Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “POINT IMPACT”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating the feasibility of using downwind methods to quantify point source oil and gas emissions using continuously monitoring fence-line sensors

The dependable reporting of methane (CH 4 ) emissions from point sources, such as fugitive leaks from oil and gas infrastructure, is important for profit maximization (retaining more hydrocarbons), evaluating climate impacts, assessing CH 4 fees for regulatory programs, and validating CH 4 intensity in differentiated gas programs. Currently, there are disagreements between emissions reported by different quantification techniques for the same sources. It has been suggested that downwind CH 4 quantification methods using CH 4 measurements on the fence line of production facilities could be used to generate emission estimates from oil and gas operations at the site level, but it is currently unclear how accurate the quantified emissions are. To investigate the accuracy of downwind methods, this study uses fence-line simulated data collected during controlled-release experiments as input for a non-standard closed-path eddy covariance (EC), the Gaussian plume inverse model (GPIM), and the backward Lagrangian stochastic (bLs) model in a range of atmospheric conditions. This study's EC attempt was unsuccessful due to data collection and instrumentation issues, resulting in invalid results characterized by underestimated emissions, large negative fluxes, and cospectra/ogives that deviated from their ideal shapes. Consequently, the EC results could not be compared with the GPIM and bLS model. The bLs model demonstrated the highest accuracy for single-release single-point emissions, though it exhibited greater uncertainty than GPIM under multi-release conditions. Across the GPIM and bLs model, the most reliable quantification was achieved with 15 min averaging and a narrow 5° wind sector range. Although EC was limited in this context, future studies should consider employing a standard EC system and further optimizing GPIM and bLs approaches – particularly for complex multi-source scenarios – to enhance quantification accuracy and reduce uncertainty.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Review on Perovskite Solar Cells: From Single‐Junction Devices to Tandem Deployment in Space

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a transformative photovoltaic technology, offering high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and the potential for cost-effective manufacturing. However, stability and large-scale manufacturing remain critical challenges that must be addressed for widespread adoption. This review provides a roadmap from single-junction perovskite solar cells to tandem deployment in space. First, material-level innovations are discussed, including mixed-cation and low-dimensional perovskites, transport materials, and additives that improve thermal and structural stability while enhancing efficiency. Then, we examine both established industrial standards and emerging scientific protocols aimed at stabilizing PSCs under operational conditions, including tandem cell integration strategies and encapsulation techniques to mitigate performance degradation. Manufacturing scalability is a focal point, where deposition methods and green solvents are explored to improve large-area film uniformity and reduce environmental impact. Additionally, the increasing viability of PSCs in extraterrestrial environments is assessed, with emphasis on their performance in space applications, radiation resistance, and flexible lamination methods for deployment in extreme conditions. Progress across materials innovation, device architectures, stability testing protocols, and both terrestrial and extraterrestrial applications collectively drives perovskite photovoltaics toward higher efficiency, stability, and cost-effectiveness.

flexible PSCs↗
DOE OSTI2026

Harnessing ketones as hydrogen acceptors for atom-efficient upgrading of oxygenates to fuels over H/ZSM-5

Heterogeneous mixtures of bio-derived oxygenates are promising feedstocks for synthetic aviation fuel (SAF), but conversion strategies for one common component—short-chain (C 5–7 ) internal ketones—are lacking. Previous work has shown that cyclization of ketones over H/ZSM-5 is limited by its high productivity of light paraffins. We study 4-heptanone upgrading over H/ZSM-5 and show that aromatics and olefins can be formed at high carbon yield when operating at up to 90% conversion. The yield of desirable products is not impacted by the introduction of a recycle stream of the unconverted 4-heptanone and other products with similar boiling points. We hypothesize, based on first-principles calculations, that the higher olefin yield is driven by the ease of hydrogen transfer to unreacted ketones as opposed to hydrogenating olefin products. We demonstrate how this ease of hydrogen transfer to ketones can be leveraged to enhance olefin selectivity in the conversion of methanol to olefins as well by co-feeding ketones. Olefinic products of the cyclization reaction are then oligomerized to a SAF blendstock to demonstrate an end-to-end ketone-to-SAF process facilitated by upgrading ketones over H/ZSM-5 at partial conversion with a recycle stream. The results of this work demonstrate a strategy to improve the carbon yield from bio-derived acids to SAF to over 75%, representing a relative improvement of more than 50% compared to previously reported data.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Extracted Radar Columns and In Situ Sensors (RadCLss) Value-Added Product Report

In order to validate precipitation, in 2010 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility procured 3- and 5-cm wavelength radars for documenting the macrophysical, microphysical, and dynamical structure of precipitating systems. To maximize the scientific impact, ARM supported the development of an application chain to correct for various phenomena in order to retrieve the “point” values of moments of the radar spectrum and polarimetric measurements. In estimation from ARM radars, a workflow was created to directly compare radar “point” values with various in situ observations at the surface.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Colorado State University (CSU) X-Band Precipitation Radar Plan Position Indicator Data Processed with Corrected Moments in Antenna Coordinates (CMAC) Value-Added Product Report

In 2010 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility procured 3- and 5-cm wavelength radars for documenting the macrophysical, microphysical, and dynamical structure of precipitating systems. To maximize the scientific impact, ARM supported the development of an application chain to correct for various phenomena in order to retrieve the “point” values of moments of the radar spectrum and polarimetric measurements. We have now used the lessons learned from the processing of the 3- and 5-cm wavelength radars obtained by ARM to help process X-band radar data from the Surface Atmospheric Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL) field campaign. This report details the motivation, science, and progress to date as well as charting a path forward.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Optimal CO2 Transport and Storage Cost Screening: Application Example

Poster on “Optimal CO2 Transport and Storage Cost Screening: Application Example” for the CCUS 2025 conference held in Houston, Texas March 3-5, 2025. A major challenge to commercial scale CCS deployment from the perspective of coal and natural gas-fired power plants is understanding cost-optimal CO2 transport and viable geologic storage options. This study demonstrates unique workflows, using NETL-developed, publicly-available models and tools, to efficiently estimate optimal CO2 transport and storage (T&S) costs for each of the CO2 sources in NETL’s Carbon Capture Retrofit Databases (CCRD) for Electricity Generating Units. The results demonstrate the impact of cost-drivers on optimal T&S, and trends in optimal T&S data, based on real point sources that could be retrofitted with CO2 source technologies.

application example↗
DOE OSTI2026

Inter-year Variability in EDS Standards

This report provides a deep dive into how the stability of energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) standards yielded insight into the shortfalls of using software to randomly select points for spectral acquisition when using heterogeneous standards. Some procedural recommendations are included which are meant to minimize the impact of anomalous reference standard spectra by detecting them before the standard is implemented into data processing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Enabling Industrial Re-Use of Large-Format Additive Manufacturing Molding and Tooling

Large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) is an enabling manufacturing technology capable of producing large parts with highly complex geometries for a wide variety of applications, including automotive, infrastructure/construction, and aerospace mold and tooling. In the past decade, the LFAM industry has seen widespread use of bio-based, glass, and/or carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites which, when printed, serve as a lower-cost alternative to metallic parts. One of the highest-volume materials utilized by the industry is carbon fiber (CF)-filled polycarbonate (PC), which in out-of-autoclave applications can achieve comparable mechanical performance to metal at a significantly lower cost. Previous work has shown that if this material is recovered at various points throughout the manufacturing process for both the lab and pilot scale, it can be mechanically recycled with minimal impacts on the functional performance and printability of the material while significantly reducing the feedstock costs. End-of-life (EOL) CF-PC components were processed through industrial shredding, melt compounding, and LFAM equipment, followed by evaluation of the second-life material properties. Experimental assessments included quantitative analysis of fiber length attrition, polymer molecular weight degradation using gel permeation chromatography (GPC), density changes via pycnometry, thermal performance using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and mechanical performance (tensile properties) in both the X- and Z-directions. Results demonstrated a 24.6% reduction in average fiber length compared to virgin prints, accompanied by a 21% decrease in X-direction tensile strength and a 39% reduction in tensile modulus. Despite these reductions, Z-direction tensile modulus improved by 4%, density increased by 6.8%, and heat deflection temperature (HDT) under high stress retained over 97% of its original value. These findings underscore the potential for integrating mechanically recycled CF-PC into industrial LFAM applications while highlighting the need for technological innovations to mitigate fiber degradation and enhance material performance for broader adoption. This critical step toward circular material practices in LFAM offers a pathway to reducing feedstock costs and environmental impact while maintaining functional performance in industrial applications.

additive manufacturing↗
NASA NTRS1974

Hypervelocity impact heating of porous aluminum

Estimates of the thermal energy and other properties of the postshock condition are obtained for porous aluminum targets impacted by iron or aluminum projectiles, in the shock pressure range between about 0.4 and 8 Mbar. The starting point is the determination of a distinct Hugoniot equation for each value of porosity, from available experimental data. Rankine-Hugoniot equations and a Mie-Gruneisen equation of state supply the relations necessary for finding the thermodynamic properties of adiabatically relaxed materials. The results are of interest in such fields as ablation studies, meteoritics, and lunar topography.

Rehfuss, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

K/T spherules from Haiti and Wyoming: Origin, diagenesis, and similarity to some microtektites

Spherules with relict glass cores in the K/T boundary bed of Haiti allow for a comparison of these bodies with hollow goyazite shells in the K/T boundary claystone of Wyoming and with younger microtektites of the Ivory Coast strewn field. Samples of the Haitian beds from undisturbed sections at Beloc, as determined by Jehanno et al., contain both hollow shells and relict glass cores rimmed by palagonite that has been partially converted to smectite. These palagonite rims developed from hydration zones formed when hot, splash-form droplets of andesitic impact glass were deposited into water. Mutual collisions between these droplets in the ejecta curtain may have formed point-source stresses on their surfaces. Initiation of hydration would be facilitated at these surface stress points and propagated radially into the glass. The inner surface of these merged hemispherical fronts appears mammillary, which is reflected as scalloping in Haitian relict glass cores.

Bohor, B. F.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Static aeroelastic analysis of wings using Euler/Navier-Stokes equations coupled with improved wing-box finite element structures

Strong interactions between flow about an aircraft wing and the wing structure can result in aeroelastic phenomena which significantly impact aircraft performance. Time-accurate methods for solving the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations have matured to the point where reliable results can be obtained with reasonable computational costs for complex non-linear flows with shock waves, vortices and separations. The ability to combine such a flow solver with a general finite element structural model is key to an aeroelastic analysis in these flows. Earlier work involved time-accurate integration of modal structural models based on plate elements. A finite element model was developed to handle three-dimensional wing boxes, and incorporated into the flow solver without the need for modal analysis. Static condensation is performed on the structural model to reduce the structural degrees of freedom for the aeroelastic analysis. Direct incorporation of the finite element wing-box structural model with the flow solver requires finding adequate methods for transferring aerodynamic pressures to the structural grid and returning deflections to the aerodynamic grid. Several schemes were explored for handling the grid-to-grid transfer of information. The complex, built-up nature of the wing-box complicated this transfer. Aeroelastic calculations for a sample wing in transonic flow comparing various simple transfer schemes are presented and discussed.

Guruswamy, Guru P.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Some Expected Characteristics of Lunar Dust: A Geological View Applied to Engineering

Compared to the Earth the geologic nature of the lunar regolith is quite distinct. Even though similar minerals exist on the Earth and Moon, they may have very different properties due to the absence of chemical modification in the lunar environment. The engineering properties of the lunar regolith reflect aspects of the parent rock and the consequences of hypervelocity meteor bombardment. On scales relevant to machinery and chemical processing for In-Situ Resource Utilization, ISRU (such as water production), the lunar regolith compositional range is much more restricted than terrestrial material. This fact impacts predictions of properties required by design engineers for constructing equipment for lunar use. In this paper two examples will be covered. 1) Abrasion is related to hardness and hardness is a commonly measured property for both minerals and engineering materials. Although different hardness scales are routinely employed for minerals and engineering materials, a significant amount of literature is available relating the two. As one example, we will discuss how to relate hardness to abrasion for the design of lunar equipment. We also indicate how abundant the various mineral phases are and typical size distributions for lunar regolith which will impact abrasive nature. 2) Mineral characteristics that may seem trivial to the non-geologist or material scientist may have significant bearing on ISRU processing technologies. As a second example we discuss the impact of traces of fluoride, chloride, and hydroxide, water, carbon dioxide, and sulfur species which can radically alter melting points and the corrosive nature of reaction products thereby significantly changing bulk chemistry and associated processing technologies. For many engineering uses, a simulant's fidelity to bulk lunar regolith chemistry may be insufficient. Therefore, simulant users need to engage in continuing dialogue with simulant developers and geoscientists.

Street, Kenneth W.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Improving Fermi Orbit Determination and Prediction in an Uncertain Atmospheric Drag Environment

Orbit determination and prediction of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope trajectory is strongly impacted by the unpredictability and variability of atmospheric density and the spacecraft's ballistic coefficient. Operationally, Global Positioning System point solutions are processed with an extended Kalman filter for orbit determination, and predictions are generated for conjunction assessment with secondary objects. When these predictions are compared to Joint Space Operations Center radar-based solutions, the close approach distance between the two predictions can greatly differ ahead of the conjunction. This work explores strategies for improving prediction accuracy and helps to explain the prediction disparities. Namely, a tuning analysis is performed to determine atmospheric drag modeling and filter parameters that can improve orbit determination as well as prediction accuracy. A 45% improvement in three-day prediction accuracy is realized by tuning the ballistic coefficient and atmospheric density stochastic models, measurement frequency, and other modeling and filter parameters.

orbit prediction↗
NASA NTRS2014

Uncertainty in Model Predictions of Vibrio Vulnificus Response to Climate Variability and Change: A Chesapeake Bay Case Study

The effect that climate change and variability will have on waterborne bacteria is a topic of increasing concern for coastal ecosystems, including the Chesapeake Bay. Surface water temperature trends in the Bay indicate a warming pattern of roughly 0.3-0.4 C per decade over the past 30 years. It is unclear what impact future warming will have on pathogens currently found in the Bay, including Vibrio spp. Using historical environmental data, combined with three different statistical models of Vibrio vulnificus probability, we explore the relationship between environmental change and predicted Vibrio vulnificus presence in the upper Chesapeake Bay. We find that the predicted response of V. vulnificus probability to high temperatures in the Bay differs systematically between models of differing structure. As existing publicly available datasets are inadequate to determine which model structure is most appropriate, the impact of climatic change on the probability of V. vulnificus presence in the Chesapeake Bay remains uncertain. This result points to the challenge of characterizing climate sensitivity of ecological systems in which data are sparse and only statistical models of ecological sensitivity exist.

model predictions↗
NASA NTRS2018

Initial Jitter Analysis of Lynx, a Proposed Future Large Astrophysics Facility

Lynx is an X-Ray telescope large-mission concept for consideration in NASA's 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. A conceptual structural design is evolving that leverages the success and lessons learned from Chandra and that takes into account unique needs of Lynx. Space optics systems require extreme stability. Any motion in-service (thermal effects, structural dynamics, etc.) impacts performance. An initial analysis was performed to predict the first-cut dynamic responses, jitter, at two selected points on the Lynx observatory. One point is on the Lynx X-ray Mirror Assembly (LMA) and the other, on the focal plane Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM). Relative motion between these two points was predicted along with vibration spectra. This information will be used in upcoming analyses of the LMA and the ISIM.

Knight, J. Brent↗
NASA NTRS2018

Area Coverage Planning with 3-axis Steerable, 2D Framing Sensors

Existing algorithms for Agile Earth Observing Satellites((Lemaitre et al. 2002)) were largely created for 1D line sensors that acquire images in linear swaths. However, imaging satellites increasingly use 2D framing sensors (cameras) that capture discrete rectangular images. We describe tiling step-stare approaches that are more suited to rectangular image footprints than are 1D swath-based algorithms. Optimal area planning for these 2D framing instruments is an NPcomplete problem and intractable for large areas, so we present four approximation algorithms. Strategies are compared against a prior 2D framing instrument algorithm (Knight 2014) in three computational experiments. The impact of observer agility on schedule makespan is examined. Makespans vary more as observer agility decreases toward a critical point, then vary less after the critical point, suggesting a possible problem phase transition.

Chien, Steve↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Sunglint-aided Methane Retrieval: Using Sentinel-2 to Quantify Offshore Oil and Gas Emissions

The extraction, production, and transportation of oil and gas via activities such as intentional venting and fugitive emissions are leading contributors to anthropogenic methane emissions. Offshore operations comprise a significant percentage of all oil and gas operations, yet emission monitoring over the ocean is insufficient. Due to low surface reflectance over the ocean, remote sensing measurements offshore are limited. Therefore offshore contributions to the overall global methane budget are unknown. Regulators such as the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) are unable to validate operator-reported methane emission estimates. The NASA DEVELOP Program partnered with BOEM, BSEE, and SkyTruth to identify potential offshore methane sources in the Gulf of Mexico. Drawing upon existing retrieval methods to detect and quantify onshore methane emissions (Varon et al., 2021), we selected sunglint scenes to detect methane plumes over the ocean in Sentinel-2 imagery. We detected two methane plumes at the Constitution complex in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Pointe-Noire, Congo. If expanded, these methods could serve a vital role in validating operator reporting and quantifying climate impacts of offshore oil and gas operations - complementing those of next generation satellites.

Katherine Howell↗
DOE OSTI2025

Digital Transformation for the Existing Fleet: Where to Start?

To remain economically viable in today’s electricity marketplace, nuclear power plants are replacing old analog equipment with modern digital tools. Having information available in an electronic format allows most work processes to become more efficient by automating simple, time-consuming tasks. However, with thousands of routine work processes performed every day, it can be difficult for the plants to know where to begin. We partnered with a nuclear utility to develop a novel assessment tool that measures seven health indicators for each work process performed, providing a rapid digital status report of the plant. The assessment tool is inexpensive and user-friendly, administered remotely, and automatically customized to each employee. Data from 167 employees representing different perspectives were analyzed to identify optimal candidates for digital initiatives that yield the highest payback for increased process efficiencies. We ranked by a priority index to ensure that processes with a good combination of time savings and digital opportunity were at the top. The focus was on determining a maximum investment to ensure that the cost savings from these initiatives are positive over a specified period. We identified potential cost savings of $2.6m, $1.3m and $1.2m for our top priority processes. By using our novel assessment tool to determine the digital status of the plant’s work processes, they were provided with a starting point for target candidates that would most benefit from a digital initiative. Our analysis helps stakeholders understand the financial impact of digital initiatives and identify maximum investment amounts when seeking technical solutions.

assessment↗