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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
DOE OSTI2024

Toward a long-lifetime polarized photoelectron gun for the Ce+BAF positron source

The addition of spin-polarized, continuous-wave (c.w.) positron beams to the 12 GeV Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) would provide a significant capability to the experimental nuclear physics program at Jefferson Lab. Based on bremsstrahlung and pair-production in a high-Z target, the positron source requires a 120 MeV spin-polarized c.w. electron beam of several milliamperes. While the beam dynamics of the high-current electron beam are tenable, sustaining this current for weeks of user operations requires an unprecedented charge lifetime from a high-polarization GaAs-based photocathode. A promising approach to exceed the kilocoulomb charge lifetime barrier is reducing the ion back-bombardment fluence at the photocathode. By increasing the laser size and managing the emittance growth with an adequate cathode/anode design, significantly enhanced charge lifetime may be achieved. Based upon a new simulation model that qualitatively explains the lifetime data previously measured at different spot sizes, we describe the practical implications on the parameter space available for a kilocoulomb-lifetime polarized photogun design.

Bruker, M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multi-Task with Procter and Gamble (CRADA No. NFE-10-02672)

The purpose of this Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between UT-Battelle, LLC (the “Contractor) and Procter & Gamble Company (the “Participant”) is the development of a research partnership to create new tools, tests and analytical methods to improve the performance, safety and/or environmental quality of chemicals, advanced materials, food products and manufacturing processes. The Participant operates in three global business units: Beauty, Health and Well-Being and Household Care. Some of its worldwide products include Head and Shoulders®, Pantene®, Gillette® razors and personal care products, Crest®, Dawn®, Tide®, Bounty®, Duracell® batteries; and Iams® pet food among others. At its core, however, the Participant is a science driven company. It supports one of the most robust industrial research and development (R&D) programs in the world. The Participant uses this rich foundation of science to drive innovation across all of its product lines. But the innovation process is not confined in-house The Participant pursues an “open innovation” policy, seeking partnerships with scientists and researchers in universities and national laboratories where it can contribute its extensive knowledge assets and collaborate to advance scientific understanding. The research under this multi-task CRADA was directed under the following general task areas and, throughout the duration of this CRADA the work statement was modified to match the needs of the Parties and the direction of the research. (1) Software modeling, simulation and development; (2) Manufacturing Technologies; (3) Supply Chain Optimization, (4) Advanced Materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

MRCI Subtask 2.4/2.5: Regional/Subregional Analysis and Risk Assessment Final Technical Summary Report

The objective of the Midwest Regional Carbon Initiative (MRCI) project is to implement a collaborative Regional Initiative (RI) to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture, and storage (CCS) in the Midwest-Northeastern quadrant of the United States. This report is a Technical Summary report describing work performed on Tasks 2.4 (Conducting Regional/Subregional Analysis) and 2.5 (Assessing and Managing Risk) during the MRCI project. In Task 2.4, detailed numerical reservoir simulation models were developed for selected carbon storage (CS) systems identified under Task 2.1 (Battelle, 2021a) in the MRCI study area. The objective of Task 2.4 is to demonstrate a dynamic modeling methodology for evaluating the suitability of the (selected) CS systems in the MRCI region for hosting a commercial-scale storage project. In this study, CO2 injectivity was evaluated for different CS systems with an annual injection rate of 1 million metric tonnes (MMT) of CO2 considered as the minimum requirement for a commercial scale project. The objective of Task 2.5 is to assess key risks associated with storing CO2 in the different CS systems across the MRCI region and to demonstrate a method(s) for assessing these risks that may be used by developers of future CO2 storage projects in the region. The risk analysis was limited to evaluating two types of leakage risks (i.e., wellbore leakage, flow across unfractured caprock) at three modeled sites considered in Task 2.4.

MRCI,Report,Summary,Technical Challenges,dynamic m↗
DOE OSTI2025

Study of Particle Loss in Synchrotron Phase Space Injection for ESR Using Weak-Strong Beam-Beam Simulation with Nonlinear Lattice

In this report, we use tracking simulations to investigate synchrotron phase space injection for electron accumulation in the electron storage ring of the Electron Ion Collider. Our simulation model accounts for both beam-beam interactions and lattice nonlinearities. Specifically, we examine how particle loss is influenced by various parameters. Additionally, we conduct a theoretical analysis and derive an analytical formula for the rapid evaluation of particle loss. Our results demon strate the feasibility of synchrotron phase-space injection for the electron storage ring and provide insights to guide parameter selection for the design of the injection line.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Transfer Tube Material Properties Obtained from Test Data

A series of tension and compression tests were performed on typical transfer tubes made of 304L corrosion-resistant steel. The results were compiled and converted to true stress and true plastic strain for comparison to numerical models. The parameters of a Johnson-Cook constitutive model and fracture criterion were calibrated to mimic the test data. Comparisons were made between the converted data and the empirical formulas in the Johnson-Cook model. Simulations were performed to evaluate the implementation of the formula in finite element analysis, and the parameters were adjusted to improve the correlation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Unpacking Modeling Analysis for the Circular Economy

This session will cover: (1) How models simulate material recovery, recycling, product life cycles and waste management. (2) Using life cycle analysis (LCA) to measure environmental impacts across product life cycles and guide decision-making. (3) Optimizing resource use, reducing energy consumption and minimizing waste in recycling systems. (4) Evaluating EPR and other interventions through scenario analysis to make informed decisions.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electric Grid Security (EGS) FY24 Annual Report

Sandia’s Electric Grid Security program advances a national vision of a secure, resilient, and affordable electric system for all users. Our achievements reflect a strategic approach combining technology development; modeling, simulation, and data analytics; and partnered demonstrations and outreach to further the adoption of advanced grid and storage technologies. Our FY24 efforts leverage the strengths of our partnerships—spanning Sandia’s core science and technology competencies as well as external technology leaders—to develop the solutions today which enable the grid of tomorrow. Key accomplishments in this report that support our strategy span our technical program areas and include: • The advancement of energy storage technologies, including creation of a national Long Duration Energy Storage Consortium; • Applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhanced grid operations and planning; • Development of solid-state power conversion technologies and a new medium-voltage research lab; • New technologies to assess wildfire vulnerabilities and mitigate potential impacts; • Advanced applications of new cybersecurity technologies with industry partners; • Contributions to understanding the impacts of electromagnetic pulses and geomagnetic disturbances on grid components; and • Digital twin development for hybrid microgrids with multiple generators, storage, and loads.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ecohydrological controls on root and microbial respiration in the East River watershed of Colorado

The main objective of this project was to conduct exploratory work to quantify how snow and rain water inputs influence the CO2 coming from the soil surface (soil CO2 flux), and its plant and microbial sources, in the East River watershed, near Crested Butte, Colorado. Knowledge gained from this effort laid the groundwork for a more comprehensive (ongoing) follow-on grant that is using a combination of experiments, field observations, machine learning and simulation modeling to fully disentangle these relationships. New field measurements were made at four locations along an elevational transect on Snodgrass Mountain at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. These sites were chosen to differ in total snowpack and water table depth, and included both deciduous (aspen) and evergreen (spruce/fir) forest types. We used automated measurements of soil CO2 concentrations to quantify the total soil CO2 flux, and the vertical CO2 production within the soil profile at each site. Isotope (radiocarbon, 14C) measurements determined how much of the CO2 emitted from the soil surface came from plant respiration (root metabolism) versus microbial respiration (decomposition of soil organic matter) sources. Supporting data on plant phenology and microbial dynamics provided context for the observed variation in respiration sources. This work was motivated by our overarching hypothesis that quantifying belowground plant and microbial processes separately, and how they are influenced by snow and rain inputs, is necessary for understanding and predicting how the East River watershed ecosystems will respond to future environmental change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Grid Resiliency with a 100% Renewable Microgrid

San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) installed America’s first and largest utility-scale microgrid in Borrego Springs in 2013. The first generation Borrego Springs Microgrid utilized diesel generators to form and stabilize the microgrid island, with support from grid-scale batteries and local solar photovoltaic (PV) generation. In this project, SDG&E in partnership with National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) demonstrated through modeling, simulation and utility field testing that blackstart and islanding of the microgrid can be led with 100% renewable, inverter based resources (IBRs), to help reduce community reliance on conventional generation resources. Through equipment upgrades, grid-forming island leader capability was transitioned to a battery IBR instead of the Borrego Springs Microgrid diesel generators. A new microgrid controller was integrated to the microgrid and programmed to control and manage multiple energy storage systems. Synchrophasor and other power quality data verified autonomous, high-speed response of the IBRs through blackstart, islanding, and load step testing. Results of project field evaluations provide distribution systems operators (DSO) with increased confidence that renewable, IBR can replace traditional generators to blackstart and island microgrids and rapidly establish stable island frequency with rapid changes in peak power demand. Importantly, the project validated the integration feasibility of a distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) controller that manages multiple grid-forming and grid-following IBRs, establishing a standard design interface to reduce the complexity of integrating new DERs in the future and supporting replication by the industry. As a result of learnings in this project, SDG&E has implemented the microgrid controller strategy at multiple other microgrid sites, thereby validating the replicability of the solution. Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations including power and controller HIL hardware — along with electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulations of Borrego Springs Microgrid —informed adjustments to inverter parameters and were important to characterize the performance of the IBRs in relevant operating conditions before deployment. The EMT and HIL simulations of islanding the entire community are important contributions in providing confidence in IBR performance prior to future islanding of the community in the field. High-fidelity EMT and/or HIL simulation of IBRs can de-risk field operations, and its relevance and importance as a tool is increasing as distribution grids and microgrids become more complex and dynamic with an increasing proportion of renewable generation, distributed energy storage, and two-way power and energy flows.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Reticular Materials and AI-Driven Computer Simulations for Seawater Mining of Valuable Metals (Final Technical Report)

This Final Technical Report describes our exploratory efforts that combine reticular materials synthesis (hydrolytically robust metal–organic frameworks, MOFs) with AI‑enabled molecular simulations to develop mechanistic, quantitative design rules for recovering lithium and other alkali-metal ions from highly dilute, competitive aqueous resources (e.g., seawater). The central outcome is a joint experimental–computational study of ion uptake in MOF‑808 (Chemical Science, 2025) that quantifies both thermodynamics and kinetics of Li + , Na + , and K + uptake and identifies how pore size, pore hydration state, dehydration penalties, and pore-window transport barriers govern selectivity. Guided by these insights, we synthesized and tested functionalized MOF‑808 and multivariate MOFs incorporating ion-recognition motifs (including carboxylates and crown-ether linkers) and evaluated uptake in synthetic seawater, highlighting framework topology and pore chemistry as levers for improved Li + /Na + discrimination. We also developed transferable simulation models, enhanced-sampling protocols, and automated workflows that enable systematic screening of porous sorbents.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) Cyber Range Overview and Threat-to-Consequence Demonstration

This presentation was presented at the Aggregation and Grid Security Workshop - held on June 17-18, 2025, at NREL in Golden, Colorado. The goal of the two-day workshop was to address the critical cybersecurity challenges for the future electric grid. The threat-to-consequence demonstration showcases NREL's capability to model, simulate, test, and evaluate cyberattacks targeting energy systems that coincide with natural hazards, as well as the ramifications for the energy grid as a whole.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tool Chain for Simulations of Bi-Filar Coil Winding for Fast Quench Protection

The advancement of high-field magnets utilizing high-temperature superconductors (HTS) brings about complex challenges, especially in quench detection and protection. Traditional methods often fall short due to the inherently slow quench propagation in HTS materials. One promising approach to overcome this involves using a bifilar winding configuration, where two conductors are placed side by side. Under normal operation, they function in series, but during a quench event, they switch to an anti-parallel mode. This shift reduces the differential inductance of the coil to near zero, enabling rapid current oscillations through a capacitor discharge. The resulting high-frequency current flow leads to swift, uniform heating, triggering a full-coil quench within microseconds. Moreover, the strong mutual coupling between the two windings significantly reduces electrical noise in voltage measurements. In this work, we explore the viability of this concept by designing, constructing, and testing a REBCO bifilar racetrack coil in liquid nitrogen. We also present a validated simulation model that closely mirrors the coil's dynamic behavior under these conditions, aligning well with experimental observations.

Jayathilaka, Rehan [Northern Illinois U.]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Coastal Urban Boundary-layer Interactions with Convection (CUBIC)

The CUBIC project added three extra weather‑profiling stations across Houston during the 2021 TRACER campaign to better understand how sea breezes, urban heat, and local circulations affect air quality and help trigger storms. These observations, combined with drone data and model simulations, give a clearer picture of how the boundary layer behaves in a coastal city.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Report on the Atmospheric Temperature Changes and their Drivers (ATC) Activity 2025 Spring Meeting

The Atmospheric Temperature Change and their Drivers (ATC) Activity brings together experts interested in improving understanding of atmospheric temperature variability and trends and their representation in climate data records. ATC pursues this goal by fostering intercomparisons of atmospheric temperature datasets, providing and improving uncertainty information for climate data records, comparing observations with model simulations, assessing atmospheric temperature trends and their drivers, and documenting their efforts in review papers and assessment reports. The ATC activity convened at the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change at the University of Graz in Graz, Austria over April 23 – 25. The purpose of the meeting was to provide updates on research and datasets related to atmospheric temperature change and variability, to identify areas that need further research, and to coordinate ongoing and future collaborations. Meeting themes included theoretical and simulated controls on atmospheric temperature, the development of new and improved atmospheric temperature datasets, and analysis of atmospheric temperature variability and trends. 18 activity members attended the meeting including 12 in-person attendees and 6 remote attendees. Four new early career activity members attended with support from APARC.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bridging the Gap for Powering Data Centers

The rapid expansion of data centers, primarily driven by artificial intelligence, is outpacing the adaptability of the U.S. electric grid. This report, developed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) , presents a gap analysis of some of the infrastructure challenges associated with large-scale data center deployment. Drawing from a national workshop hosted by INL in October of 2025, the report synthesizes stakeholder insights, survey data, and technical discussions to identify critical barriers and research needs. Key findings highlight the growing preference for behind-the-meter generation, the perceived inadequacy of legacy interconnection processes, and the urgent need for improved coordination between utilities, regulators, and data center developers. Environmental concerns such as water use and noise pollution, as well as economic constraints like equipment lead times and cost allocation, are also explored. The report outlines national lab capabilities in modeling, simulation, and technical assistance, and proposes targeted R&D priorities to support resilient, scalable, and efficient integration of data centers into the grid.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

FY25 Electric Grid Security Annual Report

Sandia’s Electric Grid Security program advances a national vision of energy dominance and accessibility, while applying our national security -emphasis on ensuring of a secure, resilient, and affordable electric system for all users. Our achievements reflect a strategic approach combining technology development; modeling, simulation, and data analytics; and partnered demonstrations and outreach to further the adoption of advanced grid and storage technologies. Our FY25 efforts leverage the strengths of our partnerships—spanning Sandia’s core science and technology competencies as well as external technology leaders—to develop the solutions today which enable the grid of tomorrow. Key accomplishments in this report that support our strategy span our technical program areas and include: • New open-source analytical tools for systems -level planning and optimization, including significant advances to the QuESt analytical environment; • Further advancement of artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhanced grid operations and planning as we rise to the challenge of new large loads; • Development of solid-state power conversion technologies and a new medium-voltage research lab; • New technologies to assess wildfire vulnerabilities and mitigate potential impacts; • Advanced applications of new cybersecurity technologies with industry partners; • Contributions to understanding the impacts of electromagnetic pulses and geomagnetic disturbances on grid components; and • Digital twin development for hybrid microgrids with multiple generators, storage, and loads. This report indicates key areas of research and engagement and summarizes the impact of Sandia’s contributions through notable accomplishments, journal publications, patents, and technical conferences and presentations. It is provided with the hope that readers discover ways we can further team to create our modern grid and apply the outcomes of our efforts. The bulk of work described herein is funded by several offices within the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), including the Office of Electricity (OE); Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER); former offices such as the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the Grid Deployment Office (GDO), the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), and other key programs at USDOE. As we continue to state in these annual reports, the contributors to our successes are too numerous to name here, though our team wishes to express our deep gratitude to the numerous program and project sponsors at the US Department of Energy, who often function equally as technical collaborators; our many partners in industry, academia, utilities, and other national labs; and fellow researchers and business partners at Sandia whose leadership and creativity have enabled the accomplishments described herein.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

LDRD for a high-current polarized-beam photogun

The electron accelerator driving the Ce+BAF conversion target requires a spin-polarized photogun capable of delivering a CW beam current of at least 1 mA. As the high beam current limits the useful operating time of the gun between photocathode reactivations due to ion back-bombardment, it is critical to increase the charge lifetime. A Jefferson Lab LDRD project aims to calibrate the simulation models needed to predict photocathode lifetime as a function of electrostatic optics and drive laser parameters in order to design a gun providing at least 1000 C charge lifetime. A prototype gun demonstrating the validity of the scaling predictions will be built and tested at the Gun Test Stand. I will describe the background and progress of this project and give an outlook on the expected performance.

Bruker, Max [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator↗
DOE OSTI2024

Dataset for: Price Controls for Scarcity Events in Real-Time and Transactive Energy Systems

Real time pricing (RTP) is often promoted as a mechanism to improve the economic efficiency of the electricity system. However, many regulators have been hesitant to adopt RTP due to concerns about exposing customers to extreme price swings. To balance these concerns, this paper proposes a methodology for establishing price controls, based on the supply of demand-side flexibility in the system. As an illustrative example, we measure price responsiveness using an agent-based simulation model that is representative of the ERCOT market. The model is composed of a distribution feeder that has 250 customers with active agents controlling their HVAC systems in response to the historical ERCOT RTP with an artificially added high-price event. These agents are subjected to increasing electricity prices during the event, which we then use to create a supply curve for demand-side resources in our modeled scarcity event. We set potential price caps at points on the supply curve where customers’ have exhausted their flexible capacity. Using historical prices, we examine the systemic costs of these price caps, and present regulatory options for recouping them. Utilities and regulators interested in limiting consumer risk from dynamic pricing can utilize these methods to develop rate structures and encourage conservation. The attached data upload allows for the duplication or modification of the analysis performed in this study.

Kerby, Jessica R↗