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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

DESIGN ISSUES AND QUALIFICATION OF HYDROFORMED DOUBLE WALLED EXPANSION JOINTS IN VACUUM SERVICE

The Vacuum Auxiliary System for ITER is devoted to pumping out, venting, and purging the vacuum volumes of the tokamak. Over 5000 clients including the cryostat and vacuum vessel, at 8500 m3 and 1400 m3 respectively, are serviced by approximately 150 pumping stations through 6 km of pipework. The piping and functions provided to the clients include component operation, routing of potentially tritiated gases, and timely leak localization. Expansion joints are used to reduce loadings on pumps and piping stresses but also to qualify in-line components having low allowable design loads. The ITER project utilizes vacuum valves that are not designed to withstand typical piping system loadings and require detailed design and evaluation. Loading scenarios prescribed by governing system specifications must be considered. To maintain allowable design loads for components and to keep piping stresses below code requirements, double walled hydroformed expansion joints have been employed in the design. These are not standard items and require custom fabrication. Installation space constraints and adjacent pipe support attachment location availability at ITER limit standard expansion joint installation guidelines provided by the Expasion Joint Manufacturers Association (EJMA). Careful consideration must be given to the analysis model to ensure proper function and life expectancy of the component. These considerations include accurate accounting of thrust forces, thermal movements, seismic accelerations, equipment and building differential displacements. In addition to displacements, the process internal, external, and interspace pressures affect the qualification and selection of the double walled expansion joints. The calculation results shall confirm that deflections, forces, and moments are reasonable for the size and type required for the system’s demands as evaluated against the manufacturer’s design.

Clark, Forrest [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000678106843)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Joint Optimization of Well Completions and Controls for CO 2 Enhanced Oil Recovery and Storage

CO 2 storage through CO 2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is considered as one of the technologies to help promote larger scale deployment of CO 2 storage because of associated economic benefits through oil recovery, 45Q tax credits and the utilization of existing infrastructure. The objective of this study is to demonstrate how optimal reservoir management and operation strategies (including well completions and controls) can be used to optimize both CO 2 storage and oil recovery. The optimization problem was focused on jointly estimating the well completions (i.e., fraction of injection/production well perforations in each reservoir layer) and CO 2 injection/oil production controls that maximize the net present value (NPV) in a CO 2 EOR and storage operation. We utilized the newly developed StoSAG algorithm, one of the most efficient optimization algorithms in the reservoir management community, to solve the optimization problem. The performance of joint optimization approach was compared with the performance of well control only optimization approach. In addition, the performance of co-optimization of CO 2 storage and oil recovery approach was compared with the performances of maximization of only CO 2 storage and maximization of only oil recovery approaches. The optimization results showed that a joint optimization of well completions and well controls can achieve an 8.84% higher final NPV than the one obtained from the optimization of only well controls. It was observed that the NPV incremental for joint optimization is mainly due to the fact that the optimal well completions and controls approach results in efficient CO 2 storage and oil production from different reservoir layers depending on the differences in individual layer properties. Comparison of co-optimization (i.e., maximization of NPV) and maximization of only CO 2 storage or only oil recovery showed that the co-optimization and maximization of only oil recovery result in significantly higher final NPV than that obtained through maximization of only CO 2 storage approach while maximization of only CO 2 storage can achieve significantly higher CO 2 storage in the reservoir compared to the other two scenarios. The similar results for co-optimization and maximization of oil production are obtained because of the difference in oil revenue compared to CO 2 storage tax credit. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in oil/gas industry and CO 2 storage community to perform joint optimization of well completions and well controls in the fields. We expect that the proposed optimization framework will be a useful and efficient tool for field engineers to optimally manage CO 2 EOR projects to maximize revenue through oil recovery as well as CO 2 storage by taking advantage of the new 45Q tax law.

Artificial intelligence↗
DOE OSTI2020

A New Capability of E4D For 3D Parallel Joint Inversion of DC Resistivity And Traveltime Data on Unstructured Mesh

A major challenge in interpreting geophysical data is how to derive consistent three-dimensional (3D) earth models of different physical properties from spatially and temporally limited measurements. Joint inversion with cross-gradient constraints is an approach to find such models by imposing structural similarities between different physical parameters. We have developed a parallel distributed-memory joint inversion code for direct-current (DC) resistivity and traveltime data using the cross-gradient constraint on unstructured mesh. The code utilizes existing E4D framework for parallel forward simulation, distributed storage and computation of the Jacobian matrix of forward operator, and parallel execution of matrix-vector multiplication during inversion. Besides, the joint inversion is solved by nonlinear conjugate gradient algorithm parallelized for DC resistivity and traveltime data. The joint inversion capability of E4D was tested using synthetic data from cross-borehole DC resistivity and traveltime data. The results indicate that the shape and size of the anomalies from the joint inversion are more reliable than those from separate inversions.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Structural Health Monitoring: Using an Autoencoder to Identify Damage in a Bolted Joint [Capstone Project]

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is an important fixture in the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) complex. LANL is one of the largest national laboratories in the country, and the laboratory’s primary mission is to support the nation’s nuclear stockpile. The lab functions as a design agencies for the NNSA and performs extensive testing on weapons as part of that mission. The shock and vibration test team at LANL utilizes electrodynamic shaker systems for important qualification testing in support of the laboratory’s mission. Modern engineering relies heavily on bolted joints to connect two objects. During these shaker tests, engineers depend on bolted joints to secure the test article to a fixture and the fixture to the table. The test article may be hazardous and contain high explosives which could create a safety issue if a bolted joint failed. A loss of preload in a bolt will affect the way energy is input to the system and may introduce nonlinearities as the joint opens and closes. The loss of preload can create challenges controlling the test and make acquired signals useless. Being able to monitor preload within bolted joints during testing can improve the quality of the data and keep workers safe.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Deep Search for Joint Sources of Gravitational Waves and High-energy Neutrinos with IceCube during the Third Observing Run of LIGO and Virgo

The discovery of joint sources of high-energy neutrinos and gravitational waves has been a primary target for the LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and IceCube observatories. The joint detection of high-energy neutrinos and gravitational waves would provide insight into cosmic processes, from the dynamics of compact object mergers and stellar collapses to the mechanisms driving relativistic outflows. The joint detection of multiple cosmic messengers can also elevate the significance of the common observation even when some or all of the constituent messengers are subthreshold, i.e., not significant enough to declare their detection individually. Using data from the LIGO, Virgo, and IceCube observatories, including subthreshold events, we searched for common sources of gravitational waves and high-energy neutrinos during the third observing run of the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. Our search did not identify significant joint sources. We derive constraints on the rate densities of joint sources. Our results constrain the isotropic neutrino emission from gravitational-wave sources for very high values of the total energy emitted in neutrinos (>10 52 –10 54 erg).

Abbasi, R. [Loyola University Chicago] (ORCID:0000↗
DOE OSTI2020

Modeling the dynamic response of rock masses with multiple compliant fluid saturated joint sets—Part I: Mesoscale simulations

Recently a mesoscale model was developed that includes thermomechanically consistent constitutive equations with dissipation due to porous compaction, inelastic distortional deformation rate, and slipping on persistent dry joint surfaces. In this Part I of a two-part paper, we describe enhancements of the mesoscale model which include: normal compliance with hysteresis, non-persistent joints with finite area, joint sets with angular deviation, and the weakening effect of fluid pressure in the joints. Examples study the influences of these effects on average strength. These computationally expensive simulations are used to inspire functional forms in a continuum model, described in Part II, which is needed for large scale simulations of real applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Detecting an underground tunnel by applying joint traveltime and waveform inversion

Underground tunnel and void detection is a challenging geophysical problem, and many methods have been proposed. Seismic techniques are promising because of the large seismic velocity contrasts between the air-filled void and the surrounding sediment and concrete. We apply a joint seismic traveltime and waveform inversion method to image a buried tunnel with concrete walls and a void space inside. The joint inversion images the top of the concrete tunnel as a high-velocity anomaly and the void space as a low-velocity anomaly. The location of the velocity anomalies predicted by the method agrees with the known location of the tunnel. As a comparison, the stand-alone full waveform inversion is also applied to the data. The first-arrival traveltime tomography shows weak nonlinearity but fails to image the hidden low-velocity layer. Full waveform inversion is able to image complex near-surface structures, but fitting waveforms may not honor the traveltime fit, especially when the data contain noise. Synthetic and real data tests show that the joint inversion method retains the advantages of both traveltime inversion and full waveform inversion and overcomes their respective drawbacks at the same time. The field example shows the joint inversion provides a better reconstruction of the high-velocity feature representing the top of the concrete wall in terms of its magnitude and location.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Observations of modal coupling due to bolted joints in an experimental benchmark structure

The goal of this paper is to present a set of measurements from a benchmark structure containing two bolted joints to support future efforts to predict the damping due to the joints and to model nonlinear coupling between the first two elastic modes. Bolted joints introduce nonlinearities in structures, typically causing a softening in the natural frequency and an increase in damping because of frictional slip between the contact interfaces within the joint. These nonlinearities pose significant challenges when characterizing the response of the structure under a large range of load amplitudes, especially when the modal responses become coupled, causing the effective damping and natural frequency to not only depend on the excitation amplitude of the targeted mode, but also the relative amplitudes of other modes. In this work, two nominally identical benchmark structures, known in some prior works as the S4 beam, are tested to characterize their nonlinear properties for the first two elastic modes. Detailed surface measurements are presented and validated through finite element analysis and reveal distinct contact interactions between the two sets of beams. The free-free test structures are excited with an impact hammer and the transient response is analyzed to extract the damping and frequency backbone curves. A range of impact amplitudes and drive points are used to isolate a single mode or to excite both modes simultaneously. Differences in the nonlinear response correlate with the relative strength of the modes that are excited, allowing one to characterize mode coupling. Each of the beams shows different nonlinear properties for each mode, which is attributed to the different contact pressure distributions between the parts, although the mode coupling relationship is found to be consistent between the two. Lastly, the test data key finding are presented in this paper and the supporting data is available on a public repository for interested researchers.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Sensitivity of Joint Inversions of Seismic and Geodynamic Data to Mantle Viscosity

Seismic tomography has revealed the existence of large-scale velocity heterogeneities in the mantle. The interpretation of seismic velocity anomalies in terms of temperature and chemical composition is nonunique. We use geodynamic observations including gravity, plate motions, dynamic topography, and excess ellipticity of the core-mantle boundary combined with seismic observations to investigate the thermo-chemical structure of the mantle through joint inversions. An outstanding issue, however, is the physical connection between mantle density anomalies and the surface geodynamic observations, which requires knowledge of the mantle viscosity structure. Here we perform joint inversions assuming different viscosity profiles and examine the dependence of the results on the viscosity. We first assume that mantle heterogeneity is due to thermal variations, which places a constraint on the relation between seismic velocity and density, and we subsequently relax the constraint to allow for potential nonthermal effects. In all of our joint inversions, a nonthermal origin of density anomalies is required to explain the geodynamic data, though the amount varies with the assumed viscosity structure. A common observation is a high-density chemical signal in the center of the large low-shear-velocity provinces at the base of the mantle resulting in a near neutral or slightly dense overall buoyancy there. Using the derived density models and their corresponding viscosity profiles, we also calculate instantaneous mantle flow fields. The predicted flow fields derived from joint inversions are generally similar but are quite different from flow fields using density models derived from a posteriori scaling of pure seismic tomography models.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Joint Inversion of Body Wave Arrival Times, Surface Wave Dispersion Data and Receiver Functions: Method and Application to South China

In this work, we have developed a new joint inversion method that incorporates body wave arrival times, surface wave dispersion and receiver functions to simultaneously update earthquake locations and constrain three-dimensional P-wave (Vp) and S-wave velocity (Vs) models. Due to complementary sensitivities of the three types of data, the proposed joint inversion algorithm can reduce the intrinsic non-uniqueness of inversions using fewer types of data and better determine smooth velocity variations and velocity discontinuities. Synthetic tests demonstrate the advantages of this new joint inversion algorithm in resolving velocity structures, especially in constraining velocity gradients across the Moho interface. We have applied the proposed joint inversion algorithm to image the lithosphere velocity structure of south China. The inverted Vp and Vs models fit body wave arrival times, surface wave dispersion and receiver functions well. We further analyzed the distribution of Vs gradients across the Moho interface in detail, which helps us better understand tectonics in south China.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Interdependence in active mobility adoption: Joint modeling and motivational spillover in walking, cycling and bike-sharing

Active mobility offers an array of physical, emotional, and social well-being benefits. However, with the proliferation of the sharing economy, new nonmotorized means of transport are entering the fold, complementing some existing mobility options while competing with others. The purpose of this research study is to investigate the adoption of three active travel modes—namely walking, cycling, and bikesharing—in a joint modeling framework. Here, the analysis is based on an adaptation of the stages of change framework, which originates from the health behavior sciences. Multivariate ordered probit modeling drawing on U.S. survey data provides well-needed insights into individuals’ preparedness to adopt multiple active modes as a function of personal, neighborhood, and psychosocial factors. The research suggests three important findings. (1) The joint model structure confirms interdependence among different active mobility choices. The strongest complementarity is found for walking and cycling adoption. (2) Each mode has a distinctive adoption path with either three or four separate stages. We discuss the implications of derived stage-thresholds and plot adoption contours for selected scenarios. (3) Psychological and neighborhood variables generate more coupling among active modes than individual and household factors. Specifically, identifying strongly with active mobility aspirations, experiences with multimodal travel, possessing better navigational skills, along with supportive local community norms are the factors that appear to drive the joint adoption decisions. This study contributes to the understanding of how decisions within the same functional domain are related and help to design policies that promote active mobility by identifying positive spillovers and joint determinants.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Joint Planning of EV Fast Charging Stations and Power Distribution Systems With Balanced Traffic Flow Assignment

To tackle the challenges introduced by the fast-growing charging demand of electric vehicles (EVs), the power distribution systems (PDSs) and fast charging stations (FCSs) of EVs should be planned and operated in a more coordinated fashion. However, existing planning approaches generally aim to minimize investment costs in PDSs while ignoring the risk of worsening traffic conditions. To overcome this research gap, this article integrates the interests of traffic networks into PDS and FCS joint planning model to mitigate negative impacts on traffic conditions caused by installing FCSs. First, a novel microscopic method that is different from traditional assignment methods is proposed to simulate the influences of FCSs on traffic flows and EV charging loads. Then, a multiobjective joint planning model is developed to minimize both the planning costs and unbalanced traffic flows. A new bilayer Benders decomposition algorithm is designed to solve the proposed joint planning model. Numerical results on two practical systems in China validate the feasibility of our microscopic method by comparing the simulated results with real data. Compared with existing approaches, it is also demonstrated that the proposed joint planning approach helps to balance traffic flow assignments and relieve traffic congestion.

bilayer expanded Benders decomposition↗
DOE OSTI2023

Using micro-XRF to characterize chloride ingress through cold joints in 3D printed concrete

Digital fabrication methods with concrete have been rapidly developing, with many problems related to component production and material control being solved in recent years. These processes produce inherently layered cementitious components that are anisotropic, and in many cases, produces a weak interface between layers, which are generally referred to as cold joints. While material strength at these interfaces has been well studied in recent years, durability has received less attention, even though cold joints can function as channels for aggressive agents, such as chlorides. This work presents a method using micro-X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) to image chloride ingress into layer interfaces of 3D printed fine-grained concrete specimens produced with varying layer deposition time intervals, and also compares it to neutron imaging of moisture uptake. The results show that cold joints formed after a 1 day time interval are highly susceptible to chloride ingress, and that curing conditions play a major role in how quickly interfacial transport can take place. The μXRF method is also shown to be useful for study of transport of chlorides in cold joints, due to its spatial resolution and direct analysis of an aggressive species of interest.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Advanced Serpentine Heat Exchangers to Minimize Number of Joints and Leakage in HVAC&R Systems

Refrigerant leakage has a significant impact on heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) industries in terms of both greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and lost efficiency of the systems themselves. One of the major causes of refrigerant leakage is braze joints within a vapor compression system. The brazing process is often inconsistent and almost always imperfect. As a result, braze joints are left vulnerable to leaks and can be weaker than non-brazed tubing. Conventional tube-fin heat exchangers are manufactured using one brazed joint per tube. An alternative to the conventional approach is the use of a single continuous serpentine tube. An Advanced Serpentine Heat Exchanger was developed to provide a heat transfer solution that meets or exceeds performance while also significantly reducing the number of joints and, consequently, the potential for refrigerant leakage. The developed serpentine heat exchanger not only delivers on performance, but is also cost competitive with conventional heat exchangers on the market.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Multiple‐Repeated Plasma Surface Treatments for Significantly Improving Bonding Performance of Metal‐Carbon‐Fiber‐Reinforced Thermoplastic Polymer Dissimilar Adhesive Joints

This work investigates how multiple‐repeated plasma surface treatments can significantly enhance adhesively bonded metal‐carbon‐fiber‐reinforced thermoplastic polymer (CFRTP) dissimilar joints, a topic that has been rarely investigated compared to other parameters during the plasma treatment process. By conducting double cantilever beam tests on adhesively bonded AA6061‐carbon‐fiber‐reinforced polyphthalamide (CFRPPA) dissimilar joints, it is shown that the average Mode I specific fracture energy after 20 repetitions of the same plasma treatment, using processing parameters without noticeably changing surface roughness, can be improved and saturated up to almost 2000% compared to non‐treated joints and almost 240% compared to a single plasma treatment commonly used in the literature. The improvement can be attributed to the enhanced chemical bonding at the CFRPPA‐adhesive interface. This study is important for achieving strong bonding performance of CFRTP‐related structural joints using multiple plasma treatments, a simple and effective method.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Scale-Up of Friction Self-piercing Riveting Process for Multi-material Joints

A single-class joining process known as “friction self-piercing riveting (F-SPR)” has been developed for joining various low-ductility lightweight materials on a laboratory scale. The frictional heat generated during the F-SPR process improved local ductility, resulting in crack-free joints and robust mechanical performance. This innovative joining technology was further advanced through the scale-up of the process using a new system with several key features (e.g., automatic rivet feeding and clamping system, vacuum system) toward industry readiness. The new integrated F-SPR systems were effectively demonstrated for joining different material combinations (e.g., carbon fiber composite to 7075 Al alloy, 7075 Al alloy to 7075 Al alloy, and 7075 Al alloy to casting Al Aural 5) with a unified technique. Crack-free joint with adequate mechanical interlocking resulted in good mechanical joint strength for each material combination. Then, the process was successfully scaled up by producing multiple joints without any cracks on larger CFC-Al and Al-Al components by the new integrated system, bringing it closer to industrial application.

Lim, Yong Chae [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000321773988)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Microstructural Coarsening Kinetics and Mechanical Property Changes in Long-Term Aged Sn–Pb–Sb Solder Joints

Tin-lead-antimony (50Sn–47Pb–3Sb wt.%) soldered assemblies were mechanically tested approximately 30 years after initial production and found to have solder joints of reduced strength. The microstructure of this solder alloy exhibits a ternary eutectic structure with Sn-rich, Pb-rich, and SnSb phases. Accelerated aging was performed to evaluate solder microstructural coarsening and associated strength of laboratory solder joints to correlate these properties to the “naturally aged” solder joints. Isothermal aging was conducted at room temperature, 55, 70, 100, and 135 °C and aging times that ranged from 0.1 to 365 days. The coarsening kinetics of the Pb-rich phase were determined through optical microscopy and image analysis methods established in previous studies on binary Sn–Pb solder. A kinetic equation was developed with time exponent n of 0.43 and activation energy of 24000 J/mol, suggesting grain boundary diffusion or other fast diffusion pathways controlling the microstructural evolution. Compression testing and Vickers microhardness showed significant strength loss within the first 20–30 days after soldering; then, the microstructure and mechanical properties changed more slowly over long periods of time. Further, by combining accelerated aging data and the microstructure-based kinetics, strength predictions were made that match well with the properties of the actual soldered assemblies naturally aged for 30 years. However, aging at the highest temperature of 135 °C produced anomalous behavior suggesting that extraneous aging mechanisms are active. Therefore, data obtained at this temperature or higher should not be used. Overall, the combined microstructural and mechanical property methods used in this study confirmed that the observed reduction in strength of ~ 30-year-old solder joints can be accounted for by the microstructural coarsening that takes place during long-term solid-state aging.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Monotonic testing of single shear-plane CLT-to-CLT joint with hardwood dowels

Reducing embodied carbon emissions in buildings and striving for carbon neutrality through sustainable design has become a primary goal in the construction industry. The industry is expanding its use of wood-engineered products, such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) to achieve those sustainability goals. Furthermore, replacing steel fasteners with lower embodied carbon alternatives is gaining increased attention in timber engineering. This paper aims to quantify the mechanical behavior of single shear-plane CLT-to-CLT joints using hardwood dowels. The study includes 154 single shear-plane experimental tests with four different CLT species, two hardwood dowel species, and two dowel diameters. Further, the test specimens were subjected to cyclic and monotonic loading until failure, and mechanical properties such as yielding and ultimate strength, serviceability and yielding stiffness, and ductility were quantified. The hardwood dowel CLT-to-CLT joints demonstrated high strength with up to 10.3 kN (2.3 kips) capacity per dowel and lateral stiffness of up to 5.2 kN/mm (30.8 k/in) per dowel. This strength and stiffness are roughly equivalent to or exceed values for mass timber wood screws, making hardwood dowels a good alternative. In addition, the observed mean ductility of joints ranged from 2.4 to 4.5. Finally, analytical equations for the joints' yielding strength, lateral serviceability stiffness, and yielding stiffness were derived with non-linear regression analysis and validated using the experimental test results.

42 ENGINEERING↗