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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 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Flux-Switching Machine Based All-Electric Power Train for Future Aircraft

This research investigates a flux-switching motor with superconducting and cryogenically cooled windings, aimed at achieving exceptionally high power densities. In addition to the motor’s topology and superconducting windings, it was found that power density could be further enhanced by incorporating superconducting shields on the rotor at the interpole locations. The resulting publications and patented technology outline the design process. A motor power density of 64 kW/kg—including housing materials—was achieved for a 1 MW design, surpassing the performance of existing motors. An electronic drive was also developed, achieving a power density of 47 kW/kg. This includes the mechanical structure of the drivetrain, for which a detailed CAD model was created, resulting in an overall drivetrain power density of 27 kW/kg.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Facts Sheet Project NERVA

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Misalignment Tolerant Three-phase Wireless Fast Charging System for Electric Vehicles

This project proposes improving the technology level of the three-phase wireless charging technology developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Successful commercialization of wireless charging systems require that they meet strict safety standards for electromagnetic field emissions and interoperability with other wireless charging technology. ORNL has previously demonstrated a 50kW three-phase wireless power transfer system with 95% efficiency. This prototype system weighed less than 50% of similar high-power wireless charging system while simultaneously exhibiting better safety characteristics. Due to better material utilization, the reduction in mass is expected to translate into similar cost reduction for the magnetic coupler. Additionally, the smaller footprint of the system can ease vehicle integration difficulties that would be encountered using other technology. Furthermore, the three-phase design can be made to operate with existing single-phase coupler design more easily and without intentional physical misalignment which would otherwise pose safety issues. This project developed ORNL’s WPT technology to satisfy the specifications and requirements for electric vehicle (EV) charging. The result of the project will be a prototype and reference design for a high-power wireless charging system—including magnetics, power electronics, and controls—serving as a baseline for product development.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal Evaluation of CCS and NACS Reference Devices and Adapters

It is important for manufacturers of electric vehicle charging connectors, inlets, and adapters to understand the thermal performance of their devices. Various standards, such as SAE J1772, SAE J3400, IEC 62196, UL 2251, and UL 2252, list temperature limits that charging hardware needs to meet. However, there are currently very limited standardized reference devices against which to measure connector performance, and those that do currently exist generally serve charging currents less than 500A. This can make determining whether a charging connector meets the appropriate temperature limits difficult. Additionally, as automakers and charging station suppliers transition from the SAE J1772 CCS charging standard to SAE J3400 NACS, a number of CCS-to-NACS and NACS-to-CCS adapters are entering the market. These devices are being produced both by well-known automakers/equipment OEMs and lesser-known third-party suppliers, across a wide range of price points and construction qualities. Though SAE J3400/1 and UL 2252 lay out standards for adapter construction, performance and overtemperature response, there is no guarantee that any particular adapter will follow these standards and react to overtemperature events appropriately. This work addresses these issues by developing and evaluating a set of CCS and NACS reference inlet devices to validate the performance of charging connectors in the 500-800A range. The work also evaluates the performance of multiple NACS-to-CCS and CCS-to-NACS charging adapters with respect to UL 2252 temperature limits and SAE J3400/1 overtemperature signaling criteria.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2024

High power density compact drive integrated motor for electric transportation

This project, initially part of OPEN 2018, and subsequently the ASCEND effort, targeted demonstration of significant enhancements in internal permanent magnet (IPM) motor torque and power density for current and future ground and air electric transportation applications. These were achieved through: (1) embedded two-phase system thermal management, (2) coupled, multi-scale electrical-electromagnetic-thermal-mechanical co-design and optimization, (3) size and weight reduction of motor and drive electronics through elimination of redundant cooling and coupling hardware, and (4) higher efficiency operation of SiC wide bandgap power electronics packaging through high temperature operation (200 oC). The proposed approach utilizes a single dielectric coolant for closed loop two-phase thermal management, and a combined heat rejection unit for the IPM and drive. Wick assisted liquid delivery for evaporative thermal management is utilized for the motor, and the drive electronics utilize the same coolant in flow boiling within the cold plate structures. Through the use of three-dimensional packaging for SiC, and novel drive topologies with reduced switching losses, significant increases in power density and compactness were targeted.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2026

SynthEsizing Novel H2 Sensors for Operational Resilience in Pipeline Infrastructure (SENSOR) (CRADA Final Report)

Hydrogen (H₂) is gaining attention as a versatile energy carrier with potential applications across industrial processes, power generation, and transportation. However, its practical deployment, particularly in large-scale distribution systems, faces significant infrastructure challenges. Transporting hydrogen through dedicated pipelines or blending it into existing natural gas networks can lead to serious issues, such as leakage due to the small size of hydrogen molecules and material degradation in pipelines through embrittlement. These technical risks raise safety concerns and could limit the integration of hydrogen into current energy infrastructures. Additionally, using hydrogen-enriched gas mixtures in combustion systems like turbines and engines introduces new performance and compatibility challenges that must be resolved before widespread use becomes feasible.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2026

Resilience Through Data-Driven, Intelligent Designed Control: A Formal Methods Approach

The PNNL and GTRI team developed a strategy to integrate temporal logic rule specification for detection of cyber-intrusion in the source code and control algorithms of CPS using advanced cyber-data. The GTRI team utilized its capabilities in rule synthesis and temporal logic specifications for software assurance and verification to detect and predict impact of cyber-intrusions and malware in the computational and control algorithms of cyber-physical systems. The team also developed a testing and verification approach that could be used to validate the suggested approach against a realistic use-case CPS showcasing improvements in system impact prediction performance. Temporal logic offers a compact expression of events in absolute and relative time and has a formalized translation to state machines. As such, temporal logic rules can feasibly be synthesized to any system as a rule engine, with the process being formally verified to be correct. The goal here is to utilize temporal logic rules to detect cyber-attacks and manipulations in the computational algorithms and provide real-time software assurance and verification guarantees.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2026

1016516285-AA - Handling Frame Assembly Table Structural and Seismic Analysis

Within the NIF (National Ignition Facility) sustainment project, LLNL is replacing all 1,728 blast shields with new ones. Before the new blast shield glass can be installed on NIF, it must pass through the AMOL (Amplifier Main Optics Loop). The AMOL process involves cleaning and coating the glass, assembling it into a Line Replaceable Unit (LRU), and performing testing and inspection. This work will be conducted in the OPFX cleanroom facility (Building 391, Room 1250) and requires several pieces of custom equipment. One key piece of equipment within the loop is the Handling Frame Assembly Table (see Figure 1.1). Its purpose is to assist operators in installing the blast shield glass into handling frames (1014442709) (see Figure 1.2). The table is also used to store handling frame assembly components. The primary components stored are the L-frames (1015208271), which are kept in a drawer underneath the table (see Figure 1.3). The purpose of this safety note is to ensure that the system does not pose a risk of injury to personnel during a seismic event. The system owner is OMST Engineering & Maintenance.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

MAT 332: Recyclable-By-Design Carbon Fiber Composites for Battery Enclosures

This work aims to fabricate a small-scale battery module with the baseline RBD-CFRC and conduct mechanical crush test to develop an initial thermal runaway model. Test the adhesive properties of the RBD-CFRCs using their resin constituent, ultrasonic welding, and other resins employed today. Recommend a future direction for resin development to enable the welding of RBDCFRCs to dissimilar materials. Time and Cost Permitting. Iterate on resin development for flame resistance and adhesive properties, demonstrating how thermal runaway can be reduced or joining properties can be improved.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2026

MAT 329: Cost Efficient, Bio-Derivable, and Lightweight Materials for Vehicle's Thermal Energy Management

Objective: Enable lightweight and multifunctional composites by combining CF composites with encapsulated phase-change materials for temperature regulation. Impacts: The multifunctionality of the composites provides benefits over today's aluminum enclosures which could help drive CF composites adoption; and By implementing CF composites, battery enclosures can be lightweighted leading to a greater vehicle efficiency.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2026

High-Torque Heavy-Rare-Earth-Free Electric Motor Thermal Management

This project is part of a multi-lab Next-Generation Reliable Electric Drive Systems for Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (NEXT-DRIVE) project led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and including NREL, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Ames Laboratory that leverages research expertise and facilities of these national labs to develop tools and approaches for reducing the design and development time of new electric drive technologies for medium and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs) and their associated costs while increasing reliability and asset utilization. The Next-Drive project aligns with the DOE's goals by introducing high-fidelity multi-physics and AI/ML-based modeling to design low-cost, highly reliable, and longer-lifetime drivetrains, aiming to achieve 25 years of progress in 5 years. The efforts of this project will focus on NEXT-DRIVE Task 4 (led by ORNL, NREL, and AMES) - developing high-fidelity modeling framework and identifying technologies enabling heavy-rare-earth-free electric motors for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to achieve 1 million miles of operation. Contrary to conventional approaches that optimize the motor for power density, the focus will be to identify motor designs that achieve the best trade-off between motor power density and durable operation. NREL tasks include development of high-fidelity motor thermal models incorporating rotor windage losses and identification, evaluation and measurement of motor interface materials in key thermal pathways. The poster summarizes NREL's accomplishments for the first half of FY 2025 and outlines future plans.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Non-Contact Eddy Current Method for Assessing Proton Conductivity in Nafion Membranes

Accurate measurement of proton conductivity in Proton Exchange Membranes (PEMs) is vital for fuel cell performance and durability. This study explores eddy current testing as a non-destructive, non-contact and high-rate quality control (QC) method for measuring Nafion membrane proton conductivity, with potential for high-volume manufacturing applications.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

ELECTRIFICATION OF A HEAVY-DUTY OFF-ROAD MATERIAL HANDLER: ENERGY SAVINGS AND EMISSION REDUCTIONS

Federal regulations are driving the adoption of electrification technologies to reduce carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions, a metric that quantifies the global warming potential of various greenhouse gases in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2). Although no specific CO2 regulations exist for heavy-duty off-road machines, future reductions are likely, given stricter emissions standards for on-road vehicles. The heavy-duty off-road sector offers significant fuel-saving potential, as its focus has traditionally been on reliability and performance rather than fuel efficiency. This dissertation examines fuel and CO2e savings opportunities on a heavy-duty off-road material handler, the Pettibone Cary-Lift 204i, from stock configuration to simple modifications to a complete teardown and reconfiguration of the machine with a plug-in series hybrid architecture using electrified hydraulics. The study begins by modeling the baseline machine’s fuel and energy consumption, calibrating with experimental data from custom operating cycles. An energy analysis identifies key areas for fuel savings. Two simple powertrain modifications result in a combined 16.2% fuel savings. Next, a Pugh-style analysis narrows a list of electrified architectures, leading to high-fidelity models that evaluate total lifetime CO2e and costs. Higher electrification levels reduce CO2e emissions but increase costs, and electricity grid emissions significantly impact CO2e for plug-in architectures. A plug-in series hybrid is chosen for the project. In its base control form, 49% fuel and 29% CO2e savings are expected from the plug-in series hybrid compared to the baseline machine. Further savings are pursued through regenerative braking (6.3%) and load-following hydraulic control (17.8%), totaling 24.1% fuel savings, and leading to a total of 61% fuel and 41% CO2e savings compared to the baseline. Battery chemistries and charging strategies are also analyzed for cost and CO2e impacts, finding LFP batteries as superior due to longevity, and overnight level 2 charging usually at a lower cost but resulting in higher emissions than opportunity DC fast-charging (DCFC). DCFC emissions are highly dependent on grid emissions, and DCFC cost is highly dependent on grid demand charges. Finally, artificial intelligence is applied to operating cycle recognition. Neural network accuracy ranges from 81% to 99%, with applications to worksite efficiency and safety improvements.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

HOLISTIC ENERGY EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS OF ELECTRIFIED OFF-HIGHWAY MATERIAL HANDLER: FROM DRIVE CYCLE CHARACTERIZATION TO POWERTRAIN, HYDRAULIC, AND THERMAL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Three complexities surrounding the operation and testing of hybrid electric, heavy-duty nonroad machines have been addressed experimentally and using 1D simulation. Their resolutions have been intertwined with the development of a prototype machine that was proven to reduce fuel consumption in excess of 20%. A real-world drive cycle that leveraged hydraulic cylinder position was developed and utilized to ensure accurate reproduction of hydraulic work between the baseline and hybrid machines, while simultaneously maintaining less than 5% RMS error in position for main load handling functions. The newly developed, machine-specific drive cycle also contributed towards making equivalent comparisons in energy consumption between machine types through composite performance metrics that were extrapolated over a typical shift duration. Lastly, this work addressed thermal management energy consumption, a topic of increasing popularity when discussing electrified vehicles, by proposing a 1.4% energy savings through special mechanization and control of cooling system components.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhanced Validation of Advanced Battery Supply Chains (EVALS) Overview

EVALS is a consortium funded by the Vehicle Technologies Office at DOE involving Idaho National Lab, Argonne National Lab, and NREL. The goal of EVALS is to fully develop a suite of tools that support domestic electric vehicle manufacturing through evaluation of domestic primary resources and acceleration of their path to domestic material and battery production. This talk will focus on describing the EVALS project and discussing initial results regarding domestic LiFePO4 precursor sourcing and impacts on the domestic manufacturing supply chain.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

An Approach to Automate tools for the Risk Assessment of Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems

Reliable digital instrumentation and control systems (DI&C) are integral for sustaining the continued operation of nuclear power plants. These systems ensure that nuclear reactors operate safely, efficiently, and within regulatory requirements. Yet, the cost of designing and licensing new nuclear DI&C can be prohibitively expensive. Under the U.S. Department of Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program, Idaho National Laboratory has developed a framework for supporting the risk-informed design of DI&C systems by offering methods to support the identification, quantification, and evaluation of risks for various DI&C design architectures. The framework indicates potential software failure modes and provides pathways for quantifying the potential for these software failures, including common cause failures. Using the framework’s systematic approach, challenges for assessing risks within new and existing nuclear DI&C systems can be reduced. Nevertheless, the current framework can be further improved using the convenience of automation. This paper introduces the development of Software for the Hazard Identification and Evaluation of Digital Systems (SHIELDS). SHIELDS is an engineering software package that enables the identification, elimination, and mitigation of potential risks and reduces the burden of deploying reliable DI&C systems. This work introduces plans and techniques to digitize and improve the manual risk assessment modules of the framework. These improvements will save time and increase the repeatability and usability of the framework, making it more accessible to a wider range of users. Ultimately, this introduces SHIELDS and how its modules support efficient development of safe and reliable DI&C systems.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Carbon-conserving bioproduction of malate in an E. coli -based cell-free system

Formate, a biologically accessible form of CO 2 , has attracted interest as a renewable feedstock for bioproduction. However, approaches are needed to investigate efficient routes for biological formate assimilation due to its toxicity and limited utilization by microorganisms. Cell-free systems hold promise due to their potential for efficient use of carbon and energy sources and compatibility with diverse feedstocks. However, bioproduction using purified cell-free systems is limited by costly enzyme purification, whereas lysate-based systems must overcome loss of flux to background reactions in the cell extract. Here, we engineer an E. coli-based system for an eight-enzyme pathway from DNA and incorporate strategies to regenerate cofactors and minimize loss of flux through background reactions. We produce the industrial di-acid malate from glycine, bicarbonate, and formate by engineering the carbon-conserving reductive TCA and formate assimilation pathways. We show that in situ regeneration of NADH drives metabolic flux towards malate, improving titer by 15-fold. Background reactions can also be reduced 6-fold by diluting the lysate following expression and introducing chemical inhibitors of competing reactions. Together, these results establish a carbon-conserving, lysate-based cell-free platform for malate production, producing 64 μM malate after 8 h. This system conserves 43 % of carbon otherwise lost as CO 2 through the TCA cycle and incorporates 0.13 mol CO 2 equivalents/mol glycine fed. Finally, techno-economic analysis of cell-free malate production from formate revealed that the high cost of lysate is a key challenge to the economic feasibility of the process, even assuming efficient cofactor recycling. This work demonstrates the capabilities of cell-free expression systems for both the prototyping of carbon-conserving pathways and the sustainable bioproduction of platform chemicals.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗