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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

Measured effect of wind generation on the fuel consumption of an isolated diesel power system

The Block Island Power Company (BIPCO), on Block Island, Rhode Island, operates an isolated electric power system consisting of diesel generation and an experimental wind turbine. The 150-kW wind turbine, designated MOD-OA by the U.S. Department of Energy is typically operated in parallel with two diesel generators to serve an average winter load of 350 kW. Wind generation serves up to 60 percent of the system demand depending on wind speed and total system load. Results of diesel fuel consumption measurements are given for the diesel units operated in parallel with the wind turbine and again without the wind turbine. The fuel consumption data are used to calculate the amount of fuel displaced by wind energy. Results indicate that the wind turbine displaced 25,700 lbs. of the diesel fuel during the test period, representing a calculated reduction in fuel consumption of 6.7 percent while generating 11 percent of the total electric energy. The amount of displaced fuel depends on operating conditions and system load. It is also shown that diesel engine throttle activity resulting from wind gusts which rapidly change the wind turbine output do not significantly influence fuel consumption.

Stiller, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Examination, evaluation and repair of laminated wood blades after service on the Mod-OA wind turbine

Laminated wood blades were designed, fabricated, and installed on a 200-KW wind turbine (Mod-OA). The machine uses a two-blade rotor with a diameter of 38.1 m (125 ft). Each blade weights less than 1361 kg (3000 lb). After operating in the field, two blade sets were returned for inspection. One set had been in Hawaii for 17 months (7844 hr of operation) and the other had been at Block Island, Rhode Island, for 26 months (22 months operating - 7564 hr). The Hawaii set was returned because of one of the studs that holds the blade to the hub had failed. This was found to be caused by a combination of improper installation and inadequate corrosion protection. No other problems were found. The broken stud (along with four others that were badly corroded) was replaced and the blades are now in storage. The Block Island set of blades was returned at the completion of the test program, but one blade was found to have developed a crack in the leading edge along the entire span. This crack was found to be the result of a manufacturing process problem but was not structurally critical. When a load-deflection test was conducted on the cracked blade, the response was identical to that measured before installation. In general, the laminate quality of both blade sets was excellent. No significant internal delamination or structural defects were found in any blade. The stud bonding process requires close tolerance control and adequate corrosion protection, but studs can be removed and replaced without major problems. Moisture content stabilization does not appear to be a problem, and laminated wood blades are satisfactory for long-term operation on Mod-OA wind turbines.

Faddoul, J. R.↗
DOE OSTI2026

BLOC Site - NOAA PSL Wind Retrievals WINDoe / Derived Data

This dataset contains daily netcdf files with horizontal wind profiles retrieved with the WINDoe retrieval (Gebauer and Bell 2024) at Block Island (BLOC). WINDoe retrievals datasets are also available at Nantucket Island (NANT, nant.windoe.z01.c1) and Rhode Island (RHOD, rhod.windoe.z01.c1). WINDoe is an optimal estimation algorithm to retrieve wind profiles combining multiple instruments. The code is available in this github repository (https://github.com/OAR-atmospheric-observations/WINDoe/tree/main), and the retrieval is described by Gebauer and Bell (2024). WINDoe allows combining the individual datasets and outputs into one profile taking into account the information and uncertainties of each dataset. The use of WINDoe minimizes data gaps and maximizes data availability, compared to using wind profiles from only one of the instruments. The regular height grid eases comparisons to numerical weather prediction models. Code modifications have been made that include reading in WFIP3 specific instruments, averaging Doppler lidar radial velocities at various azimuth angles to avoid overfitting, and allowing the user to define a height grid by the user in the vipfile. The instruments used as input to the retrieval are a radar wind profiler (low- and high resolution mode) providing data in and above the boundary layer, a scanning Doppler lidar usually providing data throughout the boundary layer, a profiling lidar providing data from 50 to 200 m at BLOC and NANT, and from 10 to 280 m at Rhode Island, and a surface tower (4 m at NANT and RHOD and 10 m at BLOC). From the scanning lidars, we used radial velocity measurements at 60 deg elevation angle at six different azimuth angles with a resolution of approximately 30 m along the line of sight and the lowest range gate at approximately 70 m. The wind profiles are retrieved with WINDoe up to 3.74 km with 10 m vertical resolution. The profiles are retrieved every 15 min at BLOC and NANT and every 60 min at RHOD.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

NANT Site - NOAA PSL Wind Retrievals WINDoe / Derived Data

This dataset contains daily NetCDF files with horizontal wind profiles retrieved with the WINDoe retrieval (Gebauer and Bell 2024) at Nantucket Island (NANT). WINDoe retrievals datasets are also available at Block Island (BLOC, bloc.windoe.z01.c1) and Rhode Island (RHOD, rhod.windoe.z01.c1). WINDoe is an optimal estimation algorithm to retrieve wind profiles combining multiple instruments. The code is available in this github repository (https://github.com/OAR-atmospheric-observations/WINDoe/tree/main), and the retrieval is described by Gebauer and Bell (2024). WINDoe allows combining the individual datasets and outputs into one profile taking into account the information and uncertainties of each dataset. The use of WINDoe minimizes data gaps and maximizes data availability, compared to using wind profiles from only one of the instruments. The regular height grid eases comparisons to numerical weather prediction models. Code modifications have been made that include reading in WFIP3 specific instruments, averaging Doppler lidar radial velocities at various azimuth angles to avoid overfitting, and allowing the user to define a height grid by the user in the vipfile. The instruments used as input to the retrieval are a radar wind profiler (low- and high resolution mode) providing data in and above the boundary layer, a scanning Doppler lidar usually providing data throughout the boundary layer, a profiling lidar providing data from 50 to 200 m at BLOC and NANT, and from 10 to 280 m at Rhode Island, and a surface tower (4 m at NANT and RHOD and 10 m at BLOC). From the scanning lidars, we used radial velocity measurements at 60 deg elevation angle at six different azimuth angles with a resolution of approximately 30 m along the line of sight and the lowest range gate at approximately 70 m. The wind profiles are retrieved with WINDoe up to 3.74 km with 10 m vertical resolution. The profiles are retrieved every 15 min at BLOC and NANT and every 60 min at RHOD.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Design, Optimization, and Control of Floating Offshore Wind Farms for Optimal Energy Production (Final report)

The uncertainty and irregularity of ocean waves and the ocean environment is a major factor in the development of commercial scale floating wind turbines as the operation of floating structures in such an environment can lead to irregular and unpredictable loading, fatigue, and ultimately a reduction in the operational life of the turbine system which affects energy production over the lifetime of the turbine. Control solutions that can limit float motions and mitigate stressful events on the structure become essential for extending lifetime and limiting the operational uncertainty of a floating wind turbine. Digital twins are computational replicas of physical systems that operate in parallel with the operation of the physical system. Given advanced knowledge of a systems input, digital twins have the ability to predict the behavior of a system in advance, which can be valuable in the control of that system. In this project, we developed and assessed potential digital twin models developed in house and openly available (OpenFast) for use in the real time control of the six degree of freedom response motions of a floating wind turbine in ocean waves. Coupling these models with near-field real time irregular sea surface (wve) measurement/sensings and prediction models, we used the digital twin to predict how the floating turbine will respond to the incoming waves. Applying this information to a motion control system of the float, one can limit and control float motions to prevent undesirable loading events/large angular motions, thus increasing system life and ultimately contributing to optimizing energy production. Due to the computational intensity of operating a digital twin in real time, we investigated the use of artificial intelligence techniques to speed-up the processes of the digital twin, as well as the wave reconstruction/prediction models. Model tank testing at the University of Rhode Island and University of Maine both validated and demonstrated the developed techniques on simple float geometries and a scale model of the NREL 15 MW reference turbine.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2001

Narragansett Bay From Space: A Perspective for the 21st Century

In 1996, the NASA Administrator Dan Goldin and Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy challenged researchers in the Department of Geological Sciences at Brown University to developed a series of projects to apply remotely sensed data to problems of immediate concern to the State of Rhode Island. The result of that challenge was the project Narragansett Bay from Space: A Perspective for the 21st Century. The goals of the effort were to a) identify problems in coordination with state and local agencies, b) apply NASA technology to the problems and c) to involve small business that would benefit from incorporating remotely sensed data into their business operations. The overall effort was to serve two functions: help provide high quality science results based on remotely sensed data and increase the capacity of environmental managers and companies to use remotely sensed data. The effort has succeeded on both these fronts by providing new, quantitative information on the extent of environmental problems and developing a greater awareness and acceptance of remotely sensed data as a tool for monitoring and research.

Mustard, John F.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Use of ERTS-1 DCS in the management and control of water resources systems

The ERTS-1 experimental hydrologic Data Collection Platform System that has been established at the New England Division (NED), the reasons for getting involved with the experiment, some of the initial problems associated with the data collection hardware, and a preliminary conclusion based on operating experiences are reviewed. The New England Region includes the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The entire area consists of approximately 97,000 sq. km. (60,000 square miles), half of which is in the state of Maine. The limits of the NED are all of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont to the western limits of the Connecticut River basin, Massachusetts, Connecticut to the western edge of the Housatonic River basin and Rhode Island. All reservoirs have flood control as a primary purpose. Other uses include water supply, recreation and low flow augmentation. However, none of the reservoirs are presently operated for hydroelectric power, navigation, or irrigation purposes. Basically then, flood control regulation is NED's primary concern.

Finegan, J. W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Using NASA Earth Observations to Identify Trends in Harmful Algal Blooms in Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island is known for its quahog, or hard-shell clam, shellfisheries. However, increased levels in harmful algal blooms (HABs) have posed threats to quahog populations and raised public health concerns due to shellfishery closures resulting from contamination with neurotoxins released by phytoplankton. NASA DEVELOP partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory and Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management to use Earth observations and the partners’ in-situ data to visualize phytoplankton bloom events within the bay. The team used Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), and Landsat 9 OLI-2 to track proposed proxies for phytoplankton from June 2016 to October 2023. Multiple sensors and datasets were employed for more accurate results due to the small spatial extent of Narragansett Bay. Chlorophyll-a and total suspended solids were determined to be accurate parameters to monitor HAB events. Although complications could arise due to the relatively small size of the bay and small-scale of the bloom events, which may be difficult to visualize via remote sensing, Earth observations have proven to help strengthen HAB research, monitoring, and prediction and will complement the extensive in-situ data in Narragansett Bay.

Isabella Giordano↗
NASA NTRS2024

Narragansett Bay Water Resources: Using Earth Observations to Identify Trends in Harmful Algal Blooms in Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island is known for its quahog, or hard-shell clam, shellfisheries. However, increased levels in harmful algal blooms (HABs) and high phytoplankton biomass events pose threats to quahog populations, creating conditions that limit quahog growth and reproduction. Quahog shortages, along with public health concerns associated with contamination of shellfish from HAB-produced neurotoxins, have contributed to shellfishery closures. NASA DEVELOP partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory and Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management to use Earth observations and the partners’ in-situ data to visualize phytoplankton bloom events within the bay. We used Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI), Landsat 8 and 9 Operational Land Imager (OLI)data to track several proxies of phytoplankton biomass from June 2016 to October 2023. Multiple sensors and in situ datasets were used to assess the feasibility of monitoring phytoplankton biomass accurately in the relatively small sized Narragansett Bay. We determined that Phytoplankton fluorescence line height was the best parameter to monitor phytoplankton biomass in the bay. Although the relatively small size of the bay and the optical complexity of these nearshore waters can pose a challenge, this assessment showed that Earth observations can be a useful complement to the in-situ monitoring of phytoplankton biomass in Narragansett Bay.

Sentinel-3↗
DOE OSTI2026

RHOD Site - NOAA PSL Wind Retrievals WINDoe / Derived Data

This dataset contains daily NetCDF files with horizontal wind profiles retrieved with the WINDoe retrieval (Gebauer and Bell 2024) at Rhode Island (RHOD). WINDoe retrievals datasets are also available at Nantucket Island (NANT, nant.windoe.z01.c1) and Block Island (BLOC, bloc.windoe.z01.c1). WINDoe is an optimal estimation algorithm to retrieve wind profiles combining multiple instruments. The code is available in this github repository (https://github.com/OAR-atmospheric-observations/WINDoe/tree/main) and the retrieval is described by Gebauer and Bell (2024). WINDoe allows combining the individual datasets and outputs into one profile taking into account the information and uncertainties of each dataset. The use of WINDoe minimizes data gaps and maximizes data availability, compared to using wind profiles from only one of the instruments. The regular height grid eases comparisons to numerical weather prediction models. Code modifications have been made that include reading in WFIP3 specific instruments, averaging Doppler lidar radial velocities at various azimuth angles to avoid overfitting, and allowing the user to define a height grid by the user in the vipfile. The instruments used as input to the retrieval are a radar wind profiler (low- and high resolution mode) providing data in and above the boundary layer, a scanning Doppler lidar usually providing data throughout the boundary layer, a profiling lidar providing data from 50 to 200 m at BLOC and NANT, and from 10 to 280 m at Rhode Island, and a surface tower (4 m at NANT and RHOD and 10 m at BLOC). From the scanning lidars, we used radial velocity measurements at 60 deg elevation angle at six different azimuth angles with a resolution of approximately 30 m along the line of sight and the lowest range gate at approximately 70 m. The wind profiles are retrieved with WINDoe up to 3.74 km with 10 m vertical resolution. The profiles are retrieved every 15 min at BLOC and NANT and every 60 min at RHOD.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Author Correction: Microbial Metagenomes Across a Complete Phytoplankton Bloom Cycle: High-Resolution Sampling Every 4 Hours Over 22 Days

In the version of this article initially published, two errors in authorship were made. First, Tatiana Rynearson of the School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island was mistakenly omitted from the final author list. Second, Kurt LaButti of the Joint Genome Institute was mistakenly omitted from the final author list and replaces Alicia Clum due to a staffing change at the Joint Genome Institute. These authorship omissions were not identified until after the work had been published. We are updating the authorship to appropriately recognize the contributions of these authors. The error has been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the article.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Block Island’s Energy Roadmap to 2040

This report documents an electricity planning study "Energy Roadmap to 240" for the community of New Shoreham, Rhode Island (aka Block Island), conducted under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project (ETIPP) by a national laboratory analysis team comprising staff from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS1995

Aerosol measurements over the Pacific Ocean in support of the IR aerosol backscatter program

The major efforts under NASA contract NAG8-841 included: (1) final analyses of the samples collected during the first GLOBE survey flight that occurred in November 1989 and collections and analysis of aerosol samples during the second GLOBE survey flight in May and June 1990. During the first GLOBE survey flight, daily samples were collected at four stations (Midway, Rarotonga, American Samoa, and Norfolk Island) throughout the month of November 1989. Weekly samples were collected at Shemya, Alaska, and at Karamea, New Zealand. During the second GLOBE survey flight, daily samples were collected at Midway, Oahu, American Samoa, Rarotonga, and Norfolk Island; weekly samples were collected at Shemya. These samples were all analyzed for sodium (sea-salt), chloride, nitrate, sulfate, and methanesulfonate at the University of Miami and for aluminum at the University of Rhode Island (under a subcontract). (2) Samples continued to be collected on a weekly basis at all stations during the periods between and after the survey flights. These weekly samples were also analyzed at the University of Miami for the suite of water-soluble species. (3) In August 1990, the results obtained from the above studies were submitted to the appropriate personnel at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to become part of the GLOBE data base for comparison with data from instruments used aboard the aircraft. In addition, the data will be compared with data previously obtained at these stations as part of the Sea-Air Exchange (SEAREX) Program. This comparison will provide valuable information on the representativeness of the periods in terms of the longer term aerosol climatology over the Pacific Ocean. (4) Several publications have been written using data from this grant. The data will continue to be used in the future as part of a continuing investigation of the long-term trends and interannual variations in aerosol species concentrations over the Pacific Ocean.

Prospero, Joseph M.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Influence of the ambient acceleration field upon acute acceleration tolerance in chickens

The paper measured the acceleration tolerance of domestic fowl (Rhode Island Red cocks), acutely exposed to a 6 Gz field, as the time over which a normal heart rate can be maintained. This period of circulatory adjustment ends abruptly with pronounced bradycardia. For chickens which previously have been physiologically adapted to 2.5 -G field, the acute acceleration tolerance is greatly increased. The influence of the ambient acceleration field on the adjustment of the circulatory system appears to be a general phenomenon.

Smith, A. H.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Metal Halide Perovskites in Quantum Dot Solar Cells: Progress and Prospects

“Go big or go home” could never be a truer statement, especially when it comes to energy. The world population is increasing, the energy use per person is growing more rapidly, and the total electricity use per person is growing even more quickly than that. To handle this demand, energy production must be increased, and it is vital for renewable sources to be used. Currently three quarters of a terawatt of power generated from photovoltaics (PVs) has been installed. At a somewhat optimistic average power-conversion efficiency of 18%, the distributed surface area of high purity optoelectronic grade semiconductor photovoltaic panels pointed at the sun is substantially larger than the area of the whole state of Rhode Island or nearly double the land mass of Luxembourg. While photovoltaic production continues to ramp to immense proportions, perovskite semiconductors are poised to greatly complement existing technology. On the other end of the size spectrum, the study of semiconductor nanocrystals or quantum dots (QDs) has led to advanced structures and deeper understanding within halide perovskite semiconductors. In this article, we show how the development of nanoscale metal halide perovskite semiconductors have gained prominence surpassing all other QD materials in terms of efficiency, and are becoming a platform for further improving technology to solve big energy challenges.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

H 2 generation by the 10 B(n,α) 7 Li reaction in high temperature water

H 2 produced in water from the 10 B(n,α) 7 Li fission reaction has been measured up to 300 °C. Thermal energy neutrons from the Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center's 2 MW reactor interact with boric acid-containing water in temperature-controlled high-pressure cells made from tubing of either titanium or zirconium alloy. After exposure for a minimum of 1 h, the solution sample is extracted and sparged with argon. The H 2 entrained by the sparging gas is sampled with a small mass spectrometer. A small amount of sodium is included in the boric acid solution so that after sparging, samples can be collected for 24 Na activation measurements in a gamma spectrometer to determine the neutron exposure and thus the total energy deposited in solution. The G-value (μmol/J) for H 2 production is obtained for water at a pressure of 25 MPa, over a temperature range from 20 °C to 300 °C. The weak temperature dependence of this yield between 150 °C and 200 °C demonstrates that the bimolecular reaction of pairs of e$^{–}_{aq}$ is a very minor source of H 2 in high LET tracks.

10B↗
DOE OSTI2021

Identifiability and predictability of integer- and fractional-order epidemiological models using physics-informed neural networks

Here we analyze a plurality of epidemiological models through the lens of physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) that enable us to identify time-dependent parameters and data-driven fractional differential operators. In particular, we consider several variations of the classical susceptible-infectious-removed (SIR) model by introducing more compartments and fractional-order and time-delay models. We report the results for the spread of COVID-19 in New York City, Rhode Island and Michigan states and Italy, by simultaneously inferring the unknown parameters and the unobserved dynamics. For integer-order and time-delay models, we fit the available data by identifying time-dependent parameters, which are represented by neural networks. In contrast, for fractional differential models, we fit the data by determining different time-dependent derivative orders for each compartment, which we represent by neural networks. We investigate the structural and practical identifiability of these unknown functions for different datasets, and quantify the uncertainty associated with neural networks and with control measures in forecasting the pandemic.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Neutron irradiation and electrical characterisation of the first 8” silicon pad sensor prototypes for the CMS calorimeter endcap upgrade

As part of its HL-LHC upgrade program, the CMS collaboration is replacing its existing endcap calorimeters with a high-granularity calorimeter (CE). The new calorimeter is a sampling calorimeter with unprecedented transverse and longitudinal readout for both electromagnetic and hadronic compartments. Due to its compactness, intrinsic time resolution, and radiation hardness, silicon has been chosen as active material for the regions exposed to higher radiation levels. The silicon sensors are fabricated as 20 cm (8”) wide hexagonal wafers and are segmented into several hundred pads which are read out individually. As part of the sensor qualification strategy, 8” sensor irradiation with neutrons has been conducted at the Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center (RINSC) and followed by their electrical characterisation in 2020-21. The completion of this important milestone in the CE's R&D program is documented in this paper and it provides detailed account of the associated infrastructure and procedures.The results on the electrical properties of the irradiated CE silicon sensors are presented.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗