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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 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Auto-Gopher-2 - Wireline Deep Sampler Driven by Percussive Piezoelectric Actuator and Rotary EM Motors

Two of the key purposes of future NASA’s solar system exploration of planetary bodies are the search for potentially preserved bio-signatures and for habitable regions. To address these objectives, a biologically inspired wireline deep rotary-percussive drill, called Auto-Gopher, has been developed. This drill employs a piezoelectric-actuated percussive mechanism for generating impulsive stresses and breaking formations, and an electric motor to rotate the bit to break material and remove the cuttings. Initially, the drill was designed as percussive mechanism for sampling ice and was demonstrated in 2005 at Lake Vida, Antarctica, reaching about 2 meters depth. The lessons learned suggested there is a need to augment the percussive action with bit rotation in order to maximize the penetration rate. The first generation implementation of the rotary augmentation was focused on the demonstration of this capability. In 2012, during the 3-day field test, the drill reached a 3-meter deep in gypsum. A separate mechanism was used to break and remove the cores. The average drilling power consumption was in the range of 100-150 Watts, while the rate of penetration was approximately 2.4 meters per hour. Currently under development is the second-generation drill, called Auto-Gopher-2. The drill will be fully autonomous. In this paper, the capabilities that are being integrated into the Auto-Gopher-2 are described and discussed.

Auto-Gopher Drill↗
NASA NTRS2001

Cybersonics: Tapping into Technology

With the assistance of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cybersonics, Inc., developed an ultrasonic drill with applications ranging from the medical industry to space exploration. The drill, which has the ability to take a core sample of the hardest granite or perform the most delicate diagnostic medical procedure, is a lightweight, ultrasonic device made to fit in the palm of the hand. Piezoelectric actuators, which have only two moving parts and no gears or motors, drive the components of the device, enabling it to operate in a wide range of temperatures. The most remarkable aspect of the drill is its ability to penetrate even the hardest rock with minimal force application. The ultrasonic device requires 20 to 30 times less force than standard rotating drills, allowing it to be safely guided by hand during operation. Also, the drill is operable at a level as low as three watts of power, where conventional drills require more than three times this level. Potential future applications for the ultrasonic drill include rock and soil sampling, medical procedures that involve core sampling or probing, landmine detection, building and construction, and space exploration. Cybersonics, Inc. developed an ultrasonic drill with applications ranging from the medical industry to space exploration.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MEAD In-situ Sampling and Testing at Haughton Crater

The Mars Exploration through Analog-site Drilling (MEAD) project is designed to demonstrate the feasibility and scientific value of robotic drilling missions to Mars in the search for evidence of past or extant life. MEAD conducts high-fidelity field simulations integrating drilling, autonomous operations, and in-situ life-detection and mineralogical instruments. The project tests the Signs of Life Detector (SOLID), proposed for the 2019 Discovery Mars Icebreaker mission, and ARIA (Astronaut Raman Instrument for ISRU and Astrobiology), which provides mineral identification and detects trace organics and volatiles, including indicators of organic thermal maturity. Because current and planned Mars drilling missions operate largely “blind,” MEAD also evaluates the use of drill-induced vibrations recorded by deployed geophones to enable local subsurface mapping for improved targeting of drilling and sampling. In August 2025, MEAD completed its first-year field deployment to Haughton Crater in the Canadian High Arctic, an established Mars impact-crater terrestrial analog site, bringing a Honeybee Robotics TRIDENT drill with applied automation, alongside ARIA, SOLID, and FleetSpace geophones.

Haughton Crater↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mitigation for Removal of Building 01-202681 in the Main Storage Yard of the Area 1 Subdock, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

The Main Storage Yard was originally recorded as SHPO Resource No. S2772 in 2020 during an architectural survey of the Area 1 Subdock (Collins et al. 2022). It was recommended individually eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criteria A and C and as contributing to the significance of the potential Area 1 Subdock Historic District. The SHPO concurred with these determinations in a letter dated April 29, 2022 (Reed). The Main Storage Yard retains all seven aspects of integrity. The location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association have not changed since the original construction. Since the purpose of the yard is to maintain storage equipment that is actively being used, the design and feeling will change each time equipment is moved. Such actions reinforce the integrity of design and feeling. Buildings 01-101 and 01-102 were removed (Collins and Menocal 2020), but the other buildings and storage yard remain. Therefore, the setting has been changed, but not to the degree that the Main Storage Yard no longer conveys its significance (see Figures 4 and 5 for comparison). The Main Storage Yard was designed to facilitate the relocation of the Area 3 Subdock to Area 1 in 1985. The design for the overall Subdock provided a centralized cluster of buildings surrounded by two large storage yards. While the North Storage Yard largely serves as overflow storage, the Main Storage Yard holds the majority of drill rigs and drilling equipment needed to support big hole drilling. The Main Storage Yard and its contents were essential elements of the nuclear testing drilling program on the NNSS thus making it eligible for the NRHP under Criterion A for its contribution to broad patterns of history by storing specially designed equipment for underground nuclear testing at the NNSS. It is also eligible under Criterion C as it is an engineered landscape that now serves as an open-air repository of drilling technology and nuclear testing. In addition to its individual significance, the Main Storage Yard also contributes to the significance of the Area 1 Subdock Historic District as it showcases a variety of big-hole drilling equipment, support facilities, and warehouses that were specially designed for nuclear testing at the NNSS. Despite the demolition of two contributing elements to date, the district still contains numerous examples of other facilities with the purpose of supporting big-hole drilling; therefore, the district still remains eligible under Criteria A and C.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2008

Self-advancing step-tap tool

Methods and tool for simultaneously forming a bore in a work piece and forming a series of threads in said bore. In an embodiment, the tool has a predetermined axial length, a proximal end, and a distal end, said tool comprising: a shank located at said proximal end; a pilot drill portion located at said distal end; and a mill portion intermediately disposed between said shank and said pilot drill portion. The mill portion is comprised of at least two drill-tap sections of predetermined axial lengths and at least one transition section of predetermined axial length, wherein each of said at least one transition section is sandwiched between a distinct set of two of said at least two drill-tap sections. The at least two drill-tap sections are formed of one or more drill-tap cutting teeth spirally increasing along said at least two drill-tap sections, wherein said tool is self-advanced in said work piece along said formed threads, and wherein said tool simultaneously forms said bore and said series of threads along a substantially similar longitudinal axis.

Pettit, Donald R.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Foldable Instrumented Bits for Ultrasonic/Sonic Penetrators

Long tool bits are undergoing development that can be stowed compactly until used as rock- or ground-penetrating probes actuated by ultrasonic/sonic mechanisms. These bits are designed to be folded or rolled into compact form for transport to exploration sites, where they are to be connected to their ultrasonic/ sonic actuation mechanisms and unfolded or unrolled to their full lengths for penetrating ground or rock to relatively large depths. These bits can be designed to acquire rock or soil samples and/or to be equipped with sensors for measuring properties of rock or soil in situ. These bits can also be designed to be withdrawn from the ground, restowed, and transported for reuse at different exploration sites. Apparatuses based on the concept of a probe actuated by an ultrasonic/sonic mechanism have been described in numerous prior NASA Tech Briefs articles, the most recent and relevant being "Ultrasonic/ Sonic Impacting Penetrators" (NPO-41666) NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 4 (April 2008), page 58. All of those apparatuses are variations on the basic theme of the earliest ones, denoted ultrasonic/sonic drill corers (USDCs). To recapitulate: An apparatus of this type includes a lightweight, low-power, piezoelectrically driven actuator in which ultrasonic and sonic vibrations are generated and coupled to a tool bit. The combination of ultrasonic and sonic vibrations gives rise to a hammering action (and a resulting chiseling action at the tip of the tool bit) that is more effective for drilling than is the microhammering action of ultrasonic vibrations alone. The hammering and chiseling actions are so effective that the size of the axial force needed to make the tool bit advance into soil, rock, or another material of interest is much smaller than in ordinary twist drilling, ordinary hammering, or ordinary steady pushing. Examples of properties that could be measured by use of an instrumented tool bit include electrical conductivity, permittivity, magnetic field, magnetic permeability, temperature, and any other properties that can be measured by fiber-optic sensors. The problem of instrumenting a probe of this type is simplified, relative to the problem of attaching electrodes in a rotating drill bit, in two ways: (1) Unlike a rotating drill bit, a bit of this type does not have flutes, which would compound the problem of ensuring contact between sensors and the side wall of a hole; and (2) there is no need for slip rings for electrical contact between sensor electronic circuitry and external circuitry because, unlike a rotating drill, a tool bit of this type is not rotated continuously during operation. One design for a tool bit of the present type is a segmented bit with a segmented, hinged support structure (see figure). The bit and its ultrasonic/sonic actuator are supported by a slider/guiding fixture, and its displacement and preload are controlled by a motor. For deployment from the folded configuration, a spring-loaded mechanism rotates the lower segment about the hinges, causing the lower segment to become axially aligned with the upper segment. A latching mechanism then locks the segments of the bit and the corresponding segments of the slider/guiding fixture. Then the entire resulting assembly is maneuvered into position for drilling into the ground. Another design provides for a bit comprising multiple tubular segments with an inner alignment string, similar to a foldable tent pole comprising multiple tubular segments with an inner elastic cable connecting the two ends. At the beginning of deployment, all segments except the first (lowermost) one remain folded, and the ultrasonic/sonic actuator is clamped to the top of the lowermost segment and used to drive this segment into the ground. When the first segment has penetrated to a specified depth, the second segment is connected to the upper end of the first segment to form a longer rigid tubular bit and the actuator is moved to the upper end of the second segnt. The process as described thus far is repeated, adding segments until the desired depth of penetration has been attained. Yet other designs provide for bits in the form of bistable circular- or rectangular- cross-section tubes that can be stowed compactly like rolls of flat tape and become rigidified upon extension to full length, in a manner partly similar to that of a common steel tape measure. Albeit not marketed for use in tool bits, a bistable reeled composite product that transforms itself from a flat coil to a rigid tube of circular cross section when unrolled, is commercially available under the trade name RolaTube(TradeMark) and serves as a model for the further development of tool bits of this subtype.

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph↗
DOE OSTI2026

Reservoir Characterization and Techno-Economic Analysis of Enhanced Geothermal and Closed-Loop Systems in the Wattenberg Field of the Denver-Julesburg Basin, Colorado

This report provides details of reservoir characterization and techno-economic analysis for enhanced geothermal systems and closed-loop geothermal systems in the Denver-Julesburg Basin Wattenberg area. The analysis contributes to the Geothermal Limitless Approach to Drilling Efficiencies (GLADE) project, a multi-institutional research initiative focused on advancing geothermal energy development by reducing drilling costs and improving the rate of penetration. The GLADE project brings together national laboratories, academic institutions, and industry partners, including the U.S. Department of Energy's Geothermal Technologies Office, Occidental Petroleum, the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Colorado School of Mines, Louisiana State University, Texas A&M University, and several drilling technology companies. As part of this effort, NLR developed and applied slender-body theory modeling tools and the GEOPHIRES simulator to support techno-economic analysis. The slender-body theory wellbore simulator evaluated thermal performance in U-loop, Eavor-type multilateral, and enhanced geothermal system well configurations. Results indicated that an optimized single U-loop design delivers an outlet temperature of 168.8 degrees Celsius,stabilizing at a final outlet temperature of 135.3 degrees Celsius. Heat production also improved significantly, with an average thermal output of 16.9 MWth and a final thermal output of 11.0 MWth. These results provided critical baseline data for selecting optimized systems for techno-economic analysis. Building on these outputs, NLR applied the GEOPHIRES techno-economic simulator to estimate the levelized cost of electricity for both the Eavor multilateral and enhanced geothermal systems. The sensitivity analysis showed that drilling costs exert a particularly strong impact on the levelized cost of electricity of multilateral systems. Therefore, advances in drilling technology and improved drilling rates could yield significant gains in the economic performance of these systems. In this context, the GLADE project directly supports the U.S. Department of Energy's mission to reduce the cost of geothermal energy and accelerate the deployment of next-generation geothermal technologies.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1986

Jig for Removing Rivets

Drill-press jig used to remove improperly installed rivets. Drillpress jig makes possible to drill accurately-centered, straight holes through rivets. Key component of jig is a drill bushing with spherical recess machined into base. Contour of recess matches contour of rivet head. Operator holds jig handle with one hand and controls drill with other. Handle and screw head hold drill bit in place over center of rivet so rivet drilled out through its axis. With rivet removed, parts separated and refastened or reused elsewhere.

Roebuck, T. P.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Observing Ice Sublimation From Water-Doped Lunar Simulant at Cryogenic Temperatures

NASA's Resource Prospector (RP) mission is intended to characterize the three-dimensional nature of volatiles in lunar polar and permanently shadowed regions. The Near-Infrared Volatile Spectrometer System (NIRVSS) observes while a drill penetrates to a maximum depth of 1 m. Any 10 cm increment of soil identified as containing water ice can be delivered to a heating crucible with the evolved gas delivered to a gas chromatograph / mass spectrometer. NIRVSS consists of two components; a spectrometer box (SB) and bracket assembly (BA), connected by two fiber optic cables. The SB contains separate short- and long-wavelength spectrometers, SW and LW respectively, that collectively span the 1600-3400 nm range. The BA contains an IR emitter (lamp), drill observation camera (DOC, 2048 x 2048 CMOS detector), 8 different wavelength LEDs, and a longwave calibration sensor (LCS) measuring the surface emissivity at four IR wavelengths. Tests of various RP sub-systems have been under-taken in a large cryo-vacuum chamber at Glenn Re-search Center. The chamber accommodates a tube (1.2 m high x 25.4 cm diameter) filled with lunar simulant, NU-LHT-3M, prepared with known abundances of water. Thermocouples are embedded at different depths, and also across the surface of the soil tube. In the chamber the tube is cooled with LN2 as the pressure is reduced to approx. 5-6x10(exp -6) Torr. For the May 2016 tests two soil tubes were prepared with initially 2.5 Wt.% water. The shroud surrounding the soil tube was held at different temperatures for each tube to simulate a warm and cold lunar environment. Table 1 provides a summary of experimental conditions and Figure 1 shows the nominal view of the NIRVSS components, the drill foot, and the top of the soil tube. Once the average soil temperature reached approx. 178 K, drilling commenced. During drilling activities NIRVSS was alternating between obtaining spectra and obtaining images. Here we discuss NIRVSS spectral data obtained during controlled drill percussions.

Roush, T. L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Ultrasonic/sonic drilling/coring (USDC) for planetary applications

One of the major limitations of sampling on Mars and other low gravity environments is the need for high axial force when using conventional drilling. To address this limitation an ultrasonic/sonic drilling/coring (USDC) mechanism has been developed that employs an ultrasonic horn driven by a piezoelectric stack. The horn dnves a free mass that resonates between the horn and drill stein. Tests have shown that the USDC addresses some of the key challenges to the NASA sampling objectives. The USDC is lightweight (450 g), requires low preload (<5N) and can be driven at low power (5W), The device has been shown to drill rocks with various levels of hardness including granite, diorite, basalt and limestone. The hammering action involved with the coring process can produce cores of various shapes, which need not necessarily be round. Because it is driven by piezoelectric ceramics, the USDC is highly tolerant to changes in its operating environment. These actuation materials can be designed to operate at a wide range of temperatures including those expected on Mars and Venus. Although the drill is driven electrically at 20 kHz, a substantial sub-harmonic acoustic component is found that is crucial to drilling performance. An analytical model has been developed to explain this low frequency coupling in the horn, free mass, drill stem and rock.

Peterson, Thomas↗
DOE OSTI2024

2024 Geothermal Rising Conference Poster

As part of a U.S. DOE Geothermal Technologies Office funding opportunity, Geysers Power Company, LLC, an indirect subsidiary of Calpine Corporation, partnered with Sandia National Labs, EGI at the University of Utah, and Texas A&M University to demonstrate increased drilling performance at The Geysers Geothermal Field. The performance target in the drilling demonstrations is at least a 25% improvement in rates of penetration with increased time on bottom for each bit. The planned drilling demonstrations are being conducted as part of an existing drilling campaign intended to enhance reservoir utilization. A major goal of the project is to assess the effectiveness of implementing mechanical specific energy (MSE) and drilling dysfunction diagnosis and remediation in these challenging environments, as well as alternate bit technologies. The first demonstration well has been completed, with a total of 15 PDC bit runs in the 17.5”, 12.25” and 8.5” sections. Initial analysis shows ROP gains in all three hole sections, especially in the 17.5” and 12.25” sections, compared with conventional roller cone bit runs in the demonstration well and offset wells. However in the 8.5” hole, wear and damage to the PDC bits resulted in relatively short bit runs. Analysis is underway to take advantage of the positive results and remediate the challenges.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2012

The Mojave Subsurface Bio-Geochemistry Explorer (MOSBE)

The MOSBE Team has developed a terrestrial field campaign to explore two subsurface biological habitats under the Mojave Desert. This field campaign will not only help us understand terrestrial desert biology, but also will develop methodologies and strategies for potential future Mars missions that would seek to explore the Martian subsurface. We have proposed to the ASTEP program to integrate a suite of field demonstrated instruments with a 20 m subsurface drill as a coherent unit, the Mojave Subsurface Bio-geochemistry Explorer. The ATK Space Modular Planetary Drill System (MPDS) requires no drilling fluid, which allows aseptic sampling, can penetrate lithic ground up to 20 meters of depth, and utilizes less than 100 Watts throughout the entire depth. The drill has been developed and demonstrated in field testing to a depth of 10 meters in Arizona, December 2002. In addition to caching a continuous core throughout the drilling depth, it also generates and caches cuttings and fines that are strata-graphically correlated with the core. As a core segment is brought to the surface, it will be analyzed for texture and structure by a color microscopic imager and for relevant chemistry and mineralogy with a UV fluorescence/Raman spectrometer. Organic and soluble ionic species will be identified through two instruments -- a microcapillary electrophoresis, and an ion trap mass spectrometer that have been developed under PIDDP, ASTID and MIDP funding.

robotic subsurface drilling↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Auto-Gopher: A Wireline Rotary-Percussive Deep Sampler

Accessing regions on planetary bodies that potentially preserved biosignatures or are presently habitable is vital to meeting NASA solar system "Search for Life" exploration objectives. To address these objectives, a wireline deep rotary-percussive corer called Auto-Gopher was developed. The percussive action provides effective material fracturing and the rotation provides effective cuttings removal. To increase the drill's penetration rate, the percussive and rotary motions are operated simultaneously. Initially, the corer was designed as a percussive mechanism for sampling ice and was demonstrated in 2005 in Antarctica reaching about 2 m deep. The lessons learned suggested the need to use a combination of rotation and hammering to maximize the penetration rate. This lesson was implemented into the Auto-Gopher-I deep drill which was demonstrated to reach 3-meter deep in gypsum. The average drilling power that was used has been in the range of 100-150 Watt, while the penetration rate was approximately 2.4 m/hr. Recently, a task has started with the goal to develop Auto-Gopher-II that is equipped to execute all the necessary functions in a single drilling unit. These functions also include core breaking, retention and ejection in addition drilling. In this manuscript, the Auto-Gopher-II, its predecessors and their capability are described and discussed.

drilling↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The ARADS Project as an Astrobiological Survey Mission Prototype

An astrobiological survey prior to human arrival will be important for preservation of signs of any existing or past evidence of Martian life, to reduce the risk of unintentional forward contamination of Martian environments in which terrestrial microbes might be able to gain a foothold (e.g., [1]), and to potentially protect the health of any human crews and enable their safe return to Earth. Evaluating for the presence of life and biosignatures may become a critical-path Mars exploration precursor in the not-so-far future, circa 2030-35. The near-subsurface, with its potential combination of volatiles, vapor exchange with the surface, and shelter from surface radiation, will be a primary initial target for in-situ astrobiological investigation. Sample acquisition, drilling and sample handling are key elements of robotic missions that target the subsurface [2], as well as near-surface ground ice deposits. In the mid 2000s, the Mars Astrobiology Field Laboratory (AFL) was proposed as a follow-on mission concept to the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)/Curiosity rover mission [3]. The AFL would have included precision drilling to 2m, automated sample handling and remote processing of cores. However, the AFL concept needed further development and maturation. The Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies (ARADS) project concept [4] was in part AFL-inspired. The 2014 ARADS concept included a medium sized rover, with habitability instruments, including the Phoenix Wet Chemistry Laboratory (WCL) [5], and an enhanced version of the ExoMars Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) Laser Desorption-Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (LITMS) [6]. ARADS likewise included two biosignature detection instruments -- the Signs of Life Detector (SOLID) immunoassay instrument [7,8] and the Chemical Laptop-derived [9] Planetary In-Situ Capillary Electrophoresis System (PISCES), while mitigating Planetary Protection-relevant contamination issues [10]. ARADS project objectives were to demonstrate the potential science return for such a mission in the context of the search for evidence of life, and technically to demonstrate the feasibility of roving with drilling missions to Mars. ARADS technology goals targeted analog-site demonstrations of automated drilling and sampling, integrated with its mobile habitability and biosignature detection instruments. And ARADS science operations goals developed remote science, contamination mitigation, and communications methods to enable simulating AFL-like science operations with time delays, directed by a remote science team[11]. Five subsequent Mars analog site field demonstrations (in Chile’s hyperarid Atacama Desert, 2016-19) provided a step-by-step development pathway for the ARADS platform’s science capabilities and systems integration, culminating in an integrated remote roving mission simulation in the final ARADS year (2019).

biosignatures↗
DOE OSTI2025

Design and performance validation of a high-temperature downhole permanent magnet generator used for an electro-pulse boring system in geothermal energy applications

Novel, direct-energy drilling technologies such as electro-pulse boring, have the potential to significantly increase the speed and depth of geothermal drilling but have not achieved widespread adoption due to several economic and technical barriers. One major challenge is that these drilling systems require electric power downhole. The current practice is to supply power to the drill string components by running electric cables down the geothermal well, but at the targeted well depths, this practice is cost-inhibitive, inefficient in terms of power consumption, and adds an additional failure point with the long cabling going through a highly corrosive, high-temperature environment. A solution to this problem is to develop high-temperature electric generator technology that can generate the required power downhole. Such a generator must also operate with high efficiency at the target downhole ambient temperature of 250 °C. In this paper, we investigate the various design considerations for this concept and subsequently design the downhole electric generator using a multi-objective design optimization approach. Through electromagnetic-, thermal- and short-circuit fault condition analysis, it is demonstrated that the optimized downhole electric generator concept presented in this paper can meet the performance requirements within this extreme drilling environment. Most remarkably, it is shown that a generator efficiency of 90% is achieved. In conclusion, to validate the results presented in this paper, a prototype generator is built and its performance is measured at 250 °C using a test bench uniquely developed for this application.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of the Triassic Newark Basin of New York and New Jersey for Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide

The project Characterization of the Triassic Newark Basin of New York and New Jersey for Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide is one of 9 site characterization projects that were implemented as part of ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). Data from this project was used to improve resolution of data in NATCARB in the area of study. Data related to this study has already been incorporated in NATCARB Atlas. Sandia Technologies, LLC, and co-investigator Conrad Geoscience Corporation, examined the potential for large-scale, permanent CO2 storage in sedimentary strata within the Newark Rift Basin. The Newark Rift Basin underlies an industrialized, developed region comprising parts of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The project characterized and investigated the suitability of Triassic age sedimentary formations for potential geologic CO2 storage. The project team drilled and cored two test wells to define the sedimentary geologic formations underlying the basin and to document or reach basement rock. With this geologic characterization phase, an integration of seismic, geologic, borehole, and formation core results provided a higher resolution assessment of CO2 storage potential. The Stockton Formation is known to be a potentially favorable geologic storage formation in the basin. In 2011, the 1-NYSTA Tandem Lot stratigraphic test well was drilled to a depth of 6,855 feet in the northern portion of the Newark Basin in southern New York State. Approximately 9 miles south-southeast on the Lamont Doherty Campus, TW-4 was drilled and cored in 2013 to a depth of 1,802 feet and contacted apparent igneous basement at a depth of 1,712 feet. Both wells penetrated the Palisades Sill ranging from 800 feet thick in the eastern well to approximately 1,800 feet in thickness at the 1-NYSTA Tandem Lot deep drill site. A diabase sill can provide an excellent seal and dense confining layer for potential CO2 storage reservoirs and flow layers that are situated beneath it within the Stockton Sandstone. The Stockton Sandstone was encountered beneath the sill in the TW-4 well on the Lamont campus, and data integration suggests that it was likely observed near total depth in the deep 1-NYSTA Tandem Lot well. The test wells confirm and define reservoirs are present beneath the sill and offer CO2 storage potential. The integration of geologic and reservoir characterization of well logs, formation cores, and formation fluids indicated Triassic age lacustrine playa lake and mudbank shales of the Upper Passaic Group can provide an effective seal for the porous and permeable underlying sandstone reservoir layers. This project acquired seismic data, drilled borehole well logs, acquired core samples, and integrated these findings to provide a better understanding of the subsurface geologic formations in the Newark Rift Basin. These findings have contributed to a higher degree of accuracy in predicting potential geologic storage opportunities, while refining geologic storage capacity estimates for the indicated reservoirs and flow units.

.las↗
DOE OSTI2024

RePED 250: Manufacturing and Market Analysis of High-Temperature Alternators

The novel repetitive pulsed electric drill 250 (RePED 250) has the potential to greatly lower the costs and drilling times of geothermal projects. This tool discharges electric pulses through hard rock formations, shattering the rock in tension and allowing it to be quickly removed. One hurdle in bringing this technology to market is the RePED 250 downhole alternator. This component is essential for supplying power to the electronic drilling tool. There are currently no downhole tools on the market that meet the RePED 250 alternator's high temperature and power requirements. This report focuses on the path to commercialization for this novel alternator technology being developed as part of the RePED 250 project. One aim of this work is to identify the geothermal market size for the RePED 250 alternator, as well as other potential markets for this technology outside of geothermal. The geothermal market is very small, with only approximately 13 wells drilled in the United States each year. The worldwide market is several times this size and growing each year. The ability of the RePED 250 technology to drastically reduce the cost of geothermal projects may also lead to an increase in this market size. Technology developed for the high-temperature, high-power RePED 250 alternator can also be used to create high-temperature and high-power motors. These motors and alternators will have potential applications in oil and gas drilling, a $300 billion dollar industry in the United States alone, as well as in more distant industries such as aircraft, weapon systems, space exploration, and electric vehicles. Other aspects of the RePED 250 alternator's path to commercialization are also analyzed, including the supply chain for production materials and potential manufacturing methods. The supply chain and manufacturing practices for low-temperature motors and alternators are well established and require relatively minor changes for the high-temperature and high-power RePED 250 alternator. Sourcing for high-temperature materials has been identified, as well as potential supply chain risks. These most notably include electrical steel and high-temperature samarium cobalt (SmCo) magnets. Overall, these risks are not expected to be significant at the likely manufacturing scale required for the RePED 250.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility Inadvertent Human Intruder Limits and Doses in Support of the PA2022

This report documents the inadvertent human intruder (IHI) analysis for the E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility (ELLWF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS), near Aiken, South Carolina. This analysis supports the revised ELLWF Performance Assessment (PA), complying with the Department of Energy standard for operation of low-level waste disposal facilities (USDOE, 2017). The ELLWF is an operating waste disposal facility and is scheduled to continue accepting waste to 2065. One task of the revised PA is to establish waste inventory limits for the various disposal units at ELLWF. This is done by modeling future contaminant release and transport through applicable pathways to human receptors, comparing predicted doses per disposed curie with applicable performance measures, to obtain inventory limits which will assure that doses to receptors do not exceed performance measures. This report documents results of modeling future doses to one class of receptor, the inadvertent human intruder. It is assumed that after site closure, public knowledge of the site is lost, and IHIs will engage in activities on the ELLWF that will disrupt the closure cap, causing dose to the IHI. Following USDOE (2017), six different stylized exposure scenarios are considered, simulating activities by an IHI which could result in a radiological dose. The six scenarios are: • Acute – Basement Construction: IHI constructs a basement and encounters waste during excavation which is inadvertently mixed with clean soil and diluted. • Acute – Well Drilling: IHI drills a water well through waste and is exposed to drill cuttings mixed with clean soil that are brought to the surface. • Acute – Discovery: IHI begins constructing a basement but stops when encountering the riprap in the final closure cap and is exposed to photon radiation from unexcavated material residing in the undisturbed waste zone. • Chronic – Agriculture: Resident IHI is exposed to waste that was excavated for basement construction and mixed with native soil in the intruder’s vegetable garden. • Chronic – Post-Drilling: Resident IHI is exposed to waste from drill cuttings mixed with native soil and scattered in the garden area. • Chronic – Residential: Resident IHI is exposed to external radiation while in home located above waste with shielding provided by the concrete basement floor and any soil or engineered material remaining between the basement and waste. Dose calculations are performed using the SRNL Dose Toolkit (Aleman, 2023), following the approach of Smith et al (2019). Calculations are performed separately for 27 of the 33 disposal units (DUs) at ELLWF and are radionuclide specific. The results of the IHI analysis include: • Dose Factors: mrem per disposed curie (acute) and mrem/yr per disposed curie (chronic) for each parent radionuclide, for each DU. • Inventory Limits: in curies, for each parent radionuclide, for each DU. • Estimated Dose to IHI: mrem (acute) and mrem/yr (chronic), for each DU, given its projected closure inventory without inventory biases applied. Most DU-specific IHI inventory limits are in the range of 10 3 to 10 7 curies per nuclide. The lowest inventory limits are associated with gamma-emitters such as Sn-126, Ra-226, Th-232, and Cm-248. Radionuclides with short half-lives such as Pu-241, and nuclides which are pure beta emitters or which decay by electron capture, such as Ni-59 and Ni-63, have the highest limits. For the 27 evaluated DUs, predicted IHI doses are shown in Table ES-1. The maximum acute dose is 1.18 mrem, at ST23, much less than the DOE performance measure of 500 mrem (USDOE, 2017). The highest chronic dose is 37.2 mrem/yr at ST02, below the DOE performance measure of 100 mrem/yr. Also shown are estimated inventory sums of fractions (SOFs) at closure in 2065, for groundwater (GW) and IHI pathways. For each DU, the inventory is constrained by the GW pathway. For most DUs, the IHI SOFs are approximately 1000 times lower than the GW SOF values, and the IHI pathway does not drive risk for any disposal unit.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗