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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 73 records · Page 4

State of the Art in Thermal Catalytic Upgrading of Biomass and Biomass-Derived Intermediates

Biomass-derived energy sources represent a promising domestic route for fuel and chemical production, taking advantage of largely underutilized biological and waste resources. Heterogeneous catalysis plays a key role in these biomass conversion processes, as reflected by all American Society for Testing and Materials–approved pathways for producing sustainable aviation fuel proceeding through a catalytic step. This concise review seeks to establish the state of the art in thermal catalytic process development for various biomass-derived feedstocks and the current enabling capabilities that aid this development. Research needs are identified and described throughout the article, as further advancements in heterogeneous catalysis are required to improve the affordability and realize the full potential of biomass-derived products.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

HFTS-2 Completions Design and State-of-the-Art Diagnostics Results

Various completion schemes were tested as part of the Hydraulic Fracture Test Site-2 (HFTS-2) project. The wells were instrumented with permanent fiber optic (FO) cable, and unique near-wellbore and far-field region surveys were acquired to evaluate spatial and temporal hydraulic fracture characteristics. The state-of-the-art diagnostics included substantial monitoring of both the well stimulation and longer-term production performance. The objective was to evaluate and improve stimulation distribution effectiveness (SDE) for different completion designs based on the diagnostics results. A hydraulic fracturing (HF) profile (i.e., proppant/fluid allocation among clusters) was obtained using near-wellbore Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) data acquired during stimulation. Statistical analysis provided a quantitative assessment of SDE for the different completion designs. A novel workflow was developed to assess time-lapse fracture property changes at the cluster and stage levels based on Distributed Strain Sensing (DSS) data acquired during the production phase. These time-lapse fracture property changes were compared with the HF profile. Based on the statistical analysis, Rate Per Cluster (RPC) during proppant slurry placement appears to be a primary completion design variable, rather than the typical Rate Per Perf (RPP). If RPC was not maintained at a certain level, the likelihood of uneven distribution increased dramatically. The stage configurations that created low RPC while maintaining high RPP did not show improved SDE. The strain change results based on DSS data during the production phase indicated near-wellbore fracture property changes (e.g., aperture changes during well shut-in and flow periods) and aligned well with near-wellbore DAS signals acquired during stimulation. More importantly, fracture property changes based on DSS data acquired during two tests over a 7-month period show high consistency and good alignment with the near-wellbore HF profile. This workflow quantitatively evaluates SDE for different completion designs using diagnostic results and could help optimize completion strategy for future development projects. Here, the analysis and interpretation of results demonstrate the technical feasibility of using permanent fiber optic cable for stimulation and production monitoring and indic

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Survey of Current State of the Art Entity-Relation Extraction Tools

In the area of information extraction from text data, there exists a number of tools with the capability of extracting entities, topics, and their relationships with one another from both structured and unstructured text sources. Such information has endless uses in a number of domains, however, the solutions to getting this information are still in early stages and has room for improvement. The topic has been explored from a research perspective by academic institutions, as well as formal tool creation from corporations but has not made much advancement since the early 2000's. Overall, entity extraction, and the related topic of entity linking, is common among these tools, though with varying degrees of accuracy, while relationship extraction is more difficult to find and seems limited to same sentence analysis. In this report, we take a look at the top state of the art tools currently available and identify their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. We explore the common algorithms in the successful approaches to entity extraction and their ability to efficiently handle both structured and unstructured text data. Finally, we highlight some of the common issues among these tools and summarize the current ability to extract relationship information.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

An Overview of the State-of-the-Art Reactor Consequence Uncertainty Assessment Accident Progression Insights

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) with Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) have completed three uncertainty analyses (UAs) as part of the State-of-the-Art Reactor Consequence Analyses (SOARCA) program. The SOARCA UAs included an integrated evaluation of uncertainty in accident progression, radiological release, and offsite health consequence projections. The UA for Peach Bottom, a boiling-water reactor (BWR) with a Mark I containment located in the State of Pennsylvania, analyzed the unmitigated long-term station blackout SOARCA scenario. The UA for Sequoyah, a 4-loop Westinghouse pressurized-water reactor (PWR) located in the State of Tennessee, analyzed the unmitigated short-term station blackout SOARCA scenario, with a focus on issues unique to the ice condenser containment and the potential for early containment failure due to hydrogen deflagration. The UA for Surry, a 3-loop Westinghouse PWR with a sub-atmospheric large dry containment located in the State of Virginia, analyzed the unmitigated short-term station blackout SOARCA scenario including the potential for thermally-induced steam-generator tube rupture. These three UAs are currently documented in three NUREG/CR reports. This report provides input to planned NRC documentation on the insights and findings from the SOARCA UA program. The purpose of the summary report is to provide a useful reference for regulatory applications that require the evaluation of offsite consequence risk from beyond design basis event severe accidents. This report focuses on the accident progression and source term insights developed from the MELCOR analyses. MELCOR is the NRC's best-estimate, severe accident computer code used in the SOARCA UAs. In anticipation of the SOARCA UA insights work, NRC and Sandia benchmarked the response of the Peach Bottom model to selected reference calculations from the Peach Bottom SOARCA UA. Peach Bottom was the first SOARCA UA performed and was completed in 2015 using the MELCOR 1.8.6 code. The PWR SOARCA UAs evolved the original methodology and utilized the updated MELCOR 2.2 computer code. The Peach Bottom model has been systematically updated for other NRC research efforts and has been updated to MELCOR 2.2. computer code. The findings from the new reference calculations using the updated model with the MELCOR 2.2 code are also integrated into the report. A second objective is an assessment of the applicability of the results to the other nuclear reactors in the U.S. As the key findings are reviewed, judgments are presented on the applicability of the results to other U.S. nuclear power plants. An important objective of the SOARCA program relied on high- fidelity plant-specific modeling. However, the nature of the insights and conclusions allowed judgements to be made on the applicability of the various insights to the same general classification of plant (i.e., BWR or PWR) or the entire fleet of plants. Finally, the results from the SOARCA UA accident progression calculations contain a wealth of information not previously documented in the NUREG/CRs. This report includes new but related information that can be used to benchmark past or support future regulatory decisions related to severe accidents. The new work includes a benchmark of the NUREG-1465 licensing source term definitions, the variability of key accident progression events and timing to radionuclide release, and an improved understanding of the timing and source terms from consequential steam generator tube ruptures. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Sandia authors gratefully acknowledge the significant technical and programmatic contributions from the NRC SOARCA team which are reflected throughout the report. Dr. Tina Ghosh has been involved throughout the SOARCA UAs, providing the primary managerial and technical oversight. The long lists of NRC and Sandia contributors from the SOARCA UAs are cited in the three NUREG/CRs and are also gratefully acknowledged by the small team of authors compiling the results of their efforts. Significant technical contributions, advice, and reviews were provided by Dr. Hossein Esmaili, Dr. Alfred Hathaway, and Dr. Edward Fuller (retired) of the NRC. Dr. Randal Gauntt (retired), Mr. Patrick Mattie, Mr. Joseph Jones (retired), and Dr. Doug Osborn from Sandia are recognized as the SOARCA UA managers guiding the past efforts. There is a comparable list of project managers at the NRC including Ms. Patricia Santiago, Dr. Salman Haq, and Mr. Jon Barr. Sadly, we have lost Mr. Charlie Tinkler and Mr. Robert Prato, who were important contributors to the original SOARCA project. Finally, Mr. Kyle Ross and Mr. Mark Leonard have also retired but were significant technical contributors. Mr. Kyle Ross was the technical lead on all three SOARCA UAs and the original pressurized water reactor SOARCA study. Mr. Leonard was the technical lead on the original boiling water reactor SOARCA study and a key contributor to the first Peach Bottom SOARCA UA. iv

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

State-of-the-Art Reactor Consequence Analysis Project: Sensitivity Analysis Using Dakota

The State-of-the-Art Reactor Consequence Analyses (SOARCA) project has focused on best estimate analyses and uncertainty analysis for postulated accidents at specific nuclear power plants. The consequences of these accidents are estimated using the simulation tools MELCOR and MACCS. To understand which uncertain input variables are important to determining these consequences, analysts have performed sensitivity analyses. The tool used to perform these sensitivity analyses in previous SOARCA work, CompModSA, is no longer supported. Therefore, the current work focuses on migrating these analyses to another tool and evaluating its performance. Dakota, which is a tool developed at Sandia National Laboratories, is used in this work. Sensitivity results are created for three analyses from the SOARCA Surry UA. Though CompModSA and Dakota vary slightly in their algorithms and implementation, their sensitivity results generally agree, which gives confidence in the Dakota approach and increases confidence in the original analyses. It is likely that this methodology is extendable to the rest of SOARCA analyses.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Autonomous Inspection of Geologic Repositories: Current State of the Art and Future Directions

Geological repositories for nuclear waste, including spent nuclear fuel, present a significant challenge for traditional International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards tools due to their inaccessibility and demanding operational conditions. The IAEA has been working closely with Member State organizations currently involved in repository construction and planning, including Euratom, the Finnish and Swedish regulatory authorities, and relevant facility operators. However, the verification challenge remains unsolved, and there persists an out- standing need for tools and approaches that will help the IAEA verify that no nuclear material is diverted from a repository environment. The challenge is also not static. Activities must encompass verification of the design, prior to and during the construction/operation phase, and post backfill. Throughout these various phases, it is imperative that the IAEA maintains a continuity of knowledge (CoK) of all material including information on material inventory and flow. This paper highlights these challenges and outlines how they might be addressed by using remote or autonomous vehicles. Specifically, we discuss the current state of the art in robotic autonomy for known or partially known environment mapping and patrolling, as well as shared autonomy, where humans collaborate with closed loop autonomation to complete tasks. We explore the feasibility of using rovers for these verification tasks, along with the challenges associated with system implementation. Hardware and software suggestions are provided based on the adoption of similar technologies in other comparable areas and ability to close technical gaps. Lastly, human-robotic interactions are considered based on the challenges of the environment of the repository and effective deployment and continued operation of the robot system.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Cost and Performance Estimates for State-of-the-Art and Advanced 1×1 H-Class Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants

As an extension of NETL's Fossil Energy Baseline for Electricity Generating Units Volume 1: Coal and Natural Gas to Electricity (FEB Rev 4a, this study develops cost and performance estimates for analogous NGCC cases using a state-of-the-art 2023 vintage H-Class CT in a 1×1 configuration, where a single combustion turbine and heat recovery steam generator are coupled to a single steam turbine on a common shaft. These 1×1 H-Class cases are used to develop cost and performance estimates of X-Class 1×1 NGCC cases with advanced performance characteristics, analogous to NETL’s cost and performance projections report.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Field Evaluation of the High Efficiency Dehumidification System (HEDS) at the Timken Museum of Art - Summary of Measurement and Verification (M&V) Results from Summer 2023

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is performing a measurement and verification (M&V) assessment of the Conservant High Efficiency Dehumidification System (HEDS) at the Timken Museum of Art in San Diego, California. The HEDS was selected for evaluation by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) High Impact Technology Catalyst (HIT) evaluation program in 2022. This report documents recently completed analysis of data collected as an initial assessment of the HEDS system performance. Data was collected for the summer M&V during several weeks in August and September 2023 while operating the Timken Museum's HVAC system in several operating modes.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

A New State of the Art: Zero Energy Modular Multifamily Construction

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office (BTO) launched the Advanced Building Construction (ABC) Initiative. This initiative aimed to integrate energy efficiency into high-production construction practices. One focus area of the initiative is off-site construction, an approach that may achieve scalable, efficient, and high-performing construction buildings through process standardization. This report presents the findings and recommendations from our ABC Initiative project: A New State of the Art: Zero-Energy Modular Multifamily Construction System. The objectives of the BTO-funded project are to: 1) Achieve energy performance 50% better than the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). 2) Achieve this level of energy performance at no additional cost VEIC worked with Louisiana State University (LSU), National Renewal Energy Lab (NREL), [the project team], and industry partners at the Mod Coach, KBS, and Solar Home Factory to identify and analyze multifamily business designs and modular construction practices. These designs and processes hold the promise of achieving the goals set out by the DOE.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Field Evaluation of the High Efficiency Dehumidification System (HEDS) at the Timken Museum of Art - Measurement and Verification (M&V) Results from Summer, Winter and Spring Evaluation Periods

The High Efficiency Dehumidification System (HEDS) technology from Conservant Systems Inc., installed at the Timken Museum of Art in San Diego, California, was evaluated to determine its performance relative to appropriate baseline operation. Data was collected for measurement and verification for several weeks during three evaluation periods: Summer (Aug-Sep 2023), Winter (Dec 2023-Feb 2024) and Spring (May-Jun 2024). The evaluation included operating the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system in both constant air volume (CAV) and variable air volume (VAV) modes, with and without the HEDS energy recovery and HVAC system optimization technology enabled. The electricity consumption of the chiller and the gas-supplied reheat energy were measured to characterize savings achieved by the HEDS operation. Based on these measurements, the HEDS was responsible for chiller electrical load savings during the summer evaluation period of 39% and 42% for the CAV and VAV operating modes, respectively; 97% and 100% chiller electrical load reductions were observed during the winter evaluation for the CAV and VAV operating modes, respectively; and the corresponding reductions during the spring evaluation were 42% and 52% for CAV and VAV operation, respectively. The measured reheat energy reductions, which are typically provided by natural gas, due to the HEDS during summer were 64% and 97% in CAV and VAV operating modes, respectively, while the corresponding values were 99% and 78% during the winter evaluation, and 59% and 56% during the spring evaluation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Benchmarking State-of-the-Art Theory and Empirical Models of Pionless Neutrino-Argon Scattering in GENIE

Neutrino event generators require a delicate balance between theory and empirically-driven models to achieve reliable simulations. GENIE is the most commonly used generator, bridging theory and experiment in modern neutrino physics. Its flexible framework makes it ideal for comparing different models across all aspects of neutrino interactions—from the nuclear ground state and primary vertex to final-state interactions. Recently, GENIE has incorporated several state-of-the-art, theory-driven models, including spectral-function descriptions of the nuclear ground state, axial form factors from first-principles lattice QCD calculations, and the Liège intranuclear cascade model for simulating final-state interactions. Compared to the previous baseline models in GENIE—such as the local Fermi gas, dipole-like axial form factor, and hA final-state interaction model—the new implementations are more physically realistic and incorporate more complete physics, including nuclear de-excitation. This poster presents the implementation of new models in GENIE and their performance in comparisons among these models against recent MicroBooNE cross-section measurements.

Liu, Liang [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000026753925X)↗

Benchmarking State-of-the-Art Theory and Empirical Models of Pionless Neutrino-Argon Scattering in GENIE

Neutrino event generators require a delicate balance between theory and empirically-driven models to achieve reliable simulations. GENIE is the most commonly used generator, bridging theory and experiment in modern neutrino physics. Its flexible framework makes it ideal for comparing different models across all aspects of neutrino interactions—from the nuclear ground state and primary vertex to final-state interactions. Recently, GENIE has incorporated several state-of-the-art, theory-driven models, including spectral-function descriptions of the nuclear ground state, axial form factors from first-principles lattice QCD calculations, and the Liège intranuclear cascade model for simulating final-state interactions. Compared to the previous baseline models in GENIE—such as the local Fermi gas, dipole-like axial form factor, and hA final-state interaction model—the new implementations are more physically realistic and incorporate more complete physics, including nuclear de-excitation. This poster presents the implementation of new models in GENIE and their performance in comparisons among these models against recent MicroBooNE cross-section measurements.

Liu, Liang [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000026753925X)↗

Aqueous titanium redox flow batteries—State-of-the-art and future potential

Market-driven deployment of inexpensive (but intermittent) renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, in the electric power grid necessitates grid-stabilization through energy storage systems Redox flow batteries (RFBs), with their rated power and energy decoupled (resulting in a sub-linear scaling of cost), are an inexpensive solution for the efficient electrochemical storage of large amounts of electrical energy. Titanium-based RFBs, first developed by NASA in the 1970s, are an interesting albeit less examined chemistry and are the focus of the present review. Ti, constituting 0.6% of the Earth’s crust and an ingredient in inexpensive white paints, is amongst the few elements (V and Mn being some others) which exhibit multiple soluble oxidation states in aqueous electrolytes. Further, the very high (approaching 10 M) solubility of Ti in low pH solutions suggests the possibility of developing exceptionally high energy density aqueous Redox Flow Batteries systems. With these advantages in mind, we present the state-of the-art in Ti-RFBs with a focus on Ti/Mn, Ti/Fe and Ti/Ce couples and systems that use Ti as an additive (such as Ti/V/Mn). The inherent advantages of inexpensive Ti actives and relatively high energy density is contrasted with potential side-reactions resulting in reduced energy efficiency. Technological pathways are presented with a view to overcoming critical bottlenecks and a vision is presented for the future development of Ti-RFBs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Nuclear-Driven Integrated Energy Systems: A State-of-the-Art Review

Because of the growing concerns regarding climate change and energy sustainability, a transition toward a modern energy sector that reduces environmental effects while promoting social and economic growth has gained traction in recent years. Sustainable energy solutions, which include renewable and low-carbon sources such as nuclear energy and natural gas, could minimize emissions of greenhouse gases, enhance air and water quality, and encourage energy independence. Yet, the shift to a sustainable energy industry is fraught with difficulties, including governmental and regulatory obstacles, technological and economic limits, and societal acceptability hurdles. Addressing these issues would necessitate the development of long-term, durable, and cost-effective energy systems containing nuclear energy and associated with the generation of both electricity and other by-products required by industry. Integrated energy systems (IES) are a novel way to maximize the use of various energy resources and technologies in order to deliver dependable, efficient, and sustainable energy services. IES entail the integration of various energy systems, such as electricity, heating, cooling, and transportation, in respect to energy sustainability and a system’s resilience and flexibility. Their development and implementation require the cooperation of several parties, including energy providers and policymakers. This study provides a state-of-the-art literature review of the most creative nuclear-driven hybrid energy system applications and methodologies, from which the research challenges and prospects for effective IES implementation emerge.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

State-of-the-Art Electron Microscopy For Physical Sciences Research

The ability to provide high-resolution information about a variety of materials has made electron microscopy a valuable tool for the physical sciences research community. In recent years, many advanced electron microscopy techniques have been developed to provide access to new classes of materials or provide new types of information about materials. This Methods Collection focuses on a selection of these state-of-the-art techniques, including those that provide access to information about materials in liquids and gases and those that provide new or enhanced information about more conventional solid materials.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Evaluation of global terrestrial evapotranspiration using state-of-the-art approaches in remote sensing, machine learning and land surface modeling

Abstract. Evapotranspiration (ET) is critical in linking global water, carbon and energy cycles. However, direct measurement of global terrestrial ET is not feasible. Here, we first reviewed the basic theory and state-of-the-art approaches for estimating global terrestrial ET, including remote-sensing-based physical models, machine-learning algorithms and land surface models (LSMs). We then utilized 4 remote-sensing-based physical models, 2 machine-learning algorithms and 14 LSMs to analyze the spatial and temporal variations in global terrestrial ET. The results showed that the ensemble means of annual global terrestrial ET estimated by these three categories of approaches agreed well, with values ranging from 589.6 mm yr-1 (6.56×104 km3 yr-1) to 617.1 mm yr-1 (6.87×10 4 km3 yr -1 ). For the period from 1982 to 2011, both the ensembles of remote-sensing-based physical models and machine-learning algorithms suggested increasing trends in global terrestrial ET (0.62 mm yr -2 with a significance level of p<0.05 and 0.38 mm yr -2 with a significance level of p<0.05, respectively). In contrast, the ensemble mean of the LSMs showed no statistically significant change (0.23 mm yr -2 , p>0.05), although many of the individual LSMs reproduced an increasing trend. Nevertheless, all 20 models used in this study showed that anthropogenic Earth greening had a positive role in increasing terrestrial ET. The concurrent small interannual variability, i.e., relative stability, found in all estimates of global terrestrial ET, suggests that a potential planetary boundary exists in regulating global terrestrial ET, with the value of this boundary being around 600 mm yr -1 . Uncertainties among approaches were identified in specific regions, particularly in the Amazon Basin and arid/semiarid regions. Improvements in parameterizing water stress and canopy dynamics, the utilization of new available satellite retrievals and deep-learning methods, and model–data fusion will advance our predictive understanding of global terrestrial ET.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Condition monitoring of wind turbine drivetrains: state-of-the-art technologies, recent trends, and future outlook

As global wind capacity expands, reducing operations and maintenance costs is critical to lowering the levelized cost of energy. This paper explores the state of the art in condition monitoring and prognostic strategies for wind turbine drivetrains, which are among the most failure-prone and maintenance-intensive subsystems. Current diagnostic methodologies are evaluated, covering supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) data, high-frequency vibration and acoustic analysis, machine learning and digital twin frameworks. Finally, practical challenges are identified that limit wide-scale industrial adoption, in order to guide future research and industrial efforts.

17 WIND ENERGY↗