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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
DOE OSTI2024

Exploring structure-function relationships governing transport by and regulation of the major cyanobacterial bicarbonate transporters SbtA and BicA

Cyanobacteria play a large and essential role in the global carbon cycle, while also representing promising microbial platforms for the direct bioproduction of fuels and chemicals from solar energy and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). In both cases, a critical step in the overall photosynthetic process is the transport of inorganic carbon (Ci) across the cell membrane, which occurs via different mechanisms and associated transporter proteins that target either CO 2 or bicarbonate (HCO 3 - ). In the latter case, BicA (constitutively-expressed, high-flux/low-affinity Na + /HCO 3 - symporter) and SbtA (low-flux/high-affinity Na + /HCO 3 - symporter, expressed only under low CO 2 conditions) have been identified as the two main cyanobacterial HCO 3 - transporters. This project entailed combining detailed functional and high-resolution structural studies to help fill key knowledge gaps regarding the mechanisms of HCO 3 - transport by BicA and SbtA. Specifically, major goals of this project included: i) identifying key residues and structural features of BicA and SbtA that are responsible for modulating their uptake flux and affinity behaviors, and ii) obtaining high-resolution structures of full-length BicA and SbtA.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Hybrid Solar System (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

GTI Energy (GTI) teamed with the University of California at Merced (UCM) to scaleup the hybrid solar system (HSS) technology for demonstrating its performance at the US Gypsum (USG) plant in Plaster City, California. The technology integrates two-stage concentrating solar collector with matching particle thermal transport and storage (TSS) system to deliver cost-effective, and on-demand distributed high temperature industrial process heat up to 600°C with solar thermal, in this case to a gypsum kettle, to reduce its fuel use and carbon footprint. Current solar technologies, which reach these temperatures, are not distributable (towers) or cost-effective (dish). The research team developed a conceptual system design for host site retrofit, including preliminary heat balance, process flow diagram, particle to process heat exchanger and equipment placements at the site. Subsequently, parallel efforts were carried out at UCM to design, build and test a 12 m long commercial scale prototype concentrating thermal-only collector system and at GTI to design, build and test a matching 650°C capable particle TTS system. The nominal 50 kWth collector consists of a parabolic trough and three 4 m long two-stage receivers in series. Prior to on-sun testing, a 4 m long receiver was fabricated and successfully tested at 650 °C in a laboratory setting for 100 hrs of continuous operation showing less than 15% radiation loss. A 7 m wide x 17 m long parabolic trough was then installed at UCM for on-sun testing of the 12 m long receiver, and concurrently several 4 m long receivers were built. The optics of the parabolic trough were calibrated, and on-sun test were carried out on 12 m long receivers. During tests, the intense solar radiation (53x) caused the absorber tubes in the receivers to bend, reducing the overall optical efficiency. To address the bending issue, a self-consistent algorithm that includes ray tracing, thermal and deformation models was developed to perform thermal stress analysis on absorbers for parabolic solar collectors. Results obtained with this algorithm showed a dramatic rise in deformation as absorber tube length increases. A combined efficiency parameter that includes the occluded area for the mounts was developed to obtain an optimized tube length obtained. Based on the results, a length of 2.7 m for the absorber + 0.2 m for the coupler was chosen to minimize any bending and optimize optical efficiency while maintaining ease of mounting. The associated particle TTS system was designed, built and successfully tested at GTI. It includes storage, receiving and lock hoppers and piping that simulates the transfer of captured solar energy to an actual industrial furnace. Tests over 77 charge-discharge cycles demonstrated <2% particle degradation, with no problematic particle accumulations and no flow interruptions. The piping pressure drop was about 5 psi. The team also worked with Stanley Consultants (Stanley) to prepare conceptual and preliminary engineering packages to facilitate follow-on development and commercialization efforts. These include process and instrumentation diagram’s (P&ID’s), general arrangements, electrical one-line, project definitions document, equipment data sheets, schedule, and construction cost estimate for 2 MWth system. Updated HSS technology commercialization and customer engagement plans and detailed costs and evaluated market trade-offs and manufacturing.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Support of the US-Japan Binational Photosynthesis Workshop

This workshop was held over the course of 3 days in early November of 2023 on the campus of Arizona State University. Its primary goal was to facilitate interaction and productive collaboration between scientists based in Japan and the U.S. who work on the mechanisms of energy transduction carried out by photosynthetic organisms. Due to boundaries of geography and culture, communication and collaboration between US and Japanese scientists working in the field has not always been optimal. The UJBPW overcame these boundaries by holding a relatively small conference where people could discuss results and ideas freely. The emphasis was on scientific diversity and promotion of younger scientists and it gave graduate students the opportunity to meet the people whose papers they have been reading and perhaps find a postdoctoral position, which is a great way to forge scientific links across national boundaries.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

New Mexico Clean Energy and Resilience Growth (NM CERG) Cluster

The New Mexico Clean Energy Resilience and Growth (NM CERG) project was designed to foster a clean energy cluster in New Mexico by providing a robust pipeline of support for clean-energy technology startups. By leveraging the expertise and resources of national laboratories, universities, and regional partners, the project contributed to a deeper understanding of how public-private partnerships can enhance the commercialization of innovative clean energy technologies. The project explored the key challenges faced by startups, such as securing capital, rapid prototyping, technology validation, and transitioning from research to market-ready products.

02 PETROLEUM↗
NASA NTRS1979

Solar Stirling system development

A low-cost, high-efficiency dish-Stirling solar thermal-electric power system is being developed for test in 1981. System components are the solar concentrator, receiver, fossil fuel combustor, thermal energy storage (TES), engine-generator, and power processing. System conceptualization is completed and design is in progress. Two receiver alternatives are being evaluated, a direct-coupled receiver-engine configuration with no TES and a heat pipe receiver with TES. System cost projections are being made. Goals for the system development task are (1) to develop an advanced dish-Stirling technology, utilizing a team of industrial contractors, (2) to demonstrate that technology at the system level, and (3) to determine how to achieve low production cost.

Stearns, J. W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Use of ceramics in point-focus solar receivers

One of the research and development efforts in the Solar Thermal Energy Systems Project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been focused on application of ceramic components for advanced point-focus solar receivers. The impetus for this effort is a need for high efficiency, low cost solar receivers which operate in a temperature regime where use of metal components is impractical. The current status of the work on evaluation of ceramic components at JPL and elsewhere is outlined and areas where lack of knowledge is currently slowing application of ceramics are discussed. Future developments of ceramic processing technology and reliability assurance methodology should open up applications for the point-focus solar concentrator system in fuels and chemicals production, in thermochemical energy transport and storage, in detoxification of hazardous materials and in high temperature process heat as well as for electric power generation.

Smoak, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Aeroelastic considerations for continuous patrol/high altitude surveillance platforms

For the last several years, an investigation has been conducted regarding the feasibility of unmanned, airborne, High-Altitude Powered Platforms (HAPP), and High Surveillance Platforms for Over-the-Horizon Targeting (HI-SPOT). These airborne platforms have been proposed as a means of achieving a continuous regional communication-relay or for continuous regional surveillance for use in agricultural research or military applications, i.e., fleet support. These platforms would offer improvements over existing orbiting satellites. These improvements are related to better resolution and increased mission flexibility. The required mission endurance up to six months, would be obtained through the use of either solar power, a cryogenically fueled engine, or microwave-power. Attention is given to airborne platform configuration, structure, structural and aerodynamic modeling, modal analysis, and flutter analysis.

Turner, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Solar energy and the aeronautics industry

An introduction to the physical aspects of solar energy, incidental energy and variations in solar flux is presented, along with an explanation of the physical principles of obtaining solar energy. The history of the application of solar energy to aeronautics, including the Gossamer Penguin and the Solar Challenger is given. Finally, an analysis of the possibilities of using a reaction motor with hybrid propulsion combining solar energy with traditional fuels as well as calculations of the proposed cycle and its mode of operation are given.

Benedek, L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Carbon combustion supernovae - Numerical studies of the final evolution of degenerate carbon-oxygen cores

The evolution of polytropic 1.46-solar-mass 3-Gg/cu cm (4 x 10 to the 8th)-K pure C cores is investigated theoretically by means of model computations starting from the runaway stage. The temperature in central zones is raised to the runaway temperature, and the evolution is followed in a spherical coordinate system. In models of burning without detonation, it is found that the initially spherical burning front is Rayleigh-Taylor unstable, without bipolar jets or equatorial rings; that some C is not burned to Ni; and that the Ni in the 0.8-1.0 solar mass of burned fuel produced can account for observed properties of type I supernovae.

Mueller, E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Power considerations for an early manned Mars mission utilizing the space station

Power requirements and candidate electrical power sources were examined for the supporting space infrastructure for an early (2004) manned Mars mission. This two-year mission (60-day stay time) assumed a single six crew piloted vehicle with a Mars lander for four of the crew. The transportation vehicle was assumed to be a hydrogen/oxygen propulsion design with or without large aerobrakes and assembled and checked out on the LEO Space Station. The long transit time necessitated artificial gravity of the crew by rotating the crew compartments. This rotation complicates power source selection. Candidate power sources were examined for the Lander, Mars Orbiter, supporting Space Station, co-orbiting Propellant Storage Depot, and alternatively, a co-orbiting Propellant Generation (water electrolysis) Depot. Candidates considered were photovoltaics with regenerative fuel cells or batteries, solar dynamics, isotope dynamics, and nuclear power.

Valgora, Martin E.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Power considerations for an early manned Mars mission utilizing the Space Station

Power requirements and candidate electrical power sources were examined for the supporting space infrastructure for an early (2004) manned Mars mission. This two-year mission (60-day stay time) assumed a single six crew piloted vehicle with a Mars lander for four of the crew. The transportation vehicle was assumed to be a hydrogen/oxygen propulsion design with or without large aerobrakes and assembled and checked out on the LEO Space Station. The long transit time necessitated artificial gravity of the crew by rotating the crew compartments. This rotation complicates power source selection. Candidate power sources were examined for the Lander, Mars Orbiter, supporting Space Station, co-orbiting Propellant Storage Depot, and, alternatively, a co-orbiting Propellant Generation (water electrolysis) Depot. Candidates considered were photovoltaics with regenerative fuel cells or batteries, solar dynamics, isotope dynamics, and nuclear power.

Valgora, Martin E.↗
NASA NTRS2001

The Hybrid Propellant Module (HPM): A New Concept for Space Transfer in the Earth's Neighborhood and Beyond

The safe, affordable and effective transfer of ever-larger payloads and eventually personnel beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is a major challenge facing future commercial development and human exploration of space. Without reusable systems, sustained exploration or large scale development beyond LEO appears to be economically non-viable. However, reusable systems must be capable of both good fuel efficiency and "high utilization of capacity", or else economic costs will remain unacceptably high. Various options exist that can provide high fuel efficiency - for example, Solar Electric Propulsion Systems (SEPS) - but only at the cost of low thrust and concomitant long transit times. Chemical propulsion systems offer the potential for high thrust and short transit times - including both cryogenic and non-cryogenic options - but only at the cost of relatively low specific impulse (Isp). Nuclear thermal propulsion systems offer relatively good thrust-to-weight and Isp - but involve public concerns that may be insurmountable for all except the most-critical of public purposes. Fixed infrastructures have been suggested as one approach to solving this challenge; for example, rotating tether approaches. However, these systems tend to suffer from high initial costs or unacceptable operational constraints. A new concept has been identified - the Hybrid Propellant Module (HPM) - that integrates the best features of both chemical and solar electric transportation architectures. The HPM approach appears to hold promise of solving the issues associated with other approaches, opening a new family of capabilities for future space exploration and development of near-Earth space and beyond. This paper provides a summary overview of the challenge of Earth neighborhood transportation and discusses how various systems concepts might be applied to meet the needs of these architectures. The paper describes a new approach, the HPM, and illustrates the application of the concept for a typical mission concept. The paper concludes with a discussion of needed technologies and a possible timeline for the development and evolution of this class of systems concepts.

Mankins, John C.↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Next Giant Leap: NASA's Ares Launch Vehicles Overview

The next chapter in NASA's history also promises to write the next chapter in America's history, as the Agency makes measurable strides toward developing new space transportation capabilities that wi!! put astronauts on course to explore the Moon as the next giant leap toward the first human footprint on Mars. This paper will present top-level plans and progress being made toward fielding the Ares I crew launch vehicle in the 2013 timeframe and the Ares V cargo launch vehicle in the 2018 timeframe. It also gives insight into the objectives for the first test flight, known as the Ares I-X, which is scheduled for April 2009. The U.S. strategy to scientifically explore space will fuel innovations such as solar power and water recycling, as well as yield new knowledge that directly benefits life on Earth. For the Ares launch vehicles, NASA is building on heritage hardware and unique capabilities; as well as almost 50 years of lessons learned from the Apollo Saturn, Space Shuttle, and commercial launch vehicle programs. In the Ares I Project's inaugural year, extensive trade studies and evaluations were conducted to improve upon the designs initially recommended by the Exploration Systems Architecture Study, resulting in significant reduction of near-term and long-range technical and programmatic risks; conceptual designs were analyzed for fitness against requirements; and the contractual framework was assembled to enable a development effort unparalleled in American space flight since the Space Shuttle. The Exploration Launch Projects team completed the Ares I System Requirements Review (SRR) at the end of 2006--the first such engineering milestone for a human-rated space transportation system in over 30 years.

Cook, Stephen A.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Distinguishing Between Supra-Arcade Downflows and Plasmoids

Supra‐arcade downflows (SADs) and downflowing loops (SADLs), observed as sunward-traveling voids and thin flux tubes in the current sheet region above developing flare arcades, are considered indicators of magnetic reconnection fueling long­-duration solar eruptions. These flows are located in regions of very low signal-­to-noise in the corona where high cadence magnetic field measurements are not yet achievable, making observations difficult to fully interpret with respect to reconnection. Several models have been developed to explain their characteristics and behaviors, but most do not successfully recreate the observations. We will present a variety of downflow observations and provide comparisons to a number of the more prominent models.

solar flares↗