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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 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Self-Cleaning Boudouard Reactor for Full Oxygen Recovery from Carbon Dioxide

Oxygen recovery from respiratory carbon dioxide is an important aspect of human spaceflight. Methods exist to sequester the carbon dioxide, but production of oxygen needs further development. The current International Space Station Carbon Dioxide Reduction System (CRS) uses the Sabatier reaction to produce water (and ultimately breathing air). Oxygen recovery is limited to 50 because half of the hydrogen used in the Sabatier reactor is lost as methane, which is vented overboard. The Bosch reaction, which converts carbon dioxide to oxygen and solid carbon is capable of recovering all the oxygen from carbon dioxide, and is the only real alternative to the Sabatier reaction. However, the last reaction in the cycle, the Boudouard reaction, produces solid carbon and the resulting carbon buildup will eventually foul the nickel or iron catalyst, reducing reactor life and increasing consumables. To minimize this fouling and increase efficiency, a number of self-cleaning catalyst designs have been created. This paper will describe recent results evaluating one of the designs.

Oxygen Recovery↗
NASA NTRS2016

Serious Gaming for Test & Evaluation of Clean-Slate (Ab Initio) National Airspace System (NAS) Designs

Incremental approaches to air transportation system development inherit current architectural constraints, which, in turn, place hard bounds on system capacity, efficiency of performance, and complexity. To enable airspace operations of the future, a clean-slate (ab initio) airspace design(s) must be considered. This ab initio National Airspace System (NAS) must be capable of accommodating increased traffic density, a broader diversity of aircraft, and on-demand mobility. System and subsystem designs should scale to accommodate the inevitable demand for airspace services that include large numbers of autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and a paradigm shift in general aviation (e.g., personal air vehicles) in addition to more traditional aerial vehicles such as commercial jetliners and weather balloons. The complex and adaptive nature of ab initio designs for the future NAS requires new approaches to validation, adding a significant physical experimentation component to analytical and simulation tools. In addition to software modeling and simulation, the ability to exercise system solutions in a flight environment will be an essential aspect of validation. The NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Autonomy Incubator seeks to develop a flight simulation infrastructure for ab initio modeling and simulation that assumes no specific NAS architecture and models vehicle-to-vehicle behavior to examine interactions and emergent behaviors among hundreds of intelligent aerial agents exhibiting collaborative, cooperative, coordinative, selfish, and malicious behaviors. The air transportation system of the future will be a complex adaptive system (CAS) characterized by complex and sometimes unpredictable (or unpredicted) behaviors that result from temporal and spatial interactions among large numbers of participants. A CAS not only evolves with a changing environment and adapts to it, it is closely coupled to all systems that constitute the environment. Thus, the ecosystem that contains the system and other systems evolves with the CAS as well. The effects of the emerging adaptation and co-evolution are difficult to capture with only combined mathematical and computational experimentation. Therefore, an ab initio flight simulation environment must accommodate individual vehicles, groups of self-organizing vehicles, and large-scale infrastructure behavior. Inspired by Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) and Serious Gaming, the proposed ab initio simulation environment is similar to online gaming environments in which player participants interact with each other, affect their environment, and expect the simulation to persist and change regardless of any individual player's active participation.

Allen, B. Danette↗
NASA NTRS2016

Characterization of Low Pressure Cold Plasma in the Cleaning of Contaminated Surfaces

The characterization of low pressure cold plasma is a broad topic which would benefit many different applications involving such plasma. The characterization described in this paper focuses on cold plasma used as a medium in cleaning and disinfection applications. Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) and Mass Spectrometry (MS) are the two analytical methods used in this paper to characterize the plasma. OES analyzes molecules in the plasma phase by displaying the light emitted by the plasma molecules on a graph of wavelength vs. intensity. OES was most useful in identifying species which may interact with other molecules in the plasma, such as atomic oxygen or hydroxide radicals. Extracting useful data from the MS is done by filtering out the peaks generated by expected molecules and looking for peaks caused by foreign ones leaving the plasma chamber. This paper describes the efforts at setting up and testing these methods in order to accurately and effectively characterize the plasma.

cold plasma characterization↗
NASA NTRS2017

Self-Cleaning Filament Connector

A debris exclusion and removal system for connectors which have a filament barrier configuration designed to clean connectors as they are mated together.

Townsend, Ivan I., III↗
NASA NTRS2017

Cleaning and Cleanliness Measurement of Additive Manufactured Parts

Additive Manufacturing processes allow for the manufacture of complex three dimensional components that otherwise could not be manufactured. Post treatment processes require the removal of any remnant bulk powder that may become entrapped within small cavities and channels within a component. This project focuses on several gross cleaning methods and the verification metrics associated with additive manufactured parts for oxygen propulsion usage.

Mitchell, Mark A.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Three Proposed Compendia for Genesis Solar Wind Samples: Science Results, Collector Materials Characterization and Cleaning Techniques

Final Paper and not the abstract is attached. Introduction: Planetary material and cosmochemistry research using Genesis solar wind samples (including the development and implementation of cleaning and analytical techniques) has matured sufficiently that compilations on several topics, if made publically accessible, would be beneficial for researchers and reviewers. We propose here three compendia based on content, organization and source of documents (e.g. published peer-reviewed, published, internal memos, archives). For planning purposes, suggestions are solicited from potential users of Genesis solar wind samples for the type of science content and/or organizational style that would be most useful to them. These compendia are proposed as living documents, periodically updated. Similar to the existing compendia described below, the curation compendia are like library or archival finding aids, they are guides to published or archival documents and should not be cited as primary sources.

Allton, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Components Cleaning Facility, SWMU 30 Interim Groundwater Monitoring Report Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This Interim Groundwater Monitoring (IGWM) Report (IGWMR) presents the findings of IGWM completed in June and December 2019 at the eastern portion of the Components Cleaning Facility (CCF East) site located at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The site has been designated Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 030 under KSC’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Program.

Patrice L Lehocky↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Clean is not Sterile: A Planetary Science and Planetary Protection Perspective on Cleanroom Microbiology at NASA

The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office at NASA is responsible for the curation of extraterrestrial samples from NASA’s past and future sample return missions. Our office curates samples from the moon, meteorites, comets, asteroids, cosmic dust and solar wind particles. All these samples are kept in cleanrooms to limit particulate and trace metal contamination, but none of these cleanrooms are specifically designed to control microbial contamination. During the early Apollo missions NASA scientists were very concerned with protecting the Earth from potential microbial contamination from the moon and with protecting the lunar samples from terrestrial microbes. NASA developed specialized equipment and clean rooms to keep these collections pristine. However, as we learned more about the lunar environment our concerns about microbial contamination lessened. Today none of the existing collections have microbial contamination requirements because they are not considered susceptible to microbial alteration under curation conditions (e.g. solar wind samples, and lunar samples) or have already been contaminated by terrestrial biology (meteorites collected in Antarctica). However, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission will land in 2023 with samples from a carbon rich asteroid that will be susceptible to microbial alteration. The Perseverance rover on Mars will begin to collect and cache samples that will be returned to Earth as soon as 2031. Martian samples may contain signs of extraterrestrial life and will have to be treated like the early Apollo samples. Martian samples will be isolated to protect the Earth, and must also be protected from terrestrial contamination. I will present microbial monitoring data from existing NASA cleanrooms and discuss how NASA is planning to use techniques from the pharmaceutical industry and academia to design new laboratories and equipment that will protect astromaterials and the earth from unwanted microbial contamination. I will also discuss a project to sample the external microbiome of the International Space Station. Results from this research will be used to design facilities for use on Mars that limit the amount of contamination associated with crewed missions.

Aaron B Regberg↗
NASA NTRS2021

Components Cleaning Facility, SWMU 030 Eastern High-Concentration Plume Area Implementation Work Plan Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This Implementation Work Plan (IWP) presents detailed design elements and coordination specifics to implement an air sparging (AS) Interim Measure (IM) to remediate groundwater at the Components Cleaning Facility (CCF), Eastern High Concentration Plume (HCP) Area located at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The objective of the CCF East IM is to remediate groundwater where trichloroethene, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, and vinyl chloride concentrations exceed Florida Department of Environmental Protection Natural Attenuation Default Criteria (NADC) (identified as the HCP) via AS and to transition to monitored natural attenuation. CCF has been designated Solid Waste Management Unit 030 under KSC’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Program.

James Lloyd↗
NASA NTRS2024

Self-Cleaning Coatings for Space or Earth Transparent Electrodynamic Dust Shields Usable for Solar Cells

Reducing dust accumulation on any surface is key for lunar missions as dust can damage or impair the performance of everything from deployable systems to solar cells on the Moon’s surface. Electrodynamic dust shields (EDSs) are a key method to actively clean surfaces by running high voltages (but low currents) through electrodes on the surface. The forces generated by the voltage efficiently remove built up, electrically charged dust particles. Innovators at the NASA Kennedy Space Center have developed a new transparent EDS for removing dust from space and lunar solar cells among other transparent surfaces. The new coatings operate at half the voltage of existing EDSs while being 90% thinner. These capabilities are enabled by an innovative combination of electrode patterning and a thin silica protective layer. The reduced thickness and lower voltage operation expands possibilities for integrating EDSs onto transparent surfaces across industries.

Jerry J Wang↗
DOE OSTI2024

Powering Data Centers with Clean Energy: A Techno-Economic Case Study of Nuclear and Renewable Energy Dependability

Rising data demands from artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) generating images, videos, and text have prompted increased need for larger and more robust data centers in the United States. Major companies interested in these larger data centers face the choice of linking them to existing regional grids, building stand-alone power supplies onsite, or a combination of both. The request, review, and approval process for new transmission lines to grids in the United States, however, has grown in recent years to times spans rivaling those of new construction for nuclear power plants. Building an islanded power supply for each data center is therefore becoming a prominent option. In this case study, several technologies are modeled in techno-economic simulations for long-term system costs subject to fixed electricity demand from a singular data center. A 250 MWe data center is assumed with additional 50 MWe for resiliency. Techno-economic simulations are conducted using the Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network (HERON) software, which is a part of the Framework for Optimization of Resources and Economics (FORCE) tool suite. Technologies considered include solar, wind, lithium-ion batteries, and several types of nuclear reactors: large-scale reactors, small modular reactors, and microreactors. A low- and high-cost estimate for each technology is assumed to develop a range of expected economic performance. Low-cost estimates included several clean energy production tax credits. Different combinations of renewable energy generators with nuclear reactors are considered, ranging from a fully renewable-powered data center to a fully nuclear-powered data center. Historic time series of wind and solar availability from the Texas grid are used to train a reduced order model; this model then generates unique time series with similar characteristics of the training dataset. Multiple scenarios of weather and subsequent operations are simulated for each renewable-nuclear combination to determine total costs throughout the project lifetime. Fully renewable-powered configurations required large amounts of installed capacity (GW scale) in the simulations to meet the fixed demand of the data center. This is due to some scenarios in the historical dataset which captured low-wind and low-solar days, requiring over-building of these technologies as well as batteries to compensate for the low amounts of electricity generation. Fully nuclear-powered configurations outperformed the fully renewable and mixed renewable-nuclear configurations in terms of cost, with ranges between $1B and $10B in 2023 USDs compared to $40B+ for fully renewable configurations. Of the nuclear technologies, small modular reactors performed better economically than large-scale nuclear models due to lower projected capital costs, and both performed better than the microreactor models. These results demonstrate the applicability of firm, dispatchable electricity resources from baseload generators like nuclear power plants for operating facilities that run at constant power without daily variability.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Staying Competitive in Clean Manufacturing: Insights on Barriers from Industry Interviews

While industrial emissions research has historically focused on energy-intensive sectors like steel, cement, and chemicals, this study addresses a critical gap by examining barriers across all the manufacturing industry in the U.S. Sectors like food processing, retail, plastics, and transportation face unique challenges distinct from heavy industry, operating on thin margins with limited bargaining power while experiencing heightened consumer and stakeholder pressure for improved environmental responsibility. Through structured interview data collection process and using quantitative ratings and qualitative analysis, this research identifies and categorizes emission reduction barriers across four key themes: financial, technical, organizational, and regulatory. Unlike energy-intensive industries that may pursue hydrogen or carbon capture technologies, discrete manufacturing industry like automotive, electrical and electronics, and machine manufacturers typically focus on energy efficiency, electrification of thermal processes, and alternate fuel switching, solutions better aligned with their lower-temperature processes and distributed facility profiles. The study’s primary contribution lies in documenting specific barrier manifestations within organizations and identifying proven mitigation strategies that companies have successfully implemented or observed among peers.

business competitiveness↗