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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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3,214 records · Page 32

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NASA NTRS2026

NASA Weather Balloon Demonstration of an Additively Manufactured Antenna

Additive manufacturing (AM) enables low-cost, lightweight, and geometrically flexible antennas for rapid deployment missions. This work reports a left-hand circularly polarized magneto-electric dipole printed on a Radix dielectric with inkjet silver metallization and demonstrated as a process replacement for NASA weather-balloon RF hardware. By combining substrate fabrication and metallization, AM provides value for unrecoverable or field-replaceable systems. A physics based verification workflow links AM-specific material behavior to electromagnetic performance and yields bounded total, radiation, and mismatch efficiencies. Standard surface-impedance and roughness models failed to reproduce the frequency-dependent radiation loss observed in printed inks, underscoring the need for AM-specific conductor parameterization. Mission testing confirmed TDRSS link closure from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility and validated a repeatable print–measure–fly workflow for bounding RF performance and qualifying AM antennas for field use.

Peter Moschetti↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Weather Balloon Demonstration of an Additively Manufactured Antenna

Peter Moschetti↗

DOE OSTI2026

Design and Modeling of the Charge Readout of a SiMOS Quantum Dot with a Single Electron Transistor and CryoCMOS

Single electron spin qubits trapped in SiMOS quantum dots are a promising technology for scaling to thousand- or million-qubit systems due to their compatibility with mature CMOS manufacturing processes. A readout system that combines a single electron transistor with a custom cryogenic CMOS amplification and digitization chain offers key advantages by avoiding the use of bulky RF components or room-temperature interconnects. We present design techniques and simulation results for an optimized qubit-SET cryoCMOS interface, culminating in the design of the QNDR1 ASIC, the first cryogenic readout ASIC designed under the Quandarum project, which targets the development of a many-channel spin qubit based detector for use in high energy physics.

Quinn, Adam [Fermilab] (ORCID:0009000605056371)↗

DOE OSTI2026

Commercial and Industrial Energy Procurement in Nigeria: A Consumer's Guidebook

Across Africa, countries have incorporated a variety of new energy sources into their energy mix to account for increasing demand. In Nigeria, electricity consumption per capita has grown nearly 50% in the past 20 years. To address rising demand for energy in Nigeria, the country has passed several recent policies and regulations aimed at increasing energy generation across the country, improving the country's transmission infrastructure, and ensuring that electricity reliably reaches end users, including commercial and industrial (C&I) customers. This guidebook is designed for C&I customers in Nigeria to use in the consideration of procuring such onsite, captive energy systems to supplement their energy needs. Each section of this guidebook touches on a step of the procurement process and details the relevant stakeholders, processes, and data needed to make decisions during that step.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Utility Experience with Inverter Based Resource Impacts on Transmission Protection

High penetration of inverter-based resources (IBR) can adversely affect the transmission protection schemes in the area. With the proliferation of IBRs, utilities are finding out that conventional protection schemes are not adequately equipped to protect the electric systems because the existing system has been designed based on the fault current response of conventional rotating-machine-based generators. In several cases, the available literature does not provide any clear solution for the issues when the protection scheme does not operate properly near IBRs. This report identifies various protection challenges due to IBRs that industry is facing, from the utility perspective. It includes a broad review of all challenges that system protection has experienced so far with high penetration of IBRs. Key issues have been identified based on a survey of different utility protection engineers. Finally, fault event recordings are shown to demonstrate some actual cases of mis-operations of relays near IBRs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2024

An Overview of Electric Vehicle Load Modeling Strategies for Grid Integration Studies

The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has emerged as a solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, which has motivated the implementation of public policies to promote their use in several countries. However, the high adoption of EVs poses challenges for the electricity sector, as it would imply an increase in energy demand and possible impacts on the power quality (PQ) of the power grid. Therefore, it is important to conduct EV integration studies in the power grid to determine the amount that can be incorporated without causing problems and identify the areas of the power sector that will require reinforcements. Accurate EV load patterns are required for this type of study that, through mathematical modeling, reflect both the dynamic behavior and the factors that influence the decision to recharge EVs. This article aims to present an overview of EVs, examine the different factors considered in the literature for modeling EV load patterns, and review modeling methods. EV load modeling methods are classified into deterministic, statistical, and machine learning. The article shows that each modeling method has its advantages, disadvantages, and data requirements, ranging from simple load modeling to more accurate models requiring large datasets.

Computer Science↗

NASA NTRS1995

Magnum(R) NiCd advanced nickel-cadmium battery cells

The Power Systems Department of Eagle-Picher Industries, Inc., located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, had developed a long-life advanced Nickel-Cadmium battery cell for aerospace applications. This battery cell, known as the MAGNUM NiCd cell, offers significant life expectancy increase over traditional NiCd battery cells. In addition, it offers significant cost reduction from the Super NiCd battery cell (developed by Hughes Aircraft Company and manufactured by the Power Systems Department of Eagle-Picher Industries, Inc.).

Scoles, Darren↗

NASA NTRS1995

Transitional Flow in Thin Tubes for Space Station Freedom Radiator

A two dimensional finite volume method is used to predict the film coefficients in the transitional flow region (laminar or turbulent) for the radiator panel tubes. The code used to perform this analysis is CAST (Computer Aided Simulation of Turbulent Flows). The information gathered from this code is then used to augment a Sinda85 model that predicts overall performance of the radiator. A final comparison is drawn between the results generated with a Sinda85 model using the Sinda85 provided transition region heat transfer correlations and the Sinda85 model using the CAST generated data.

Patrick Loney↗

DOE OSTI2026

Structured illumination for surface-resolved grazing-incidence X-ray scattering

Grazing-incidence (GI) scattering techniques are widely used to characterize thin films, offering high surface sensitivity and insight into morphology and structure. However, these approaches typically provide statistical averaged information due to elongated footprint or limited spatial resolution due to beam size. Here we introduce a method that combines structured illumination with GI X-ray scattering and leverages our computational imaging approach to resolve local structural details. We demonstrate that our method captures local features of an organic semiconductor thin film without the need for sample rotation as in tomography. The method expands GI techniques from statistical averaging to high-resolution imaging, thereby providing the capability for detailed analysis of local material properties, such as domain shape, orientation and polymorphism, which are critical for advancing material design towards more efficient and tailored materials.

Gursoy, Doga↗

NASA NTRS2026

Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites Exposed to Cryogenic Conditions and Space Radiation via Simulation and Testing

As NASA missions extend beyond low Earth orbit, increasing reliance is placed on carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites for spacecraft structures where mass efficiency, durability, and long-term reliability are critical. In service, these materials are subjected to a combination of ultraviolet radiation, vacuum, ionizing radiation, atomic oxygen, and extreme thermal excursions under sustained mechanical loading. Flight systems such as the Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Dragon employ external composite structures that will experience these environments for extended durations. Although prior spaceflight and ground studies have reported limited changes in bulk mechanical properties, the synergistic effects of these environments on composite microstructure, particularly at the fiber matrix interphase, remain insufficiently characterized and represent a potential qualification and reliability risk. This study investigates the effects of short-term cryogenic exposure on a radiation shielding carbon epoxy composite, SC2020, as a ground-based analog for space relevant thermal extremes. The SC2020 material system has previously flown on the International Space Station under the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) program. Composite specimens were exposed to liquid nitrogen for 6 and 24 hours and evaluated using a multiscale characterization framework that combined ASTM D3039 tensile testing, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) based interphase analysis, and helium gas permeability measurements. Tensile testing showed no statistically significant or permanent degradation in global strength or modulus following cryogenic exposure. In contrast, AFM measurements revealed reductions in interphase modulus, weakened adhesion, and increased nanoscale heterogeneity, indicating localized degradation mechanisms not captured by conventional bulk testing. Gas permeability measurements showed a progressive increase in helium diffusion with exposure duration, consistent with micro-void formation or partial interfacial debonding. The results indicate that cryogenic exposure initiates degradation at the fiber matrix interphase while leaving global mechanical properties largely unchanged over short durations. These findings underscore the importance of multiscale diagnostics for identifying early-stage damage mechanisms that may influence long term performance and qualification margins for spaceflight composite structures. The data presented establish a cryogenic baseline for comparison with forthcoming MISSE flight exposure results and support ongoing NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) efforts aimed at improving composite qualification methodologies, risk assessment, and reliability prediction for space environments.

composite reliability↗

NASA NTRS1995

A review of nickel hydrogen battery technology

This paper on nickel hydrogen batteries is an overview of the various nickel hydrogen battery design options, technical accomplishments, validation test results and trends. There is more than one nickel hydrogen battery design, each having its advantage for specific applications. The major battery designs are individual pressure vessel (IPV), common pressure vessel (CPV), bipolar and low pressure metal hydride. State-of-the-art (SOA) nickel hydrogen batteries are replacing nickel cadmium batteries in almost all geosynchronous orbit (GEO) applications requiring power above 1 kW. However, for the more severe low earth orbit (LEO) applications (greater than 30,000 cycles), the current cycle life of 4000 to 10,000 cycles at 60 percent DOD should be improved. A NASA Lewis Research Center innovative advanced design IPV nickel hydrogen cell led to a breakthrough in cycle life enabling LEO applications at deep depths of discharge (DOD). A trend for some future satellites is to increase the power level to greater than 6 kW. Another trend is to decrease the power to less than 1 kW for small low cost satellites. Hence, the challenge is to reduce battery mass, volume and cost. A key is to develop a light weight nickel electrode and alternate battery designs. A common pressure vessel (CPV) nickel hydrogen battery is emerging as a viable alternative to the IPV design. It has the advantage of reduced mass, volume and manufacturing costs. A 10 Ah CPV battery has successfully provided power on the relatively short lived Clementine Spacecraft. A bipolar nickel hydrogen battery design has been demonstrated (15,000 LEO cycles, 40 percent DOD). The advantage is also a significant reduction in volume, a modest reduction in mass, and like most bipolar designs, features a high pulse power capability. A low pressure aerospace nickel metal hydride battery cell has been developed and is on the market. It is a prismatic design which has the advantage of a significant reduction in volume and a reduction in manufacturing cost.

Smithrick, John J.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Graphitization of banana peel – synergistic effect of Ca and other elements of the biomass on carbon structure transformation

Recently, growing interest has been observed in using calcium as an effective catalyst for graphitizing disordered carbon materials derived from biomass and bioprecursors, such as cellulose and lignin, at relatively low tem peratures (<2000 °C). Herein, it is demonstrated that in the presence of elements such as calcium, silicon, sulfur, and potassium, which are abundant in banana peel composed of cellulose and lignin base, graphitization occurs much more effectively. The addition of external calcium source, in the form of calcium carbonate, to the banana peel-derived carbon and heat-treatment of the mixture under protective atmosphere up to 1750 °C results in a significant increase in the degree of the graphitization order and local formation of graphite crystals, whereas the same preparation and heat-treatment procedure applied to carbon material derived from pristine cellulose does not lead to such effective graphitization. It is indicated that the graphitization of banana peel carbon occurs due to the synergistic effect of the external Ca-based catalyst and the internal elements present in the raw biomass, supporting the transformation of the disordered graphene-like layers into graphitic structures. These findings are important for the future production of green graphite from biomass

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Carbon Utilization and Storage Partnership of the Western United States

This technical report documents research conducted under DOE Award No. DE-FE0031837 focused on evaluating the feasibility of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) systems in the central and western United States. The project integrated geologic characterization, reservoir simulation, infrastructure modeling, and economic analysis to assess CO₂ storage potential near industrial sources and develop strategies for transport and sequestration. The work included subsurface modeling, risk assessment, monitoring and verification (MRV) planning, and evaluation of regulatory pathways such as EPA Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI permitting and IRS 45Q tax credit eligibility. Results demonstrate the viability of multiple storage approaches, including saline formations, enhanced coalbed methane recovery, and basalt mineralization, supported by data-driven workflows and regional analyses. The project also produced permitting templates, technology transfer activities, and stakeholder engagement efforts to support deployment readiness. These findings contribute to the development of scalable, economically viable CCUS systems and provide a repeatable framework for future carbon management projects.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

NASA NTRS2003

Dissociation and Recombination Effects on the Performance of Pulse Detonation Engines

This paper summarizes major theoretical results for pulse detonation engine performance taking into account real gas chemistry, as well as significant performance differences resulting from the presence of ram and compression heating. An unsteady CFD analysis, as well as a thermodynamic cycle analysis, was conducted in order to determine the actual and the ideal performance for an air-breathing pulse detonation engine (PDE) using either a hydrogen-air or ethylene-air mixture over a flight Mach number range from 0 to 4. The results clearly elucidate the competitive regime of PDE application relative to ramjets and gas turbines.

Povinelli, Louis A.↗

DOE OSTI1995

Nuclear Safety [Vol. 36, No. 2, July-December 1995]

Nuclear Safety is a journal that covers significant issues in the field of nuclear safety. Its primary scope is safety in the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning of nuclear power reactors worldwide and the research and analysis activities that promote this goal, but it also encompasses the safety aspects of the entire nuclear fuel cycle, including fuel fabrication, spent-fuel processing and handling, and nuclear waste disposal, the handling of fissionable materials and radioisotopes, and the environmental effects of all these activities. Table of Contents for this issue follows. THE CHORNOBYL ACCIDENT: 195 The Chornobyl Accident Revisited, Part III: Chernobyl Source Term Release Dynamics and Reconstruction of Events During the Active Phase, A. R. Sich; GENERAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS: 218 Second ANS Workshop on the Safety of Soviet-Designed Nuclear Power Plants, R. A. Bari; 234 Elements of a Nuclear Criticality Safety Program, C. M. Hopper; 243 Rickover, Excellence, and Criticality Safety Programs, R. E. Wilson; ACCIDENT ANALYSIS: 249 Transient Analysis of the PIUS Advanced Reactor Design with the TRAC-PF1/MOD2 Code, B. E. Boyack, J. L Steiner, S. C. Harmony, H. J. Stumpf, and J. F. Lime; 278 The Hierarchy-By-Interval Approach to Identifying Important Models that Need Improvement in Severe-Accident Simulation Codes, T. J. Heames, M. Khatib-Rahbar, J. E. Kelly, R. P. Jenks-Johnson, and Y.-S. Chen; 290 RELAP5/MOD3 Code Coupling Model, R. P. Martin; 299 Missiles Caused by Severe Pressurized-Water Reactor Accidents, R. Krieg; DESIGN FEATURES: 310 Validation of COMMIX with Westinghouse AP-600 PCCS Test Data, J. G. Sun, T. H. Chien, J. Ding, and W T. Sha; ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: 321 Spent Nuclear Fuel Characterization for a Bounding Reference Assembly for the Receiving Basin for Off-Site Fuel, S. D. Kahook, R. L. Garrett, L. R. Canas, and M J. Beckum; OPERATING EXPERIENCES: 332 Reactor Shutdown Experience, Compiled by J. W. Cletcher; U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION INFORMATION AND ANALYSES: 335 Reactor Coolant System Blowdown at Wolf Creek on September 17, 1994, J. V. Kauffman and S. L. Israel; RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: 344 Reports, Standards, and Safety Guides, D. S. Oueener; 349 Proposed Rule Changes as of June 30, 1995; ANNOUNCEMENTS: 320 Symposium on Acceptability of Risk From Radiation—Application to Manned Space Flight; 320 24th DOE/NRC Nuclear Air Cleaning and Treatment Conference; 361 Radiation Biology and Radiation Protection— Modern Developments and Tendencies in Radiation Biology; 362 1997 IEEE Sixth Conference on Human Factors and Power Plants; 354 The Authors; 360 Reviewers of Nuclear Safety, Vol. 36.

05 NUCLEAR FUELS↗

NASA NTRS2026

Thermochemical Stability of Ca2Yb8(SiO4)6O2 Apatite in Presence of Molten Calcium-Magnesium-Aluminosilicate (CMAS)

Thermochemical stability of ytterbium silicon oxyapatite Ca 2 Yb 8 (SiO 4 ) 6 O 2 (CYbS) in the presence of molten calcium-magnesium aluminosilicate (CMAS) has been investigated at elevated temperatures for consideration as a thermal and environmental barrier coating (T/EBC) material. CYbS apatite powder was synthesized from the constituent oxides via a solid-state reaction method. Hot-pressed apatite substrates were exposed to molten CMAS at 1200, 1300, and 1400 °C for 1, 10, and 50 h. Development of phases in the interaction region of the heat-treated specimens was monitored using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-angle annular dark-field imaging, selected area electron diffraction, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Monoclinic cyclosilicate Ca 3 Yb 2 (Si 3 O 9 ) 2 formed from interaction of CYbS apatite with CaO in the CMAS melt at the apatite-CMAS reaction front and continued to nucleate and grow within the residual CMAS in diffusion couples annealed for 1 to 50 h at 1200 °C as well as in those heat treated at 1300 °C for 1 h. Residual CMAS was depleted of Ca when cyclosilicate was present. Dendritic wollastonite (CaSiO3) was observed within the residual CMAS in couples annealed at 1200 and 1300 °C. Ingress of molten CMAS, because of its exponential decrease in viscosity, occurred through open pores and along the grain boundaries of the apatite substrates without any detectable chemical reaction at 1300 and 1400 °C. Results of this study indicate that Ca 2 Yb 8 (SiO 4 ) 6 O 2 apatite has the potential to mitigate the CMAS corrosion up to about 1200 °C but not at higher temperatures.

Narottam P Bansal↗

NASA NTRS1989

Bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery development - A program review

An overview of spacecraft power system design trends, focusing on higher power bus voltages and improved energy storage systems, is followed by a discussion of bipolar Ni/H2 battery development efforts. Several 10-cell batteries and one 50-cell battery are described, and performance results are presented. A comparison of individual-pressure-vessel and bipolar Ni/H2 technologies is used to suggest a new direction for bipolar Ni/H2 battery development efforts, toward a large number of passively cooled cells in parallel.

Manzo, Michelle↗

NASA NTRS1977

A nickel-cadmium battery reconditioning circuit

The circuit presented is simple and small enough to be included in a typical battery charge/power control assembly, yet provides the advantage of a complete ground-type battery reconditioning discharge. Test results on the circuit when used to recondition two 24 cell, 20 A-h nickel-cadmium batteries are given. These results show that a battery reconditioned with this circuit returns to greater than 90 percent of its original capacity (greater than nameplate capacity) and follows a typical new battery degradation curve even after over 20,000 simulated orbital cycles for a 4 year period. Applications of the circuit are considered along with recommendations relative to its use. Its application in low voltage (22 to 36 Vdc) power systems and in high voltage (100 to 150 Vdc) power systems is discussed. The implications are that the high voltage systems have a greater need for battery reconditioning than their low voltage counterparts, and that using these circuit techniques, the expected life of a battery in low Earth orbit can be up to 5 years.

Lanier, R.↗