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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 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2009

The Role of Guidance, Navigation, and Control in Hypersonic Vehicle Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization

Airbreathing hypersonic systems offer distinct performance advantages over rocket-based systems for space access vehicles. However, these performance advantages are dependent upon advances in current state-of-the-art technologies in many areas such as ram/scramjet propulsion integration, high temperature materials, aero-elastic structures, thermal protection systems, transition to hypersonics and hypersonic control elements within the framework of complex physics and new design methods. The complex interactions between elements of an airbreathing hypersonic vehicle represent a new paradigm in vehicle design to achieve the optimal performance necessary to meet space access mission objectives. In the past, guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) analysis often follows completion of the vehicle conceptual design process. Individual component groups design subsystems which are then integrated into a vehicle configuration. GNC is presented the task of developing control approaches to meet vehicle performance objectives given that configuration. This approach may be sufficient for vehicles where significant performance margins exist. However, for higher performance vehicles engaging the GNC discipline too late in the design cycle has been costly. For example, the X-29 experimental flight vehicle was built as a technology demonstrator. One of the many technologies to be demonstrated was the use of light-weight material composites for structural components. The use of light-weight materials increased the flexibility of the X- 29 beyond that of conventional metal alloy constructed aircraft. This effect was not considered when the vehicle control system was designed and built. The impact of this is that the control system did not have enough control authority to compensate for the effects of the first fundamental structural mode of the vehicle. As a result, the resulting pitch rate response of the vehicle was below specification and no post-design changes could recover the desired capability.

Ouzts, Peter J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Process and environmental safety of thermochemical conversion of biomass

Biomass presents a promising opportunity for converting waste into valuable energy, fuels, and chemicals through various thermochemical processes, including hydrothermal carbonization, hydrothermal liquefaction, pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion. However, these processes operate under extreme conditions, introducing significant safety hazards that necessitate meticulous management to prevent accidents. This review discusses potential hazards, risk mitigation strategies, and safety management practices, emphasizing the importance of integrated safety measures into the design and operation of these processes. It also highlights the critical need for robust safety engineering and environmental management strategies tailored to each thermo-chemical process. As these processes transition from laboratory to industrial scale, there is an imperative to develop a clear and concise pathway for emerging industries to achieve regulatory compliance, achieve safety certification, and enable effective stewardship of potential fugitive emissions. By addressing safety and environmental concerns, stakeholders can optimize economic benefits, rural development, and achieve sustained domestic energy generation benefits offered by biomass conversion technologies. Further research on plant design optimization, operational safety, environmental evaluation standardization, and innovative waste management solutions will support the safe and effective scaling of these technologies, ultimately contributing to sustainable management and resource recovery.

09 - BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Energy efficient integrated photonic systems based on inverse design

The energy footprint of modern information processing and communications systems is immense and utilizes a significant fraction of total global energy usage. Data centers alone consume over 70 billion kilowatt-hours per year. Much of this energy usage is intrinsic to the use of electronic wiring, making optical-based technologies a necessary and promising route to mitigating energy consumption in short- to medium-distance communication links. In this project, we developed and implemented a framework for the design of optical components, based on machine learning, which enables optical components relevant to optical information processing to be realized at their physical performance limits.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS2018

Yearlong 500 °C Operational Demonstration of Up-Scaled 4H-SiC JFET Integrated Circuits

This work describes recent progress in the design, processing, upscaling, and testing of 500°C durable two-level interconnect 4H-SiC JFET IC technology undergoing development at NASA Glenn Research Center. For the first time, stable electrical operation of semiconductor ICs for 1 year (8760 hours) at 500°C in air atmosphere is reported. These groundbreaking durability results were attained on two-level interconnect JFET demonstration ICs with 175 or more transistors on each chip. This corresponds to a more than 7-fold increase in 500°C-durable circuit complexity from the 24 transistor ring oscillator ICs reported at HiTEC 2016.

Neudeck, Philip G.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Integrated controls design optimization

A control system (207) for optimizing a chemical looping process of a power plant includes an optimizer (420), an income algorithm (230) and a cost algorithm (225) and a chemical looping process models. The process models are used to predict the process outputs from process input variables. Some of the process in puts and output variables are related to the income of the plant; and some others are related to the cost of the plant operations. The income algorithm (230) provides an income input to the optimizer (420) based on a plurality of input parameters (215) of the power plant. The cost algorithm (225) provides a cost input to the optimizer (420) based on a plurality of output parameters (220) of the power plant. The optimizer (420) determines an optimized operating parameter solution based on at least one of the income input and the cost input, and supplies the optimized operating parameter solution to the power plant.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2012

How Effective Are Clinical Pathways With and Without Online Peer-Review? An Analysis of Bone Metastases Pathway in a Large, Integrated National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center Network

Purpose: Clinical pathways are an important tool used to manage the quality in health care by standardizing processes. This study evaluated the impact of the implementation of a peer-reviewed clinical pathway in a large, integrated National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center Network. Methods: In 2003, we implemented a clinical pathway for the management of bone metastases with palliative radiation therapy. In 2009, we required the entry of management decisions into an online tool that records pathway choices. The pathway specified 1 or 5 fractions for symptomatic bone metastases with the option of 10-14 fractions for certain clinical situations. The data were obtained from 13 integrated sites (3 central academic, 10 community locations) from 2003 through 2010. Results: In this study, 7905 sites were treated with 64% of courses delivered in community practice and 36% in academic locations. Academic practices were more likely than community practices to treat with 1-5 fractions (63% vs. 23%; p < 0.0001). The number of delivered fractions decreased gradually from 2003 to 2010 for both academic and community practices (p < 0.0001); however, greater numbers of fractions were selected more often in community practices (p < 0.0001). Using multivariate logistic regression, we found that a significantly greater selection of 1-5 fractions developed after implementation online pathway monitoring (2009) with an odds ratio of 1.2 (confidence interval, 1.1-1.4) for community and 1.3 (confidence interval, 1.1-1.6) for academic practices. The mean number of fractions also decreased after online peer review from 6.3 to 6.0 for academic (p = 0.07) and 9.4 to 9.0 for community practices (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: This is one of the first studies to examine the efficacy of a clinical pathway for radiation oncology in an integrated cancer network. Clinical pathway implementation appears to be effective in changing patterns of care, particularly with online clinical peer review as a valuable aid to encourage adherence to evidence-based practice.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Lithium-ion conductive ceramic textile: A new architecture for flexible solid-state lithium metal batteries

Designing solid-state lithium metal batteries requires fast lithium-ion conductors, good electrochemical stability, and scalable processing approaches to device integration. In this work, we demonstrate a unique design for a flexible lithium-ion conducting ceramic textile with the above features for use in solid-state batteries. The ceramic textile was based on the garnet-type conductor Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 and exhibited a range of desirable chemical and structural properties, including: lithium-ion conducting cubic structure, low density, multi-scale porosity, high surface area/volume ratio, and good flexibility. The solid garnet textile enabled reinforcement of a solid polymer electrolyte to achieve high lithium-ion conductivity and stable long-term Li cycling over 500 h without failure. The textile also provided an electrolyte framework when designing a 3D electrode to realize ultrahigh cathode loading (10.8 g/cm 2 sulfur) for high-performance Li-metal batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Heat Integration Optimization and Dynamic Modeling Investigation for Advancing the Coal-Direct Chemical Looping Process

The purpose of the project is to address the optimization and startup operation of a modular coal direct chemical looping (CDCL) combustion system integrated with a steam cycle for power generation to reduce the risks involved in further scale-up of the technology. The modular reactor design of the CDCL process provides flexibility in the fabrication of the reactor and in its operating capacity (i.e. turndown ratio) at the cost of a more complex heat exchange network (HEN) design and integration. To address the technology gaps and advance the efficiency and economic feasibility of the CDCL technology, the project will perform a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the integration of a modular CDCL reactor system and a steam cycle system under both static and transient conditions via HEN process performance simulations and system dynamic modeling, respectively. The scope of work consists of 1) Experimental and computational studies of the CDCL combustor reactor 2) Comprehensive static (i.e. steady-state) system HEN design analysis in CDCL 550 MWe commercial unit for power generation and 3) Dynamic modeling of site specific design of 10MWe CDCL large pilot plant. The project team has successfully developed and validated a kinetic model for the oxidation of oxygen carriers in the combustor using the unreacted shrinking core model (UCSM). The model is capable of capturing the oxidation kinetics of fully or partially reduced oxygen carrier particles. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to simulate the hydrodynamics, heat transfer, and chemical reaction occurring in the CDCL combustor. The model is developed in MFIX and ANSYS Fluent. Key aspects of CDCL combustor operation, including heat transfer, oxygen carrier oxidation, and the transport of oxygen carrier particles, are simulated using this CFD model. The HEN for a commercial scale 550 MWe CDCL power plant is simulated and optimized using ASPEN Plus. Practical design considerations are incorporated based on industrial experiences. The performance and cost for the commercial CDCL plant is updated based on these analyses. A dynamic model for the 10 MWe CDCL pilot plant is developed in ProTRAX simulation software. The model is based on the pilot plant design developed in project DE-FE0027654 “10 MWe CDCL Large Pilot Plang – Pre-FEED Study” and the steam cycle data obtained from Dover Light & Power plant. The transient behaviors during pilot plant load variation are simulated using the dynamic model.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
NASA NTRS1985

IPAD: A unique approach to government/industry cooperation for technology development and transfer

A key element to improved industry productivity is effective management of Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) information. To stimulate advancement, a unique joint government/industry project designated Integrated Programs for Aerospace-Vehicle Design (IPAD) was carried out from 1971 to 1984. The goal was to raise aerospace industry productivity through advancement of computer based technology to integrate and manage information involved in the design and manufacturing process. IPAD research was guided by an Industry Technical Advisory Board (ITAB) composed of over 100 representatives from aerospace and computer companies. The project complemented traditional NASA/DOD research to develop aerospace design technology and the Air Force's Integrated Computer Aided Manufacturing (ICAM) program to advance CAM technology. IPAD had unprecedented industry support and involvement and served as a unique approach to government industry cooperation in the development and transfer of advanced technology. The IPAD project background, approach, accomplishments, industry involvement, technology transfer mechanisms and lessons learned are summarized.

Fulton, Robert E.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Towards a systematic framework for the synthesis of operable process intensification systems

In this work we present an integrated framework to derive intensified designs with guaranteed safety and operability performance. A step-by-step procedure is described featuring: (i) superstructure-based process synthesis using Generalized Modular Representation Framework, (ii) development of advanced multi-parametric control strategies following the PAROC framework and software platform, and (iii) inherent safety analysis at early design stage utilizing quantitative risk assessment. Here, two case studies with increasing intensification complexity, namely heat exchanger network synthesis and reactive distillation column design, are investigated to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed framework.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

SMART SiC Power ICs: Scalable, Manufacturable, and Robust Technology for SiC Power Integrated Circuits (Final Technical Report)

This collaborative project was initiated with the goal of developing Scalable, Manufacturable, and Robust Technology for SiC Power Integrated Circuits (SMART SiC Power ICs). In pursuit of this objective, innovative designs and fabrication processes were implemented, enabling the development of large-scale (>1 cm²) SiC Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits and high-voltage (400–600 V) lateral power MOSFETs (HV-LDMOS) on 150 mm 4H-SiC substrates. The resulting SMART SiC Power ICs are tailored to support a wide range of applications requiring diverse voltage and power levels, including automotive systems, industrial equipment, electronic data processing, energy harvesting, and power conditioning. To achieve the proposed ‘SMART’ technology for SiC ICs, the team focused on 1) the Development of highly scalable CMOS (with high channel mobilities for n-type and p-type MOSFETs), LDMOS (~600V, 10A rated), and IC technologies, 2) Establishment of a manufacturable process baseline in a production-grade-, 150mm, SiC fabrication facility, and 3) Demonstration of SMART SiC ICs. The project initially comprised of fabricating 5 lots. In lot 1 monolithic integration using a single process was achieved. Here, we were able to successfully accomplish Integrated HV NMOSFET with LV CMOS on N-epi/N+ Substrate. The HV NMOS demonstrated a Breakdown Voltage (BV) more than 600V. Circuit demonstration of CMOS was also another achievement from this lot. In lot 2, priority was in place for isolation and integration. Here we addressed the isolation concerns and integrated the HV NMOS and LV CMOS using the N-epi/P-epi/N+ substrate. Similar to the lot 1, we were able to achieve a BV of 600 V for HV NMOS. Optimized gate oxide process with high channel mobilities, better gate oxide reliability, development of SPICE models, successful ohmic process development, novel wafer area saving design layouts, P+ isolation schemes with channeling implantations and high temperature operational circuits demonstrations are some of the key highlights from lot 1 and lot2. In lot 3, discrete device performances of HV NMOS with a BV ~700V and reliable LV CMOS performances were achieved. Also, novel architectural solutions were successfully implemented to suppress the electric field crowding at the gate oxide for reliable operations. In lot 4, half bridge power driver ICs with a conversion efficiency of (target 90% to 95%) in the 1-5MHz switching frequency range for output power between 25 W to 3 kW have been included in. However, due to the unfortunate events of sudden foundry shutdown (SiCamore Semi) the processing of lot 4 wafers came to a complete stop (January 2024). Arrangements have recently been made to shift the fabrication to another foundry, General Electric Aerospace. The fabrication process now on course (as of December 2024). Characterizations are delayed due to this unfortunate circumstance. The proposed trench architectural-based devices and ICs (lot 5) underwent modifications from the original project proposal. This change was necessitated by limitations in the availability of trench-based processes at commercial production-grade fabrication facilities in the US. Apart from above achievements, a Process Development Kit (PDK) was successfully developed for planar type SiC CMOS/LDMOS.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Transforming biorefinery designs with ‘Plug-In Processes of Lignin’ to enable economic waste valorization

Biological lignin valorization has emerged as a major solution for sustainable and cost-effective biorefineries. However, current biorefineries yield lignin with inadequate fractionation for bioconversion, yet substantial changes of these biorefinery designs to focus on lignin could jeopardize carbohydrate efficiency and increase capital costs. We resolve the dilemma by designing ‘plug-in processes of lignin’ with the integration of leading pretreatment technologies. Substantial improvement of lignin bioconversion and synergistic enhancement of carbohydrate processing are achieved by solubilizing lignin via lowering molecular weight and increasing hydrophilic groups, addressing the dilemma of lignin- or carbohydrate-first scenarios. The plug-in processes of lignin could enable minimum polyhydroxyalkanoate selling price at as low as $6.18/kg. The results highlight the potential to achieve commercial production of polyhydroxyalkanoates as a co-product of cellulosic ethanol. Here, we show that the plug-in processes of lignin could transform biorefinery design toward sustainability by promoting carbon efficiency and optimizing the total capital cost.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Self-generated concentration and modulus gradient coating design to protect Si nano-wire electrodes during lithiation

Surface coatings as artificial solid electrolyte interphases have been actively pursued as an effective way to improve the cycle efficiency of nanostructured Si electrodes for high energy density lithium ion batteries, where the mechanical stability of the surface coatings on Si is as critical as Si itself. However, the chemical composition and mechanical property change of coating materials during the lithiation and delithiation process imposed a grand challenge to design coating/Si nanostructure as an integrated electrode system. In our work, we first developed reactive force field (ReaxFF) parameters for Li–Si–Al–O materials to simulate the lithiation process of Si-core/Al 2 O 3 -shell and Si-core/SiO 2 -shell nanostructures. With reactive dynamics simulations, we were able to simultaneously track and correlate the lithiation rate, compositional change, mechanical property evolution, stress distributions, and fracture. A new mechanics model based on these varying properties was developed to determine how to stabilize the coating with a critical size ratio. Furthermore, we discovered that the self-accelerating Li diffusion in Al 2 O 3 coating forms a well-defined Li concentration gradient, leading to an elastic modulus gradient, which effectively avoids local stress concentration and mitigates crack propagation. Finally, based on these results, we propose a modulus gradient coating, softer outside, harder inside, as the most efficient coating to protect the Si electrode surface and improve its current efficiency.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS2016

A Tailored Concept of Operations for NASA LSP Integrated Operations

An integral part of the Systems Engineering process is the creation of a Concept of Operations (ConOps) for a given system, with the ConOps initially established early in the system design process and evolved as the system definition and design matures. As Integration Engineers in NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), our job is to manage the interface requirements for all the robotic space missions that come to our Program for a Launch Service. LSP procures and manages a launch service from one of our many commercial Launch Vehicle Contractors (LVCs) and these commercial companies are then responsible for developing the Interface Control Document (ICD), the verification of the requirements in that document, and all the services pertaining to integrating the spacecraft and launching it into orbit. However, one of the systems engineering tools that have not been employed within LSP to date is a Concept of Operations. The goal of this project is to research the format and content that goes into these various aerospace industry ConOps and tailor the format and content into template form, so the template may be used as an engineering tool for spacecraft integration with future LSP procured launch services.

Systems↗
NASA NTRS2017

Tailoring a ConOps for NASA LSP Integrated Operations

An integral part of the Systems Engineering process is the creation of a Concept of Operations (ConOps) for a given system, with the ConOps initially established early in the system design process and evolved as the system definition and design matures. As Integration Engineers in NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), our job is to manage the interface requirements for all the robotic space missions that come to our Program for a Launch Service. LSP procures and manages a launch service from one of our many commercial Launch Vehicle Contractors (LVCs) and these commercial companies are then responsible for developing the Interface Control Document (ICD), the verification of the requirements in that document, and all the services pertaining to integrating the spacecraft and launching it into orbit. However, one of the systems engineering tools that have not been employed within LSP to date is a Concept of Operations. The goal of this paper is to research the format and content that goes into these various aerospace industry ConOps and tailor the format and content into template form, so the template may be used as an engineering tool for spacecraft integration with future LSP procured launch services. This tailoring effort was performed as the authors final Masters Project in the Spring of 2016 for the Stevens Institute of Technology and modified for publication with INCOSE (Owens, 2016).

Knowledge↗
NASA NTRS1997

A Web-Based System for Monitoring and Controlling Multidisciplinary Design Projects

In today's competitive environment, both industry and government agencies are under enormous pressure to reduce the time and cost of multidisciplinary design projects. A number of frameworks have been introduced to assist in this process by facilitating the integration of and communication among diverse disciplinary codes. An examination of current frameworks reveals weaknesses in various areas such as sequencing, displaying, monitoring, and controlling the design process. The objective of this research is to explore how Web technology, in conjunction with an existing framework, can improve these areas of weakness. This paper describes a system that executes a sequence of programs, monitors and controls the design process through a Web-based interface, and visualizes intermediate and final results through the use of Java(Tm) applets. A small sample problem, which includes nine processes with two analysis programs that are coupled to an optimizer, is used to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.

Salas, Andrea O.↗
DOE OSTI2021

The IDAES process modeling framework and model library—Flexibility for process simulation and optimization

Abstract Energy systems and manufacturing processes of the 21st century are becoming increasingly dynamic and interconnected, which require new capabilities to effectively model and optimize their design and operations. Such next generation computational tools must leverage state‐of‐the‐art techniques in optimization and be able to rapidly incorporate new advances. To address these requirements, we have developed the Institute for the Design of Advanced Energy Systems (IDAES) Integrated Platform, which builds on the strengths of both process simulators (model libraries) and algebraic modeling languages (advanced solvers). This paper specifically presents the IDAES Core Modeling Framework (IDAES‐CMF), along with a case study demonstrating the application of the framework to solve process optimization problems. Capabilities provided by this framework include a flexible, modifiable, open‐source platform for optimization of process flowsheets utilizing state‐of‐the‐art solvers and solution techniques, fully open and extensible libraries of dynamic unit operations models and thermophysical property models, and integrated support for superstructure‐based conceptual design and optimization under uncertainty.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Operability and control in process intensification and modular design: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract In this article, the importance of considering operability and control criteria in the analysis and design of intensified and modular processes is discussed. We first analyze the impact on operability of key factors including: (i) degrees of freedom, (ii) process constraints, (iii) numbering up vs. scaling up, and (iv) dynamic/periodic operation. Comparative examples are presented to showcase the pros and cons in intensified/modular systems vs. their conventional counterparts from operability and control aspects. Then we look into metrics and tools to address these challenges such as: (i) flexibility analysis, (ii) operability‐based design, and (iii) advanced model‐based control. Considering different conceptual design stages as synthesis intensification, steady‐state design, and dynamic operational optimization, we highlight the need to incorporate different levels of operability considerations. Future research opportunities and perspectives are also identified, particularly emphasizing the importance of a holistic strategy for integrated design, operability, and control of intensified and modular process systems.

Pistikopoulos, Efstratios N.↗