power Reactors, Compiled by M. D. Muhlheim and E. G. Silver; 609 Non-Commercial Power Operating Experience; 614 World Nuclear Performance, Compiled by M. D. Muhlheim; RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: 623 General Administrative Activities, Compiled by M. D. Muhlheim and E. G. Silver; 635 Reports, Standards, and Safety Guides, D. S. Queener; 639 Proposed Rule Changes as of June 30, 1992; ANNOUNCEMENTS: 513 Fourth International Conference on Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing and Waste Management RECOD '94; 585 International Topical Meeting on Advanced Reactors Safety; 622 International Workshop on Implementation of ALARA at Nuclear Power Plants; 648 Short Course on Nuclear Criticality Safety; 648 8th Topical Meeting on Problems in Reactor Physics MEPhi-VOLGA-93; 643 The Authors; 646 Reviewers of Nuclear Safety, Vol. 33

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Nuclear Safety [Vol. 30, No. 1, January-March 1989]

Nuclear Safety is a review journal that covers significant developments in the field of nuclear safety. Its scope includes the analysis and control of hazards associated with nuclear energy, operations involving fissionable materials, and the products of nuclear fission and their effects on the environment. Primary emphasis is on safety in reactor design, construction, and operation; however, the safety aspects of the entire fuel cycle, including fuel fabrication, spent-fuel processing, nuclear waste disposal, handling of radioisotopes, and environmental effects of these operations, are also treated. Table of Contents for this issue follows. GENERAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS: 1 International Conference on Thermal Reactor Safety: NUCSAFE 88 by A. P. Malinauskas and J. G. Pruett; ACCIDENT ANALYSIS: 18 Chernobyl Today: State of Research by A. Yu. Gagarinskii; CONTROL AND INSTRUMENTATION: 23 Problems Associated with Routine In-Plant Radioactive Effluent Monitoring Systems at U.S. Light-Water Reactors by Barry G. Wahlig, David M. Walker, Mahmoud R. Ghavi, and John M. Palms; DESIGN FEATURES: 34 Twentieth DOE/NRC Nuclear Air-Cleaning Conference by R. R. Bellamy, D. W. Moeller, and M. W. First, 46 Design Options for the Core Support Structure for Liquid-Metal-Cooled Reactor Plants by J. P. Burelbach, W. J. Kann, J. G. Saiveau, and R. W. Seidensticker; ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: 53 The Radiological Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident by L. V. Konstantinov and A. J. González; WASTE AND SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT: 70 Activities Related to Waste Management Compiled by E. G. Silver; OPERATING EXPERIENCES: 80 Fuel Performance Annual Report for 1986 by W. J. Bailey, 103 Safety Considerations Related to 12-Hour Shift Schedules by S. Gould, 105 Reactor Shutdown Experience Compiled by J. W. Cletcher, 108 Operating U.S. Power Reactors Compiled by E. G. Silver; RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: 130 General Administrative Activities Compiled by E. G. Silver, 140 Reports, Standards, and Safety Guides by D. S. Queener, 145 Status of Power-Reactor Licensing Activities Compiled by E. G. Silver, 153 Proposed Rule Changes as of Sept. 30, 1988; ANNOUNCEMENTS: 69 Northwestern University Short Course on Radiation Safety, 79 International Seminar on Fission Product Transport Processes in Reactor Accidents, 129 Harvard School of Public Health Offers Short Courses, 152 MIT Offers Summer Short Courses on Reactor Safety and Nodal Analysis, 152 Seminar on Use of PCs in Probabilistic Safety Analysis, 157 The Authors, 160 Indexes to Nuclear Safety, Volume 29.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Corrosion protection of mild steel by superhydrophobic magnetite coating

Corrosion-resistant hydrophobic magnetite coatings on mild steel surfaces were developed by immersion method. The effect of steel surface roughness (R a ) on its hydrophobicity was systematically studied using contact angle measurement (CAM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The corrosion resistance of hydrophobic magnetite coatings was evaluated using a potentiodynamic polarization test. The durability of the coatings was assessed in air, tap water, and 3.5 wt% NaCl environments. Hydrophobic magnetite coating with a water contact angle of 146-152° showed excellent resistance to corrosion, longevity in atmospheric air, and significant self-cleaning properties. The primary focus of this study was to develop a quick and simple immersion technique to create hydrophobic surfaces on mild steel. Finally, results suggest that surface roughness plays a significant role in surface hydrophobicity, and enhancing the hydrophobicity of mild steel improves its corrosion resistance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Aerosol Decline Accelerates the Increasing Extreme Precipitation in China

Extreme precipitation is becoming more intense and frequent. The increasing trends in extreme precipitation in China in warm season related to changes in aerosols and greenhouse gases (GHGs) are investigated using observations, reanalysis data and model simulations. A significant accelerating increase in extreme precipitation occurred around 2010, with the trend in accumulated extreme rainfall amount (R95pTOT) increasing from 2.88 mm per decade during 2000–2010 to 22.88 mm per decade during 2010–2023. The sudden acceleration of the increasing extreme precipitation is largely attributed to the reverse in aerosol trends associated with China’s clean air actions, which affects extreme precipitation through perturbing cloud microphysics and atmospheric dynamics, accounting for half of the change in R95pTOT trends. Future aerosol reduction to achieve carbon neutrality is shown to continue to intensify the extreme precipitation, which overweighs the effect induced by GHGs, highlighting the importance of aerosol changes in modulating future climate and weather extremes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Methane Pyrolysis for CO2-free H2 and Carbon Nanomaterials - CRADA 576 (Final Report)

In this CRADA project we continued to develop the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) patent-pending Regenerable Catalytic Pyrolysis (ReCaP) process technology for producing CO 2 -free hydrogen (H 2 ) from inexpensive and domestically-abundant natural gas (NG), while simultaneously reducing H 2 ’s net production cost to $\$$1.0/kg through the sale of valuable crystalline solid carbon co-product. Producing clean hydrogen at this price is a DOE Hydrogen Energy Earthshot goal. This effort builds on our prior catalyst and processing advances made thermocatalytic decomposition of methane (TCD). The additional scope performed here accelerated the commercial deployment of TCD for CO 2 -free H 2 and valuable solid carbon nanotubes (CNT) co-product, by i) scaling up the production of CNT co-product using a fluidized bed reactor (25 g catalyst scale versus the 1 g catalyst scale demonstrated prior), ii) producing approximately 1 kg of CNT byproduct, produced via multiple cycles of TCD, carbon-catalyst separation, and catalyst re-synthesis, to enable the production of sufficient quantities of solid carbon so as to explore its market potential, iii) understanding the quality of the co-product CNTs, produced at larger scale, using advanced characterization, and iv) beginning to explore multiple promising high volume carbon product applications (e.g., aluminum and polymer composites, steel additive, and cement reinforcement applications). We are in discussions with Department of Energy and potential commercial partners to continue funding of this effort with the goal to facilitate eventual commercial deployment.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Visioning Energy: Science Fiction Author-Energy Researcher Collaboration Workshop Recap

The Visioning Energy: Science Fiction Author-Energy Researcher Collaboration Workshop brought together speculative fiction authors and NREL researchers to examine possible scenarios of the future. The goals of the workshop were to support out-of-the-box thinking and creative future visioning for the researchers and to provide authors with insights into the latest clean energy technologies and their potential. This report outlines the proceedings of the workshop and insights from the collaborative brainstorming activity, highlighting themes and opportunities for further exploration.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Net Zero World 2024 Achievements

Net Zero World, launched at COP26, aims to expedite the transition to clean energy systems worldwide. This report details Net Zero World's achievements in 2024. Leveraging expertise from ten U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories and nine federal agencies, Net Zero World has provided specialized technical support and energy modeling to eight partner countries: Argentina, Chile, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria, Singapore, Thailand, and Ukraine.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗