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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

A preliminary systems-engineering study of an advanced nuclear-electrolytic hydrogen-production facility

An advanced nuclear-electrolytic hydrogen-production facility concept was synthesized at a conceptual level with the objective of minimizing estimated hydrogen-production costs. The concept is a closely-integrated, fully-dedicated (only hydrogen energy is produced) system whose components and subsystems are predicted on ''1985 technology.'' The principal components are: (1) a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) operating a helium-Brayton/ammonia-Rankine binary cycle with a helium reactor-core exit temperature of 980 C, (2) acyclic d-c generators, (3) high-pressure, high-current-density electrolyzers based on solid-polymer electrolyte technology. Based on an assumed 3,000 MWt HTGR the facility is capable of producing 8.7 million std cu m/day of hydrogen at pipeline conditions, 6,900 kPa. Coproduct oxygen is also available at pipeline conditions at one-half this volume. It has further been shown that the incorporation of advanced technology provides an overall efficiency of about 43 percent, as compared with 25 percent for a contemporary nuclear-electric plant powering close-coupled contemporary industrial electrolyzers.

Escher, W. J. D.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Low-Power Nuclear Heating Tests of UN Fuel Particles in Hydrogen Environment for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

Recently, there has been a reemergence of interest within the space-exploration community regarding nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) for interplanetary travel. NTP, as conceptualized, is a compact propulsion source, is relatively light because there is no need for an oxidizing agent and has a very high specific impulse compared to traditional forms of propulsion. These factors would reduce first-leg orbital-rocketry costs (by the source’s low weight and volume) and decrease overall travel time for astronauts with higher transit speeds. Idaho National Laboratory was provided bare, uncoated, and tungsten-coated uranium nitride fuel particles as part of a preliminary investigation. The fuel was fabricated by BWX Technologies and irradiated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology research reactor. X-ray computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy and associated chemical analysis techniques were performed on these particles at Idaho National Laboratory. Both coated and uncoated forms were examined in the as-fabricated and as-irradiated conditions. The tungsten coating was found to be intact following the irradiation, indicating positive attributes for performance under these low-power-irradiation conditions. The irradiation of uncoated particles resulted in nitrogen enrichment at the edge of the particle.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS1980

Removal of hydrogen bubbles from nuclear reactors

Method proposed for removing large hydrogen bubbles from nuclear environment uses, in its simplest form, hollow spheres of palladium or platinum. Methods would result in hydrogen bubble being reduced in size without letting more radioactivity outside reactor.

Jenkins, R. V.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Hydrogen Generation and Industrial Heat Opportunities for Nuclear Plants in the Gulf Coast

The United States (U.S.) nuclear-generation fleet stands as a critical national strategic asset, playing a pivotal role in achieving climate goals. Operating on light-water reactor (LWR) technologies, this fleet provides the largest share of U.S. carbon-free electrical generation, ensuring 24/7 clean-energy stability. With a proven track record of reliability while operating at high-capacity factors, consistently above 90%, the existing nuclear fleet serves as a cornerstone for sustainable energy. The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS), Flexible Plant Operations and Generation pathway addresses U.S. nuclear power plant (NPP) grid integration challenges in the face of evolving energy landscapes. Research at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) highlights the potential synergy between high-temperature steam-electrolysis (HTSE) technology and nuclear steam and electricity during periods of high renewable grid penetration. Large-scale nuclear-integrated hydrogen production through HTSE presents significant potential for decarbonizing such energy-intensive sectors as oil refining, petrochemicals, ammonia, and fertilizers. The strategic advantage lies in the nuclear sector’s capability to deliver clean electrical and/or steam output during periods of low demand. Nuclear-produced hydrogen—with its ability to provide high-purity clean H 2 well below the national standard of 1 kg of CO 2 per kg of H 2 —represents a breakthrough methodology. This emphasizes the crucial role NPPs can fill in addressing the increasing need for clean hydrogen, establishing them as essential contributors to decarbonization. This report specifically delves into hydrogen-generation opportunities from the U.S. Gulf Coast region. This study aims to assess NPP capabilities for hydrogen production and to identify practical nearby industrial and pipeline-operator off-takers for nuclear-integrated hydrogen production as well as to present some specific case-study analysis showing the conditions under which nuclear hydrogen production and sale can be profitable. Also considered in this report is preliminary analysis of nuclear-heat opportunities accessible near Waterford NPP via transportation of hypothetical steam pipelines and heat-exchange equipment.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Helium plasma operations on ASDEX Upgrade and JET in support of the non-nuclear phases of ITER

For its initial operational phase, ITER has until recently considered using non-nuclear hydrogen (H) or helium (He) plasmas to keep nuclear activation at low levels. To this end, the Tokamak Exploitation Task Force of the EUROfusion Consortium carried out dedicated experimental campaigns in He on the ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) and JET tokamaks in 2022, with particular emphasis put on the ELMy H-mode operation and plasma-wall interaction processes as well as comparison to H or deuterium (D) plasmas. Both in pure He and mixed He + H plasmas, H-mode operation could be reached but more effort was needed to obtain a stable plasma scenario than in H or D. Even if the power threshold for the LH transition was lower in He, entering the type-I ELMy regime appeared to require equally much or even more heating power than in H. Suppression of ELMs by resonant magnetic perturbations was studied on AUG but was only possible in plasmas with a He content below 19%; the reason for this unexpected behaviour remains still unclear and various theoretical approaches are being pursued to properly understand the physics behind ELM suppression. The erosion rates of tungsten (W) plasma-facing components were an order of magnitude larger than what has been reported in hydrogenic plasmas, which can be attributed to the prominent role of He 2+ ions in the plasma. For the first time, the formation of nanoscale structures (W fuzz) was unambiguously demonstrated in H-mode He plasmas on AUG. However, no direct evidence of fuzz creation on JET was obtained despite the main conditions for its occurrence being met. The reason could be a delicate balance between W erosion by ELMs, competition between the growth and annealing of the fuzz, and coverage of the surface with co-deposits.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Digital Real-Time Simulation and Power Quality Analysis of a Hydrogen-Generating Nuclear-Renewable Integrated Energy System

This paper investigates the challenges and solutions associated with integrating a hydrogen-generating nuclear-renewable integrated energy system (NR-IES) under a transactive energy framework. The proposed system directs excess nuclear power to hydrogen production during periods of low grid demand while utilizing renewables to maintain grid stability. Using digital real-time simulation (DRTS) in the Typhoon HIL 404 model, the dynamic interactions between nuclear power plants, electrolyzers, and power grids are analyzed to mitigate issues such as harmonic distortion, power quality degradation, and low power factor caused by large non-linear loads. A three-phase power conversion system is modeled using the Typhoon HIL 404 model and includes a generator, a variable load, an electrolyzer, and power filters. Active harmonic filters (AHFs) and hybrid active power filters (HAPFs) are implemented to address harmonic mitigation and reactive power compensation. The results reveal that the HAPF topology effectively balances cost efficiency and performance and significantly reduces active filter current requirements compared to AHF-only systems. During maximum electrolyzer operation at 4 MW, the grid frequency dropped below 59.3 Hz without filtering; however, the implementation of power filters successfully restored the frequency to 59.9 Hz, demonstrating its effectiveness in maintaining grid stability. Future work will focus on integrating a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) framework with real-time simulation and optimizing real-time power dispatch, thus enabling a scalable, efficient NR-IES for sustainable energy markets.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Update on Utilization of Nuclear Energy for Hydrogen Production

This presentation provides an update on the Utilization of Nuclear Energy for Hydrogen Production in the United States. This work will be presented at the 78th Meeting of the Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle (NDC), OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, in Paris, France. The presentation will be delivered on 13 September 2023.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Nanoscale Mapping of Hydrogen Distribution in Nuclear Structural Materials Using Cryogenic Transfer Atom Probe Tomography

Analyzing hydrogen distribution in nuclear structural materials at sub-nanometer scale spatial resolution has been challenging by electron microscopy. Furthermore, methods such as thermal desorption spectroscopy only provides a bulk estimate of hydrogen concentration with no nanoscale spatial resolution. In the last decade, cryogenic transfer atom probe tomography (APT) has been emerging as an invaluable characterization technique for analyzing the nanoscale distribution of hydrogen isotopes in materials.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1991

Benefits of slush hydrogen for space missions

A study was performed to quantify the benefits of using slush hydrogen instead of normal boiling point liquid hydrogen as a fuel for several space missions. Vehicles considered in the study included the Space Shuttle/Shuttle-C, LEO to GEO transfer vehicles, Lunar and Mars transfer vehicles, and cryogenic depots in low Earth orbit. The advantages of using slush hydrogen were expressed in terms of initial mass differences at a constant payload, payload differences at a constant tank volume, and increases in fuel storage time for cryogenic depots. Both chemical oxygen/hydrogen and hydrogen nuclear thermal rocket propulsion were considered in the study. The results indicated that slush hydrogen offers the potential for significant decreases in initial mass and increases in payload for most missions studied. These advantages increase as the mission difficulty, or energy, increases.

Friedlander, Alan↗
DOE OSTI2020

Hydrogen Dynamics in Supercritical Water Probed by Neutron Scattering and Computer Simulations

In this work, an investigation of supercritical water is presented combining inelastic and deep inelastic neutron scattering experiments and molecular dynamics simulations based on a machine-learned potential of ab initio quality. The local hydrogen dynamics is investigated at 250 bar and in the temperature range of 553–823 K, covering the evolution from subcritical liquid to supercritical gas-like water. The evolution of libration, bending, and stretching motions in the vibrational density of states is studied, analyzing the spectral features by a mode decomposition. Moreover, the hydrogen nuclear momentum distribution is measured, and its anisotropy is probed experimentally. It is shown that hydrogen bonds survive up to the higher temperatures investigated, and we discuss our results in the framework of the coupling between intramolecular modes and intermolecular librations. Results show that the local potential affecting hydrogen becomes less anisotropic within the molecular plane in the supercritical phase, and we attribute this result to the presence of more distorted hydrogen bonds.

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

Core Model Proposal #386: 2023 Hydrogen Update

This proposal includes several updates to the hydrogen system and transportation technologies that were performed between June 2022 and June 2023: hydrogen combustion turbines for backup electricity; updated medium and heavy-duty truck costs; charging infrastructure costs for BEV LDVs; nuclear-hydrogen production update; revision to industrial energy use's hydrogen cogeneration technology; hydrogen emissions and fugitive emissions. It is a follow-up to Core Model Proposal 359.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Turbulence and E × B flow correlations across the L-H transition in DIII-D deuterium and hydrogen plasmas

The isotope dependence of the low- to high confinement-mode (L- to H-mode) transition power threshold P LH presents significant challenges for the initial (non-nuclear) hydrogen operations phase of the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER). Here, we examine the isotope dependence of turbulence and E × B flow correlation properties in the L-mode edge plasma, leading up to the L-H transition. At marginal auxiliary power (near P LH ), turbulence is initially suppressed periodically during limit cycle oscillations (LCO) that precede the transition to sustained H-mode confinement. Here, we present evidence that the long-range (toroidal) correlation of the E × B edge plasma flow across the LCO phase is much weaker in hydrogen than in deuterium in the DIII-D tokamak, congruent with the higher threshold power P LH required to access LCO and H-mode in hydrogen. Concomitantly, the time required to initially quench edge turbulence via localized edge E × B flow shear is significantly longer in hydrogen (1–1.5 ms) than in deuterium (approx. 100 µs). No toroidal long-range correlation of the turbulence amplitude is observed, in agreement with expectations based on the relatively short poloidal turbulence correlation length. Radial edge turbulence and flow correlation lengths are longer in deuterium than in hydrogen plasmas as one would expect from ‘naïve’ gyro-Bohm isotope transport scaling, despite the substantially higher thermal flux across the last closed flux surface in hydrogen before the L-H transition. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'H-mode transition and pedestal studies in fusion plasmas'.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Effects of Hydrogen Bonding on Nuclear Data Development of Liquid Anhydrous HF

Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) at high temperatures and pressures is used to process and manufacture nuclear fuel. As HF is often used directly with uranium, correct neutron thermal scattering cross sections are crucial to criticality safety applications. Classical molecular dynamics (CMD) simulation of the flexible HF system was used to create the thermal scattering law (TSL) and cross sections. The initial 2-site model is used in LAMMPS, and it can not capture the H-bond. To correctly represent the H-bond effects, a second, 3-site model was constructed in GROMACS. The 3-site model handled H-bonds by connecting a massless charge to the molecule. Key model parameters were compared to experimental data to verify the approach and models. To get the normalized VACF, the model was compared using hydrogen and fluorine bond length, density, potential energy, and diffusion coefficient. The phonon DOSs for both models were derived from the normalized VACF. DOSs were used to estimate the TSL ( S ( α, β )) and neutron thermal scattering cross sections for hydrogen in HF. The TSLs were evaluated using the FLASSH code with the Schofield diffusion model. It was observed that the representation of the hydrogen bonding changes the TSL's diffusional contributions. This is represented in the low energy scattering cross section, where intermolecular binding effects shift the cross section.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2006

Arc-Heater Facility for Hot Hydrogen Exposure of Nuclear Thermal Rocket Materials

A hyper-thermal environment simulator is described for hot hydrogen exposure of nuclear thermal rocket material specimens and component development. This newly established testing capability uses a high-power, multi-gas, segmented arc-heater to produce high-temperature pressurized hydrogen flows representative of practical reactor core environments and is intended to serve. as a low cost test facility for the purpose of investigating and characterizing candidate fueUstructura1 materials and improving associated processing/fabrication techniques. Design and development efforts are thoroughly summarized, including thermal hydraulics analysis and simulation results, and facility operating characteristics are reported, as determined from a series of baseline performance mapping tests.

Litchford, Ron J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

New Generation Resources: Advanced Reactors, Fusion, Hydrogen

Decarbonization of the global economy in the near term necessarily focuses on current energy options for industrial and consumer applications. In addition, new carbon-free energy resources with higher power density are essential for a full energy transition and continued energy evolution (Smil 2021). In this article we examine opportunities and challenges to be addressed for advanced nuclear, hydrogen, and fusion energy.

McCarthy, Kathryn A.↗