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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 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Responses to International Accrediting Services (IAS) Biennial Onsite Assessment of ALAB to CA ELAP Requirements

The purpose of this assessment was to perform an evaluation of the laboratory’s quality system, capabilities, and personnel qualifications to determine the extent of conformance to the current TNI standards and the rules enacted by the 2020 California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) for accreditation of environmental laboratories. The scope of the assessment included the California Code, Health and Safety Code – HSC § 100829 and 100830, the 2016 TNI-2 requirements, published methods, and the laboratory’s Quality Management System including administrative and technical operating procedures.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development and preliminary results of 270 GHz microwave forward scattering diagnostic system on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST)

To measure localized (intermediate, high) poloidal wavenumber electron density fluctuations, a tangential millimeter-wave collective scattering system has been designed and successfully developed on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST). This innovative system employs a 270 GHz mm-wave probe beam, emitted from the mid-plane of Port K and directed towards Port P after passing through a combination of two in-vessel mirrors. Here these two ports are located on the EAST device’s midplane and are 110° apart. The downward scattered signals pass through two in-vessel mirrors, and exit through the P window. The received multi-channel separated scattering signals are arranged along the poloidal direction. This optical arrangement makes the monitored turbulent wave number is poloidal dominant and up to 40 cm −1 . The tangential microwave scattering scheme enables this diagnostic to monitor local density fluctuations, with typically a radial spatial resolution △ R = 5 cm, and a wavenumber resolution of △ k = 0.4 cm −1 . The scattering system underwent comprehensive laboratory testing in 2023, with installation finalized in 2024. The system features steerable launch and receiver optics, allowing remote control to position the scattering volume from normalized radius ρ –0 to the pedestal region on a shot-by-shot basis. Effective experimental data, characterized by distinct off-center spectral peaks, have been successfully obtained in neutral beam-heated plasmas on EAST. The beam tracing forward modeling has been employed for experimental data interpretation. The advanced millimeter-wave scattering system provides fluctuation measurement capability from ion temperature gradient to electron temperature gradient scale on low field side. Preliminary experimental density fluctuation data have been successfully obtained in neutral beam-heated plasmas on EAST. The localized measurement will be used for kinetic turbulence transport numerical simulation validation.

high-k collective scattering↗
DOE OSTI2025

Target Diagnostic Menu Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory SYSM-5620: Design Thinking and Systems Engineering

Target Diagnostic’s Engineering Science (TDES) currently supports over 80 diagnostic systems, all of which draw from a fixed budget that covers staff time and procurement. As the division continues to add new diagnostics, demand on these limited resources increases, yet the budget remains unchanged. Shot Responsible Individuals (RIs) have unrestricted freedom to select any number or type of diagnostics for each experiment, often by copying previous shot configurations with only minor modifications. This practice makes it easy to generate new shots but does not encourage critical evaluation of diagnostic necessity. As a result, many diagnostics are routinely included in a shot without a clear justification, and in practice, much of the data collected is not analyzed. The ever-growing arsenal of diagnostics also increases the burden on TDES personnel, requiring more staff for support, maintenance, and service. This environment creates challenges in focusing resources on diagnostics that provide the greatest value to the NIF mission and raises concerns about the continued justification for maintaining all existing systems. The static TDES budget cannot sustain the ongoing growth in demand for new diagnostic systems. Shot RIs currently face no constraints on the number or type of diagnostics they assign to each experiment, often defaulting to previous configurations without critically assessing the necessity of each diagnostic. This results in the routine inclusion of diagnostics whose data may not be analyzed or may no longer directly support the NIF mission. Consequently, TDES is required to maintain and support an expanding set of diagnostics, straining limited resources and risking inefficient use of staff and funding. There is a need for TDES to efficiently allocate limited resources by establishing a process that requires shot RIs to critically evaluate and justify the inclusion of each diagnostic in their experiments. This process should discourage the routine, unexamined inclusion of diagnostics, support the identification of underutilized or obsolete systems, and ensure that only those diagnostics providing the greatest value to the NIF mission are maintained and supported. Ultimately, this approach must enable TDES to operate within budget constraints while maximizing scientific impact and operational efficiency.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

A COMPUTERIZED OPERATOR SUPPORT SYSTEM PROTOTYPE

A computerized operator support system (COSS) is proposed for use in nuclear power plants to assist control room operators in addressing time-critical plant upsets. A COSS is a collection of technologies to assist operators in monitoring overall plant performance and making timely, informed decisions on appropriate control actions for the projected plant condition. A prototype COSS was developed in order to demonstrate the concept and provide a test bed for further research. The prototype is based on four underlying elements consisting of a digital alarm system, computer-based procedures, piping and instrumentation diagram system representations, and a recommender module for mitigation actions. The initial version of the prototype is now operational at the Idaho National Laboratory using the Human System Simulation Laboratory.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Integrated Military Systems

The Integrated Military Systems (IMS) Center at Sandia National Laboratories is a technical systems integrator of high-risk, high-impact systems. It provides cutting-edge technologies, subsystems, solutions, and products that provide a competitive advantage at every point of engagement. Building on more than six decades of experience, IMS seeks to pursue and provide solutions to the most challenging national security issues. We leverage technical capabilities from the Laboratories' core mission and innovatively apply technology to defense problems. IMS' diverse capabilities produce revolutionary technologies in the areas such as precision strike and defense, autonomy, NG&C, directed energy, signal processing/ATR, lethality and threat assessment, and systems engineering. Our talented engineers and staff take a problem from initial design all the way through testing and fielding.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structural Testing at the NWTC Helps Improve Blade Design and Increase System Reliability; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Since 1990, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL's) National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) has tested more than 150 wind turbine blades. NWTC researchers can test full-scale and subcomponent articles, conduct data analyses, and provide engineering expertise on best design practices. Structural testing of wind turbine blades enables designers, manufacturers, and owners to validate designs and assess structural performance to specific load conditions. Rigorous structural testing can reveal design and manufacturing problems at an early stage of development that can lead to overall improvements in design and increase system reliability.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Neutron Radiography and Computed Tomography of Biological Systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor

Neutrons have historically been used for a broad range of biological applications employing techniques such as small-angle neutron scattering, neutron spin echo, diffraction, and inelastic scattering. Unlike neutron scattering techniques that obtain information in reciprocal space, attenuation-based neutron imaging measures a signal in real space that is resolved on the order of tens of micrometers. The principle of neutron imaging follows the Beer-Lambert law and is based on the measurement of the bulk neutron attenuation through a sample. Greater attenuation is exhibited by some light elements (most notably, hydrogen), which are major components of biological samples. Contrast agents such as deuterium, gadolinium, or lithium compounds can be used to enhance contrast in a similar fashion as it is done in medical imaging, including techniques such as optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray, and positron emission tomography. For biological systems, neutron radiography and computed tomography have increasingly been used to investigate the complexity of the underground plant root network, its interaction with soils, and the dynamics of water flux in situ. Moreover, efforts to understand contrast details in animal samples, such as soft tissues and bones, have been explored. This manuscript focuses on the advances in neutron bioimaging such as sample preparation, instrumentation, data acquisition strategy, and data analysis using the High Flux Isotope Reactor CG-1D neutron imaging beamline. The aforementioned capabilities will be illustrated using a selection of examples in plant physiology (herbaceous plant/root/soil system) and biomedical applications (rat femur and mouse lung).

Bilheux, Hassina↗
DOE OSTI2016

Los Alamos National Laboratory Request for Proposals: Trident Laser System (TLS) Redeployment and Life Extension, October 5, 2016

In May 2016, LANS announced that the Trident Laser Facility would cease operating effective September 15, 2016. That date was subsequently extended. The current plan is to operate for an additional, limited period in early CY 2017, and to leverage that activity to provide a training opportunity to the party that will redeploy the TLS. The TLS will then be disassembled and packaged for shipping to the new site, where it may be reconstituted and continue to be used by the physics research community. It is LANS’ intent that Trident will be sited with an organization that will supply its own funding for TLS installation, calibration, and lifecycle operation. Ideally, the receiving party will plan to upgrade TLS with new capability. The equipment to be transferred includes the laser, its power supply, target station and chamber, and a suite of diagnostic instrumentation. Under a Joint Use Agreement it is anticipated that all equipment will remain property of the Laboratory and subject to on-site configuration verification.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Analyzer-based phase-contrast imaging system using a micro focus x-ray source

Here we describe a new in-laboratory analyzer based phase contrast-imaging (ABI) instrument using a conventional X-ray tube source (CXS) aimed at bio-medical imaging applications. Phase contrast-imaging allows visualization of soft tissue details usually obscured in conventional X-ray imaging. The ABI system design and major features are described in detail. The key advantage of the presented system, over the few existing CXS ABI systems, is that it does not require high precision components, i.e., CXS, X-ray detector, and electro-mechanical components. To overcome a main problem introduced by these components, identified as temperature stability, the system components are kept at a constant temperature inside of three enclosures, thus minimizing the electrical and mechanical thermal drifts. This is achieved by using thermoelectric (Peltier) cooling/heating modules that are easy to control precisely. For CXS we utilized a microfocus X-ray source with tungsten (W) anode material. In addition the proposed system eliminates tungsten's multiple spectral lines by selecting monochromator crystal size appropriately therefore eliminating need for the costly mismatched, two-crystal monochromator. The system imaging was fine-tuned for tungsten Kα{sub 1} line with the energy of 59.3 keV since it has been shown to be of great clinical significance by a number of researchers at synchrotron facilities. In this way a laboratory system that can be used for evaluating and quantifying tissue properties, initially explored at synchrotron facilities, would be of great interest to a larger research community. To demonstrate the imaging capability of our instrument we use a chicken thigh tissue sample.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Development of a Mine Rescue Drilling System (MRDS)

Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) has a long history in developing compact, mobile, very high-speed drilling systems and this technology could be applied to increasing the rate at which boreholes are drilled during a mine accident response. The present study reviews current technical approaches, primarily based on technology developed under other programs, analyzes mine rescue specific requirements to develop a conceptual mine rescue drilling approach, and finally, proposes development of a phased mine rescue drilling system (MRDS) that accomplishes (1) development of rapid drilling MRDS equipment; (2) structuring improved web communication through the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) web site; (3) development of an improved protocol for employment of existing drilling technology in emergencies; (4) deployment of advanced technologies to complement mine rescue drilling operations during emergency events; and (5) preliminary discussion of potential future technology development of specialized MRDS equipment. This phased approach allows for rapid fielding of a basic system for improved rescue drilling, with the ability to improve the system over time at a reasonable cost.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Comparative Study of Direct and Indirect Additive Manufacturing Approaches for the Production of a Wind Energy Component

Additive manufacturing (AM) was developed in the 1980s to create three-dimensional prototypes through layer-wise approaches to fabrication. Since then, these approaches have seen improvements in both materials and processing technologies. To date, there are now 7 types of additive manufacturing processes and hundreds of materials, which can be directly printed – going directly from digital design to fabricated components. In this project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Vestas Wind Systems, and The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) collaborated to evaluate the effectiveness of state-of-the-art large-scale AM processes in the production of a structural component for use in a wind turbine nacelle, through both direct and indirect manufacturing approaches. Here, experienced AM design engineers detail techniques for AM design, including topology optimization (TO), support minimization, reverse engineering, and techniques for mitigating poor interlaminar performance. Fabrication of the components is presented, including printing parameters and postprocessing, and followed with full-scale component testing by a 3rd party testing laboratory. To evaluate the potential of the developed approaches, a complete techno-economic analysis is provided which evaluates the cost of these techniques given current and near to long-term projections of AM system capabilities.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Catalytic Bio-crude Production in a Novel, Short-Contact Time Reactor

RTI has developed a catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) process to produce biomass-based hydrocarbon replacement fuels. From a technology perspective, this advanced biofuels process produces liquid transportation fuels that can leverage capital expenditures in the existing petroleum distribution infrastructure. From a business perspective, this technology does not face potential market limitations caused by oxygenate blend limitations for light duty vehicle applications. A promising catalyst has been developed with excellent potential for deoxygenation to produce a hydrocarbon-rich biocrude that is more suitable for upgrading with traditional hydroprocessing technology. The role of the catalyst is to control the chemistry during biomass pyrolysis to produce a biocrude in a single step that has lower oxygen content and is more thermally stable than conventional biomass fast pyrolysis oil. Catalyst properties are optimized to minimize gas and coke production and improve catalytic deoxygenation and biocrude yields. Results from this project have demonstrated that biocrudes from catalytic fast pyrolysis contain <20 wt% oxygen, with the organic fraction as low as 12% oxygen. These oxygen numbers are > 50% lower compared to traditional fast pyrolysis oils. The biocrude produced from our CFP process can be upgraded to gasoline range hydrocarbons. A very conservative approach for upgrading included a preliminary stabilization step followed by a hydroprocessing step. The oxygen content in the upgraded product was decreased by 97% (to less than 3wt %) from the oxygen content of the biocrude sample. Additionally, the acid content was reduced by 99% from the acid content of the biocrude sample. In an optimized integrated process, the CFP step and the hydroprocessing (upgrading) step need to be carefully balanced to maximize the input biomass energy that is recovered in the finished biofuels. Hydrogen utilization and carbon recovery during both catalytic biomass pyrolysis and biocrude upgrading need to be optimized to maximize energy recovery in the finished biofuel. A nominal 1 ton per day (TPD) catalytic biomass pyrolysis system was designed based on the laboratory experimental data. The system was designed to achieve the short residence times (0.5–2 sec) and high heat transfer rates required for maximum liquid biocrude yields while optimizing process integration to maintain catalyst activity by continuous regeneration. The catalytic biomass pyrolysis reactor is a continuously circulating single-loop transport reactor design that is flexible enough to allow sensitivity studies around temperature, residence time, biomass feed rate, and catalyst-to-biomass ratio (i.e., catalyst circulation rate) for process optimization. For a nominal 100 lb/hr feed rate of dry biomass, the products include ~25 lb/hr char and coke, ~20 lb/hr permanent gases, and ~55 lb/hr condensable vapors. Pyrolysis temperatures are 350–600°C, and the system is operated close to ambient pressure. Production of the catalyst developed within the project was scaled up to provide enough material (200kg) for bench-scale testing. The 1TPD bench-scale unit was fabricated, installed and commissioned with this project. Biocrude samples from wood were produced in this unit with the CFP catalyst with material balance > 90%. The intermediate biocrude yields and chemical composition compare well with previous laboratory results and a hydroprocessing strategy for upgrading the resulting biocrude was developed. The experimental results obtained within this project were used to develop a process model for a 2000 TPD commercial facility. Detailed flow sheets were developed for all major unit operations in the process and provided a basis for an economic analysis to develop capital and operating costs. Estimates of the biofuel production costs were used to develop internal rates of return for the yields and compositions measured for the current state of technology at the end of this project and for the yields anticipated for an optimized (nth plant) scenario as additional process improvements are made.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Technical Equivalency Evaluation of Lynx Electronics and Apex-InVivo software for the LLNL Whole Body Scanning Bed System

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Whole Body Counter (WBC) is replacing the following components for its scanning bed counting system: NIM electronics with modern Lynx electronics, The Alpha Workstation running VMS with a PC running Windows , and Abacos-Plus in-vivo counting software with the new Apex-InVivo software. These new components provide a compact design, extend the lifecycle of the system as a whole, reduce maintenance and user time, an improve overall ease of use. The technical evaluations and results described in this document demonstrate that the total system, incorporating these new components, provides results that comply with Internal Dosimetry requirements.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Design of a Structure for Assembly and Cooling the Magnet of the Next-Generation 45 GHz ECR Ion Source MARS-D

Here, the current Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRISs), constructed with Nb-Ti wires and the conventional racetrack-and-solenoid structure, have achieved operating frequencies up to 28 GHz and utilized about 90% of the critical current of the Nb-Ti wire. A Mixed Axial and Radial field System Demonstrator (MARS-D) is being developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). This system, which consists of an innovative hexagonal Closed-Loop Coil (CLC) and a set of solenoids, can generate higher magnetic fields (up to 150% ) while requiring only about 50% of the superconducting wire, enabling Nb-Ti wires to be used in the next-generation 45 GHz ECRIS. However, the assembly and cooling of such an efficient and compact magnet are particularly challenging due to the small radial gap between the CLC and solenoids, as well as the tight operating temperature margin. To address these challenges, a structure was developed that combines a three-section radially split solenoid mandrel with a series of shrink-fit reinforcement rings and cooling channels. This paper presents the detailed structure, manufacturing method, assembly procedure, impregnation method, mechanical Finite Element Analysis (FEA) comparison, and thermal FEA comparison.

ECR ion sources↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fabrication of a Nb-Ti Superconducting Closed-Loop Coil for the Next-Generation 45 GHz ECR Ion Source MARS-D

Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRISs) that utilize Nb-Ti superconducting coils for 28 GHz frequencies have been operating effectively for over twenty years. However, transitioning to higher frequencies demands stronger magnetic fields, and the conventional racetrack-and-solenoid ECRIS structures have reached their maximum capability with Nb-Ti. To address this, a Mixed Axial and Radial field System Demonstrator (MARS-D) is being developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). This system features an innovative Closed-Loop Coil (CLC) design that optimizes the use of the conductor fields, enabling the application of Nb-Ti in the next-generation 45 GHz ECRISs. The fabrication of the hexagonal CLC is particularly challenging due to its complex winding path and shape, the stiffness of the Nb-Ti superconducting wire, and the small bending radius. Here, to address these challenges, a series of unique fixtures and tools, as well as a pre-over-bending method, were developed for winding the CLC. To validate the winding fixtures, tools, procedures, and materials used in the coil assembly, a 4-layer practice CLC was wound, epoxy-impregnated, and then cold-tested using liquid nitrogen. The full-size MARS-D CLC is in the process of winding. This paper presents the structure of the MARS-D CLC, the winding fixtures and tools, the winding procedures, the quality control, the impregnation, the test results, and the potential future improvements.

ECR ion sources↗
DOE OSTI2024

MODAQ (Modular Offshore Data Acquisition System) [SWR-24-58]

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed a data acquisition system to support laboratory (component) and in-water validation and testing of Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) technologies. The Modular Ocean Data AcQuisition System (MODAQ) is a robust system built on industrial grade hardware that can acquire high-quality and summary data from many sensor and instrument types. MODAQ includes modules to perform real-time QC screening, system health monitoring, and send alerts. MODAQ is also part of a larger data management, processing, visualization, and archiving system.

Raye, Robert↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multilayered Network Models for Security: Enhancing System Security Engineering with Orchestration

Security engineering approaches can often focus on a particular domain—physical security, cyber security, or personnel security, for example. Yet, security systems engineering consistently faces challenges requiring socio-technical solutions to address evolving and dynamic complexity. While some drivers of this complexity stem from complex risk environments, innovative adversaries, and disruptive technologies, other drivers are endogenous and emerge from the interactions across security engineering approaches. In response, INCOSE's Systems Security Working Group identified the need to better coordinate “disparate security solutions [that] operate independently” as one of eleven key concepts in their IS21 FuSE Security Roadmap. From this perspective, this need for “security orchestration” aligns with the perspective that security is a property that emerges from interactions within complex systems. Current efforts at Sandia National Laboratories are developing a systems security engineering approach that describes high consequence facility (HCF) security as a multidomain set of interacting layers. The result is a multilayered network (MLN)-based approach that captures the interactions between infrastructure, physical components, digital components, and humans in nuclear security systems. This article will summarize the MLN-based approach to HCF security and describe two preliminary results demonstrating potential benefits from incorporating interactions across disparate security solutions. Here, leveraging the logical structure of networks, this MLN model-based approach provides an example of how security orchestration provides enhanced systems security engineering solutions.

42 ENGINEERING↗