Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “integrated energy system”

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.

1,950 records · Page 29
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2026

Thermochemically-Closed Sonic-Flow Inversion for Enthalpy and Temperature in Multispecies Arc-Jet Flows

A thermochemically-closed sonic-flow inversion framework (TSIF) is developed to infer bulk enthalpy and total temperature upstream of a choked nozzle in arc-jet flows. The formulation recasts a pressure-rise total enthalpy quantification technique as an inverse problem in characteristic-velocity c * space using measured mass flow rate, upstream total pressure, gas composition, and nozzle throat geometry as inputs. Unlike calorimetric energy-balance approaches or optical diagnostics, the method relies primarily on routinely measured facility quantities combined with explicit thermochemical closure. Thermochemical states are obtained using NASA’s open-source Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA) code, enabling construction of a chemistry-consistent relation between characteristic velocity, total enthalpy, and total temperature under equilibrium or frozen assumptions. A discharge coefficient is self-calibrated using cold-flow (arc-off) operation data and applied to hot-flow (arc-on) measurements, enabling upstream losses to be accounted for without empirical correlations. The framework is applied to air, N 2 , and CO 2 –N 2 arc-jet flows and demonstrates expected trends for the inferred thermochemical states as function of arc power, specific energy input, mass-flow, heater configuration, and test gas. In the air limit, under equilibrium assumptions, the method recovers the classical high-enthalpy asymptotic correlation of Winovich with a mean residual of 4.4%, demonstrating compatibility with established sonic-flow scaling, while extending applicability to arbitrary multi-species mixtures and non-equilibrium chemistry. The framework provides a mixture-flexible methodology for determining bulk thermochemical states in modern arc-jet environments using routine facility pressure, mass-flow, gas-composition, and nozzle-geometry information together with a cold-flow calibration.

inviscid theory↗
NASA NTRS1986

The NASA Aerospace Battery Safety Handbook

This handbook has been written for the purpose of acquainting those involved with batteries with the information necessary for the safe handling, storage, and disposal of these energy storage devices. Included in the document is a discussion of the cell and battery design considerations and the role of the components within a cell. The cell and battery hazards are related to user- and/or manufacturer-induced causes. The Johnson Space Center (JSC) Payload Safety Guidelines for battery use in Shuttle applications are also provided. The electrochemical systems are divided into zinc anode and lithium anode primaries, secondary cells, and fuel cells. Each system is briefly described, typical applications are given, advantages and disadvantages are tabulated, and most importantly, safety hazards associated with its use are given.

Halpert, Gerald↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ecohydrology of urban environments

Urban watersheds include a gradient of highly managed to unmanaged ecosystems that vary in vegetation cover, built and natural drainage systems, and impervious cover. A distinct difference to undeveloped ecosystems is the dominance of material and energy import and export, the disruption of natural catenae, the covariation of soils, terrain and canopy conditions. In this chapter, we discuss the distinct characteristics of urban ecohydrology compared to non-urban systems. We also investigate emergent principles of unmanaged watersheds that underscore the promotion of ecohydrological resilience, and the need to abstract and adapt these principles to support the goal-oriented restoration of impaired urban ecosystems.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Simplified Model of VIPER Thermal Management System. Part I: Loop Heat Pipe

NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) uses a combination of loop heat pipes (LHPs) and heaters as the primary hardware to modulate the temperature of the electronic boxes and payloads instruments. LHPs have been designed and instrumented to be capable of passive and active shutdown. The goal of the passive shutdown, using a thermal control valve (TCV) to limit the flow of the working fluid, is to preserve thermal energy and avoid unnecessary heat leaks during lunar night. The goal of the active shutdown on the other hand, is to forcefully increase the vehicle internal temperature to bakeout the payload instruments. Several numerical modeling tools are available to analyze LHP performance under the complex set of operational requirements and environments levied on the VIPER Thermal Management System (TMS). Yet, while those numerical modeling tools are capable of detailed performance analysis, they tend to take large computational resources and long computational time. In this paper, a model of a single LHP developed based on control volume approach is presented. By using the control volume approach, the complex geometry of the LHP, and the components attached to it, are reduced to thermal lump capacitances, thus reducing the computation effort. This paper also describes the effort to correlate the proposed LHP model using thermal vacuum (TVAC) test data.

Loop Heat Pipe↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Simplified Model of VIPER Thermal Management System. Part I: Loop Heat Pipe

NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) uses a combination of loop heat pipes (LHPs) and heaters as the primary hardware to modulate the temperature of the electronic boxes and payloads instruments. LHPs have been designed and instrumented to be capable of passive and active shutdown. The goal of the passive shutdown, using a thermal control valve (TCV) to limit the flow of the working fluid, is to preserve thermal energy and avoid unnecessary heat leaks during lunar night. The goal of the active shutdown on the other hand, is to forcefully increase the vehicle internal temperature to bakeout the payload instruments. Several numerical modeling tools are available to analyze LHP performance under the complex set of operational requirements and environments levied on the VIPER Thermal Management System (TMS). Yet, while those numerical modeling tools are capable of detailed performance analysis, they tend to take large computational resources and long computational time. In this paper, a model of a single LHP developed based on control volume approach is presented. By using the control volume approach, the complex geometry of the LHP, and the components attached to it, are reduced to thermal lump capacitances, thus reducing the computation effort. This paper also describes the effort to correlate the proposed LHP model using thermal vacuum (TVAC) test data.

Loop Heat Pipe↗
DOE OSTI2026

Evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from 2000–2300 and beyond: model sensitivity and uncertainty analysis using MPAS-Albany Land Ice

We present a description of the Antarctic Ice Sheet model configuration submitted to the ISMIP6-Antarctica-2300 experiment using the MPAS-Albany Land Ice model, along with three new sets of simulations: (1) a set of extended simulations to 2500 for three forced experiments and to 2775 for the control experiment; (2) a sensitivity analysis of our model configuration to parameters controlling basal sliding and sub-shelf melt, and to model structural choices including the choice of the energy and stress balances; and (3) a 72-member ensemble run on graphics processing units (GPUs) and analysis of variance to determine the primary sources of uncertainty in our ice-sheet model projections. Our extended simulations predict rapid retreat beginning after 2300 for SSP1-2.6 forcing and after 2500 for present-day (control) forcing, primarily in the Amundsen Sea Embayment. We find that varying the sub-shelf melt parameter between the 5th to 95th percentile values for a mean-Antarctic calibration target results in an up to ∼ ± 40 % change in sea-level contribution relative to our baseline simulations that used the median value. Using a linear basal sliding law reduces sea-level contribution by 51 %–73 % relative to our baseline nonlinear sliding law with an exponent of 1/5. When using basal sliding law exponents of 1/3 and 1/10, the overall difference from our baseline simulations at 2300 is on the order of 10 %. The Amundsen Sea Embayment region displays a strongly non-linear dependence of mass loss on the sliding law exponent, with no discernible relationship between the sliding law exponent and the mass loss by 2300, while the sectors feeding the Ross and Filchner-Ronne ice shelves exhibit more mass loss with a more-plastic sliding law. Our model fidelity sensitivity experiments reveal a 9 %–31 % increase in sea-level contribution when using a depth-integrated stress balance approximation relative to our three-dimensional solver, while using a fixed-in-time temperature field increases sea-level contribution by 14 %–88 % relative to two thermomechanically coupled configurations. Our 72-member ensemble and analysis of variance show that the uncertainty in long-term projections is dominated by the choice of Earth system model forcing and the presence or absence of hydrofracture forcing, rather than uncertainty in sliding and sub-shelf melt parameters.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2026

NASA Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) Phase 2 Q3’GFY25 to Q2’GFY26 Unlimited Rights Annual Report for CLIN 1 and 2

The HyTEC Phase 2 Project focuses on the development and demonstration of high-power density, small engine core gas turbine engine technologies. The focus of HyTEC on these small engine core technologies will provide direct benefits to the next single-aisle class aircraft in terms of thermal efficiency, as well as integrate with other technologies, through increased hybridization, as they mature to provide substantial continuous fuel burn reductions during the aircraft lifecycle. These advances will strengthen the US position in the commercial aviation engine market and enable cost benefits in commercial aviation. In Government fiscal year 26 the HyTEC Project was closed and contract moved to the Subsonic Vehicle Technologies and Tools Project. GE Aerospace is executing two major work plans as part of the HyTEC Phase 2 contract. The first is Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) 001 and its objective is to mature High Pressure Turbine (HPT) aerodynamics technology to TRL 5 through multiple rigs so that it may be incorporated into a complete TRL 6 evaluation and unlock learnings for the engine core demonstration as applicable. CLIN 002, the second work plan, is to design, procure and test a cost shared portion of technologies on the TRL6 Compact Core test vehicle. The compact core demonstrated through HyTEC Phase 2 along with the HPT rig TRL advancement directly matures the technologies being developed as part of the CFM RISE demonstrator program which is targeting a more than 20% fuel burn reduction at the engine level versus today’s state of the art. The RISE program’s objective is to advance both the novel Open Fan architecture, compact core technologies and advanced systems such as hybrid electric needed to achieve the desired fuel burn reduction to TRL6 ahead of a new product introduction in the single-aisle class aircraft in the 2030s timeframe.

gas turbine engine↗
NASA NTRS2019

Physics-Based Modeling and Simulation of Emerging Battery Technologies for Aerospace

Recently there is a growing interest in the aviation sector to reduce air and noise pollution. Electrochemical energy storage devices such as batteries coupled with a distributed electric propulsion system can reduce noise concerns as well as emissions and allow the concept of Urban Air Mobility to come to fruition. The battery performance needs to improve considerably compared from current state-of-art Li-ion battery (about 200Wh/Kg) to realize all-electric passenger jet for short flights (up to 690 miles). NASA is exploring lithium-oxygen battery chemistry to power hybrid (battery powered electrical system) and all-electric aircraft for short distance and long-distance flights. Li-O2 is one of the advanced Li-ion technologies that promise to provide specific energy of more than 750Wh/Kg. For this presentation, we present our work on improving power density of Li-O2 batteries through the use of multiphysics simulations. Next, a path is outlined to port these model to simulate performance for a new battery chemistry for space application, Li-CO2. Li-CO2 uses carbon dioxide as the active material instead of oxygen. Although this technology is in its early development, the offers two benefits: it can be used as a CO2 scrubber, as oxygen is one of the by-products on charging, and as a backup or a standalone battery for various Mars or Venus missions, where the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere is high and need battery to operate at higher temperatures.

Mehta, Mohit↗
DOE OSTI2026

Weibel-mediated filamentary structures observed in the ICF context

Here, in light of novel and past experimental results, we demonstrate how Weibel-mediated filamentary structures can develop in the expanding plasma plume of a laser-irradiated foil. The transverse ballistic cooling that occurs during the quasi-spherical plasma expansion naturally drives an electron pressure anisotropy, resulting in the growth of electron current filaments. This effect competes with electron–ion Coulomb collisions, which tend to isotropize the electron distribution function. Based on theoretical and particle-in-cell modeling, we provide estimates of the dominant wavelength and amplitude of the self-generated magnetic fluctuations, which are found to explain experimental data obtained at the OMEGA and Laser Megajoule facilities.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Reconstruction and Dissolution of Copper Catalysts during Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction

Copper-based electrocatalysts are widely explored for electrochemical nitrate remediation, yet their stability under operating conditions remains poorly understood. While nanoscale and subnanoscale Cu motifs are known to restructure during the nitrate reduction reaction (NO 3 RR), how these transformations translate into irreversible material loss remains unclear. Here, we quantify Cu dissolution during NO 3 RR as a function of catalyst architecture and electrolyte chemistry using two model systems: single-atom Cu (Cu 1 ) and Cu nanoparticles (Cu NP ). Time-resolved leaching measurements, integrated with in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), reveal measurable Cu loss for both catalysts during NO 3 RR. Dissolution is concentrated at the initiation of electrolysis, coinciding with rapid restructuring, and depends strongly on morphology, with Cu NP consistently exhibiting greater Cu loss than Cu 1 . In situ XAS reveals that Cu 1 forms transient metallic clusters under reduction that largely redisperse upon returning to open-circuit voltage, whereas Cu NP undergoes reduction of an oxidized surface layer accompanied by sustained Cu loss during electrolysis. Notably, the presence of nitrate significantly intensifies restructuring and Cu loss, highlighting the critical role of electrolyte composition. Furthermore, these findings establish a direct link between electrochemical restructuring and Cu dissolution, unveiling electrolyte-dependent interactions as key determinants of catalyst durability in electrochemical nitrate conversion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Optimization of the FRIB beam dump: a hybrid genetic algorithm and reinforcement learning approach

The operational envelope of high-power-density systems, such as particle accelerators and advanced nuclear energy systems, is critically constrained by the need to manage extreme thermal loads. To address this, we present a novel hybrid optimization framework combining a genetic algorithm (GA) with a soft actor-critic (SAC) deep reinforcement learning agent. This framework was applied to a practical high-heat-flux problem: redesigning the beam dump at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) for a power upgrade from 20 kW to 50 kW. The resulting design, validated by three-dimensional conjugate heat transfer simulations, suppresses hazardous hot spots and yields a markedly more uniform temperature distribution. This provides a robust operating margin, increasing the average power-handling capability by 72% relative to the current design, demonstrating the framework’s potential to solve complex thermal management challenges in both accelerator technology and advanced nuclear systems.

Accelerator↗
DOE OSTI2026

Hierarchical Multi-agent Large Language Model Reasoning for Autonomous Heterogeneous Catalyst Discovery

Artificial intelligence is reshaping scientific exploration, but most methods automate procedural tasks without engaging in scientific reasoning, limiting autonomy in discovery. We demonstrate that hierarchical agentic large language model reasoning can efficiently drive simulation and scientific exploration. Across two chemical applications, CO adsorption on Cu surface transition metal adatoms and on M–N–C catalysts, reasoning-guided exploration reduces required atomistic simulations by up to 90% relative to heuristic or random selection. Comparisons across single-agent, multi-agent, and stochastic baselines show that hierarchical strategies yield more coherent and information-efficient search trajectories. Reasoning traces reveal chemically grounded decisions that cannot be explained by semantic bias or stochastic sampling. We realize these agentic reasoning strategies in Materials Agents for Simulation and Theory in Electronic-structure Reasoning (MASTER), a multimodal system that translates natural language into density functional theory workflows. Altogether, multi-agent collaboration accelerates heterogeneous catalyst discovery and marks a step toward more autonomous, reasoning-guided scientific exploration.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
NASA NTRS1994

Battery Definition for the Mars Environmental Survey Mission (MESUR) Pathfinder

Silver-zinc (Ag-Zn) battery technology has been baselined as the energy storage system for the MESUR mission. The mission profile will require the operation of this battery in a manner not usually seen for this technology. In particular, the combination of storage time followed by multiple cycles as a function of fluctuating temperatures and charge/discharge rates, and limited available time for charging has not been previously demonstrated.

Ag-Zn↗
DOE OSTI2026

Measuring Climate and Water Risk across the Bulk Power System

As climate impacts increase and power systems transition to renewables, planners and operators need insights into climate risks to power generation and infrastructure to ensure reliable decision-making in the short and long-term. We present a standardized, consistent mechanism for utilities and system operators to evaluate the climate- and water-related risks of their current and future grid assets. Using a risk-based approach on the combined outcomes of high-fidelity climate drivers together with water and power system models, we examine the temperature and water availability impacts within the contiguous United States to power system assets at the water basin level in three different time periods and report resulting outcomes on lost capacity across different expansion scenarios and climate models. The results indicate that air temperature has the highest effect on derating. Changes in streamflow do not have a large impact on generation capacity at the national level. Electric sector buildout scenarios each have a unique regional risk profile, depending on the technology mix and total capacity, although risks from high temperatures are significant for both traditional and renewable energy generation. Stakeholders can use this approach to monitor effects of generation capacity losses and potential impacts as climate, generation mix, and infrastructure change.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Energy 101 - Wind [Slides]

The Energy 101: Wind presentation, developed for the Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project (ETIPP), provides an overview of wind energy. It covers fundamental concepts, technologies, considerations, case studies, and additional resources.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Scalable multiplexed machine learning gas sensor chips for food classification

Multiplexed gas sensor arrays combined with machine learning have unlocked previously inaccessible applications for scent-based sensing. Current platforms are limited by overlapping sensing materials with similar compositions, leading to highly correlated responses, or multistep deposition processes that hinder scalability. In this work, we developed a 16-element monolithic chip with fully distinct sensing layers, enabling a truly heterogeneous array. The system consists of highly sensitive carbon nanotube field effect transistors that are functionalized through a single-step microdispensing method compatible with automated pipetting systems. The resulting chip produces characteristic signal patterns in response to object-specific scent profiles and, when combined with machine learning algorithms, can perform automated object identification. We demonstrate the classification of 16 different objects, including food spoilage and nut allergens, with a 92.6% overall prediction accuracy.

Bassil, Carla [University of California, Berkeley,↗