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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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DOE OSTI2024

Materials Characterization, Prediction, and Control Project: Summary Report on Material Characterization, Part 3

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Materials Characterization, Prediction, and Control Project: Summary Report on Material Characterization, Part 4

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

SS-HORSE extension of the no-core shell model: Application to resonances in He 7

Theoretical ab initio studies of resonances in the unbound 7 He nucleus are presented. We perform no-core shell-model calculations with NN interactions Daejeon16 and JISP16 and utilize the SS-HORSE method to calculate the S matrix for two-body channels n + 6 He and n + 6 He* with 6He respectively in the ground and excited 2 + states as well as for the four-body democratic decay channel 4 He + n + n + n. The resonant energies and widths are obtained by numerical location of the S-matrix poles. Here, we describe all experimentally known 7 He resonances and suggest an interpretation of an observed wide resonance of unknown spin-parity.

6 ≤ A ≤ 19↗

DOE OSTI2023

The Physical and Engineering Limits of Coupled In situ TEM Experiments

Almost all future energy systems (advanced nuclear reactors, fusion energy system, concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP), and wind technologies) are limited by degradation of key material systems exposed to multiple environmental stressors. The degradation during exposure to high temperatures, radiation, mechanical loading, and chemical attack is often dictated by mechanisms active at the microstructural level. The nature of these mechanisms and the associated variations between sequential and concurrent interplay can be explored if the transmission electron microscope (TEM) is utilized as a toolbox for exploration [1]. One such tool developed at Sandia National Laboratories to couple several of these environments is the In situ Ion Irradiation TEM (I3TEM) [2]. Several studies over the last decade utilizing this tool have shown that the scientific intuition developed over decades of sequential experiments is not always a good indicator of concurrent mechanisms or failure routes. This presentation will highlight the recent and planned additions into the I3TEM facility of a Waviks gas injection system and Raman system, respectively, as can be seen in Fig. 1, permitting environmental degradation from gas species leaked into the pole piece region during quantitative mechanical loading (indentation, monotonic loading, high temperature creep, irradiation induced creep, and high-cycle fatigue); multi-beam ion irradiation (energies ranging from 1 keV to 48 MeV and species from H to Au); laser exposure (20 W and 1064 nm), or various combinations thereof that are already possible [3]. This addition permits the facility to explore both sequential or concurrently the four axes of stressors: thermal, mechanical, radiation, and chemical. This information can be directly coupled to modeling, expediting the refinement and validation of both atomistic and mesoscale models.

degradation↗

DOE OSTI2020

Performance Evaluation of Three RTU Energy Efficiency Technologies

This project was part of an effort by CLEAResult and ComEd to evaluate the energy saving potential of emerging technologies in the Chicago area. This project focused on evaluating emerging technologies related to rooftop units (RTUs). An RTU with a single-stage compressor and a constant-speed fan with an induction motor was selected as the baseline for technology comparison. Three retrofit strategies were investigated. The first two involved replacing the single-stage compressor of an RTU by either a two-stage or variable-speed compressor and adding a variable frequency drive (VFD) to the constant speed fan. The use of a multi-/variable-stage compressor improves the part-load efficiency of the compressor which will ultimately result in annual energy savings as well as peak demand shaving in some cases where the design capacity of the RTU is larger than the maximum cooling load of the building space that it is serving. The third technology was the use of a high rotor pole switched reluctance motor (SRM) as a replacement for the constant-speed supply fan. The SRM was applied in single-speed, two-stage and variable-speed compressor RTUs. SRM motors run via reluctance torque. Their stator poles are driven by direct current (DC) power and require an inverter as well as active control when using alternating current (AC) power. This inherent property results in high efficiency over a range of operating conditions. It also exhibits higher efficiency compared to variable frequency drives (VFDs) since its switching frequency is much slower (SCE, 2018).The three technologies investigated are summarized below: 1) Replacing the single-speed compressor with a two-stage compressor and adding a VFD to the supply fan. 2)Replacing the single-speed compressor with a variable-speed compressor and adding a VFD to the supply fan. 3) Replacing the constant-speed induction motor of the supply fan with a high rotor pole SRM. DOE’s building simulation platform EnergyPlus and its graphical user interface OpenStudio were used to evaluate the energy-saving potential of upgrading RTUs, by leveraging experimental data from previous research.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2024

Exploring the growth index γ L : Insights from different CMB dataset combinations and approaches

In this study we investigate the growth index γ L , which characterizes the growth of linear matter perturbations, while analysing different cosmological datasets. We compare the approaches implemented by two different patches of the cosmological solver : and __. In our analysis we uncover a deviation of the growth index from its expected Λ CDM value of 0.55 when utilizing the Planck dataset, both in the case and in the __ case, but in opposite directions. This deviation is accompanied by a change in the direction of correlations with derived cosmological parameters. However, the incorporation of cosmic microwave background lensing data helps reconcile γ L with its Λ -cold dark matter value in both cases. Conversely, the alternative ground-based telescopes Atacama Cosmology Telescope and South Pole Telescope consistently yield growth index values in agreement with γ L = 0.55 . We conclude that the presence of the A lens problem in the Planck dataset contributes to the observed deviations, underscoring the importance of additional datasets in resolving these discrepancies. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

DOE OSTI2022

Review of Radio Frequency Interference and Potential Impacts on the CMB-S4 Cosmic Microwave Background Survey

CMB-S4 will map the cosmic microwave background to unprecedented precision, while simultaneously surveying the millimeter-wave time-domain sky, in order to advance our understanding of cosmology and the universe. CMB-S4 will observe from two sites, the South Pole and the Atacama Desert of Chile. A combination of small- and large-aperture telescopes with hundreds of thousands of polarization-sensitive detectors will observe in several frequency bands from 20-300 GHz, surveying more than 50% of the sky to arcminute resolution with unprecedented sensitivity. CMB-54 seeks to make a dramatic leap in sensitivity while observing across a broad range of largely unprotected spectrum which is increasingly being utilized for terrestrial and satellite transmissions. Fundamental aspects of CMB instrument technology leave them vulnerable to radio frequency interference (RFI) across a wide range of frequencies, including frequencies outside of their observing bands. Ground-based CMB instruments achieve their extraordinary sensitivities by deploying large focal planes of superconducting bolometers to extremely dry, high-altitude sites, with large fractional bandwidths, wide fields of view, and years of integration time. Suitable observing sites have historically offered significant protection from RFI, both naturally through their extremely remote locations as well as through restrictions on local emissions. Since the coupling mechanisms are complex, "safe" levels or frequencies of emission that would not interfere with CMB measurements cannot always be determined through straightforward calculations. We discuss models of interference for various types of RFI relevant to CMB-54, mitigation strategies, and the potential impacts on survey sensitivity.

Cosmic Microwave Background↗

DOE OSTI2026

Synthetic Digital Environments for Training Robots on Earth & Beyond [Poster]

Creating physical replicas of real-world environments to train robots for challenging outdoor tasks, whether constructing energy infrastructure like solar farms on Earth or on the Moon and Mars, is prohibitively expensive. This project will prototype a high-fidelity digital twin framework using NVIDIA IsaacSim to create realistic digital representations of robotic systems and their operating conditions, including varied terrains and environmental factors, allowing robots to learn and adapt in a faster, safer, and more affordable way to tackle unpredictable challenges in terrestrial and extraterrestrial applications. The Robotic Space Exploration (RoSE) Lab at Colorado School of Mines focused on the development and testing of synthetic digital twins to explore multi-physics interactions between robots and unstructured environments, with emphasis on lunar conditions such as deformable regolith, reduced gravity, and terrain-robot contact dynamics. The Industrialized Construction Innovation (ICI) team at National laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), simulated robotic apparatus and construction workflows using synthetic digital twins to inform real-world deployment, targeting application-driven use cases such as robotic construction of a scaled prototype of a photovoltaic energy infrastructure. Joint efforts between RoSE and ICI are continuing to explore how environment-scale multi-physics modeling and application-level robotic system simulation could be integrated to support robotic construction of energy infrastructure in highly unstructured environments, including scenarios relevant to the Lunar South Pole.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2024

Force reduction of friction stir welding and processing of steel

Friction stir welding and processing (FSW&P) is considered as a new fabrication method for canisters and repair of existing dry cask storage system canisters (generally made of austenitic stainless steel). Low heat input compared to fusion joining processes and grain refinement associated with low-temperature FSW&P result in a material with improved mechanical properties and equivalent generalized corrosion performance relative to the base metal. But FSW&P of austenitic stainless steel requires significant tool forge axis force to produce a weld (or a run). Exploratory runs utilizing forge axis force control were conducted to investigate the minimum force required to achieve defect-free runs. The correlation between forge axis force and resultant plunge depth was also investigated. Furthermore, detailed microstructural characterization was conducted to display the microstructural variation within the nugget zone.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2023

In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis of ultrasonically assisted microstructure refinement during laser melting process

This work investigates the effect of ultrasonic treatment (UST) on the microstructure of AA4043 alloy during laser melting process. Here, the study utilizes in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD) and postmortem electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques to examine the ultrasonic grain refinement mechanism. The SXRD diffraction patterns exhibit higher continuity of major diffraction rings in the UST-test pattern, indicating a more refined grain structure. The presence of new diffraction spots in the post-test diffraction pattern with UST suggests the breakdown of epitaxial growth of columnar dendrites during solidification. Thermal profiles determined by analyzing the lattice parameter evolution show a faster cooling rate with UST. The inverse pole figures and aspect ratio distribution from EBSD reveal that the UST samples exhibit a refined, more equiaxed grain structure along the weld centerline. UST sample also develops more fine-sized low angle grain boundaries (LAGBs). These features offer better hot-cracking resistance in aluminum alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Assessment of Commercial Composite Power Pole Performance

The objective of this report is to assess the performance of composite poles, considering price, durability, resilience to the effects of extreme weather, ongoing maintenance costs, ease of repair, preplacement or upgrading giving special consideration to performance in watersheds and flood prone environments. The report starts with a description of the history and functional requirements of power pole. This is followed by a survey of existing composite pole manufacturing processes with a survey of existing knowledge base answering the above performance requirements. For the information not currently available to the public, an overview of testing procedures is outlined. Finally, an overview of emerging trends in composites and potential opportunities to address technical and economic shortfalls is proposed.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2024

Materials Characterization, Prediction, and Control Project: Summary Report on Material Characterization, Part 1

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) undertook the Materials Characterization, Prediction, and Control (MCPC) Laboratory Directed Research and Development Project to advance understanding of nuclear material processing and enable multifold acceleration in the development and qualification of new material systems in national security and advanced energy applications (Smith 2021). The MCPC Project executed research across three scientific vertices—material characterization, predictive modeling, and data analytics—with extensive support by a data curation and management team. The central technical objective in the MCPC Project was to improve the prediction and characterization of the process-structure-property relationships within the microstructurally refined region of stainless-steel samples prepared utilizing friction stir processing (FSP). Application of the FSP technique is well established at PNNL within the Solid Phase Processing capability through many years of investment across a range of materials and applications (PNNL 2024). Three distinct rounds of FSP experiments were performed by the experimental team, producing replicate samples utilizing across different nominal processing conditions (Condition IDs) listed in Table 1. The starting material on which FSP was applied was commercially available unprocessed stainless-steel type 316L material. Chosen processing conditions were very diverse, and some were intentionally chosen to produce defects. Several samples experienced tool breakage during experimentation, so a full set of three replicates was not produced for every nominal processing condition.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Investigation of Microstructures and Tensile Properties of 316L Stainless Steel Fabricated via Laser Powder Bed Fusion

In this study, a thorough investigation of the microstructures and tensile properties of 316L stainless steel fabricated via laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) was done. 316L stainless steel specimens with two different thicknesses of 1.5 mm and 4.0 mm fabricated under similar conditions were utilized. Microstructural characterization was performed using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Melt pools and cellular structures were observed using OM, whereas EBSD was utilized to obtain the grain size, grain boundary characteristics, and crystallographic texture. The 1.5 mm thick sample demonstrated a yield strength (YS) of 538.42 MPa, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 606.47 MPa, and elongation to failure of 69.88%, whereas the 4.0 mm thick sample had a YS of 551.21 MPa, UTS of 619.58 MPa, and elongation to failure of 73.66%. These results demonstrated a slight decrease in mechanical properties with decreasing thickness, with a 2.4% reduction in YS, 2.1% reduction in UTS, and 5.8% reduction in elongation to failure. In addition to other microstructural features, the cellular structures were observed to be the major contributors to the high mechanical properties. Using the inverse pole figure (IPF) maps, both thicknesses depicted a crystallographic texture of {001} <101> in their as-built state. However, when subjected to tensile loads, texture transitions to {111} <001> and {111} <011> were observed for the 1.5 mm and 4.0 mm samples, respectively. Additionally, EBSD analysis revealed the pre-existence of high-density dislocation networks and a high fraction of low-angle grain boundaries. Interestingly, twinning was observed, suggesting that the plastic deformation occurred through dislocation gliding and deformation twinning.

316L stainless steel↗

DOE OSTI2021

DSP Implementation of a Novel Recurrent Neural Network Controller into a TI Solar Microinverter

Single-phase grid-tied inverters are widely used to integrate small-scale renewable energy sources and distributed generations to the utility grid. A novel Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) current controller is introduced to solve the resonant problem associated with LCL based inverters. The well-trained RNN controller was validated through a Texas Instruments (TI) LCL filter based solar microinverter kit that contains a C2000 TI microcontroller. The inverter closed current loop test without the grid connection was conducted in a laboratory setup to verify the RNN contoller functionality. The laboratory waveform results verified that the RNN current controller produced the strong tracking of the measured inverter AC current to its reference value even at a low sampling frequency of 5KHz. The proposed RNN current controller also proved to perform better than the built-in three-pole-three-zero (3P3Z) current controller provided by TI and produce lower values of Total Harmonic Distortion (THD).

digital signal processor↗

DOE OSTI2022

CMB/kSZ and Compton-y Maps from 2500 deg 2 of SPT-SZ and Planck Survey Data

Abstract We present component-separated maps of the primary cosmic microwave background/kinematic Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (SZ) amplitude and the thermal SZ Compton- y parameter, created using data from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and the Planck satellite. These maps, which cover the ∼2500 deg 2 of the southern sky imaged by the SPT-SZ survey, represent a significant improvement over previous such products available in this region by virtue of their higher angular resolution ( 1 .′ 25 for our highest-resolution Compton- y maps) and lower noise at small angular scales. In this work we detail the construction of these maps using linear combination techniques, including our method for limiting the correlation of our lowest-noise Compton- y map products with the cosmic infrared background. We perform a range of validation tests on these data products to test our sky modeling and combination algorithms, and we find good performance in all of these tests. Recognizing the potential utility of these data products for a wide range of astrophysical and cosmological analyses, including studies of the gas properties of galaxies, groups, and clusters, we make these products publicly available at http://pole.uchicago.edu/public/data/sptsz_ymap and on the NASA/LAMBDA website.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Catching Rays: How Bifacial_Radiance Sheds Light on the Future of Solar PV

The challenge of energy transition is immediate and immense, with current projections targeting 75 TW of photovoltaics (PV) capacity globally by 2050. Alongside the rapid deployment is the "solar-coaster" ride the PV industry experiences with evolving technologies and novel installation methods. In 2016, NREL developed bifacial_radiance, a python open-source modeling tool for bifacial PV. This tool is a wrapper of the raytracing engine Radiance, which you all know better than us at this workshop. Bifacial_radiance integrates the many characteristics of common PV systems to model irradiance on both the front and rear sides of bifacial PV technology - a technology that now represents 75% of utility-scale deployment in the US. Bifacial_radiance has been pivotal for understanding bifacial system performance, shading, and edge effects, and now agrivoltaics research. It has also helped develop simplified models used in PV due diligence tools for optimizing new deployments or evaluating the performance of existing projects. Now, it's the go-to comparison tool for many university, and industry-developed systems modeling tools, and a pivotal tool for further research in photovoltaics. This talk will cover the needs bifacial_radiance addresses as an open-source tool, its development path, and the opportunity for any raytracer to shine light on the solar industry through research and practical application of modeling in regular site installations and novel setups like agrivoltaics and vertical panels at high latitudes (and even the South Pole!).

agrivoltaics↗

DOE OSTI2020

Area Lighting Yuma Sector Border Patrol Area, AZ. SSL Evaluation [Brief]

Along the Yuma Sector Border Patrol Area in Yuma, Arizona, the GATEWAY program conducted a trial evaluation in which the incumbent quartz metal halide area lighting was replaced with LED at three pole locations, and illuminance measurements were recorded initially and at 2500 hours, 5000 hours, 7000, and 11,000 hours of operation. Additionally, four second-generation LED luminaires installed as part of the full installation were evaluated initially and again after 4,000 hours of operation. While the initial energy, lighting quality, and maintenance benefits relative to the incumbent high-pressure sodium system were very satisfactory, the study raises important questions regarding the long-term performance of LED lighting systems in high-temperature environments.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2023

Biocompatible Co–P Metallic Glasses with Superior Degradation Tolerance in Physiological Environments

Metallic glasses represent a class of metallic alloys with a fully amorphous structure and attractive properties, making them promising in bioimplant applications. Here, the degradation tolerance of biocompatible cobalt–phosphorus (Co–P) metallic glasses was studied in a simulated physiological environment. The metallic glasses were synthesized in the form of coatings through a facile electrodeposition approach. This method utilizes their outstanding surface characteristics and bypasses the size limitations usually associated with their bulk counterparts. Further, the Co–P alloys showed exceptional tribological response with ~14% lower coefficient of friction and 2 orders of magnitude lesser wear rate compared to SS316 stainless steel. In addition, the Co–P alloys showed a 3 times higher hardness and 4 times higher hardness/modulus ratio compared to SS316, indicating better elastic recovery under dynamic shear stresses that are common in load-bearing bioimplants. The Co–P metallic glasses exhibited excellent hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility in terms of lower platelet adhesion, spreading, and aggregation, a hemolysis ratio lower than 1%, and enhanced surface wettability, suggesting a superlative performance in bioimplant applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗