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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

Deep Space NanoSats - Positioned for Exponential Growth

We are poised at the beginning of a new era in solar system exploration, in which cubesats and nanosats can potentially play a big role. In 2012 a small group of like-minded enthusiasts at JPL predicted exponential growth in deep space cubesats with at least 10 exploring our solar system by 2020, and a 100 by 2030. Since then, JPL has built and flight-qualified the two INSPIRE spacecraft as pathfinders for future deep space cubesat missions, and the two MARCO spacecraft were assembled and tested in time to make the initial Insight launch opportunity in 2016 – now under consideration for the next available window. We have ongoing studies for lunar exploration and asteroid rendezvous missions, a Venus atmosphere sampler, and other concepts have been proposed to NASA. The Europa mission has 10 academic institutes under contract to study cubesats that would ride along with the main spacecraft to enable it to get closer to the surface of Jupiter’s most intriguing moon. Last year, ESA announced that its AIM asteroid probe will carry a small number of cubesats, when it launches in 2020. In the commercial world, Deep Space Industries are planning to host multiple cubesats in a mission to a Near Earth Asteroid. The prospects for near-term growth look reasonably healthy. This paper will provide an overview of deep space and LEO cubesat developments at JPL, and discuss the foundation they will provide for the growing community of interplanetary cubesat pioneers over the coming decade and a half.

Freeman, Anthony↗

Recruiting Military Talent through Solar Ready Vets Training Partnerships Webinar

SkillBridge training programs provide opportunities for service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through career training prior to separation. Employers are invited to join this webinar hosted by Solar Energy Industries Association to learn more about these programs, featuring success stories from across the industry.

Cohen Hall, E'Lon↗

Models and Methods for Sparse (Hyper)Network Science in Business, Industry, and Government

The authors are hosting an AMS sponsored Mathematics Research Community (MRC) focusing on two themes that have garnered intense attention in network models of complex relational data: (1) how to faithfully model multi-way relations in hypergraphs, rather than only pairwise interactions in graphs; and (2) challenges posed by modelling networks with extreme sparsity. Here we introduce and explore these two themes and their challenges. In this work, we hope to generate interest from researchers in pure and applied mathematics and computer science.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Measuring Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Water Resource Recovery Facilities Workshop Report

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office hosted the Measuring Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Water Resource Recovery Facilities Workshop on Jan. 23–24, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The event brought together representatives from water resource recovery facilities, national laboratories, technology providers, academic researchers, industry consultants, and government agencies, to gather input on the challenges and opportunities in greenhouse gas measurement at water resource recovery facilities and how to effectively leverage future DOE efforts to reduce these uncertainties through potential measurement campaign(s). This report is a summary of the views expressed by individual participants during the workshop; it is not intended to represent DOE’s views or programmatic priorities.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Spatial and temporal baseline of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid retained in sediment core samples from Puget Sound, Washington, USA

Per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of highly persistent synthetic chemicals utilized in many industrial and consumer products, and — most significantly toward introduction to the marine environment — in fire-fighting foams. Recently, PFAS have been linked to adverse health effects, prompting the need to understand transport and fate. Puget Sound’s main basin, hosting densely populated urban and industrial areas, is known to be contaminated with various persistent organic pollutants and provides a central focus for ecosystem monitoring. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, a manufactured PFAS and biodegradation product, partitions to marine sediments and thus can be used as a primary indicator toward regulatory efforts. The current study offers a spatial and temporal analysis of the Puget Sound from cores collected adjacent, Tacoma and Seattle, WA, as well as cores from central Hood Canal and Carr Inlet.

Per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS),↗

Workshop on Improving Holdup Monitoring in the US

The characterization and quantification of nuclear deposits, or residual nuclear material retained in process equipment, generally referred to as holdup, continues to challenge nuclear processing facilities in DOE program areas such as nuclear criticality safety, material control and accountability, environmental management. The efficiency and effectiveness of nuclear operations in these facilities depends heavily on the results from nondestructive techniques designed to measure nuclear materials in situ. The traditional methods used to measure holdup were established more than 30 years ago and assume unrealistic conditions for most measurement cases. These blind, in situ measurements present unique challenges due to the following attributes: unique, non-ideal geometries; unknown deposit thicknesses; lack of representative calibration standards; large number of holdup deposit locations; and poor accessibility for many measurement locations. These difficulties and the poor assumptions made to handle them have resulted in measurement uncertainties that are often too large for many programs to effectively utilize. In an effort to address and identify solutions to the current holdup challenges facing the US nuclear industry, Oak Ridge National Laboratory hosted the Technical Workshop on Improving Holdup Monitoring in the US. The two-day workshop held August 21–22, 2019, was attended by 35 holdup measurement practitioners, program managers, stakeholders from US Department of Energy sites, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and representatives from commercial industry. The primary objectives were to identify critical elements of a successful and defensible holdup measurement program; identify technical challenges, needs, and potential improvements associated with measurement of holdup; and share best practices and lessons learned from recent accumulation events. Fourteen presentations were delivered on holdup topics including necessary elements for effective program management, measurement needs, emerging technologies and other measurement solutions, and lessons learned from recent events. These presentations highlighted best practices related to accumulation monitoring, considerations and proactive steps to facilitate holdup in new facility designs, imaging solutions to improve holdup assumptions, and new software developed in support of holdup measurements. Breakout sessions were also employed to determine additional needs and identify potential solutions to common holdup challenges. The primary discussions focused on causes and prevention of material accumulations, needs for uranium and plutonium measurements, and reduction of measurement uncertainty, all of which were explicitly identified as critical needs during the 2018 Workshop on Technical and Programmatic Needs for a Sustainable NDA Program for the US DOE.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Aircraft engine hot section technology: An overview of the HOST Project

NASA sponsored the Turbine Engine Hot Section (HOST) project to address the need for improved durability in advanced aircraft engine combustors and turbines. Analytical and experimental activities aimed at more accurate prediction of the aerothermal environment, the thermomechanical loads, the material behavior and structural responses to loads, and life predictions for cyclic high temperature operation were conducted from 1980 to 1987. The project involved representatives from six engineering disciplines who are spread across three work disciplines - industry, academia, and NASA. The HOST project not only initiated and sponsored 70 major activities, but also was the keystone in joining the multiple disciplines and work sectors to focus on critical research needs. A broad overview of the project is given along with initial indications of the project's impact.

Sokolowski, Daniel E.↗

Aircraft engine hot section technology: An overview of the HOST Project

NASA sponsored the Turbine Engine Hot Section Technology (HOST) Project to address the need for improved durability in advanced aircraft engine combustors and turbines. Analytical and experimental activities aimed at more accurate prediction of the aerothermal environment, the thermomechanical loads, the material behavior and structural responses to loads, and life predictions for cyclic high-temperature operation were underway for the last 7 years. The project has involved representatives from six engineering disciplines who are spread across three work sectors (industry, academia, and NASA). The HOST Project not only initiated and sponsored 70 major activities, but was also the keystone in joining the multiple disciplines and work sectors to focus on critical research needs. A broad overview of the project is given along with initial indications of the project's impact.

Sokolowski, Daniel E.↗

Regulatory interventions improve the biosynthesis of limiting amino acids from methanol carbon to improve synthetic methylotrophy in Escherichia coli

Synthetic methylotrophy aims to engineer methane and methanol utilization pathways in platform hosts like Escherichia coli for industrial bioprocessing of natural gas and biogas. While recent attempts to engineer synthetic methylotrophs have proved successful, autonomous methylotrophy, that is, the ability to utilize methane or methanol as sole carbon and energy substrates, has not yet been realized. Here, we address an important limitation of autonomous methylotrophy in E. coli: the inability of the organism to synthesize several amino acids when grown on methanol. We targeted global and local amino acid regulatory networks. Those include removal of amino acid allosteric feedback inhibition (argA H15Y , ilvA L447F , hisG E271K , leuA G462D , proB D107N , thrA S345F, trpE S40F ), knockouts of transcriptional repressors (ihfA, metJ); and overexpression of amino acid biosynthetic operons (hisGDCBHAFI, leuABCD, thrABC, trpEDCBA) and transcriptional regulators (crp, purR). Compared to the parent methylotrophic E. coli strain that was unable to synthesize these amino acids from methanol carbon, these strategies resulted in improved biosynthesis of limiting proteinogenic amino acids (histidine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tyrosine) from methanol carbon. In several cases, improved amino acid biosynthesis from methanol carbon led to improvements in methylotrophic growth in methanol minimal medium supplemented with a small amount of yeast extract. Here, this study addresses a key limitation currently preventing autonomous methylotrophy in E. coli and possibly other synthetic methylotrophs and provides insight as to how this limitation can be alleviated via global and local regulatory modifications.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Triggering the stringent response enhances synthetic methanol utilization in Escherichia coli

Synthetic methylotrophy aims to engineer methane and methanol utilization pathways in platform hosts like Escherichia coli for industrial bioprocessing of natural gas and biogas. While recent attempts to engineer synthetic methylotrophs have proved successful, autonomous methylotrophy, i.e. the ability to utilize methane or methanol as sole carbon and energy substrates, has not yet been realized. Here in this paper, we address an important limitation of autonomous methylotrophy in E. coli: the inability of the organism to synthesize several amino acids when grown on methanol. By activating the stringent/stress response via ppGpp overproduction, or DksA and RpoS overexpression, we demonstrate improved biosynthesis of proteinogenic amino acids via endogenous upregulation of amino acid synthesis pathway genes. Thus, we were able to achieve biosynthesis of several limiting amino acids from methanol-derived carbon, in contrast to the control methylotrophic E. coli strain. This study addresses a key limitation currently preventing autonomous methylotrophy in E. coli and possibly other synthetic methylotrophs and provides insight as to how this limitation can be alleviated via stringent/stress response activation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Contaminant Monitor Laser

Under a Small Business Innovation Research contract from Langley Research Center, OPOTEK, Inc. developed a laser transmitter for remote sensing of water vapor in the upper atmosphere. As a leader in developing and using Differential Absorption Lidar, a remote sensing technique to monitor ozone and water vapor in the atmosphere, NASA was interested in upgrading the capabilities of its airborn laser systems. The laser transmitter developed for NASA was used for measuring water vapor in the infrared region. By broadening this concept to other wavelengths, OPOTEK believes a range of industrial applications can be met. In addition, the tunable laser system can be used by the Drug Enforcement Administration to discern the by-products from illegal drug manufacturing. A host of other government, university, and industrial laboratory uses for the technology are also being examined as follow-up by the company.

Source record↗

Multi-scale modeling of fuel fragmentation and microstructural evolution

An overview of NEAMS program activities to model fuel fragmentation and microstructual evolution to a group of industry attendees at a meeting hosted by EPRI. Topics include atomistic methods to determine grain boundary strength, phase-field fracture modeling to determine critical pressure at grain boundaries, and coupled phase-field-cluster dynamics to model microstructural evolution.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

The Demand for a Domestic Offshore Wind Energy Supply Chain

In March of 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration established a National Offshore Wind Target to install 30 GW by 2030. This ambitious goal was not only intended to help reduce dependencies on fossil fuels, but also represents an opportunity to establish a new and sustainable industry in the United States. The announcement referenced the potential benefits of establishing a domestic supply chain, including the opportunity for existing suppliers to produce thousands of components while creating tens of thousands of jobs over the course of the decade. This vision by the Biden-Harris Administration aligns with the perspective of the offshore wind industry. At a Leadership 100 event hosted by the Business Network for Offshore wind in 2019, offshore wind developers and manufacturers identified the need for a roadmap outlining a pathway to a domestic supply chain as the top priority facing the industry. Building up domestic manufacturing capabilities will not only energize local industries but can potentially de-risk individual project by reducing reliance on importing resources from European or Asian markets. Although establishing a domestic supply chain will require significant investment, it has the potential to create substantial benefits throughout the industry and, by extension, on the decarbonization goals of the United States. This study characterizes the challenges and opportunities facing the growth of a domestic supply chain industry and evaluates the potential benefits that could be achieved through the creation of the supply chain. This report is the first of a two-part series which will describe the full supply chain roadmap and the associated benefits; the current report focuses on the high-level deployment, workforce, and component requirements that need to be met to achieve the National Offshore Wind Target. We will present: 1. A deployment pipeline that demonstrates the pathway to 30 GW, the associated demand for major fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind components (turbines, foundations, cables, substations), and the vessel and port requirements to support these installation activities. 2. A series of sensitivity analyses showing how the demand for components, ports, and vessels changes for different technology pathways and availability of the global supply chain. 3. An estimate of the total number of jobs that would be required to support these deployment scenarios under varying levels of assumed domestic content. 4. A comprehensive list of the Tier 1, 2, and 3 components (finished components, subassemblies, and subcomponents) required to construct fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind projects. 5. A discussion of critical path components that represent a significant challenge, bottleneck, or risk for a future domestic supply chain.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Expanding the genetic toolset: using serine recombinases to integrate riboregulatory elements into industrially relevant microbial chassis

To realize the full potential of biomanufacturing, the breadth of industrial microbes used to consume diverse feedstock and generate bioproducts needs to expand. As such, portable tools are required that can be used by multiple hosts for straightforward genomic manipulation and precise gene expression. Here, we demonstrate the co-utilization of two synthetic biology tools to achieve these goals: cis-repressors (CRs) and serine recombinase-assisted genome engineering (SAGE). CRs are small, noncoding RNAs that are placed upstream of the target gene to modulate bacterial translation rates at varying, discrete levels. SAGE uses site-specific serine recombinases to catalyze highly efficient, unidirectional insertion of DNA into the chromosome of diverse organisms. We used SAGE to integrate a suite of CRs into the industrially relevant hosts Pseudomonas putida, Corynebacterium glutamicum, and Cupriavidus necator. Using a fluorescent reporter as a readout of CR functionality, we found that CR performance across these backgrounds was similar—providing a range of translational repression up to 100-fold. Overall, these results demonstrate the high portability of CRs across bacterial genetic backgrounds, which ideally can be used in future microbial engineering efforts pertinent to biomanufacturing.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

A Systems Engineering Analysis of National Ignition Facility Industrial Controls Systems and Safety Interlock Systems Remote Input/Output Networking Migration from ControlNet to EtherNet/IP

The ControlNet industrial communications protocol and modules used in the Industrial Control System (ICS) and Safety Interlock System (SIS) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are no longer necessary and the ICS and SIS would be better served by migrating the communications structure to use EtherNet/Industrial Protocol (IP) and EtherNet bridge modules instead. By the admission of the vendor of ControlNet hardware, Rockwell Automation, in literature by Bill Petro [1], “Moving forward, customers will be able to optimize their asset utilization better using EtherNet/IP protocol than with ControlNet.” The NIF is one of the key elements of the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC). The NIF contains the systems and provides the operational capacity to perform ICF, high energy density (HED), and discovery science experiments utilizing 192 individual beamlines, a host of diagnostics, and all the industrial systems required to facilitate these beamlines and diagnostics. The industrial systems are governed by the ICS and SIS, with the ICS providing control and the SIS providing monitoring and permissives. Construction on the NIF began in 1997 and was certified complete in 2009 and, as a result, the ICS and SIS were developed during this time using the tools that were available then. This includes the communications structure and protocols for these systems, much of which was, and still is, ControlNet. ControlNet, particularly during the time that the ICS and SIS were being built, has several attractive features. ControlNet hardware is exclusive to Rockwell Automation, which was the automation hardware chosen for the ICS and SIS. One feature that could be considered an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the communication needs of the system is that ControlNet also utilizes no active network components, excluding repeaters which are not always necessary. According to the architect of the ICS system at the NIF, Gordon Lau, one of the most attractive features of the ControlNet protocol during development of the ICS and SIS was that it is deterministic, providing timing of data transfer that is executed exactly as it is defined by the developer.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus replication in primary human cells reveals potential susceptibility to infection

Zoonotic coronaviruses represent an ongoing threat, yet the myriads of circulating animal viruses complicate the identification of higher-risk isolates that threaten human health. Swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV) is a newly discovered, highly pathogenic virus that likely evolved from closely related HKU2 bat coronaviruses, circulating in Rhinolophus spp. bats in China and elsewhere. As coronaviruses cause severe economic losses in the pork industry and swine are key intermediate hosts of human disease outbreaks, we synthetically resurrected a recombinant virus (rSADS-CoV) as well as a derivative encoding tomato red fluorescent protein (tRFP) in place of ORF3. rSADS-CoV replicated efficiently in a variety of continuous animal and primate cell lines, including human liver and rectal carcinoma cell lines. Of concern, rSADS-CoV also replicated efficiently in several different primary human lung cell types, as well as primary human intestinal cells. rSADS-CoV did not use human coronavirus ACE-2, DPP4, or CD13 receptors for docking and entry. Contemporary human donor sera neutralized the group I human coronavirus NL63, but not rSADS-CoV, suggesting limited human group I coronavirus cross protective herd immunity. Importantly, remdesivir, a broad-spectrum nucleoside analog that is effective against other group 1 and 2 coronaviruses, efficiently blocked rSADS-CoV replication in vitro. rSADS-CoV demonstrated little, if any, replicative capacity in either immune-competent or immunodeficient mice, indicating a critical need for improved animal models. Efficient growth in primary human lung and intestinal cells implicate SADS-CoV as a potential higher-risk emerging coronavirus pathogen that could negatively impact the global economy and human health.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Path Length Matching and Phase control for Coherently Combined Fiber Laser Arrays (1DPATH)

Coherently combined fiber lasers are literally the future of all lasers. Through coherent combining the high efficiency, ruggedness, and low cost of fiber lasers can be synthesized into any laser imaginable. Lasers of any wavelength, pulse characteristics, energy, average power, or beam output shape can be created through the coherent combination of a low cost base fiber laser. We now have the opportunity to move from traditional “Analog” lasers with their bulk optics, big optical benches, strict cleanliness requirements and high cost and fragility towards “Digital Lasers” where the output beams are shaped to provide characteristics like Orbital Angular Momentum to not only specify the traditional laser characteristics but also the output beam patterns as well. This will enable future applications such as Wakefield Accelerators, petawatt lasers, particle beam control, as well as Inertial Confinement Fusion Drivers and a host of other medical, scientific, and industrial uses.

42 ENGINEERING↗