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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 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

Advanced designs for IPV nickel-hydrogen cells

Advanced designs for individual pressure vessel nickel-hydrogen cells have been concieved which should improve the cycle life at deep depths-of-discharge. Features of the designs which are new and not incorporated in either of the contemporary cells (Air Force/Hughes, Comsat) are: (1) use of alternate methods of oxygen recombination, (2) use of serrated edge separators to facilitate movement of gas within the cell while still maintaining required physical contact with the wall wick, and (3) use of an expandable stack to accommodate some of the nickel electrode expansion. The designs also consider electrolyte volume requirements over the life of the cells, and are fully compatible with the Air Force/Hughes design.

Smithrick, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Advanced designs for IPV nickel-hydrogen cells

Advanced designs for individual pressure vessel nickel-hydrogen cells have been conceived which should improve the cycle life at deep depths-of-discharge. Features of the designs which are new and not incorporated in either of the contemporary cells (Air Force/Hughes, Comsat) are: (1) use of alternate methods of oxygen recombination, (2) use of serrated edge separators to facilitate movement of gas within the cell while still maintaining required physical contact with the wall wick, and (3) use of an expandable stack to accommodate some of the nickel electrode expansion. The designs also consider electrolyte volume requirements over the life of the cells, and are fully compatible with the Air Force/Hughes design.

Smithrick, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Initial performance of advanced designs for IPV nickel-hydrogen cells

Advanced designs for individual pressure vessel nickel-hydrogen cells have been conceived which should improve the cycle life at deep depths-of-discharge and improve thermal management. Features of the designs which are new and not incorporated in either of the contemporary cells (Air Force/Hughes, Comsat) are: (1) use of alternate methods of oxygen recombination, (2) use of serrated edge separators to facilitate movement of gas within the cell while still maintaining required physical contact with the wall wick, and (3) use of an expandable stack to accommodate some of the nickel electrode expansion. The designs also consider electrolyte volume requirements over the life of the cells, and are fully compatible with the Air Force/Hughes design.

Smithrick, John J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Volatility-resolved chemical characterization of airborne particles

A method and apparatus for evaluating the chemical composition of airborne particles by sequentially collecting and analyzing airborne particles in-situ. The method includes: collecting particles; enlarging the particles through water condensation; accelerating the enlarged particles onto a surface to collect enlarged particles; and analyzing the enlarged particles by: isolating the surface; passing a carrier gas over the surface; heating the surface to thermally desorb collected particles into the carrier gas; transporting this evolved vapor into detectors; and assaying the evolved vapor as a function of a desorption temperature. The apparatus includes: a sample flow inlet; a condensational growth tube; a collection and thermal desorption (CTD) cell; a carrier gas source; a heater coupled to the CTD; one or more gas detectors; and a controller configured to operate valves, the heater, the growth tube, and the CTD cell in at least an in-situ sequential collection mode and analysis mode.

Isaacman-VanWertz, Gabriel↗
NASA NTRS1983

Manometer Measures Gas Flow

Simple apparatus measures time required for gas to displace known volume of water. Apparatus determines amount of gas generated in lead/acid cell during charging by measuring time required for gas to displace measured volume of water between markes in slanted manometer.

Rowlette, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Initial performance of advanced designs for IPV nickel-hydrogen cells

Advanced designs for individual pressure vessel nickel hydrogen cells were conceived which should improve the life cycle at deep depths of discharge and improve thermal management. Features of the designs which are new and not incorporated in either of the contemporary cells (Air Force/Hughes, Comsat) are: (1) the use of alternate methods of oxygen recombination, (2) use of serrated edge separators to facilitate movement of gas within the cell while still maintaining required physical contact with the wall wick, and (3) use of an expandable stack to accommodate some of the nickel electrode expansion. The designs also consider electrolyte volume requirements over the life of the cells, and are fully compatible with the Air Force/Hughes design.

Smithrick, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Initial performance of advanced designs for IPV nickel-hydrogen cells

Advanced designs for individual pressure vessel nickel hydrogen cells were conceived which should improve the life cycle at deep depths of discharge and improve thermal management. Features of the designs which are new and not incorporated in either of the contemporary cells (Air Force/Hughes, Comsat) are: (1) the use of alternate methods of oxygen recombination, (2) use of serrated edge separators to facilitate movement of gas within the cell while still maintaining required physical contact with the wall wick, and (3) use of an expandable stack to accommodate some of the nickel electrode expansion. The designs also consider electrolyte volume requirements over the life of the cells, and are fully compatible with the Air Force/Hughes design.

Smithrick, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Initial performance of advanced designs for IPV nickel-hydrogen cells

Advanced designs for individual pressure vessel nickel hydrogen cells were conceived which should improve the life cycle at deep depths of discharge and improve thermal management. Features of the designs which are new and not incorporated in either of the contemporary cells (Air Force/Hughes, Comsat) are: (1) the use of alternate methods of oxygen recombination, (2) use of serrated edge separators to facilitate movement of gas within the cell while still maintaining required physical contact with the wall wick, and (3) use of an expandable stack to accommodate some of the nickel electrode expansion. The designs also consider electrolyte volume requirements over the life of the cells, and are fully compatible with the Air Force/Hughes design.

Smithrick, J. J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Low-Cost Intermediate-Temperature Fuel-Flexible Protonic-Ceramic Fuel Cell and Stack

Large, centralized power plants are currently the most efficient way to convert fuels such as natural gas to electricity. Fuel cells, however, could become highly efficient generators across a range of sizes from tens of watts to megawatts. In particular, fuel cells with an electrical efficiency of 50% could displace small generators of 25 kilowatts (kW) or less in applications such as remote power, telecommunications, and residential cogeneration. Current 25 kW natural gas generators employing internal combustion engines are typically only 25-30% efficient and expensive to maintain. Furthermore, fuel cells could provide valuable services to the grid, such as the ability to ramp power up or down in response to load conditions. While there are different types of fuel cells, each with their strengths and weaknesses, fuel cells generally are very expensive. For example, lower temperature fuel cells can be started up quickly, but require highly pure hydrogen fuel and expensive catalysts. High-temperature fuel cells can operate on a range of fuels, but they have costly system components and can degrade rapidly.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Three-Dimensional Bubble Fluidics in Architected Porous Media

Gas bubble flows in porous media often exhibit complex and seemingly unpredictable behaviors that are difficult to control. This lack of control limits the ability to design effective devices which manage multiphase flows. Here, we show how the design of 3D printed pores can deterministically control the flow path of an injected gas stream. Open cell structures can be designed to shape the gas/liquid interface with fidelity to control how the two phases are distributed throughout a porous material. The distributed gas volume is free to interact physically and chemically with the surrounding liquid phase, an effect we exploit to create a logical control gate to redirect flows within a lattice. This also allows us to design architectures for reactive capture and aerating bioreactors, resulting in patterned boundaries which can make more effective use of the liquid and gas reagents.

3D microfluidics↗
DOE OSTI2024

The AUREX cell: a versatile operando electrochemical cell for studying catalytic materials using X-ray diffraction, total scattering and X-ray absorption spectroscopy under working conditions

Understanding the structure–property relationship in electrocatalysts under working conditions is crucial for the rational design of novel and improved catalytic materials. This paper presents the Aarhus University reactor for electrochemical studies using X-rays (AUREX) operando electrocatalytic flow cell, designed as an easy-to-use versatile setup with a minimal background contribution and a uniform flow field to limit concentration polarization and handle gas formation. The cell has been employed to measure operando total scattering, diffraction and absorption spectroscopy as well as simultaneous combinations thereof on a commercial silver electrocatalyst for proof of concept. This combination of operando techniques allows for monitoring of the short-, medium- and long-range structure under working conditions, including an applied potential, liquid electrolyte and local reaction environment. The structural transformations of the Ag electrocatalyst are monitored with non-negative matrix factorization, linear combination analysis, the Pearson correlation coefficient matrix, and refinements in both real and reciprocal space. Upon application of an oxidative potential in an Ar-saturated aqueous 0.1 M KHCO 3 /K 2 CO 3 electrolyte, the face-centered cubic (f.c.c.) Ag gradually transforms first to a trigonal Ag 2 CO 3 phase, followed by the formation of a monoclinic Ag 2 CO 3 phase. A reducing potential immediately reverts the structure to the Ag (f.c.c.) phase. Following the electrochemical-reaction-induced phase transitions is of fundamental interest and necessary for understanding and improving the stability of electrocatalysts, and the operando cell proves a versatile setup for probing this. In addition, it is demonstrated that, when studying electrochemical reactions, a high energy or short exposure time is needed to circumvent beam-induced effects.

Frank, Sara (ORCID:0000000163218363)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bench-Scale Apparatus for Rapid, Simultaneous, Comprehensive Vapor–Liquid Equilibrium and Kinetic Property Measurements to Advance CO 2 Capture Solvent Technology

We present here, the design, fabrication, and testing of a new "pressure, volume, temperature (PVT)" apparatus that enables rapid standardized testing for viscosity, vapor–liquid equilibria, and kinetics for water-lean carbon capture solvents. This unit is the first of its kind where equilibrium data are collected during operation as a PTx (pressure–temperature–composition) cell while kinetic data are collected simultaneously with an internal mini wetted-wall contactor (WWC) using controlled adjustments of CO 2 injections to allow for measurements of gas flux (in and out of the liquid). Additionally, in situ measurements of viscosity data are also continuously collected while a solvent is in circulation during gas absorption. This cell empowers comprehensive testing of critical CO 2 capture solvent properties in a single measurement, ensuring all data are collected at the same temperature, pressure, and CO 2 loading. This apparatus also expedites screening of materials since less than 50 mL of sample is needed as compared to 2–3 L needed to get similar data from a conventional WWC. In conclusion, we describe here the methodology of data collected on this new PVT cell, nicknamed “Gary” in honor of Professor Gary Rochelle, for multiple water-lean amine solvents, which we compare to data collected from conventional instrumentation for amine testing.

Zheng, Richard [STARS Technology Corporation, Rich↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bridging the Gap Between Pure and Mixed-Gas Performance of Thin-Film Composite Membranes

This study examines the influence of cell design on mixed-gas testing with PolyActive™ TFC membranes, featuring pure-gas CO₂ permeance of 1700–3100 GPU, representative of state-of-the-art CO₂/N₂ separation membranes. By designing and 3D-printing a counter-current permeation cell with optimized flow efficiency, we achieved a 33–41% increase in mixed-gas CO₂ permeance compared to traditional cells. Additionally, a comparison of sweep-gas and vacuum permeation methods revealed that vacuum operation mitigates downstream polarization, enhancing mixed-gas CO₂ permeance by 41%. These results underscore the critical role of permeation cell design and testing methods in accurately evaluating membrane performance, with significant implications for scaling up TFC membranes and optimizing industrial processes.

3D printing↗
NASA NTRS2008

Improved Gas Filling and Sealing of an HC-PCF

An improved packaging approach has been devised for filling a hollow-core photonic-crystal fiber (HC-PCF) with a gas, sealing the HC-PCF to retain the gas, and providing for optical connections and, optionally, a plumbing fitting for changing or augmenting the gas filling. Gas-filled HC-PCFs can be many meters long and have been found to be attractive as relatively compact, lightweight, rugged alternatives to conventional gas-filled glass cells for use as molecular-resonance frequency references for stabilization of lasers in some optical-metrology, lidar, optical-communication, and other advanced applications. Prior approaches to gas filling and sealing of HC-PCFs have involved, variously, omission of any attempt to connectorize the PCF, connectorization inside a vacuum chamber (an awkward and expensive process), or temporary exposure of one end of an HC-PCF to the atmosphere, potentially resulting in contamination of the gas filling. Prior approaches have also involved, variously, fusion splicing of HC-PCFs with other optical fibers or other termination techniques that give rise to Fresnel reflections of about 4 percent, which results in output intensity noise.

Poberezhskiy, Ilya↗
NASA NTRS1971

Scintillation detector for carbon-14

Detector consists of plastic, cylindrical double-wall scintillation cell, which is filled with gas to be analyzed. Thin, inner cell wall is isolated optically from outer (guard) scintillator wall by evaporated-aluminum coating. Bonding technique provides mechanical support to cell wall when device is exposed to high temperatures.

Knoll, G. F.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Nuclear pumped laser modeling

A model for an indirectly nuclear pumped laser experiment was developed. The apparatus consists of the usual cylindrical neutron moderator enclosing a gas filled quartz cell. The quartz cell in this case has two concentric compartments; the larger output compartment is filled with He-3 and fluorescent gases which are coupled radiatively to the inner compartment which is filled with a lasing gas for efficient optical pumping. The fluorescent gas in this study was a mixture of Ar, Kr and F2. Perfluoroalkyliodide was chosen as the lasant material of the inner compartment. The degree of photoabsorption in the lasant gas was calculated. The kinetic efficiencies of various gas combinations in the outer fluorescence tube were then evaluated in order to maximize the fluorescence output in the iodine pump band.

Wilson, J. W.↗