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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

L-SCIE and SUPCRTNE model and database development

This progress report (Level 3 Milestone Number M3SF-25LL010301052) summarizes research conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) within the Argillite Host Rock Properties & Processes Work Package SF-25LL01030105. The focus of this milestone is to create an initial SUPCRTNE database and extensively test the SUPCRTNE code. We prepared a draft manuscript describing our workflow and approach for developing a next-generation thermodynamic database for the Spent Fuel and High Level Waste Disposition campaign. The goal is to ease any future formal software qualification effort as was done on the Yucca Mountain Project for codes including SUPCRT92 and EQ3/6. We are attempting to extend the SUPCRTNE database to include more species, mainly from the NEA volumes. We can also take advantage of thermodynamic database activities that are ongoing at Thermochimie and as part of the EURADII program. However, our effort is limited by the funds available and the changes to program scope that was initiated in mid-FY25.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

Past Approaches for Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level, and Transuranic Waste Disposal in the United States—Part 1: Safety Criteria and Treatment of Uncertainty

The United States (US), with its 50-year experience in developing deep geologic disposal for transuranic waste, spent nuclear fuel (SNF), and high-level radioactive waste (HLW), has much to share with other countries. Yet, other countries are better able to translate the US experience and corresponding policy decisions into solutions sensible for their country when they understand the compliance requirements in US laws and regulations. This paper presents past approaches in the generic and site-specific standards of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and implementing regulations of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) using the framework provided by (1) key questions of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, and (2) international consensus standards. Both the 1985 EPA generic standards, as updated in 1993 and applied at the operating Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southern New Mexico for transuranic waste from atomic energy defense activities, and the EPA 2008 site-specific standards and implementing regulations, as applied at the proposed Yucca Mountain repository in southern Nevada for SNF and HLW, adopt the strategy of using quantitative, probabilistic analysis to assess performance and compliance.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

Past Approaches for Spent Nuclear Fuel, Transuranic, and High-Level Waste Disposal in the United States—Part 2: Siting Process, Staged Development, and Public Preferences

This report presents pertinent aspects of the ~50-year United States experience in siting a mined geologic disposal repository for spent nuclear fuel (SNF), transuranic (TRU) waste, and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) as related to site selection and the staged process for site investigations as specified in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and generic and site-specific regulations of the US Department of Energy (DOE), US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The roles of the Environmental Impact Statement and guidance in international consensus standards by the International Atomic Energy Agency are also mentioned. The focus is on siting and developing the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, an operating repository for TRU waste from atomic energy defense activities, and the proposed Yucca Mountain repository for commercial SNF and HLW. In the social dimension, the role of institutional stakeholders is described. Past national surveys related to waste management options for storage and disposal provide insight on public preferences of other stakeholders. The descriptions are intended to help other countries more fully understand the stages adopted for siting and developing repositories in the United States.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

Status of Federally Listed Threatened and Endangered Species at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) contains suitable habitat for three species protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA): Mexican spotted owl ( Strix occidentalis lucida ), Jemez Mountains salamander ( Plethodon neomexicanus ), and southwestern willow flycatcher ( Empidonax traillii extimus ). LANL biologists have documented two other species nearby and manage them for any potential impacts. These species are the western distinct population segment of the yellow-billed cuckoo ( Coccyzus americanus ) and the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse ( Zapus hudsonius luteus ).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Methods for Assessing Opportunities for Ring Dam Pumped Storage Hydropower

There is growing interest in new pumped storage hydropower (PSH) deployment to provide a range of grid flexibility, reliability, and resiliency services under an evolving and uncertain future power sector. The National Laboratory of the Rockies develops open PSH resource assessment and cost modeling tools to help evaluate PSH deployment opportunities, and this report describes expansions to those tools to consider an additional PSH system configuration - ring-dam reservoirs built on flat topographical features that are constructed from roller-compacted concrete material. This reservoir type is common among current PSH proposals and requires new methods to identify sites with this reservoir geometry throughout the United States and characterize the associated dam cost. Cost characterization for ring dam reservoirs required collecting historical dam cost data for earthen, rockfill, and roller-compacted concrete dams and regressing equations that relate costs between alternative materials. The ring dam site identification algorithm follows a 5-step procedure to identify circular geometry reservoirs. Once ring dam reservoirs are identified, they are then paired with potential dry-gully reservoirs, and the full set of potential paired reservoirs is cost-optimized to produce a least-cost set of potential PSH sites with no overlapping reservoirs. The resulting analysis found 1,663 ring-dam to dry-gully systems in the contiguous United States that are lower cost than any overlapping dry-gully to dry-gully systems, 29 in Alaska, and none in Hawaii or Puerto Rico. These systems constitute 1.5 TW of capacity in the contiguous United States and nearly 29 GW in Alaska, demonstrating that under suitable topography and head, ring-dam systems can provide cost-effective PSH opportunities. The greatest density of these opportunities are found in the intermountain west where there are mesas and flat land at bases of mountain ranges, but continued work could incorporate additional site characteristics or consider more complex reservoir shapes to find additional PSH deployment opportunities.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

CACTI Radar b1 Processing: Corrections, Calibrations, and Processing Report

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility deployed a large number of instruments to a region nearby the Sierra de Córdobas mountains in Argentina as part of the Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) field campaign (1). During this campaign, four radars were installed at a site outside of Villa Yacanto as shown in Figure 1. As part of a post-campaign effort to improve the usability of these data, a significant activity was undertaken towards the calibration, correction, and improvement of the data quality of these radar datastreams. This process in ARM nomenclature is referred to as generating a “b1” datastream. While these “b1” standards may imply different corrections or standards for various ARM instruments, for radars it refers to a datastream that has been calibrated (and cross-calibrated), including a serious effort to deliver the highest-quality (well-characterized) data possible. This report details (i) the status/quality of the original “a1” (raw) data, (ii) the corrections and calibrations that are applied to generate these b1 datastreams, (iii) the details of the applied algorithms and how radar offset/calibration numbers were determined for the eventual corrections, and (iv) the new and flexible plug-in-based processing system designed during CACTI for radar b1 activities (current, future) that interfaces with ARM’s Data Integrator (ADI) and high-performance computing (HPC) system.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Final Calendar Year 2024 Post-Closure Monitoring Letter, Revision 1 with ROTC-1

This letter serves as the annual post-closure letter for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 98, Frenchman Flat (FF); CAU 97, Yucca Flat/Climax Mine (YF/CM); and CAU 99, Rainier Mesa/Shoshone Mountain (RM/SM) for calendar year (CY) 2024. This letter will discuss the post-closure monitoring activities that occurred during CY 2024, identify any triggers reached, and summarize water usage on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) and surrounding hydrographic basins at the three CAUs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Feasibility of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) Development at Bradys Hot Springs, Nevada

The Bradys EGS project focused on utilizing EGS technology to improve permeability in an existing non-productive well (15-12 ST1, located on BLM land) at Ormat’s Bradys geothermal facility in Churchill County, Nevada. The Bradys geothermal field is located within the Hot Springs Mountains, approximately 50 miles northeast of Reno, NV, along the western boundary of a very large intermontane basin known as the Carson Sink. It is one of several producing geothermal areas in the region; the Desert Peak, Stillwater, Soda Lake, and Salt Wells geothermal projects also lie within the Carson Sink, which is a region of high heat flow characterized by prominent NNE-striking faults that have formed in response to regional extension within the Basin and Range geologic province.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Micro-Hydropower and Aquatic Restoration on Lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

Rural and Tribal communities in Southern Appalachia face persistent challenges in energy access owing to rugged terrain, dense forest cover, and limited infrastructure. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is a federally recognized Tribe whose ancestral homelands include much of Southern Appalachia. The Tribe’s present-day homeland, termed the Qualla Boundary, lies in the heart of the region, where the extreme ruggedness of the Blue Ridge Mountains exacerbates challenges to energy access. For the EBCI, these challenges also intersect with a deep cultural commitment to stewardship of land and water. The Tribe has explored multiple energy solutions, with hydropower serving as an existing and realized source of energy for the region’s communities. However, the EBCI’s commitment to protecting aquatic systems has led not only to a historical lack of endorsement of new conventional hydropower on Tribal lands but also to ongoing efforts to remove the area’s only existing hydropower facility at Ela Dam.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Carbondale Community Geothermal Coalition – Replicable Models for Decarbonizing Mixed-Use Rural Communities

The Carbondale Community Geothermal Coalition (CCGC) set out to prove that a fifth-generation geothermal district heating & cooling (5G GDHC) network can be technically feasible, cost-effective, and socially equitable for a small, mixed-use rural community. During Budget Period 1 (Planning & Design) the team: ● Completed a 449 ft thermal-response test confirming excellent ground conductivity (k = 1.69 Btu ft -1 hr -1 °F -1 ) and a benign 56.3 °F undisturbed temperature. Page 1 Final Technical Report for Award Number: DE-EE0010663 ● Built a fully calibrated digital twin (URBANopt → Modelica) for 240 k ft 2 of existing + future buildings. ● Designed a 75-borehole ambient-temperature loop (ATL) augmented by 75 solar-thermal panels, supplying 44 % of district heating and 100 % cooling in Stage-1. ● Produced retrofit bid-ready drawings for the Third Street Center and Second Street Townhomes. ● Reached > 200 community stakeholders and exceeded equity targets (46 % Hispanic/Latinx participation). ● Drafted a multi-tiered workforce plan aligned with Colorado Mountain College (Hispanic Serving Institution) and IGSHPA certifications.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Submittal of The Final Calendar Year (Cy) 2025 Post-Closure Monitoring Letter Report, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 1, April 2026

This letter serves as the annual post-closure letter for CAU 98, Frenchman Flat; CAU 97, Yucca Flat/Climax Mine; and CAU 99, Rainier Mesa/Shoshone Mountain for calendar year 2025. This letter will discuss the post-closure monitoring activities that occurred during CY 2025, identify any triggers reached, and summarize water usage on the Nevada National Security Site and surrounding hydrographic basins at the three CAUs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

L'Arlesienne de ROOT

Over many years, ROOT users have repeatedly stumbled over—and loudly rediscovered—the infamous 1 GB limit on individual I/O operations, a constraint that somehow survived long past the era when anyone thought a gigabyte was “a lot.” As experiments embraced ever-larger objects and collections, this limit became an increasingly unavoidable rite of passage. This contribution recounts the sustained, multi-year quest by ROOT I/O developers to finally retire this relic, navigating a maze of legacy APIs, memory-management assumptions, and integer boundaries that seemed determined to preserve the status quo. We describe how internal interfaces were carefully modernized to introduce fully 64-bit–capable code paths without breaking the mountains of existing user code that would definitely have noticed. With the limit now lifted, ROOT can finally handle multi-gigabyte objects in a single read or write operation, even when splitting them into an RNTuple is not an option (we’re looking at you, large RooWorkspaces and giant histograms), liberating users from yet another “fun” debugging adventure and clearing the way for the massive analyses of the HL-LHC and beyond.

Canal, Philippe G. [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000277487↗
DOE OSTI2026

L'Arlesienne de ROOT

Over many years, ROOT users have repeatedly stumbled over—and loudly rediscovered—the infamous 1 GB limit on individual I/O operations, a constraint that somehow survived long past the era when anyone thought a gigabyte was “a lot.” As experiments embraced ever-larger objects and collections, this limit became an increasingly unavoidable rite of passage. This contribution recounts the sustained, multi-year quest by ROOT I/O developers to finally retire this relic, navigating a maze of legacy APIs, memory-management assumptions, and integer boundaries that seemed determined to preserve the status quo. We describe how internal interfaces were carefully modernized to introduce fully 64-bit–capable code paths without breaking the mountains of existing user code that would definitely have noticed. With the limit now lifted, ROOT can finally handle multi-gigabyte objects in a single read or write operation, even when splitting them into an RNTuple is not an option (we’re looking at you, large RooWorkspaces and giant histograms), liberating users from yet another “fun” debugging adventure and clearing the way for the massive analyses of the HL-LHC and beyond.

Canal, Philippe G. [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000277487↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Recipe for ABC Multifamily Retrofits: Technologies, Financing, and Project Delivery

This report documents the final technical accomplishments and outcomes of Rocky Mountain Institute’s project under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Award DE-EE0009064. The project aimed to develop, validate, and scale whole building retrofit solutions for multifamily buildings, including two configurations of Integrated Mechanical System Pods (IMSP-C and IMSP-U), in alignment with DOE Advanced Building Construction (ABC) initiative's decarbonization and energy efficiency goals. While the project made significant progress in Budget Period 1 (Phase 1) and throughout Budget Period 2 (Phase 2), activities were discontinued as of March 26, 2025, following a Stop Work Order issued by DOE. As such, this report reflects all completed work through that date. The project did not enter Budget Periods 3 and 4 (Phase 2), and demonstration site implementation, field M&V, and final commercialization execution were not conducted.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Microbarograph - ESRL Hi-Res Microbarograph, Troutdale - Raw Data

High-precision barometers (Paroscientific 6000-16B-IS) are combined with Nishiyama-Bedard Quad Disk pressure probes, measuring pressure (mb) at the surface, nominally 2 m above ground level. Data are sampled at 20 Hz for potential studies of turbulence. The sensors' high accuracy makes them useful for determining horizontal pressure gradients and their relation to wind ramp events, as well as the temporal variability of pressure associated with mountain wakes and waves. **Note different ASCII file formats for Goldendale (z04) and Walla Walla (z09) sites.**

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Microbarograph - ESRL Hi-Res Microbarograph, Bonneville - Raw Data

High-precision barometers (Paroscientific 6000-16B-IS) are combined with Nishiyama-Bedard Quad Disk pressure probes, measuring pressure (mb) at the surface, nominally 2 m above ground level. Data are sampled at 20 Hz for potential studies of turbulence. The sensors' high accuracy makes them useful for determining horizontal pressure gradients and their relation to wind ramp events, as well as the temporal variability of pressure associated with mountain wakes and waves. **Note different ASCII file formats for Goldendale (z04) and Walla Walla (z09) sites.**

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Microbarograph - ESRL Hi-Res Microbarograph, Goldendale - Raw Data

High-precision barometers (Paroscientific 6000-16B-IS) are combined with Nishiyama-Bedard Quad Disk pressure probes, measuring pressure (mb) at the surface, nominally 2 m above ground level. Data are sampled at 20 Hz for potential studies of turbulence. The sensors' high accuracy makes them useful for determining horizontal pressure gradients and their relation to wind ramp events, as well as the temporal variability of pressure associated with mountain wakes and waves. **Note different ASCII file formats for Goldendale (z04) and Walla Walla (z09) sites.**

17 WIND ENERGY↗