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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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498 records · Page 3

Polymer Composite Material Screening for a Cryotank Application

Composite cryotanks will play a key role in enabling the next generation of efficient aircraft. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have the benefits of reduced weight and potentially higher structural strength compared to traditional metallic fuel tanks. A material screening study was conducted to inform material selection for liquid hydrogen (LH2) fuel storage. Three composite materials were considered because of their aerospace grade toughness, strength, and existing data to compare against. These materials were a thermoplastic low-melt polyaryletherketone (LM-PAEK)/carbon fiber (CF), thermoset/CF, and hybrid thermoset/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) veil/CF composite. Mechanical screening tests included tension, compression, in-plane shear (IPS), and tensile-tensile fatigue (TTF). Each material was tested at both a baseline (no liquid nitrogen/LN2 cycling) and 100 LN2-cycled conditions to determine the knockdown factor, if any, of each material when exposed to environmental loading effects in a cryotank. Results show minimal effects of the LN2-cycling compared against baseline values. The three materials behaved similarly in tension; however, the thermoplastic/CF had the highest IPS toughness. The hybrid thermoset/TPU/CF composite had the lowest IPS strength, compressive strength, and toughness. LN2-cycling had minimal effects on tensile-tensile fatigue performance of the thermoplastic/CF material. Mechanical data was captured to guide material down selection for future commercially viable hydrogen aircraft design.

Composites

Biobased Polybenzoxazine Derived from Furfurylamine and Piceol with Low Cure Temperature and Advanced Properties for Composite Matrices

A novel benzoxazine made from furfurylamine, paraformaldehyde, and piceol, Bz-FA-HA, is assessed for applications in fiber reinforced (FR) composites. Piceol is a biobased phenolic compound derived from the roots of Norwegian spruce trees and contains a methyl ketone group at the para position. Bz-FA-HA is a liquid at room temperature, has a viscosity of < 1 Pa.s at temperatures above 90 °C, and a Tonset of cure at 132 °C. The carbonyl is found to react with the furan ring, yielding a crosslinking reaction, when cured above 180 °C as indicated by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Poly(Bz-FA-HA) has a Tg > 350 °C, attributed to the crosslinking reaction. Furthermore, the storage modulus is > 3 GPa, regardless of cure temperature. Poly(Bz-FA-HA) has a char yield at 800 °C of 65.0 % (62.3 % at 1000 °C), and a Tonset of decomposition of 357 °C in nitrogen. The resulting carbon formed during pyrolysis shrinks during the carbonization reaction and scanning electron microscopy imaging shows a cross-section with micro cracks. The high processability, advanced mechanical properties, and exceptional char yield make it a promising candidate as the matrix for FR composites.

Benzoxazine

Global Characterization of Polygonally Fractured Terrain on Venus and Implications for a Climate Change Origin

On Earth, polygonal fractures with spacings of 1-100 cm form in lava flows that cool slowly under isotropic stress conditions. On Venus, polygonal fractures are observed with typical fracture spacings of 1-2 km, covering regions 10s to 100s of km across. These features have been proposed to form via cooling of lava flows or above subsurface intrusions, or due to surface cooling caused by climate change. A watershed algorithm was modified to search the entire Magellan image database autonomously for terrains with polygonal fractures. Here we characterize the 204 polygon terrains found using this method (including over 170 newly identified regions) with respect to size, morphology, stratigraphy, and geologic setting. These results are used to examine different models of origin.

S. E. Smrekar

Assessment of Molybdate Based Corrosion Inhibitor for use at the Savannah River Tank Farm Cooling Water System

The Savannah River Site (SRS) has relied on 51 underground storage tanks, many dating back to the 1950s, to store radioactive liquid waste generated from nuclear processing and radionuclide production. These tanks use carbon steel cooling coils, cooled by soft, acidic water, to dissipate the decayed heat produced by radioactive waste. For decades, following historical industry practices, chromate has been added to the cooling water (~450 ppm at pH 9-11) to effectively inhibit corrosion, ensuring cooling coil longevity. Inspections of failed coils reveal that chromate-treated surfaces are generally well-preserved.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W

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

Geospatial modeling of near subsurface temperatures of the contiguous United States for assessment of materials degradation

Abstract Understanding subsurface temperature variations is crucial for assessing material degradation in underground structures. This study maps subsurface temperatures across the contiguous United States for depths from 50 to 3500 m, comparing linear interpolation, gradient boosting (LightGBM), neural networks, and a novel hybrid approach combining linear interpolation with LightGBM. Results reveal heterogeneous temperature patterns both horizontally and vertically. The hybrid model performed best achieving a root mean square error of 2.61 °C at shallow depths (50–350 m). Model performance generally decreased with depth, highlighting challenges in deep temperature prediction. State-level analyses emphasized the importance of considering local geological factors. This study provides valuable insights for designing efficient underground facilities and infrastructure, underscoring the need for depth-specific and region-specific modeling approaches in subsurface temperature assessment.

Science & Technology - Other Topics

Bosch Carbon Catalyst Regeneration in Water I: Bosch Carbon Removal from Reacted Beads Utilizing Mechanical Agitation

The ability to recover oxygen from metabolic carbon dioxide is crucial for crewed long duration missions in which the atmosphere must be recycled. Two physiochemical methods are primarily employed for this purpose: the Bosch process and the Sabatier reaction. This paper focuses on the Bosch process. It utilizes hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst to form water and solid carbon out of metabolic carbon dioxide. The solid carbon product deposits onto the catalyst and eventually causes reactor over pressurization issues. Multiple methods are currently being investigated to regenerate the catalyst’s surface and break up the pressure causing carbon clogs. This paper explores whether water and mechanical abrasion would work to remove Bosch carbon by testing multiple washing conditions. The different washing conditions involved agitation intensity, heating, duration, and volume of water. It was found that it is possible to break up the clumps of carbon formed in the reactor through agitation with room temperature water in one hour and shows promise for completely cleaning the carbon off the beads’ surface.

Agitation

Overcoming the Entropy Penalty of Direct Air Capture for Efficient Gigatonne Removal of Carbon Dioxide

Atmospheric carbon poses an existential threat to civilization via global climate change. Hundreds of gigatonnes of carbon dioxide must be removed from earth’s atmosphere in the next three decades, necessitating a low-cost, energy-efficient process to extract low concentrations of carbon dioxide for conversion to a stable material permanently stored for thousands of years. In this work, the challenge of removing gigatonnes of CO 2 is described via the scale of effort and the thermodynamics of collecting and reducing this diffuse chemical, the accumulation of which imparts a substantial entropy penalty on any atmospheric carbon capture process. The methods of CO 2 reduction combined with upstream direct air capture (DAC) including absorption, membrane separation, and adsorption are compared with biomass torrefaction and permanent burial (BTB). A Monte Carlo model assesses the mass, energy, and economics of the full process of biomass torrefaction from biomass collection and transport to stable carbon burial to determine that 95% of scenarios could remove carbon for less than $200 per CO 2 -tonne-equivalent. Torrefied carbon is further discussed for its long-term stability and availability at the scale required to substantially mitigate the threat of climate change.

biomass

Alumina–Titania Nanolaminate Condensers for Hot Programmable Catalysis

Nanolaminates composed of thin alternating layers of Al2O 3 and TiO 2 (ATO) were engineered by using atomic layer deposition as the dielectric material for a Pt-on-carbon catalytic condenser. Investigation assessed synthesis parameters including the deposition temperature, Al 2 O 3 and TiO 2 layer thicknesses, total number of layers, and a capping Al 2 O 3 layer on the maximum charge accumulation in the Pt catalyst. The highest capacitance ATO configuration demonstrated a specific capacitance of ∼1200 nF/cm 2 with working voltages of ±5 V, enabling the storage of 4 × 10 13 electrons or holes per cm 2 at room temperature. The ATO devices exhibited enhanced capacitance at elevated temperatures of up to 400 °C, suggesting the suitability of these materials for high-temperature applications. Adsorption of carbon monoxide on the Pt/C-ATO device characterized by grazing incidence infrared spectroscopy showed changes in the surface binding energy of 13.1 ± 0.8 kJ/mol for an applied external voltage bias of ±1 V.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH

An Assessment of the Nevada Test Site for Low-Level Waste Management

This report presents a summary of description information, facilities, and operating practices at the Nevada Test Site. It is concluded that NTS is not only a feasible location for surface and near-surface storage of low-level wastes, but also a potential site for underground storage of higher level wastes.

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storag

Bosch Carbon Catalyst Regeneration in Water III: Experiments for and Related to Thermal Shock

Bosch technology has the potential to close the atmospheric revitalization loop by providing theoretically 100% regeneration of metabolic carbon dioxide into oxygen. The main obstacle to using Bosch technology is over-pressurization issues in the carbon formation reactor. Prior work on Bosch catalyst regeneration established that agitating carbon coated beads in water broke up pressure causing clogs and regenerated the catalyst surface. This process proved to be time consuming with experiments taking at least one hour to regenerate ten grams of carbon coated beads. In an attempt to shorten the processing time, thermally shocking the carbon coated beads prior to mechanical agitation was tested. Agitating the carbon coated beads after exposure to a saturated steam environment was also tested to ensure that the steam generated by thermally shocking the carbon coated beads would not cause adverse effects. The rationale behind thermally shocking the carbon coated beads is that the bead would pull away from the carbon shell due to a difference in the thermal expansion coefficients. The results of this project show that the processing time can be cut in half when compared to previous work, and that saturated steam has little to no effect on regeneration.

Bosch Process

Micromechanics of crenulated fibers in carbon/carbon composites

The influence of crenulated noncircular fibers on the micromechanical stress states due to a transverse strain and to a temperature change in carbon/carbon composites is examined using the finite element method. Stresses at the interface of both fully bonded and fully disbonded fibers having two crenulation amplitudes and with two fiber volume fractions are presented. In each case, these interface stresses are compared to stresses at the interface of circular fibers which have the same degree of disbond and fiber volume fraction and are under the same loading conditions. For the disbonded cases, deformed meshes showing locations of fiber/matrix contact are also included. In addition to the interface stress states, selected composite properties are also computed and compared in each case examined. Interest in studying noncircular fibers stems from a desire to increase the transverse properties of carbon/carbon by introducing a mechanical interlocking between the fiber and the matrix. Results presented here indicate that this interlocking does in fact occur. Evidence from the interface stress data suggests, however, that any possible advantage of this interlocking may be outweighed by the disadvantage of stress concentrations which arise at the interface due to the crenulated geometry of the fibers.

E. E. Carapella