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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 OSTI2020

Dragonstone Strategy – State of Cybersecurity in the Oil & Natural Gas Sector

The oil & natural gas (ONG) system touches every corner of the nation and increased communications & control capabilities have not only allowed for greater efficiency of system operation, but have also created a massive target for adversaries to launch cyber-attacks. Like any other heavy industrial process, the ONG system relies on a complex system of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) devices. The current state of cyber-preparedness across the ONG industry varies from organization to organization. Among the most common challenges that ONG companies face are remote locations, longlived field assets, and lacking capabilities to find and track malware on their systems. ONG companies tend to be concerned with lack of cyber-awareness from employees, risk stemming from remote access for operations & maintenance, and software vulnerabilities within third-party equipment. Various industry and government organizations are performing research and development activities to address some of these challenges, but in many cases industry stakeholders are not aware of solutions that already exist. It is clear that a need exists for a coherent, comprehensive, multi-layered strategy for assuring the security and resilience of the nation's pipeline infrastructure against cyber threats. For a variety of reasons, the general consensus from stakeholders interviewed by LLNL is that the state of cyber-security within the electric grid is currently outpacing its ONG cousin. Existing strategies for the resilience and cyber-security of the electric grid can and should be leveraged to provide immediate benefits to the ONG system. In LLNL’s view, there are two key factors currently limiting the development of necessary cyber-practices within the ONG industry: The sheer number of differing regulatory bodies and trade groups offering both standards and best-practice recommendations for ONG cyber-security makes it difficult to create a comprehensive, directed, and coherent strategy that is applicable to all players within the ONG industry. The ONG industry is unaware of potentially useful technologies that have been developed for ensuring cyber-security of other infrastructure systems, such as the electric grid. Leveraging these technologies—and the science and engineering behind them—can provide some low-hanging fruit that can greatly improve cyber-security in the ONG industry without significant investments in terms of time and money. In the months following this report, LLNL will continue to perform outreach to key oil & gas industry stakeholders in a continual effort to identify the most pressing cyber-resilience issues in the industry. This outreach will be supplemented with LLNL’s threat intelligence capabilities to begin painting a clearer picture of the overall threat landscape faced by this sector. This assessment will be threat-informed and while the strategy itself will not be classified we will leverage intelligence analysis and adversary capabilities to identify gaps in current cybersecurity practices for oil & gas pipeline systems. Recommended efforts will be compiled into a cyber-resilience roadmap for the oil & gas pipeline sector, in which LLNL will highlight priority activities to immediately improve the state of cyber-resilience in the industry.

02 PETROLEUM↗
NASA NTRS1978

An acoustic range for the measurement of the noise signature of aircraft during flyby operations

The remotely operated multiple array acoustic range (ROMAAR), which has been developed to give direct measurement and display of aircraft noise in several measurement units during takeoff, landing, and flyby operations, is described. The ROMAAR, which provides information on the ground noise signature of aircraft, represents a unique combination of state-of-the-art digital and analog noise-recording methods, computer-controlled digital communication methods, radar tracking facilities, quick-look weather (profile) capabilities, and sophisticated data handling routines and facilities. The ROMAAR, which is operated by NASA, allows direct data feedback to the NASA Aircraft Noise Prediction Office. As many as 38 simultaneous noise measurements can be made for each aircraft overflight.

Hilton, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Tactile Robotic Topographical Mapping Without Force or Contact Sensors

A method of topographical mapping of a local solid surface within the range of motion of a robot arm is based on detection of contact between the surface and the end effector (the fixture or tool at the tip of the robot arm). The method was conceived to enable mapping of local terrain by an exploratory robot on a remote planet, without need to incorporate delicate contact switches, force sensors, a vision system, or other additional, costly hardware. The method could also be used on Earth for determining the size and shape of an unknown surface in the vicinity of a robot, perhaps in an unanticipated situation in which other means of mapping (e.g., stereoscopic imaging or laser scanning with triangulation) are not available. The method uses control software modified to utilize the inherent capability of the robotic control system to measure the joint positions, the rates of change of the joint positions, and the electrical current demanded by the robotic arm joint actuators. The system utilizes these coordinate data and the known robot-arm kinematics to compute the position and velocity of the end effector, move the end effector along a specified trajectory, place the end effector at a specified location, and measure the electrical currents in the joint actuators. Since the joint actuator current is approximately proportional to the actuator forces and torques, a sudden rise in joint current, combined with a slowing of the joint, is a possible indication of actuator stall and surface contact. Hence, even though the robotic arm is not equipped with contact sensors, it is possible to sense contact (albeit with reduced sensitivity) as the end effector becomes stalled against a surface that one seeks to measure.

Burke, Kevin↗
DOE OSTI2017

Trans-oceanic Remote Power Hardware-in-the-Loop: Multi-site Hardware, Integrated Controller, and Electric Network Co-simulation

Electric system operators are increasingly concerned with the potential system-wide impacts of the large-scale integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) including voltage control, protection coordination, and equipment wear. This prompts a need for new simulation techniques that can simultaneously capture all the components of these large integrated smart grid systems. This paper describes a novel platform that combines three emerging research areas: power systems co-simulation, power hardware in the loop (PHIL) simulation, and lab-lab links. The platform is distributed, real-time capable, allows for easy internet-based connection from geographically-dispersed participants, and is software platform agnostic. We demonstrate its utility by studying real-time PHIL co-simulation of coordinated solar PV firming control of two inverters connected in multiple electric distribution network models, prototypical of U.S. and Australian systems. Here, the novel trans-pacific closed-loop system simulation was conducted in real-time using a power network simulator and physical PV/battery inverter at power at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO, USA and a physical PV inverter at power at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's Energy Centre in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. This capability enables smart grid researchers throughout the world to leverage their unique simulation capabilities for multi-site collaborations that can effectively simulate and validate emerging smart grid technology solutions.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Model-Free Frequency Control Approach for Diesel-Wind Powered Microgrids

Islanded microgrids usually consist of diesel generators and renewable energy sources (RES) to reduce the operating cost. Such microgrids have shown values for powering remote locations, but introduced unique challenges for frequency control of the grid due to the variability of renewable energy as well as the decoupled design of converter interface in RES. So, supportive control in RES becomes mandatory in such networks. This paper proposes a new dynamic control strategy, based on model-free control (MFC) approach, to support the primary frequency control of such islanded microgrids. The practical values of MFC have been discussed in various domains due to its control capability without modeling procedure and its efficient computation. In particular, we consider the diesel-wind system and the proposed MFC strategy is utilized as an online controller, which computes supplementary control signals for the rotor-side converter of the available wind turbine generators (WTGs). The calculated input signals allow WTGs to respond to frequency variations and improve the frequency response of the system. The controller is implemented and verified using the modified IEEE 33-bus full nonlinear model of the three-phase diesel-wind system in Simulink. Simulation results show the enhanced frequency response from the MFC strategy.

Park, Byungkwon↗
NASA NTRS1983

Bringing AI up to the space challenge

The state of the art in automated systems for working in environments hostile to humans is assessed, together with the technological advancements necessary to meet NASA goals. Since completely automated operations are not possible with the current level of artificial intelligence (AI), the operator must have access to remote television access and interactive computerized controls. A proximal system exists when the teleoperated mechanism is close enough so that negligible time passes between operator and servocontrolled activation and feedback. An additional constraint is the complexity of the signal. Further development areas have been identified as limiting the necessary communication, compensating for technical limitations of communication with remote systems, such as bandwidth, error rate, and equipment response time, and to build-in fault tolerance, self-diagnosis, and self-maintenance capabilities. An AI expert system is being developed at JPL to provide an expert knowledge base and a decision-making capability. It is suggested that only thorough questioning of mission and spacecraft experts, as well as searching the large volume of project documentations, will provide the necessary data for establishing an expert data base for AI implementation.

Heer, E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Advanced technologies in the ASI MLRO towards a new generation laser ranging system

Matera Laser Ranging Observatory (MLRO) is a high performance, highly automated optical and astronomical observatory currently under design and development by AlliedSignal for the Italian Space Agency (ASI). It is projected to become operational at the Centro Geodesia Spaziale in Matera, Italy, in 1997. MLRO, based on a 1.5-meter astronomical quality telescope, will perform ranging to spacecraft in earthbound orbits, lunar reflectors, and specially equipped deep space missions. The primary emphasis during design is to incorporate state-of-the-art technologies to produce an intelligent, automated, high accuracy ranging system that will mimic the characteristic features of a fifth generation laser ranging system. The telescope has multiple ports and foci to support future experiments in the areas of laser communications, lidar, astrometry, etc. The key features providing state-of-the-art ranging performance include: a diode-pumped picosecond (50 ps) laser, high speed (3-5 GHz) optoelectronic detection and signal processing, and a high accuracy (6 ps) high resolution (less than 2 ps) time measurement capability. The above combination of technologies is expected to yield millimeter laser ranging precision and accuracy on targets up to 300,000 km, surpassing the best operational instrument performance to date by a factor of five or more. Distributed processing and control using a state-of-the-art computing environment provides the framework for efficient operation, system optimization, and diagnostics. A computationally intelligent environment permits optimal planning, scheduling, tracking, and data processing. It also supports remote access, monitor, and control for joint experiments with other observatories.

Varghese, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS2024

Satellite-Based Tracking of Reservoir Operations for Flood Management During the 2018 Extreme Weather Event in Kerala, India

Uncoordinated management of hydropower dams during extreme and unexpected precipitation events in mountainous terrain can have disastrous consequences due to the competing nature of flood control and hydropower generation. Numerous cases of flooding events that have been exacerbated due to insufficient storage conditions in hydropower dams have been reported worldwide. There is a need for a scalable and publicly accessible monitoring framework that is capable of providing reliable, near-real time, and transparent reservoir operations data. A fully satellite-based framework is the most viable solution to build such capability. The Reservoir Assessment Tool (RAT 3.0), which utilizes high frequency remote sensing-based surface area and reservoir storage estimation alongside hydrological modelled inflow was applied here for the 2018 Kerala floods in India as a globally representative case for a mountainous river basin with high precipitation and hydropower dams. Application of satellite-based RAT 3.0 in monitoring the state of 19 reservoirs in Kerala during the flood event showed very promising results. In general, RAT 3.0, using satellite remote sensing, was found to be able to capture the temporal trend of the reservoir storage and pinpoint the sudden shift in filling or release decisions made by the dam operator. Inflow modelling in such regions was found to require careful calibration with identification of reservoirs that are heavily regulated being a critical aspect. The perennial high cloud cover in such regions necessitate and highlights the central role played by microwave and radar-based satellite sensors, such as the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, in tracking reservoir state. An operational version of RAT 3.0 for stakeholder agencies tailored for hydropower dams operating in high precipitation and mountainous environments is a real-world outcome of this study.

Sarath Suresh↗
DOE OSTI2018

Shared autonomy for low–cost underwater vehicles

This field report presents an overview of the development and testing of a semi-autonomous underwater vehicle (sAUV). The work presented here is aimed at bridging the gap between current remotely operated vehicles and autonomous research platforms by developing shared autonomy capabilities for low-cost underwater vehicles. We use commercially available components and open-source software interfaces to provide a wider range of capabilities for underwater autonomy research at a lower cost than previously available systems. We describe the overall structure of the system, discuss its capabilities, and provide results demonstrating system performance. We place particular emphasis on shared autonomy, where a human operator is assisted in controlling an underwater tethered vehicle. We present three capabilities developed for the sAUV: (a) an assisted control mode that provides a variable level of assistance using an on-line estimate of user skill level, (b) a planner to generate paths that avoid tether entanglement, and (c) a sonar processing algorithm that identifies informative sonar images for selecting features for 3D scene reconstruction. Here, the vehicle has been deployed on five off-shore and near-shore marine field deployments since 2015, and this report includes selected results from four of those trials to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of the sAUV system.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2018

Solar Hot Air Balloons for Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres

The first solar hot air balloon was constructed in the early 1970s (Besset, 2016). Over the following decades the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) developed the Montgolfiere Infrarouge (MIR) balloon, which flew on solar power during the day and infrared radiation from the Earth's surface at night (Fommerau and Rougeron, 2011). The balloons were capable of flying for over 60 days and apparently reached altitudes of 30 km at least once (Malaterre, 1993). Solar balloons were the subject of a Jet Propulsion Laboratory study that performed test flights on Earth (Jones and Wu 1999) and discussed their mission potential for Mars, Jupiter, and Venus (Jones and Heun, 1997). The solar balloons were deployed from the ground and dropped from hot air balloons; some were altitude controlled by means of a remotely-commanded air valve at the top of the envelope. More recently, solar balloons have been employed for infrasound studies in the lower stratosphere (see Table 1). The program began in 2015, when a prototype balloon reached an altitude of 22 kilometers before terminating just prior to float (Bowman et al., 2015). An infrasound sensor was successfully deployed on a solar balloon during the 2016 SISE/USIE experiment, in which an acoustic signal from a ground explosion was captured at a range of 330 km (Anderson et al. 2018; Young et al. 2018). This led to the launch of a 5-balloon infrasound network during the Heliotrope experiment (Bowman and Albert, 2018). The balloons were constructed by the researchers themselves at a materials of less than $50 per envelope.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Securing the Modern Grid: Federal Investments, Digitization, and Supply Chain Strategy

Across the United States (U.S.) grid expansion and modernization is underway, paving the way for accelerated load growth and intelligent resource management. Digitization of the grid is supported by several state and federal programs, providing support for utilities installing advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), AI-powered analytics systems, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) to transform the grid from a one-way power delivery system into an intelligent, responsive network that will enable faster load growth and power expansion of data centers for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The digital transformation of America's grid presents opportunity for increased efficiency and resiliency but also introduces new digital risks that require careful management. Digital equipment often contains several vulnerabilities such as unencrypted communication protocols, and persistent remote access capabilities that could be exploited to manipulate device settings, coordinate service disruptions, or inject false data into grid operations. These digital risks become particularly important as the grid must rapidly scale to support AI-driven data centers, which the administration has identified as essential for maintaining U.S. technological leadership and economic competitiveness. These vulnerabilities are compounded by supply chain realities: Chinese manufacturers currently produce 70-90% of essential grid components including inverters, batteries, and control systems, with the U.S. lacking domestic manufacturing capacity for critical assets like extra-high voltage transformers. Recent federal legislation has established Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) restrictions to address these risks, requiring projects to achieve escalating thresholds of non-FEOC content to receive tax credits while utilities work to expand sourcing channels for their supply chains and strengthen security measures. These restrictions arrive precisely when utilities face unprecedented electricity demand growth driven by the rapid growth in data centers, creating a considerable challenge: rapidly expanding infrastructure while navigating complex compliance requirements while lacking viable alternatives for many critical components. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and its partners have developed practical approaches to help utilities navigate these intersecting challenges as they leverage federal investment to strengthen and grow the grid. These solutions include Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) principles that build resilience directly into systems, the Cirrus tool for secure cloud migration, and enhanced procurement guidance that embeds security requirements throughout equipment lifecycles. Federal initiatives, such as the Technical Assistance for Digital Assurance (TADA) project, provide direct support to utilities implementing these approaches while facilitating knowledge sharing across the industry. While these tools and frameworks cannot eliminate all risks inherent in foreign supply chain dependencies, they offer pragmatic pathways for strengthening security posture without sacrificing the deployment momentum essential to meeting surging electricity demand. Ultimately, securing America's digital energy infrastructure demands dedicated coordination across multiple fronts: building domestic supply chains, implementing robust digital assurance practices, and maintaining the aggressive modernization timeline necessary for reliability, resilience, and energy independence.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1975

Design and fabrication of an end effector

The construction is described of a prototype mechanical hand or 'end effector' for use on a remotely controlled robot, but with possible application as a prosthetic device. An analysis of hand motions is reported, from which it is concluded that the two most important manipulations (apart from grasps) are to be able to pick up a tool and draw it into a nested grip against the palm, and to be able to hold a pistol-grip tool such as an electric drill and pull the trigger. A model was tested and found capable of both these operations.

Crossley, F. R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Autonomous RPRV Navigation, Guidance and Control

Dryden Flight Research Center has the responsibility for flight testing of advanced remotely piloted research vehicles (RPRV) to explore highly maneuverable aircraft technology, and to test advanced structural concepts, and related aeronautical technologies which can yield important research results with significant cost benefits. The primary purpose is to provide the preliminary design of an upgraded automatic approach and landing control system and flight director display to improve landing performance and reduce pilot workload. A secondary purpose is to determine the feasibility of an onboard autonomous navigation, orbit, and landing capability for safe vehicle recovery in the event of loss of telemetry uplink communication with the vehicles. The current RPRV approach and landing method, the proposed automatic and manual approach and autoland system, and an autonomous navigation, orbit, and landing system concept which is based on existing operational technology are described.

Johnston, Donald E.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Smart Drum Technology for Radioactive and Other Hazardous Materials - 18273

Smart drum technology is the result of a coupling between a robust drum-type package containing radioactive and other hazardous materials and the ARG-US radio frequency identification (RFID) system that enables 'unattended' remote monitoring of the State of Health of the package and contents - in real time, 24/7, with automatic alert/alarm capabilities. Recent educational demos of the system are highlighted. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

ROAM: A Remotely Operated Accelerator Monitor

Monitoring accelerators in operation is a well known challenge due to the radiation environment. However, there are significant benefits in being able to deploy particular sensors in specific locations of accelerator enclosures for monitoring or troubleshooting purposes. Learning from experience at other labs, we used Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) components and an open source robot control software framework (ROS) to build a remotely controlled robot platform including a standard suite of instruments such as cameras, LIDAR, and ultrasound, with the ability to incorporate other ad-hoc sensors for specific measurements, such as a Gamma radiation monitor. Special attention was given to the robot's ability to maintain safety in the high risk environment of an accelerator, with multiple failure contingencies in place to ensure collision free operation. Testing was performed to prove the platform's viability and showcase its capability for accelerator monitoring.

Thayer, Thomas C.↗
DOE OSTI2018

A Quasi-Periodic Linear Feeder for the Impurity Granular Injection on DIII-D

Injection of solid nonfuel pellets has been actively used as a tool for pacing and mitigation of edge localized modes (ELMs). In DIII-D, effective ELM pacing has been demonstrated by the high-frequency injection of lithium and carbon submillimeter spheres, using the impurity granule injector (IGI). This device injects granules into the plasma at speeds up to 150 m/s, through impact with a rotating impeller. In the IGI, high-frequency granule delivery was accomplished through a vibrational granule dropper, in which high time-average rates are obtained at the cost of lack of period control. Here, we present a new in-line granule feeder, capable of delivering granules of size 0.2-2 mm with no restriction of material properties, at quasi-periodic rates of up to 150 Hz, for 0.7-mm diameter lithium granules (600 Hz using 0.3-mm granules). The new dropper mechanism combines two piezo-in-line units; one which feeds the impeller and one which circulates granules that are filtered out of the feeder path. A remotely adjustable filter eliminates granules that are stacked, oversized, or side by side allowing the formation of a single moving granule injection line. The granules fall off the in-line feeder exit one at a time, achieving a quasi-periodic delivery rate proportional to the exit speed. At higher rates, the periodicity deteriorates. This behavior was studied using high-speed cameras and electrostatic measurements, and it was found that at drop rates <60 Hz, the granule delivery period has a variation of ±25% which appears to be caused by gaps which develop in the last centimeter of the injection line, as granules exit off the moving track. The linear feeder concept is robust against bridge instabilities and clogging issues, thanks to the simple diverter filter and constant recirculation of granules. Furthermore, the open-top design of the device facilitates refilling the device from separate reservoirs and has easy access for directly monitoring operation and adjustment. This paper describes the details of the in-line feeder design, along with several design iterations. The goal is a robust in-vacuum mechanism that can deliver granule flow ranging from a single particle to a line of particles at 150 per second, using different sizes and materials from the same apparatus.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1979

Excavation costs for lunar materials

A lunar strip mining system is presented which is capable of excavating and transporting 3 million metric tons of ore per year to a central processing plant on the moon's surface. The mining system would grow from a single front-end loader in the first year, to a fleet of ten haulers in the 30th year. Lunar personnel requirements would consist of a single individual, whose primary function would be to perform maintenance. All of the mining equipment would either operate automatically or by remote control from earth. The projected cost for the lunar mining system is approximately $12 to $37 per ton of ore over the life of the mine, an important part of the overall economics of exploiting lunar resources.

Carrier, W. D., III↗
NASA NTRS1994

Design of a wheeled articulating land rover

The WALRUS is a wheeled articulating land rover that will provide Ames Research Center with a reliable, autonomous vehicle for demonstrating and evaluating advanced technologies. The vehicle is one component of the Ames Research Center's on-going Human Exploration Demonstration Project. Ames Research Center requested a system capable of traversing a broad spectrum of surface types and obstacles. In addition, this vehicle must have an autonomous navigation and control system on board and its own source of power. The resulting design is a rover that articulates in two planes of motion to allow for increased mobility and stability. The rover is driven by six conical shaped aluminum wheels, each with an independent, internally coupled motor. Mounted on the rover are two housings and a removable remote control system. In the housings, the motor controller board, tilt sensor, navigation circuitry, and QED board are mounted. Finally, the rover's motors and electronics are powered by thirty C-cell rechargeable batteries, which are located in the rover wheels and recharged by a specially designed battery charger.

Stauffer, Larry↗