Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “cost study”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Japan's participation in space station design: Feasibility study of GaAs solar cells for space station applications

The report gives the results of feasibility studies and a cost analysis done on GaAs solar battery cells for space stations. The studies and their results are as follows: (1) Cell size - The 2 x 4 cm cell size was found superior to the 4 x 4 cm cell; (2) Manufacturing technology - Overall, LPE crystal growth was found more suitable than MO-CVD. Current technology for post-growth processes and applying large-area cover glass can be used with few or no modifications; (3) Cell assemblies - Tests for mechanical and thermal stresses encountered from assembly through operation are recommended; (4) Procuring materials - Steps should be taken to avoid sharp price increases due to a speculative gallium market. There are no problems with arsenic materials; (5) Production facilities - The capital investment needed remains to be determined, but a working area of 4000 m2 will be required; (6) Cell costs to be determined; (7) Cell development-supply plan - Two-year lead time will be needed to develop the necessary technology and prepare for production.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2026

Heliostat sizing methodology for concentrating solar thermal industrial process heat projects

This study presents a method to obtain a heliostat size that minimizes the levelized cost of heat (LCOH) of a heliostat-based concentrating solar thermal system for applications of solar heating for industrial processes at operating temperatures from 565 to 1550°C. The method extends prior work by embedding a routine for system design that obtains near-optimal subsystem sizes, increasing the fidelity of drive cost functions, and adding an optical performance model to supplement the previously developed cost models, which we update to reflect current pricing trends. An illustrative business case is developed for Daggett, California, targeting specified annual thermal energy outputs of 50 to 400 GWh th . Optical performance is modeled using verified estimates from the literature. A surrogate heliostat cost model, derived from commercial heliostat designs and scaled for production volume, installation, and operations and maintenance costs, is used to develop cost functions. Results show that heliostat size strongly affects the LCOH, producing a characteristic U-shaped trend with a robust near-optimal window of 7-20 m 2 ; the heliostat size producing the lowest project cost in our study grows slightly as the project size increases, and is reduced as the operating temperature increases. The findings in this study are consistent with the general trend of smaller heliostats being deployed at existing projects for high-temperature industrial process heat and reflect the significant reduction in power electronics and other per-heliostat costs. The methodology we propose is general and can be tailored to revised cost curves as the technology continues to evolve.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Heliostat Sizing Methodology for Solar Heat for Industrial Processes

This study presents a method to obtain a heliostat size that minimizes the levelized cost of a heliostat-based concentrating solar thermal system for industrial process heat (IPH) applications at operating temperatures from 565 to 1550 degrees Celsius. The method extends prior work by embedding a routine for system design that obtains near-optimal subsystem sizes, increasing the fidelity of drive cost functions, and adding an optical performance model. An illustrative business case is developed for Daggett, California, targeting specified annual thermal energy outputs of 50 to 400 GWhth. Optical performance is modeled using verified estimates from the literature. A surrogate heliostat cost model, derived from commercial heliostat designs and scaled for production volume, installation, and operations and maintenance costs, is used to develop cost functions. Results show that heliostat size strongly affects the levelized cost of heat (LCOH), producing a characteristic U-shaped trend with a robust near-optimal window of 8 - 12 m2; the heliostat size producing the lowest project cost in our study grows slightly as the project size increases, and is reduced as the operating temperature increases. The findings in this study are consistent with the general trend of smaller heliostats under deployment at existing projects for high-temperature industrial process heat and reflect the significant reduction in power electronics and other per-heliostat costs. The methodology we propose is general and can be tailored to revised cost curves as the technology continues to evolve.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1974

A study of the relative effectiveness and cost of computerized information retrieval in the interactive mode

Results of a number of experiments to illuminate the relative effectiveness and costs of computerized information retrieval in the interactive mode are reported. It was found that for equal time spent in preparing the search strategy, the batch and interactive modes gave approximately equal recall and relevance. The interactive mode however encourages the searcher to devote more time to the task and therefore usually yields improved output. Engineering costs as a result are higher in this mode. Estimates of associated hardware costs also indicate that operation in this mode is more expensive. Skilled RECON users like the rapid feedback and additional features offered by this mode if they are not constrained by considerations of cost.

Smetana, F. O.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Space Operations Center system analysis study extension. Volume 2: Programmatics and cost

A summary of Space Operations Center (SOC) orbital space station costs, program options and program recommendations is presented. Program structure, hardware commonality, schedules and program phasing are considered. Program options are analyzed with respect to mission needs, design and technology options, and anticipated funding constraints. Design and system options are discussed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1993

Risk management for the Space Exploration Initiative

Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) is a quantitative engineering process that provides the analytic structure and decision-making framework for total programmatic risk management. Ideally, it is initiated in the conceptual design phase and used throughout the program life cycle. Although PRA was developed for assessment of safety, reliability, and availability risk, it has far greater application. Throughout the design phase, PRA can guide trade-off studies among system performance, safety, reliability, cost, and schedule. These studies are based on the assessment of the risk of meeting each parameter goal, with full consideration of the uncertainties. Quantitative trade-off studies are essential, but without full identification, propagation, and display of uncertainties, poor decisions may result. PRA also can focus attention on risk drivers in situations where risk is too high. For example, if safety risk is unacceptable, the PRA prioritizes the risk contributors to guide the use of resources for risk mitigation. PRA is used in the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) Program. To meet the stringent requirements of the SEI mission, within strict budgetary constraints, the PRA structure supports informed and traceable decision-making. This paper briefly describes the SEI PRA process.

Buchbinder, Ben↗
NASA NTRS1982

Cost effectiveness of conventional versus LANDSAT use data for hydrologic modeling

Six case studies were analyzed to investigate the cost effectiveness of using land use data obtained from LANDSAT as opposed to conventionally obtained data. A procedure was developed to determine the relative effectiveness of the two alternative means of acquiring data for hydrological modelling. The cost of conventionally acquired data ranged between $3,000 and $16,000 for the six test basins. Information based on LANDSAT imagery cost between $2,000 and $5,000. Results of the effectiveness analysis shows the differences between the two methods are insignificant. From the cost comparison and the act that each method, conventional and LANDSAT, is shown to be equally effective in developing land use data for hydrologic studies, the cost effectiveness of the conventional or LANDSAT method is found to be a function of basin size for the six test watersheds analyzed. The LANDSAT approach is cost effective for areas containing more than 10 square miles.

George, T. S.↗
DOE OSTI2023

A low-cost and realistic noisy light system for studying photosynthesis

Unlike the light conditions commonly used to grow photosynthetic organisms in the research laboratory, the light intensity in real environments is dynamic. A simple and low-cost system is described in which a commercial dimmable LED panel is controlled to simulate a sinusoidal function representing daylight hours and overlaid with stochastic shading events. The output closely resembles light intensity measurements on Earth’s surface on partly cloudy days or in lower levels of plant canopies. Here, this tool may be useful to researchers studying photosynthetic acclimation responses.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2014

Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GeoCAPE) Wide Angle Spectrometer (WAS)

The GeoCAPE Wide Angle Spectrometer (WAS) Study was a revisit of the COEDI Study from 2012. The customer primary goals were to keep mass, volume and cost to a minimum while meeting the science objectives and maximizing flight opportunities by fitting on the largest number of GEO accommodations possible. Riding on a commercial GEO satellite minimizes total mission costs. For this study, it is desired to increase the coverage rate,km2min, while maintaining ground sample size, 375m, and spectral resolution, 0.4-0.5nm native resolution. To be able to do this, the IFOV was significantly increased, hence the wide angle moniker. The field of view for COEDI was +0.6 degrees or (2048) 375m ground pixels. The WAS Threshold (the IDL study baseline design) is +2.4 degrees IDL study baseline design) is +2.4 degrees.

pointing and jitter↗
NASA NTRS1975

Study to investigate design, fabrication and test of low cost concepts for large hybrid composite helicopter fuselage, phase 1

The development of a frame/stringer/skin fabrication technique for composite airframe construction was studied as a low cost approach to the manufacture of large helicopter airframe components. A center cabin aluminum airframe section of the Sikorsky CH-53D helicopter was selected for evaluation as a composite structure. The design, as developed, is composed of a woven KEVLAR-49/epoxy skin and graphite/epoxy frames and stringers. To support the selection of this specific design concept a materials study was conducted to develop and select a cure compatible graphite and KEVLAR-49/epoxy resin system, and a foam system capable of maintaining shape and integrity under the processing conditions established. The materials selected were, Narmco 5209/Thornel T-300 graphite, Narmco 5209/KEVLAR-49 woven fabric, and Stathane 8747 polyurethane foam. Eight specimens were fabricated, representative of the frame, stringer, and splice joint attachments. Evaluation of the results of analysis and test indicate that design predictions are good to excellent except for some conservatism of the complex frame splice.

Adams, K. M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Engine costs for reusability

The advanced Launch System (ALS) program goals demand an order-of-magnitude reduction in costs over existing launch vehicle propulsion systems. Studies suggest that reusable engines provide cost advantages over expendable propulsion systems. Early studies are quantifying operations costs, and cost sensitivities to engine production and operations variables. ALS production and operations philosophies enhance the potential of an affordable, operationally flexible launch vehicle propulsion system. The assumptions made and criteria set during the initial planning for the operations phase of the ALS highlight the changes for implementing such a system.

Schindler, Carla M.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Peak Demand Savings from Efficiency: Opportunities and Practices [Slides]

Electricity systems are designed to meet peak demand - the maximum load during a specified period, typically in summer - even if that demand occurs only a few hours in a year. Yet most evaluations of electricity efficiency programs focus on reductions in annual energy use. However, these efficiency programs are also delivering peak demand savings at an affordable cost. A new study by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) explores the program administrator (PA) cost - or the cost to implement an energy efficiency program to a utility or third party administrator - of saving peak demand through efficiency programs for electric utility customers. Berkeley Lab collected data on costs, annual energy savings, and peak demand savings for electricity efficiency programs for 52 utilities and other program administrators in 15 states between 2014 and 2018. The analysis focused on eight program types that represent 68% of the peak demand savings for the utilities and program administrators studied. The findings improve our understanding of which energy efficiency programs produce the most peak demand savings and their cost performance.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

Gravity Well Commercial Economics Assessment: Potential Revenue and Cost: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

In the Gravity Well Revenue Study, we evaluate the potential revenue from energy storage using historical energy-only electricity prices, forward-looking projections of hourly electricity prices, and actual reported revenue. This analysis examines the impact of storage duration and round-trip efficiency, as well as the location of the storage, on storage revenue within the current and projected U.S. power system. We also investigated the impact of round-trip efficiency on storage revenue. We found that the relationship between storage revenue and round-trip efficiency is nonlinear. The value of improved round-trip efficiency declines as round-trip efficiency increases. In the Gravity Well Future Cost Study, we applied learning curves to predict the future cost trajectory of Gravity Wells (GrWs). Two types of analysis were implemented. The first was a bottom-up analysis that used historical learning rates for cost components, such as motors and gearboxes, and cost categories (e.g., engineering and design, etc.) to determine the learning-by-doing based single-factor learning curve. The single factor learning curve expresses the relationship between the cost of GrW and the number of units deployed (or the cumulative capacity). In the second analysis, we predicted future GrW costs via a top-down approach. This approach accounts for historical cost trends in other renewable energy and storage technologies, which have similarities with GrWs. Using a multifactor learning curve that accounts for both intrinsic (cumulative capacity) and extrinsic (the elasticity in the price of steel) factors, we estimated the future cost of GrWs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1977

Study to investigate design, fabrication and test of low cost concepts for large hybrid composite helicopter fuselage, phase 2

The development of a frame/stringer/skin fabrication technique for composite airframe construction was studied as a low cost approach to the manufacturer of larger helicopter airframe components. A center cabin aluminum airframe section of the Sikorsky CH-53D, was selected for evaluation as a composite structure. The design, as developed, is composed of a woven KEVLAR R-49/epoxy skin and graphite/epoxy frames and stringers. The single cure concept is made possible by the utilization of pre-molded foam cores, over which the graphite/epoxy pre-impregnated frame and stringer reinforcements are positioned. Bolted composite channel sections were selected as the optimum joint construction. The applicability of the single cure concept to larger realistic curved airframe sections, and the durability of the composite structure in a realistic spectrum fatigue environment, was described.

Adams, K. M.↗
DOE OSTI2021

INTEGRATE - Inverse Network Transformations for Efficient Generation of Robust Airfoil and Turbine Enhancements

The INTEGRATE (Inverse Network Transformations for Efficient Generation of Robust Airfoil and Turbine Enhancements) project is developing a new inverse-design capability for the aerodynamic design of wind turbine rotors using invertible neural networks. This AI-based design technology can capture complex non-linear aerodynamic effects while being 100 times faster than design approaches based on computational fluid dynamics. This project enables innovation in wind turbine design by accelerating time to market through higher-accuracy early design iterations to reduce the levelized cost of energy. INVERTIBLE NEURAL NETWORKS Researchers are leveraging a specialized invertible neural network (INN) architecture along with the novel dimension-reduction methods and airfoil/blade shape representations developed by collaborators at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) learns complex relationships between airfoil or blade shapes and their associated aerodynamic and structural properties. This INN architecture will accelerate designs by providing a cost-effective alternative to current industrial aerodynamic design processes, including: - Blade element momentum (BEM) theory models: limited effectiveness for design of offshore rotors with large, flexible blades where nonlinear aerodynamic effects dominate - Direct design using computational fluid dynamics (CFD): cost-prohibitive - Inverse-design models based on deep neural networks (DNNs): attractive alternative to CFD for 2D design problems, but quickly overwhelmed by the increased number of design variables in 3D problems AUTOMATED COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS FOR TRAINING DATA GENERATION - MERCURY FRAMEWORK The INN is trained on data obtained using the University of Marylands (UMD) Mercury Framework, which has with robust automated mesh generation capabilities and advanced turbulence and transition models validated for wind energy applications. Mercury is a multi-mesh paradigm, heterogeneous CPU-GPU framework. The framework incorporates three flow solvers at UMD, 1) OverTURNS, a structured solver on CPUs, 2) HAMSTR, a line based unstructured solver on CPUs, and 3) GARFIELD, a structured solver on GPUs. The framework is based on Python, that is often used to wrap C or Fortran codes for interoperability with other solvers. Communication between multiple solvers is accomplished with a Topology Independent Overset Grid Assembler (TIOGA). NOVEL AIRFOIL SHAPE REPRESENTATIONS USING GRASSMAN SPACES We developed a novel representation of shapes which decouples affine-style deformations from a rich set of data-driven deformations over a submanifold of the Grassmannian. The Grassmannian representation as an analytic generative model, informed by a database of physically relevant airfoils, offers (i) a rich set of novel 2D airfoil deformations not previously captured in the data , (ii) improved low-dimensional parameter domain for inferential statistics informing design/manufacturing, and (iii) consistent 3D blade representation and perturbation over a sequence of nominal shapes. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER DEMONSTRATION - COUPLING WITH NREL WISDEM Researchers have integrated the inverse-design tool for 2D airfoils (INN-Airfoil) into WISDEM (Wind Plant Integrated Systems Design and Engineering Model), a multidisciplinary design and optimization framework for assessing the cost of energy, as part of tech-transfer demonstration. The integration of INN-Airfoil into WISDEM allows for the design of airfoils along with the blades that meet the dynamic design constraints on cost of energy, annual energy production, and the capital costs. Through preliminary studies, researchers have shown that the coupled INN-Airfoil + WISDEM approach reduces the cost of energy by around 1% compared to the conventional design approach. This page will serve as a place to easily access all the publications from this work and the repositories for the software developed and released through this pr...

aerodynamics↗
NASA NTRS1994

A study of low mass x-ray binaries

The entire effort under this contract during the period through January 1992 was devoted to a study of the cost and schedule required to put an upgraded Aries payload on the ASTRO-SPAS carrier provided by the German space agency, DARA. The ASTRO-SPAS is flown on the Space Shuttle, deployed by the crew for 5 to 7 days of free-flying observations and then recovered and returned to Earth. The spectrograph was to be provided by a collaboration involving the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory (LPARL), the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA) at the U. of Colorado and the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) in England. The payload for the ASTRO-SPAS mission included our own spectrograph and an instrument provided by Dr. Joachim Trumper of the Max Planck Institute (MPI) in Garching, Germany. A meeting was held in late July, 1991 with German scientists, DARA representatives and MBB, the ASTRO-SPAS spacecraft contractor. Sufficient information was exchanged to allow us to complete the study and the name LEXSA (Low Energy X-ray Spectrograph on ASTRO-SPAS) was given to our instrument and HERTA (High Energy x-Ray Telescope on ASTR0-SPAS) to the German instrument. The combination was called SPECTRO-SPAS. On October 1, 1991 CASA and LPARL submitted a cost and brief technical proposal to NASA on results of the study. The total cost over 4 fiscal years was 6.16 M dollars including CASA costs. NASA Headquarters was briefed on 3 October on details of the proposal. They found our costs reasonable, but indicated that the NASA FY '92 budget is extremely tight, they could not readily identify where the -S2.3M for LEXSA could be found and it was not clear that FY '93 would improve.

Catura, Richard C.↗