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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 649 records · Page 36

MAPSTER: Automated Geospatial Data Sharing – Version 1.4.0

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) developed MAPSTER which is a geospatial data management tool that aggregates, organizes, and shares data from dispersed sources such as unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Built specifically for use in environments where communications may be limited, MAPSTER utilizes two key technologies to effectively manage data in the field and enable easy data sharing with authorized partners: Observer and Checkpoint. Observer is a lightweight software package on an edge device, such as a laptop, that automatically detects newly processed UAS data and sends to a central server called Checkpoint. Checkpoint is a centralized server at ORNL that receives and manages data from all Observer instances. Even in a very low bandwidth environment, Observer can still send information about the UAS data product almost instantly as it generates its own metadata package on the size of KB (kilobytes). MAPSTER is not only for UAS data but for any geospatial data collected at the austere edge and dispersed sources.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

High Velocity Joining of Multi-material Stacks Containing 3rd Generation Advanced High-Strength Stainless Steel and Aluminum Extrusion and Casting (Abstract)

Advanced lightweight materials, including multi-phase steels, aluminum extrusions and aluminum castings, have increasingly replaced mild steel to meet original equipment manufacturer (OEM) demand for increased fuel economy and crash-safety requirements. Third Generation (Gen 3) AHSS provides a superior combination of strength and ductility for crash energy management components in the vehicle body-in-white (BIW). Aluminum extrusions are widely used for bumper, door rocker panel, cradle and battery frame applications. Aluminum castings are increasingly being used in electric vehicles to provide part consolidation, weight saving and increased driving range. Rocker panels are, for example, an important component of the battery electric vehicle (BEV) body structure. The rocker panel serves several purposes, including structural support, crash resistance, protection for the vehicle's underbody and battery tray, and contributing to the overall aesthetics. In order to reduce weight, rocker panels are usually constructed using outer panels consisting of 3rd generation advanced high strength steels (AHSS) and an inner multicell aluminum extrusion structure for energy absorption which protects the batteries in a crash event. It is well known, however, that these material combinations provide significant challenges for joining and are susceptible to liquid metal embrittlement and loss of strength. The overall goal is to find a solution that addresses these challenges in order to produce multi-material vehicle components with reduced weight and minimal galvanic and recyclability issues. The approach being proposed here is to utilize a novel high velocity (HiVe) riveting and clinching technique recently demonstrated by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to join (2T/3T) sheets of aluminum alloys and steel. This process will not only address the aforementioned challenges but also help significantly reduce the joining cycle time. This work will also demonstrate use of HiVe assemblies to be retrofitted to existing body-shop robots thus having minimal impact to existing body shop operations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Aluminum Ultra-conductors for Energy-Efficient Aerospace Busbar Applications (Abstract)

In this project, we will develop aluminum ultra-conductors with graphene additives demonstrating enhanced electrical conductivity at 90 °C compared to electric grade aluminum alloy AA1100 (43% IACS at 90 °C). While ultra-conductivity has been developed in copper and copper alloys, it is yet to be reported extensively in aluminum-based materials. This project will scale initial work done at PNNL on aluminum ultra-conductors using shear-assisted processing and extrusion (ShAPETM), a novel solid phase processing technique. Ultra-conductors are an emerging class of composites, comprised of a metal substrate with small quantities of nanocrystalline additives such as graphene or carbon nanotubes that demonstrate enhanced conductivity at relevant operating temperatures. Aluminum ultra-conductors can improve efficiency and power density while reducing the demand for copper in a wide range of applications, such as power transmission cables and electric motors. Busbars are an important component in aerospace systems that require lightweight and high-current power distribution including both future electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts and current aircraft electrical systems. We will accelerate aluminum ultra-conductor composite formulation development using combinatorial synthesis and testing methods aided by process/microstructure modeling, developed previously at PNNL. Eaton will test the properties of the ShAPE aluminum ultra-conductor feedstock (used to make the busbars) in relevant operating conditions (20 – 90 °C), predict the improvement in busbar performance when manufactured with ultra-conductors over commercial conductors (such as AA1100), and perform technoeconomic analysis to evaluate the potential for commercialization of ShAPE aluminum ultra-conductors. The project is expected to have a budget of $\$375$K, with $\$300$K in federal funding and $\$75$K in-kind cost-share contribution from Eaton over a period of performance of 24 months. Of the $\$300$K of federal funds, $\$140$K is allocated for CRADA activities that generate intellectual property (IP), and the remaining $\$160$K is reserved for modeling, material testing, characterization, travel, and reporting-related activities.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Streaming Analytics for Anomaly Detection in Large-Scale Data

Anomalous behavior poses serious risks to assured performance and reliability of complex, high-consequence systems. For spaceborne assets and their state-of-health (SOH) telemetry, the challenges of high-dimensional data of varying data types are compounded by computational limitations from size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints as well as data availability. Automated anomaly detection methods tend to perform poorly under these constraints, while current operational approaches can introduce delays in response time due to the manual, retrospective processes for understanding system failures. As a result, presently deployed space systems, and those deployed in the near future, face situations where mission operations might be delayed or only be able to operate under degraded capabilities. Here, we examine a near-term lightweight solution that provides real-time detection capabilities for rare events and assess state-of-the-art anomaly detection techniques against real SOH telemetry from space platforms. This report describes our methodology and research, which could support more automated capabilities for comprehensive space operations as well as for other resource-constrained edge applications.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Internship Work Report

I worked on two projects during my summer internship at Sandia. My official title was “Intern - Mission Tech Electrical Eng./Computer Eng.- R&D Undergraduate Summer.” I worked at the central location, which is Albuquerque, New Mexico. The department you are placed in at Sandia doesn’t always correspond to the people you will be working with. For example, I only directly worked with one person from my department this summer. On one of my projects, I worked with a diverse team of engineers from many different departments. On my other project, I mainly worked with two departments, as the project had two distinct parts. As mentioned earlier, I worked on two projects during my summer at Sandia. The first project focused on a lightweight embedded controller in an advanced FPGA System-on-Chip for radar signal processing applications. The term “controller” refers to a hardware device that directs the flow of data between two entities. An FPGA is a reprogrammable integrated circuit (as opposed to an integrated circuit with one purpose). An FPGA was used on this project so in order to protype various ideas for our System-on-Chip. My role on the project was to implement designs on the fabric of the FPGA and design a state machine (written in C) for the processor. My second project was also heavily involved with embedded systems but had a different application. It focused on using a Newton-Raphson control algorithm to stabilize an inverted pendulum using a novel microcontroller. The pendulum dynamics were derived, and it was successfully simulated in MATLAB. I worked on integrating the microcontroller with the inverted pendulum machinery, and converting the Newton-Raphson control algorithm from MATLAB into C. The inverted pendulum was successfully stabilized using a simple PID controller and industry-standard microcontroller. The project is still ongoing, and the team is gearing up for more tests using the novel Newton-Raphson control algorithm and novel microcontroller

42 ENGINEERING↗

Docker Containers for MCNP ® Development

Containers are a revolutionary technology in software development and deployment that provides a lightweight, portable environment for ensuring consistency across multiple computing environments. In anticipation of the MCNP 6.3.1 release, two Docker container images have been released on DockerHub for general use. The MCNP source code is not included in the images, and users are still required to obtain it through RSICC. The images produced by Docker are compliant with the OCI (Open Container Initiative) standards, ensuring compatibility with other container engines such as Podman or Kubernetes’ CRI-O. Initially, the images are stored under the author’s personal space on DockerHub (docker.io/azukaitis), but they will be relocated to a dedicated MCNP group space once approved. In the future, they will also be available through the registry feature of the https://github.com/lanl/mcnp-containers project. The use of Docker provides a pre-configured environment for building and running MCNP, ensuring reproducibility of results across various host architectures. This significantly improves consistency when running MCNP on different systems. Notably, executables and installers from the Docker images have successfully passed the MCNP development branch testing suite on x86-64 architectures, including Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. Furthermore, testing has demonstrated compatibility with macOS Docker in emulation mode on the latest Apple Mac M2 Ultra hardware, ensuring robust support even on the latest platforms. In this document, we will provide a step-by-step guide to using the Docker images across multiple platforms. Additionally, we will present performance numbers for building and running the MCNP test suite.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Fermilab s Transition to Token Authentication

Fermilab is the first High Energy Physics institution to transition from X.509 user certificates to authentication tokens in production systems. All of the experiments that Fermilab hosts are now using JSON Web Token (JWT) access tokens in their grid jobs. Many software components have been either updated or created for this transition, and most of the software is available to others as open source. The tokens are defined using the WLCG Common JWT Profile. Token attributes for all the tokens are stored in the Fermilab FERRY system which generates the configuration for the CILogon token issuer. High security-value refresh tokens are stored in Hashicorp Vault configured by htvault-config, and JWT access tokens are requested by the htgettoken client through its integration with HTCondor. The Fermilab job submission system jobsub was redesigned to be a lightweight wrapper around HTCondor. For automated job submissions a managed tokens service was created to reduce duplication of effort and knowledge of how to securely keep tokens active. The existing Fermilab file transfer tool ifdh was updated to work seamlessly with tokens, as well as the Fermilab POMS (Production Operations Management System) which is used to manage automatic job submission and the RCDS (Rapid Code Distribution System) which is used to distribute analysis code via the CernVM FileSystem. The dCache storage system was reconfigured to accept tokens for authentication in place of X.509 proxy certificates. As some services and sites have not yet implemented token support, proxy certificates are still sent with jobs for backwards compatibility but some experiments are beginning to transition to stop using them. There have been some glitches and learning curve issues but in general the system has been performing well and is being improved as operational problems are addressed.

Dykstra, David↗

Modular Subsurface Sensors and Integrated Software for Advanced Subsurface Characterization and Monitoring using Unoccupied Vehicles

The advent and subsequent proliferation of autonomous airborne, waterborne, and groundbased vehicles (i.e., “drones”) promises to broadly transform the geosciences and associated industries, including fossil energy exploration and development, mineral resource exploration and development, water-resource management, and environmental remediation. For geophysical characterization and monitoring, the prospect of programming highly repeatable and low-cost drone missions for subsurface imaging will allow for deployments in hazardous and previously inaccessible areas. Coupled with autonomous workflows for data processing, management, and visualization, drone-based geophysical characterization and monitoring will enable unprecedented, real-time insight into diverse subsurface properties and processes of scientific and engineering importance. Toward this end, the objectives of this Lab Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project were to develop new (1) instrumentation for dronebased electromagnetic induction (EMI) geophysical imaging, including separated transmitter and receivers and associated electronics, (2) software for real-time data telemetry, processing, management, and visualization. Although EMI has been previously deployed using unoccupied aerial systems (UASs), these applications failed to capitalize on the game-changing capabilities of drone platforms. Whereas drone-based data acquisition allows for collection of rich, three-dimensional (3D) multi-offset/multi-angle configurations between transmitters and receivers, past efforts have relied on conventional instrumentation that was designed for ground-based data collection with the transmitter and a single receiver housed in the same unit; nor did these previous applications demonstrate real-time delivery of results to support rapid management decisions in the field. In this 1-year project, we (1) designed and constructed new lightweight independent transmitter and receiver antenna platforms that communicate with a laptop computer; (2) developed software to control data acquisition, manage/transfer data, and visualize data as its collected; and (3) demonstrated the operation of the new hardware and software systems in a ground-based field test. Our work entails major technological advances for EMI and established a foundation on which to build a new drone-based, real-time geophysical EMI imaging capability to support diverse challenges facing the nation.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Self-Aware Local Autonomous and Semi-Cooperative Control for Cross-Layered Resilience (SLAC3R)

The objective of this work is to develop and demonstrate novel, adaptive, lightweight algorithms that enable the decision-making agents in a large cyber-physical network to act both autonomously and in collaborative harmony to enforce assured resilience across spatiotemporal layers, even under unforeseen adversarial scenarios (e.g., high- impact-low-probability events). Towards this end, the proposed solution will serve as minimally invasive add-on layers that bridge the existing (faster, reactive) local myopic controls and (slower, predictive) centralized optimization. Importantly, the proposed algorithms will enable the multi-agent network to autonomously and collaboratively enforce resilient operation under no or limited communication environment typical of severe cyber- physical adversarial events. The expected outcome of this effort is a suite of prototype, open-source, software algorithms for safety-aware local autonomous and semi-cooperative control (SLAC3R), demonstrated on networked microgrids (via RD2C/Thrust-1 OPAL-RT testbed).

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

LDRD 227829: Multifunctional Composite LDRD: Radiation Effect on CeO 2 -HDPE Composites

Commercial high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is lightweight with excellent mechanical properties but has limited thermal stability. To enhance this, lanthanide-based nanomaterials like CeO 2 were mixed with HDPE. Using a twin-screw extruder improved dispersion. This study examines the effects of neutron, X-rays and gamma radiation on the crystallinity of polymer of CeO 2 -HDPE composites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Manufacturing and Additive Design of Electric Machines by 3D Printing (MADE3D) (Final Technical Report)

As the U.S clean energy transition hinges on the growth of offshore wind, this is expected to be a major driver for innovations in manufacturing, material and design advancements to enable robust and cost-competitive wind turbines. The race to build larger and taller turbines rated 10 megawatts (MW) and beyond, has intensified pressure on OEMs in terms of logistics of handling and transporting large wind components, securing critical raw material as well as scaling up necessary domestic production infrastructure to meet the demand. There is increased interest in building lightweight, more efficient, and high-power dense drivetrains that will ease the burden on installation, minimize the raw material demand, increasing domestic sourceability. Despite good efficiency and reliability, existing drivetrain technologies such as direct-drive permanent magnet generators are heavy (> 300 tons), expensive, and often rely on large quantities of rare-earth permanent magnets (PMs), steel and copper.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Investigating Gadolinium-Lined Sodium-Iodide Neutron Detectors for Mobile Applications

For enhancing the effectiveness of nonproliferation efforts in neutron detection, most portable instruments rely on 6 Li scintillators, 10 B-based detectors, or gas-filled 3 He proportional counters. Additionally, gamma-ray detectors based on scintillators and semiconductors are often employed for search applications to find radioactive material in the field. These systems typically include dedicated detectors along with separate high voltage supplies and processing electronics for the gamma-ray and neutron detectors. Ideally, a portable radiation detection system should be lightweight, compact, and cost-effective. In the field, scintillators can serve a dual purpose: (1) detecting gamma-rays and (2) detecting neutrons. Gamma-ray detection with scintillators is based on the interaction of gamma-rays within the scintillating material, whereas neutron detection depends indirectly on neutron capture events. These capture events generate conversion electrons and gamma-rays, which can interact with the scintillator. For enhancing neutron capture, the scintillator can be surrounded by neutron absorber materials with a high neutron cross section. The resulting secondary electrons and gamma-rays from neutron interactions, depending on the absorber material used, can then be analyzed to detect the presence of neutron sources. Similarly, semiconductor-based detectors can be employed along with neutron absorbers as liners for neutron detection. 158 Gd has a significantly larger neutron cross section than 3 He, commonly used in gas-filled proportional counters, as shown in Figure 1. For thermal (0.025 eV) neutrons, the absorption cross section of 158 Gd is 10,000 times greater than that of 3 He (refer to Figure 1). This feature makes naturally occurring gadolinium, which consists of 24.8% 158 Gd, a promising neutron absorber material for use in combination with gamma-ray detectors–yielding a hybrid detector–for neutron detection.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

High Performance (R-10/inch) Clay-Cellulose-Silica Nanopore Insulation Board For New and Retrofit Buildings (Final Scientific Report)

The objective of Liatris’s 3-year DOE BENEFIT project was to develop and validate a high-performance, lightweight, aerogel-based insulation board of ≥R-10/inch at a cost of ≤$\$$1.50 per board foot using non-flammable inorganic nanocomposites. We have summarized each yearly goal below: Year 1 – Ambient dried inorganic/organic nanocomposite, R-6/inch Year 2 – Processing efficiency and cost down, R-8/inch at $\$$2.0/board-ft Year 3 – Scale up to continuous, pilot production of R-10 at ≤ $\$$1.50/board-ft Over the course of the project period, Liatris has successfully met or exceeded all of the goals outlined above. The project scope over 3 years was extensive, covering method development of ambient dried silica aerogels in Budget Period 1, process formulation and R-value improvement in Budget Period 2, and composite scale up with corporate partners in Budget Period 3. Over the course of the project Liatris has been able to progressively improve the thermal resistance properties from about R-6/in to > R-11/in, 2-3X the performance of conventional insulation products.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A Novel Deployable Telescope Baffle Using the Kresling Origami Fold

This report introduces a novel deployable origami baffle designed for telescopes and optical systems, which reduces stray light while maintaining high compactness ratios and low weight. This design leverages the planar nature of the end caps on a cylindrical Kresling origami fold to incorporate mounting points, deployable options, and baffle vanes. The adaptable nature of origami (number of faces, origami geometrical ratios, scaling, etc.) allows the design to easily conform to system requirements, including field of view, deployed length, stowed/deployed stability points, and available volume. Geometric ratios that exhibit bistability in both the stowed and deployed states are discussed in detail, as this results in a rigid structure that maintains its desired configuration. Several designs were conceptualized, and multiple small-scale prototypes were constructed. Potential applications include camera lens hoods, lightweight astronomy telescopes, and deployable baffles for space telescopes and optical systems.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Multilayer Electrodes with Metalized Polymer Current Collector for High-Energy Lithium-Ion Batteries with Extreme-Fast-Charging Capability

The pursuit of batteries capable of extreme fast charging (XFC), that also satisfy high energy and safety criteria, poses a significant challenge to current lithium-ion battery technologies. Additionally, the increasing demand for aluminum (Al) and copper (Cu) in electrification, and vehicle light weighting is driving these metals towards near-critical status in the medium term. This study introduced metalized polymer films by depositing an Al or Cu thin layer onto two sides of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film – named mPET/Al and mPET/Cu, as lightweight, cost-effective alternatives to traditional metal current collectors in LIBs. We have utilized current collectors that significantly reduce weight (by 73%), thickness (by 33%), and cost (by 85%) compared to traditional metal foil counterparts. We conducted an extensive evaluation of their mechanical and electrical properties, including in-plane and through-plane resistivities, affirming their suitability for the roll-to-roll battery manufacturing process. Additionally, a novel XFC testing protocol was employed to thoroughly assess the cells' (both half and full-cell) performance across various C-rates and under long-term tests. These advancements have the potential to enhance energy density to 280 Wh/kg at the electrode level under 10-minute charging at 6C. Through testing, including a novel XFC protocol across various C-rates and long-term cycling (up to 1000 cycles) in different cell configurations, we have demonstrated the superior performance of these metalized polymer films. Notably, mPET/Cu and mPET/Al foils exhibited comparable capacities to conventional cells under XFC, with the mPET cells showing a 27% improvement in energy density at 6C and maintaining significant energy density after 1000 cycles. This study underscored the potential of mPET foils to revolutionize the roll-to-roll battery manufacturing process and significantly advance the performance metrics of LIBs in EV applications. Moreover, our results suggest that there is potential to enhance the performance of mPET foils, especially mPET/Al, by optimizing the manufacturing process to achieve higher conductivity.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Model form and sensitivity analysis of CALPHAD-based nucleation models in b-stabilized Ti alloys

Accurate prediction of α-phase nucleation and growth in β-stabilized titanium alloys is crucial for designing heat treatments to optimize mechanical properties in additively manufactured lightweight components. Ideally, predictions of nucleation and growth would incorporate both top-down observations of past experimental heat treatments and bottom-up modeling of phase transformations; however, the appropriate method of combining these information sources is not self-evident. Combining top-down and bottom-up information requires a unified form of model that can connect between spatiotemporal scales, as well as sets of fitting parameters that can be identified by each data source. The selection of which parameters to fit to which data source can be made based on expert opinion, or by performing a sensitivity analysis. In solid-solid nucleation, direct observation of the nucleation and growth process is challenging. Most data on the heat treatment-controlled phase transformations are not in-situ. To predict the process and outcome of the nucleation, growth and coarsening of precipitates, theoretical models of the nucleation pathway are used to bridge the gap. Many sources of uncertainty affect the modeling of this nucleation process. It can be influenced by small variations in the thermomechanical processing history, chemical composition, and initial microstructure. If molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to determine thermodynamic quantities and inform CALPHAD modeling, additional uncertainty can be introduced and accounted for using Bayesian methods. Top-down uncertainties require additional steps to quantify. The influence of nucleation model form on the sensitivity of predictions to input parameters and physical conditions is the focus of this study. Classical nucleation theory (CNT) allows modeling to formulate the nucleation as homogeneous or, more commonly, heterogeneous. Non-classical nucleation models are also increasingly explored as a means of reconciling top-down and bottom-up data. In this study, the sensitivity of the intragranular nucleation of α in a β-annealed, slow-cooled aging (BASCA) heat treatment of β-stabilized Ti5553 alloy is explored using CNT and both heterogeneous and homogeneous assumptions. The Kampmann-Wagner Numerical model of precipitate nucleation and growth is employed. Using open-source tools (pyCalphad and thermodynamic modeling of TiMo as a surrogate system, a sensitivity analysis is performed to measure variations in key parameters, including chemical driving force, interfacial energy, and diffusivity, as they relate to predictions of precipitate number density. The inclusion of top-down and bottom-up data in selection of nucleation model form is discussed.

Rodriguez Negron, A. M.↗

I.3.4.1.1 Overview of Advanced Characterization Within the Powertrain Materials Program (Task 4A1) (Oak Ridge National Laboratory); (Task 4A2) (Argonne National Laboratory); and (Task 4A3) (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

This report describes the activities performed during the third year of Thrust 4A, “Advanced Characterization,” within the DOE-EERE VTO PMCP. The goal of the PMCP, which was launched in October 2018, has been to accelerate design, development, demonstration, and deployment of new, cost-effective advanced alloy solutions via a modern ICME approach. The properties of these new materials are targeted to enable improvements in engine efficiency, lightweighting, and durability enhancement over the full range of on-road vehicle classes (e.g., Classes 1-8), including range extenders for future electric HD freight vehicles.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

A Framework for Evaluating the Implementation Cost of Attacks on Large Language Models

Large Language Models (LLMs) have been increasingly proposed as a method to enhance productivity in tasks that involve language and code. However, these models are large, complex, and their capabilities are not easily understood and controlled, meaning that their adoption opens many possibilities for new cyberattacks and misuse. Numerous attacks on LLMs have been reported and summarized in literature reviews, but we found existing reviews lacking in understanding the implementation cost of the attacks - i.e., how much effort would an attacker need in terms of coding, expertise, and resources to adopt attacks presented in the literature. Therefore, we divide existing attacks on LLMs into a taxonomy, and define a cost evaluation framework to determine the cost of the attack. An attack’s cost can be 1) estimated from reading the publication about the attack or 2) determined by implementing the attack from that publication. We provide an example evaluation of a couple jailbreaking frameworks based on experiments, and then apply the more lightweight cost estimate to a representative selection of attacks across the taxonomy we define. We discuss the relative difficulty of the attacks and also highlight defenses that have attempted to mitigate these attacks and assess their effectiveness.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗