SEARCH · Search NASA
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.
This presentation discusses final designs for Plutonium Thermal Epithermal eXperiments (TEX) configurations. The goal of the experiments is to produce Pu critical benchmarks to address the nuclear data and validations needs for criticality safety.
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are a widely used energy storage device. For decades, researchers have been studying aqueous electrolytes due to their non-flammability and environmental friendless. However, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of water greatly limit the voltage window of the aqueous electrolyte. The recent concept of ‘solvent-in-salt’ electrolytes, namely ‘water-in-salt’ electrolytes (WISE) for aqueous batteries and ‘super-concentrated’ electrolytes for non-aqueous batteries, greatly expands the electrochemical window of these battery systems and consequently their energy density. This expansion occurs because the large number of salt aggregates in ‘solvent-in-salt’ electrolytes enables preferential salt decomposition over solvent decomposition to form robust interphase layers on electrodes, thus enhancing their stability in a wide range of operating voltages. However, even when the salt concentration reached 63m, regardless of cost, the cathodic potential of the WISE expanded only to 1.75V with an overall electrochemical stability window of <3.25V. To design the next generation of high energy aqueous LIBs, electrolytes that possess a wider electrochemical stability window and lower cost but still maintain the merit of non-flammability are much needed. In this project, we designed the aqueous LIBs with widened voltage window. We reported a cheap and non-flammable ternary eutectic electrolyte that can form a robust solid electrolyte interface (SEI)so that the cathodic limiting potential can be decreased to <1.5 V for Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 anodes, while maintaining both a high ionic conductivity of >10 -3 S cm –1 and a low viscosity. We demonstrated the super-stable2.5V LiMn 2 O 4 ||Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 pouch cell with mass loading of 2.5 mAh/cm. Further, LiCl-LiBr-Graphite/Li full cells were designed with high energy density. Finally, we use a bi-layer design to enlarge the voltage window of aqueous electrolyte, which can endow the stable cycling of aqueous Lithium metal batteries.
The major goal of this grant has been to study spin-polarized topological edge states. The original proposal was focused specifically on those of the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect, which was proposed to be realizable via a (simultaneous) magnetic and spin-orbit proximity effect in graphene. En route to realizing the QAH effect, the goal was also to study the newly-discovered 2D magnetic insulators, which have finally been isolated in the single-to-few atomic layers from compounds whose bulk properties have known since the 1970s, and the extent to which magnetic effects could be seen in graphene via proximity coupling. Since the original proposal, the scope of the work has expanded to include study of the topological edge states of the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect and how they are modified by proximity effects and in twisted bilayers. The broader scientific context of the experiments in this proposal is to understand the physical mechanisms behind proximity effects in van der Waals heterostructures. Perhaps the ultimate scientific and technological goal of realizing topological states through proximity effects is the creation of Majorana zero modes in solid-state devices, which has been identified as a major priority in condensed-matter physics and quantum information because of the potential use of Majorana zero modes in topological quantum computing. Van der Waals materials offer advantages in this area because of the diversity of materials that can potentially be used and the unique device architectures that are possible using the van der Waals assembly techniques.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supported work at Lodestar Research Corporation under grant DE-FG02-97ER54392 is summarized in this final report. The research conducted under this grant addressed key scientific issues associated with boundary plasmas in fusion energy experimental devices. Harnessing the energy that is released in fusion reactions would provide a safe and abundant source of power to meet the growing energy needs of the world population. Lodestar investigated the important cm-scale region near the edge of these devices where hot plasma, close to one million degrees, meets material surfaces in what is known as a scrape-off layer (SOL). This critical region is subject to plasma turbulence and plasma flows which must be understood to optimize fusion performance on future machines. Strong interactions of applied RF waves is also observed to occur in this region, and must be understood to mitigate unwanted effects and enhance overall performance. The work employed theoretical models and theory-based computational models for validation. The models were applied to understand experimental results and to carry out basic theoretical investigations relevant to the production of fusion energy.
This report serves as the final technical report for the US Department of Energy (DOE) award DE-EE0006713 (Award 6713). The project is titled “New England Aqua Ventus I Offshore Wind Advanced Technology Demonstration Project 100% Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED)”. The New England Aqua Ventus I (NEAV) project demonstrates a unique prestressed concrete semi-submersible floating hull technology, called VolturnUS. The technology is applicable to harness nearly 60% of the US offshore wind resource within 50 miles of the coast. The hull will be demonstrated at full-scale with a commercial scale wind turbine connected to the grid in the Northeast US off Monhegan Island, Maine for 20 years.
This Final Technical Report briefly summarizes the achievements during the lifetime of our DOE BES grant DE-FG02-97ER45623. The long-term goal of this project has been the development of quantitative theories of the interaction between radiation and matter, with a focus on x-ray spectroscopies. X-ray spectra have long been among the most important probes of atomic-scale structure and properties of matter, ranging from atoms and molecular systems to condensed matter and exotic states. These spectroscopies are widely used in investigations at the major DOE synchrotron x-ray facilities and related centers world-wide. In addition to fundamental theory, a major goal of our project has been the development of computational software that implements the theory for calculations of x-ray spectra of various materials throughout the periodic table. Due to the complex nature of x-ray spectra, quantitative theory is essential for its interpretation. The theory is challenging since it involves excited state electronic structure and many-body correlation effects that go beyond independent particle approximations like DFT or Hartree-Fock. Moreover, the experimental investigations typically involve a broad range of energy, time, and temperature scales, from the UV-Vis to hard x-ray energies of order 10 4 eV, and temperatures T from ambient up to the warm-dense-matter regime where the Fermi energy kBTF is of order a few eV, i.e., temperatures of order 105 Kelvin. This broad range of experimental conditions has fostered many novel theoretical approaches and computational techniques, many of which we have developed systematically over the duration of the grant. In contrast to the traditional wave-function approach of quantum theory and electronic structure methods, our theoretical approach is based on modern Green's function techniques. This approach is better suited for aperiodic structures, excited states, and broad spectral ranges, since it avoids the computational bottlenecks of sum-over-states approaches, as in the Fermi golden rule. This theoretical framework has been incorporated into efficient, user-friendly x-ray spectroscopy software which is now used routinely worldwide to simulate and analyze spectra. These theoretical tools provide an essential complement to synchrotron and next-generation light sources, which are used to investigate complex materials with ever increasing precision. Moreover, the synergism between theory, computation and experiment contributed by our research enhances scientific understanding and creates opportunities for innovations in materials and energy science and in many fields. As documented in this Report, this research grant has been remarkably successful in achieving these goals. In particular, this grant has supported the development of the x-ray spectroscopy software suite known as FEFF (named for an effective scattering amplitude f eff in the theory). The FEFF codes have become one of the premier tools for quantitative simulations of x-ray spectra as documented by many thousands of citations in the Web of Science and Google-Scholar.
This final technical report summarizes hydrogen storage system cost analysis results from 2017-2021. Results include onboard hydrogen storage system costs for light-duty vehicles, medium-duty vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles, class 8 long haul trucks, and passenger buses. Multiple storage systems are included, primarily focusing on compressed and cryo-compressed hydrogen in Type 3 and Type 4 storage systems. Additional analysis includes large-scale gaseous and liquid hydrogen storage at refueling stations in tube trailers and Dewars; advanced materials-based storage systems such as metal organic frameworks and metal hydrides; and a baseline setting analysis of compressed natural gas storage systems in support of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Initiative (IACMI). Analyses were primarily conducted using a Design for Manufacture and Assembly ® methodology, which is a bottom-up process-based approach to estimating factory costs. Multiple annual production rates are reported to project high-volume costs relevant to mature markets.
This is the final technical report for a project that developed an ultra-lightweight carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics composite door assembly for a mid-size SUV. The project was able achieve a weight reduction of at least 42.5% while maintaining or exceeding the fit, function, safety, stiffness, and crash performance requirements of the current baseline door. Additionally, the target cost was set at less than $5 per pound of weight saved. To accomplish these goals, the project team employed a systems approach that involves redesigning the door assembly, exploring novel materials, optimizing the design, and utilizing advanced manufacturing technologies.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has conservatively reduced the explosive safety standards suggested by the Small Quantities in Research Laboratories (SQRL) program testing by 60%. For this reason, further research into the detailed effects of small amounts of explosives in typically constructed rooms is needed in order to improve their factor of safety. The team was tasked with designing an experiment to investigate the effect of different variables on drywall under explosive blasts. In order to meet this objective, the team conducted a comprehensive literature review to gain an understanding of industry-standard construction practices and review previous tests conducted by the Army corp of engineers. Since the team used PBXN-5 rather than C4, as in SQRL, an initial shot was conducted to compare damage levels. From those results and the physical constraints of the testing chamber, the team redesigned multiple single-panel drywall frames to capture the entirety of the incurred damage. Proposed designs were narrowed down using a decision matrix. From the study of previous tests and literature review, variables were chosen that the team hypothesized to have an impact on drywall strength. The variables that were tested were chosen from the results of that work and specific variables the sponsor was interested in, and they were paint, humidity/moisture content, and explosive positioning relative to the studs. Detailed plans were made for each variable according to what conditions the team wanted to investigate. For humidity, this involved testing low, ambient, and high conditions by treating the panels in a chamber. Preliminary shots were performed to test the structural integrity of the frame and streamline the test diagnostics which involved a high-speed camera placed behind the drywall, outside of the chamber, and a pressure probe placed behind the drywall, inside the chamber. Once the instrumentation, diagnostics, and frame design were finalized, a quantitative damage criteria matrix was created to categorize the results of the main shot series. In conjunction with evidence from the high-speed video, the achieved damage levels indicate that high moisture content drywall is better able to withstand explosive blasts. Larger stud damage and lower drywall damage occurred when the explosive was located directly in front of a stud. Paint had no noticeable impact on strength. Ultimately, the team conducted a total of 17 tests, leaving the door open for future in-depth research into the impact of humidity.
The objective of the work reported upon was to perform research and development and test advanced prototype imaging x-ray detectors needed to meet pressing scientific research needs at U.S. x-ray synchrotron user facilities. The high x-ray brightness of the Nation’s x-ray synchrotron sources in the DOE National Laboratories holds promise to advance science and technology in a broad range of fundamental and applied disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biomedical areas and engineering. At present, progress in many areas is being limited not by the x-ray source but by the lack of imaging x-ray detectors capable of meeting experimental needs. Specifically, there is pressing need for imaging detectors with high dynamic range, low noise, high frame rates and the ability to capture x-ray images with x-rays of energy > 20 keV. This Final Technical Report summarizes progress made at Cornell University on novel integrating x-ray detectors that address these characteristics.
Final technical report for SolSmart, award DE-EE0007154.
This project was funded by DOE under Grant no. DE-SC0016108. Originally approved for the 2016-2019 period, two no-cost extensions were solicited and approved, which prolonged the lifespan through July 2021. This final report informs on the results obtained so far from the research implemented. The research hinged on integrating genomics (genomic selection, RNAseq, virus-plant interactions) with classical genetics (conventional breeding) to incorporate durable resistance to fungal (rust) and viral (mosaic) diseases in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) populations being bred for bioenergy. Higher biomass yield, higher quality (low lignin content), and durable disease resistance are key features to make lignocellulosic switchgrass feedstocks economically competitive and sustainable. Genomic selection is being applied on three generations of a switchgrass population derived from crossing two ecotypes (Kanlow as lowland female and Summer as upland male) with differential performance in terms of biomass yield and quality, disease resistance, and winter survivability. Target populations were screened for rust and mosaic in field and/or lab and phenotyped for biomass yield and quality traits. Genetic analyses were applied across generations to capture the joint inheritance of the targeted traits and predict breeding values for parents and progeny with greater accuracy. Parental and a panel of different switchgrass populations were genotyped with the DArTseq technology to develop SNP (0, 1, 2) and in-silico (presence/absence) DArT markers. Rust inoculations techniques were developed and applied successfully on switchgrass. The original populations (Kanlow and Summer) were sequenced with RNAseq to capture the gene expression profiles across sequential time-points and appraise the basis of greater resistance in the Kanlow vs the Summer ecotype. Constructs of PMV and sPMV mosaic virus were assembled and tested first on proso millet to find the best protocol to use later on switchgrass. Results from the preliminary analyses indicate that 1) ample additive genetic variation is available for selection and improving this inter-ecotypic population for yield, quality, and disease traits, 2) significant gains are to be expected with the genetic correlations being favorable between yield and lignin content and between yield and disease ratings, 3) substantial differences exist in the genetic regions controlling rust resistance in the two ecotypes, 4) co-infection with PMV isolates from Nebraska and its satellite from Kansas elicit severe mosaic symptoms, and 5) two different genetic systems are responsible for imparting resistance to rust and virus in switchgrass.
This U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Indian Energy supported project consists of energy conservation measures (ECMs) and a solar photovoltaic (PV) system to reduce cost of utility bills in a newly constructed Fort Peck Wellness Center, for use by tribal members in improving their physical and mental wellness. Construction of the building was outside the scope of the DOE supported project. A new 2-story wellness center was designed and constructed in Poplar, Montana. The wellness center is comprised of fitness areas, gymnasium, pool and spa, offices, and BOH support areas. The building was completed and has been operational for more than a year. A final measurement and verification of energy savings was completed after one year of operation and the results are presented herein, showing an energy savings 20% higher than the originally models indicated.
The IsoGenie3 Project delivered new systems-level insights into carbon cycling in thawing permafrost landscapes, with an emphasis on methane and carbon dioxide emissions. From >200 samples from the site collected over a decade, co-analyzed for geochemistry and microbiology, the team recovered ~1,500 assembled microbial genomes and ~1,900 viral population genomes, revealing appreciable genetic novelty - from a new highly abundant bacterial phylum, to novel methane consumers and their activities, to rampant viral novelty. IsoGenie3 linked these organisms to carbon compound transformations (which define the cycling of organic matter in soils, and the loss of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane), and saw that the microbes at each stage of permafrost thaw had different genetic potential to degrade categories of compounds, expressed that genetic potential differently, and actually transformed carbon compounds into greenhouse gases in different ways. IsoGenie 3 identified that some of the thaw-stage differences were due to plant-microbiome relationships; the plant species across the thaw gradient contributed different carbon compounds into the soil, and hosted distinct microbiota (differing among parts of plants as well as species). Lastly, microbes in the saturated post-thaw conditions appeared likely to contribute to the mobilization and toxification of mercury released during thaw. In parallel with ongoing field sampling and analysis, hypotheses arising from field observations were tested via lab incubation experiments. When communities are taken out of their native habitats, they behave differently, and the team first rigorously quantified the magnitude of this effect on microbiome composition and functional capacity, organic matter composition, and gas production; overall the main system processes were maintained in the lab incubations under the conditions tested. Further, the microbial data could inform geochemical reaction network models of those processes. Then, the team ran experiments with additions of compounds, varying temperature, and “live” vs. “dead” peat (the latter having been gamma irradiated, with a few additional variants to control for methodological artifacts). From these, we (a) determined the importance of plant-derived soluble phenolic compounds in bogs’ extraordinary recalcitrance of organic matter, and carbon gas emissions skewed to carbon dioxide; (b) proposed an abiotic ‘tanning’ mechanism, which could contribute to Sphagnum’s inhibitory effect on anaerobic decomposition through alteration of N availability. IsoGenie3 illuminated longer-term and landscape-scale interactions of permafrost thaw and carbon cycling, advancing knowledge of the drivers of methane dynamics not only across in the permafrost-associated peatland (where hydrology and plant communities dictate microbiomes) but also their interconnected lakes (where sediment carbon quality and resident microbiota are determined by position within lake, and lake features). By leveraging observations of site methane dynamics extending well before this project, the team was able to construct a 44-year portrait of the interplay of permafrost thaw, hydrology, vegetation dynamics, and carbon gas emissions, and the doubling of the fully-thawed fens over this time. From the detailed study of this focal site, IsoGenie3 also aimed to improve model representation of these kinds of sites and processes. To improve predictions of methane transformations, we incorporated acetate and isotope dynamics into the ‘DNDC’ biogeochemistry model. In addition, recovered genomes were grouped into ‘functional groups’, i.e. the genomes that perform a specific function of interest, then used to parameterize maximum growth rate and optimum growth temperature (via signatures in their sequence composition) for the BioCrunch model. The BioCrunch model was then in turn used to test the impact of increasing functional resolution of the microbes, on the carbon gas emissions. Lastly for modeling, the ecosys model was parameterized from the microbial and other data, and used to evaluate drivers of e.g. change in methane emissions. Finally, this project also led to the development of a range of new methods and tools, a new metric of organic matter decomposability, as well as a graph-database solution to multidisciplinary data storage and querying. This project’s ongoing analyses at our focal site also contributed to broader advancements in understanding elements of genetic plasticity and methane metabolism, climate change microbiology and community assembly, global peatland geochemistry and Arctic lakes’ roles in climate feedbacks.
Hybrid inorganic-microbial systems have emerged as a potentially transformative approach to combine the light-harvesting capability of inorganic semiconductors and the ability of microbes to orchestrate complex chemical transformations. The objective of this collaborative research is to combine quantum materials synthesis, bacterial synthetic biology, and multimodal single-entity imaging to quantitatively study how hybrid QD-bacteria systems convert light to value chemicals at the single-to-sub cell level, with the ultimate goal of gaining insights to guide the engineering of QDs and bacterial genetics for more efficient bioenergy conversion. The final technical report summarizes our achievements toward this objective.
Many of our planet’s ecosystems rely on the activities of soil microbial communities. These microbes have significant and wide-ranging effects: they metabolize carbon and other nutrients, interact with plants and fungi, and perform other processes important to soil health. However, our ability to directly observe the enzymatic and metabolic activities of microbes within soil is currently limited, not only by the complexity of soil microbial communities themselves, but also by the lack of experimental tools to study them and their molecular interactions in situ. These challenges hinder our understanding of the life-sustaining processes of biomass decomposition and the manner in which it contributes to the movement of freed carbon within soil ecosystems. Here we aimed to develop a novel ultrahigh-resolution isotopic microscope that combines complementary imaging modalities to gain insights into metabolic cycling in soil. This final report covers both the portion of this work that was initially completed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2018 to 2019 (as award DE-SC0019012) and then from 2020 to 2022 (2023 in NCE) at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. This goal was to build an integrated platform consisting of fluorescence microscopy, Raman microspectroscopy, and nanospray desorption electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (nanoDESI-FTICR-MS) to directly investigate microbial activities and molecular transformations occurring in soil by exploiting the use of both fluorescent labels and stable isotope probing. Specifically, our instrument was conceived as integrating: (A) fluorescence detection to localize soil microbes, identify bacteria taking up polysaccharides, and monitor gene expression of enzymes involved in decomposition; (B) Raman microspectroscopy to determine which microbes incorporate decomposition products into their biomass, as well as which decomposers are metabolically active; and (C) nanoDESI-FTICR-MS imaging to spatially probe, in real-time, the metabolites in the surrounding area, which we expect will reveal the distributions of the products of the enzymatic breakdown of polysaccharides, as well as specialized metabolites acting as cell-cell signals between decomposers. To enable these measurements, we exploited fluorescence-based probes to map the microbes that are enzymatically active (per A) and utilized stable isotope-labeled substrates to visualize both the microbial and molecular fate of decomposed biomass (B and C, respectively). To accomplish our goal, we combined the expertise of a multidisciplinary group of scientists to pursue the construction of this microscope and to investigate scientific questions that would be facilitated by such a capability. We aimed to employ this spatially informative, high-resolution isotopic microscope to visualize the critical steps of biomass degradation and the molecular fate of other environmentally relevant substrates within soil mesocosms. Accordingly, this technology will enhance our understanding of the microbial and metabolic interactions occurring within soil communities that are relevant to carbon degradation and other soil processes. The instrument has been developed and housed at EMSL, where it will be available to the entire EMSL User Base, enabling a variety of related DOE-relevant systems to be interrogated in the future by diverse scientific research groups.
This project developed methodologies to measure the in-situ principal stress in the deep subsurface through use of multiple independent, but complementary, seismic methods, laboratory verification, and development of theoretical frameworks. By leveraging existing regional and local datasets we developed, tested, and refined a set of diagnostic tools for determining the in-situ stress state with reduced uncertainty at and below reservoir depths (1.5-6 km). A set of novel tools was produced that are scale independent, such that their utility is equivalent on regional, field scale, and near borehole monitoring of principal stresses in reservoir underburden for carbon storage projects. During a 4-year Department of Energy (DOE) and Southern Company funded project, carried out by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the University of Oklahoma (OU), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the project team developed methodologies to measure the far-field in-situ principal stress in the deep subsurface, leveraging induced seismicity data from waste-water disposal projects. These methodologies consisted in the use of well-established and technically advanced seismic processing methods, such as virtual seismometer method-moment tensor (VSM-MT) and shear wave splitting (SWS), that are adept at recovering the stress orientation and certain components of the stress tensor. These methods were applied to robust seismicity catalogs created with matched filter techniques near sites of active fluid disposal—a proxy for carbon storage sites where such datasets are more limited. Estimates of the stress orientation made with seismic processing tools were considered along with laboratory acoustic emission experiments conducted on rock samples from the region of interest. Stress orientations in the studied region do not vary significantly across distances of ~100 km, nor are they found to rotate through time as a consequence of local wastewater disposal, as previously speculated. Finally, the project team investigated the trade-offs among the different seismic methods and evaluated the range of uncertainty that is generated with these methodologies, which led to a practical use and refinement of the VSM-MT technique when it is applied to field datasets. Understanding the trade-offs between these different methods highlighted the potential benefits of improved quantification of uncertainties on stress field estimations.
This final report describes the major accomplishment of UCI personnel during the project period.