Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “knowledge”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 289 records · Page 16

CRADA Number NFE-22-09333 with Holocene Climate Corporation (CRADA Final Report:)

Holocene Climate Corporation has developed and scaled up a novel technology for Direct Air Capture (DAC) that is based on cutting-edge research initiated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). According to the IPCC, carbon dioxide capture from the air and its sequestration are necessary to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C by 2050. DAC is a viable and practical way to reach this goal. DAC can happen anywhere in the world, takes up a fraction of the land of forests, and along with the sequestration of CO 2 , provides permanent and verifiable removal of carbon from the atmosphere. The proposed project aimed to facilitate knowledge transfer from ORNL to Holocene focusing on (i) the synthesis of the ORNL patented material which builds the cornerstone of the DAC technology, and (ii) required analytical methods needed to conduct crystallization bench-scale experimentation and technology development. Furthermore, ORNL conducted research centered around CO 2 absorption using an air-liquid contacting structure with an aqueous amino acid solution. The achievements under this project comprise successful knowledge transfer from ORNL to the entire Holocene team to jump-start their internal R&D and technological development activities.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Development and Implementation of a New AI-Based Tool to Support Fast Reactor Software Model Generation and Validation

This report summarizes FY26 work to develop Maggie, an artificial intelligence-based assistant designed to support software model generation and validation activities for fast reactor analysis codes. The project established a modular, code-agnostic software architecture that separates reusable agent capabilities from code-specific knowledge and tools, with initial implementation focused on the FRP-supported fast reactor safety analysis code SAS4A/SASSYS1 (SAS). A curated SAS-specific knowledge base was assembled from the code manual, training materials, historical analysis reports, and representative input files, and was integrated through retrieval-augmented generation to ground Maggie’s responses in authoritative sources. Maggie was deployed on the internal Argonne network, where it demonstrated practical user-facing capability as a chatbot for answering natural language questions about SAS and retrieving relevant technical information. Demonstration cases also showed that Maggie can generate useful snippets of SAS input for selected modeling tasks, while highlighting current limitations in reliability and consistency for more complex input generation tasks. Overall, the FY26 effort established the technical foundation for an AI-assisted capability intended to improve the efficiency, consistency, and accessibility of fast reactor software model development at Argonne and, with further improvements, to support eventual use by the broader fast reactor community, including industry users of FRP-supported analysis tools.

Thomas, Rachel [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL),↗

Understanding the dynamic interactions of root-knot nematodes and their host: role of plant growth promoting bacteria and abiotic factors

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp., RKN) are among the most destructive endoparasitic nematodes worldwide, often leading to a reduction of crop growth and yield. Insights into the dynamics of host-RKN interactions, especially in varied biotic and abiotic environments, could be pivotal in devising novel RKN mitigation measures. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) involves different plant growth-enhancing activities such as biofertilization, pathogen suppression, and induction of systemic resistance. We summarized the up-to-date knowledge on the role of PGPB and abiotic factors such as soil pH, texture, structure, moisture, etc. in modulating RKN-host interactions. RKN are directly or indirectly affected by different PGPB, abiotic factors interplay in the interactions, and host responses to RKN infection. We highlighted the tripartite (host-RKN-PGPB) phenomenon with respect to (i) PGPB direct and indirect effect on RKN-host interactions; (ii) host influence in the selection and enrichment of PGPB in the rhizosphere; (iii) how soil microbes enhance RKN parasitism; (iv) influence of host in RKN-PGPB interactions, and (v) the role of abiotic factors in modulating the tripartite interactions. Furthermore, we discussed how different agricultural practices alter the interactions. Finally, we emphasized the importance of incorporating the knowledge of tripartite interactions in the integrated RKN management strategies.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Editorial: Transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes of abiotic stress response in plants

In nature, plants constantly face various biotic and abiotic stresses that impact their growth, development, and productivity. Among these, abiotic stresses often have a more severe impact than biotic stresses. For instance, drought has been reported to cause greater yield losses than the combined impact of all plant pathogens (Gupta et al., 2020). Abiotic stresses are the immediate outcome of climate change, and the magnitude of these stresses has gradually increased every year with the rise in global temperatures. Thus, it has become imperative to study the impact of these stresses on plants and how plants respond to them at different levels to show resilient traits. This includes analysing the plants at morpho-physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. Researchers often compare stressed plants to control (non-stressed) plants or evaluate contrasting genotypes, such as tolerant and sensitive lines, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying stress responses. While these studies have provided some insights, a comprehensive understanding of the intricate mechanisms governing plant responses to abiotic stress remains largely unknown. Recent advances in next-generation tools and technologies have enabled researchers to dissect the molecular basis of plant stress responses at genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, epigenetic and epigenomic levels. Among these, knowledge of the transcriptional/epigenomic landscape of the trait-associated variations is limited. Given the importance of transcriptional changes and histone modifications in abiotic stress responses, this Research Topic was edited to collage the knowledge available on transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes of abiotic stress response in plants. The Research Topic features eight original research articles and one review, covering various aspects of transcriptome and epigenetic reprogramming in plants during abiotic stresses. Four of the research articles employ transcriptomics integrated with other omics approaches to explore transcriptome reprogramming, candidate gene identification, and the role of long non-coding RNA during different stresses. Two articles focus on the functional characterization of specific candidate genes involved in stress response, while another provides a genome-wide analysis of a stress-responsive gene family. Additionally, one study investigates genome-wide histone modifications, specifically H3K4me3 and H3K27me3, in response to abiotic stresses.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Hydrogen, Methane, Brine Flow Behavior, and Saturation in Sandstone Cores During H 2 and CH 4 Injection and Displacement

Large-scale underground hydrogen storage (UHS) is a critical component in the emerging hydrogen economy. Knowledge of multiphase flow behavior involving hydrogen in storage reservoir formations is crucial to characterizing hydrogen transport properties and essential for the deliverability and storage operations of UHS. There are still many gaps in fully understanding hydrogen–methane–brine multiphase phase flow that require further investigation. In this work, H 2 and CH 4 were injected through brine-saturated sandstone cores using a tri-axial core holder system fitted with flow rate meters and pressure transducers, while the effluent gas concentrations were analyzed using an online micro gas chromatograph. Brine displacement, permeability, and gas breakthrough curves were measured. We studied the flow behavior of hydrogen and methane in sandstone cores through testing brine displacement by gas injection and comparing the hydrogen displacement of methane with the methane displacement of hydrogen. We also tested the differences between horizontal and vertical flow in brine displacement. The results showed that brine displacement was more efficient in a core with higher permeability and porosity, resulting in a higher initial gas saturation. A higher gas injection rate brought about faster gas breakthrough measured by pore volume and sharper concentration curves. Hydrogen did not exhibit abnormal flow in the sandstone when the flow was horizontal and downward vertical. Gas overriding was observed in brine displacements when the flow was horizontal, with hydrogen showing this behavior more profoundly compared to methane. Downward vertical gas injection induced higher efficiency brine displacement compared to horizontal displacement and resulted in a higher initial gas saturation in the sandstone cores. These findings address critical knowledge gaps regarding gas flow patterns and displacement behaviors during hydrogen injection and recovery phases in UHS facilities using methane as the cushion gas. The insights from this research offer valuable guidance for optimizing UHS systems, ensuring operational efficiency, and advancing sustainable energy solutions in alignment with decarbonization goals.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Ground-Active Arthropod Diversity Under Energycane and Biomass Sorghum Production

Energycane and biomass sorghum are two of the most promising cellulosic energy crops in the southeastern US. Research on these two energy crops has focused mainly on biomass production, and there is a lack of knowledge on their ability to promote biodiversity and ecosystem services. This paper presents results from a comprehensive study on ground-active arthropod diversity in seven sites across five states in the southeastern US (Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas). Pitfall traps were deployed four times during each crop season for energycane, biomass sorghum, and a local reference conventional crop from 2020 to 2022. Arthropod abundance (individuals/(trap × day)) values were 4.9 ± 0.46, 3.7 ± 0.18, and 2.6 ± 0.16 (mean ± stderr) for conventional crops, biomass sorghum, and energycane, respectively, with a significant difference found only between conventional crops and energycane. Individuals were identified to arthropod orders, and Hill’s diversity indices were calculated based on the number of individuals in each arthropod order instead of the number of individuals in each arthropod species. Order-based arthropod richness values were 5.3, 5.2, and 4.8 for biomass sorghum, conventional crops, and energycane, with significant difference found only between biomass sorghum and energycane. There was no significant difference in the order-based Shannon diversity and Simpson diversity between the three crop types. The effective number of arthropod orders for the two energy crops decreased from 5.0 to 3.4 to 2.9 with increasing order of diversity from arthropod richness to Shannon diversity to Simpson diversity. The explained variability by environmental factors also decreased with increasing Hill’s order of diversity. The results from this study indicate no significant advantage in order-based arthropod diversity in growing biomass sorghum and energycane. This research fills a critical knowledge gap in understanding the impacts of cellulosic energy crop production on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Yang, Yubin↗

Bayesian chain graph models to characterize microbe-environment dynamics

Microbiome data require statistical models that can simultaneously decode microbes' reaction to the environment and interactions among microbes. While a multiresponse linear regression model seems like a straight-forward solution, we argue that treating it as a graphical model is problematic given that the regression coefficient matrix does not encode the conditional dependence structure between response and predictor nodes. This observation is especially important in biological settings when we have prior knowledge on the edges from specific experimental interventions that can only be properly encoded under a conditional dependence model. Here, we propose a chain graph model with two sets of nodes (predictors and responses) whose solution yields a graph with edges that indeed represent conditional dependence, thus agreeing with the experimenter's intuition on the average behavior of nodes under treatment. The solution to our model is sparse via the Bayesian linear regression (LASSO). In addition, we propose an adaptive extension so that different shrinkages can be applied to different edges to incorporate edge-specific prior knowledge. Our model is computationally inexpensive through an efficient Gibbs sampling algorithm and can account for binary, counting, and compositional responses via an appropriate hierarchical structure. We test the performance of our model in a variety of simulated datasets, thereby showing superior performance to state-of-the-art approaches. We further apply our model to human gut and soil microbial compositional datasets, and we highlight that CG-LASSO can estimate biologically meaningful network structures in the data.

compositional data↗

A Biochar Classification System and Associated Test Methods

In this chapter, a biochar classification system related to its use as soil amendment is proposed. This document builds upon previous work: “Standardized product definition and product testing guidelines for biochar that is used in soil” (IBI, 2015) (aka IBI Biochar Standards) and “Guidelines for biochar production for a sustainable production of biochar: European Biochar Certificate” (EBC, 2012-2022) (aka EBC Biochar Standards). It should be noted that the EBC guidelines constitute the basis for biochar certification through the independent government accredited inspection agency, Bio.Inspecta AG. The present document constrains its scope to materials with properties that satisfy the criteria for biochar as defined by either the IBI Biochar Standards or the EBC Standards (Annex I), as required by the current methodologies developed for accounting carbon credits associated with the biochar use in the voluntary market (e.g., Verra, Puro.Earth). The classification system envisions enabling stakeholders and commercial entities to (i) identify the most suitable biochar to fulfil the requirements for a particular soil and/or land-use, (ii) distinguish the application of biochar for specific niches (e.g., soilless agriculture), and (iii) assess the climate-impact value based on biochar properties, production efficiency, and alternative feedstock uses. It is based on the best current knowledge and will need to be improved as new data and knowledge become available in the scientific literature.

biochar, climate change impacts, soil amendment, c↗

Comparison of wind-farm control strategies under realistic offshore wind conditions: wake quantities of interest

Wind-farm control strategies aim to increase the efficiency, and therefore lower the levelized cost of energy, of wind farms. This is done by using turbine settings such as the yaw angle, blade pitch angles, or generator torque to manipulate the wake that negatively affects downstream turbines in the farm. Two inherently different wind-farm control methods have been identified in the literature: wake steering (WS) and active wake mixing (AWM). As one of two companion papers focused on understanding practical aspects of these two wind-farm control strategies using large-eddy simulation (LES), we below analyze the wake quantities of interest for a single wind turbine performing WS and AWM, while the companion article (Frederik et al., 2025) focuses on turbine quantities of interest including power and structural loads for the same computational setup and also includes two-turbine arrays with full and partial wake overlap. The simulations, which are based in the LES solver AMR-Wind, are tailored to have inflow conditions representative of measurements from a site off the East Coast of the US, including with strong veer and low turbulence. The turbine, which is modeled in OpenFAST and coupled to the LES, is the IEA 15 MW, an open-source offshore design. After presenting an overview of the wake recovery for the different wake-control cases, the analysis probes the fluid-dynamic causes for the different performance of the arrays reported in the companion article by examining control volumes around the wakes and the budget of the mean-flow kinetic energy (MKE) within these volumes. In the high veer environment considered, the MKE recovery is dominated by mean convection, and this is shown to especially benefit the WS strategy when a neighboring turbine is directly downstream: there is ≈65 % more available power for a downstream turbine than in the baseline case, and this power is gained primarily through mean convection on the left-tip and top-tip faces of the control volume. However, the case with imperfect knowledge of the exact wind direction favors the pulse-type AWM strategy, largely because of ≈9 % increased turbulent entrainment from aloft versus the baseline that could be related to an apparent resistance to skewing in the pulsed wake. The general reduced effectiveness of helix-type and other individual-pitch-based AWM strategies for inflow with high veer and low turbulence as reported in the companion paper is due, in part, to low magnitudes of phase-averaged turbulent entrainment. Two main findings of this study are thus that veer has a significant impact on the effectiveness of different wake-control strategies and that pulse-type AWM may be a useful strategy when the objective is power maximization in realistic, offshore flow environments with imperfect knowledge of the exact wake overlap position on the downstream turbine.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Building Nuclear-Specific Cybersecurity Expertise in Higher Education

The rapid digitalization of nuclear power plants (NPPs) and the deployment of advanced and small modular reactors (A/SMRs) have expanded the cybersecurity attack surface within the nuclear sector. This evolution introduces unique challenges beyond those faced in general information technology (IT), operational technology (OT) and industrial control system (ICS) security, due to nuclear power’s regulatory rigor, safety-critical nature, and operational needs. A pressing workforce gap persists; cybersecurity graduates typically lack nuclear-specific context and retraining them for industry readiness requires 12–18 months, creating a significant burden. This paper addresses this gap by defining the domains of knowledge that nuclear cybersecurity specialists must master, spanning cybersecurity, nuclear engineering, OT/ICS security, and regulatory governance. We propose a curricular framework integrating technical, regulatory, and applied learning components to accelerate workforce readiness. Our approach builds on existing findings that current curricula inadequately integrate nuclear engineering and cybersecurity, shifting the discourse from why specialization is needed to what knowledge must be taught. The recommendations have implications for workforce development and long-term resilience of the nuclear energy sector.

99 - GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Eucalyptus – An Analysis Suite for Fault Trees with Uncertainty Quantification

Eucalyptus is a novel code developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to incorporate uncertainty quantification into Fault Tree Analysis (FTA). This tool addresses the challenge of imperfect knowledge in “grey-box” systems by allowing analysts to incorporate and propagate uncertainty from component-level assessments to system-level effects. Eucalyptus facilitates a consistent evaluation of the impact of subject matter expert judgment and knowledge gaps on overall system response by Monte Carlo generation of possible system fault trees, sampling probabilities of the existence of subsystems and components. Here, the code supports the specification of fault trees through text and allows export to various formats, including auto-generated images, easing analysis and reducing errors. It has undergone extensive verification testing, demonstrating its reliability and readiness for deployment, and leverages on-node parallelism for rapid analysis. Example analyses are shown that include the identification of system failure paths and quantification of the value of further information about system components.

Fault Tree Analysis↗

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Cyber-vulnerability Impact Assessment for Energy Critical Infrastructure

As energy infrastructure becomes more interconnected, understanding cybersecurity risks to production systems requires integrating operational and computer security knowledge. We interviewed 18 experts working in the field of energy critical infrastructure to compare what information they find necessary to assess the impact of computer vulnerabilities on energy operational technology. These experts came from two groups: 1) computer security experts and 2) energy sector operations experts. We find that both groups responded similarly for general categories of information and displayed knowledge about both domains, perhaps due to their interdisciplinary work at the same organization. Yet, we found notable differences in the details of their responses and in their stated perceptions of each group’s approaches to impact assessment. Their suggestions for collaboration across domains highlighted how these two groups can work together to help each other secure the energy grid. Our findings inform the development of interdisciplinary security approaches in critical-infrastructure contexts.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Accelerating Thermochemical Equilibrium Calculations for Nuclear Reactor Applications

Thermochemical properties play a key role in modeling and simulation of several key phenomena in nuclear reactors. There has been an increasing interest in incorporating CALPHAD-based formulations in multiphysics simulations including for Molten Salt Reactors where knowledge of phase evolution of the salt and the chemical potentials of various elements are of utmost importance in source term analyses and redox control. However, the size of such simulations is often limited by the high computational cost of full thermodynamic equilibrium calculations. This work discusses the current efforts aimed at accelerating thermochemical equilibrium calculations for multiphysics simulations performed using the open-source finite element / finite volume code Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) [1]. While several methods have been proposed for accelerating phase equilibrium calculations [2], most focus on relatively small systems and often rely on a- priori knowledge of the state-space of the system. Nuclear materials, however, are often multi-component systems owing to the evolution of composition under irradiation and an approach based on a-priori mapping of phase diagram is often not enough. This work is aimed at demonstrating an on-the-fly surrogate modeling framework that uses active learning to reduce the number of full equilibrium calculations that must be performed. By combining with efficient coupling approaches, the surrogate framework helps in reducing the computational cost of thermodynamic equilibrium informed multiphysics simulations of nuclear materials. The performance is benchmarked against full coupling with the thermochemistry library Thermochimica [3]. This work uses a machine learning based approach for constructing surrogate models to predict the stable phases in a multicomponent system. The surrogates were constructed using neural networks and Gaussian process classification. In this work, we compare the relative performance of the two methods. We also demonstrate the use of caching previous calculations by interpolating the values from nearest neighbors. References [1] Lindsay, A.D., et al. "2.0 – MOOSE: Enabling massively parallel multiphysics simulation", SoftwareX, 20 (2022): 101202. [2] Roos, W.A. and Zietsman J.H. "Accelerating complex chemical equilibrium calculations – A Review", Calphad, 77 (2022): 102380. [3] Piro, M.H.A., et al. "The thermochemistry library Thermochimica", Computational Materials Science, 67 (2013): 266-272.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Realizing the Residential Electrification Opportunity: One Heat Pump at a Time

Space and water heating in residential buildings is a major contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. Advanced electric heat pumps (HP) and heat pump water heaters (HPWH) are poised to provide a low carbon alternative to traditional fossil-based space and water heating. Widespread deployment of heat pumps could help address the significant portion of building emissions and primary energy used in American households, however much work needs to be done to close the knowledge gap between like-for-like fossil equipment replacement and switching to HPs for the average contractor. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been working on closing this knowledge gap through the development of decision tools and resources targeted towards contractors and installers. Developed in coordination with stakeholders and experienced contractors from a variety of geographic regions, these tools help streamline the process of sizing and selecting residential HPs and HPWHs for key use cases. Along with the complementary Retrofit Decision Tool developed by PNNL, the decision tools will help contractors understand the importance of whole building considerations when choosing HPs including envelope upgrades, duct assessments, and electrical assessments to ensure optimal selection and performance of the HP or HPWH. They also provide direct links to resources and best practices developed by PNNL as well as external entities to further help contractor education and training. This paper describes the development of these tools, and their role in moving the existing space and water heating market towards HPs to help realize the country’s decarbonization goals.

heat pump, heat pump water heater, Residential bui↗

Data analytics for intermodal freight transportation applications

With the growth of intermodal freight transportation, it is important that transportation planners and decision-makers are knowledgeable about freight flow data to make informed decisions. This is particularly true with Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) offering new capabilities for intermodal freight transportation. Specifically, ITS enables access to multiple different data sources, but they have different formats, resolutions, and time scales. Thus, knowledge of data science is essential to be successful in future ITS-enabled intermodal freight transportation systems. This chapter discusses the commonly used descriptive and predictive data analytic techniques in intermodal freight transportation applications. These techniques cover the entire spectrum of univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses. In addition to illustrating how to apply these techniques manually, this chapter will also show how to apply them using the statistical software R. Additional exercises are provided for those who wish to apply the described techniques to more complex problems.

Huynh, Nathan↗

Agrivoltaic Racking Design Optimization Based on Wind and Snow Loading Finite Element Analysis

The racking structure of photovoltaic (PV) systems plays a critical role in ensuring the PV panels generate power properly as it provides integral structural support and sometimes even solar tracking ability. Distinct applications of PV systems require variations of racking structure designs, which yield different mechanical performances under external loading conditions from the environment, such as heavy wind and snow. Past works, such as Reddy et al. [1], have analyzed the pressure effects of wind and snow loading on the racking structure of conventional rooftop and utility PV systems, but there is little knowledge of how various agrivoltaic racking systems perform, in terms of stress and strain, under the same loading conditions. There is also a knowledge gap in the industry on a set of optimized agrivoltaic racking design standards. This study investigates the mechanical performance of various existing racking systems and proposes novel designs that are optimized for agrivoltaics applications under wind and snow loading.

Liao, Quanhuan↗

Workforce Development Opportunities Through the US Department of Energy’s Better Plants Program 2025

The increasing global demand for energy underscores the importance of energy efficiency and sustainability. To address these challenges in the US manufacturing sector, the US Department of Energy has implemented the Better Plants and Better Climate Challenge programs. These initiatives aim to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and water usage in industrial facilities. This paper highlights a critical component of these programs, workforce development, which equips individuals with the skills and knowledge to implement energy-saving measures. Through the variety of training opportunities discussed, including bootcamps, in-plant trainings, virtual trainings, and annual events, the programs are able to cater to a wide range of industrial participants, from entry-level professionals to experienced engineers. By fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing and by leveraging certifications offered by organizations like the Association of Energy Engineers, these initiatives empower individuals to drive innovation and sustainable practices.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Investigating Radiation-Induced Actinide Species in Solution

Used nuclear fuel (UNF) separation techniques that strive to separate radiotoxic americium (Am) from trivalent lanthanide fission products through oxidation state control have increased research efforts surrounding Am(V) and Am(VI). However, equivalent knowledge of the tetravalent state, Am(IV), has remained elusive, particularly in conditions more representative of UNF reprocessing, i.e., in concentrated nitric acid (HNO3). With this in mind, we have used electron pulse radiolysis to study the radiation-induced redox reaction of Am(III) with the oxidizing nitrate radical (NO3?) in 6 M HNO3: Am(III) + NO3? ? Am(IV) + NO3? . These experiments enabled us to observe the growth and decay of Am(IV) in a concentrated acidic solution for the first time. The transient Am(IV) species was found to have a lifetime of ~16 µs?sufficiently long-lived to play a critical mechanistic role in UNF reprocessing systems. Additionally, we performed the first-ever temperature-dependent kinetics study of an actinide element, elucidating unprecedented Arrhenius and Eyring activation parameters for the reaction of Am(III) with NO3?. This new knowledge provides much-needed molecular-level insights into the radiation-induced behavior of Am.

actinide↗