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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

An Introduction to Flight Software Development: FSW Today, FSW 2010

Experience and knowledge gained from ongoing maintenance of Space Shuttle Flight Software and new development projects including Cockpit Avionics Upgrade are applied to projected needs of the National Space Exploration Vision through Spiral 2. Lessons learned from these current activities are applied to create a sustainable, reliable model for development of critical software to support Project Constellation. This presentation introduces the technologies, methodologies, and infrastructure needed to produce and sustain high quality software. It will propose what is needed to support a Vision for Space Exploration that places demands on the innovation and productivity needed to support future space exploration. The technologies in use today within FSW development include tools that provide requirements tracking, integrated change management, modeling and simulation software. Specific challenges that have been met include the introduction and integration of Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) Real Time Operating System for critical functions. Though technology prediction has proved to be imprecise, Project Constellation requirements will need continued integration of new technology with evolving methodologies and changing project infrastructure. Targets for continued technology investment are integrated health monitoring and management, self healing software, standard payload interfaces, autonomous operation, and improvements in training. Emulation of the target hardware will also allow significant streamlining of development and testing. The methodologies in use today for FSW development are object oriented UML design, iterative development using independent components, as well as rapid prototyping . In addition, Lean Six Sigma and CMMI play a critical role in the quality and efficiency of the workforce processes. Over the next six years, we expect these methodologies to merge with other improvements into a consolidated office culture with all processes being guided by automated office assistants. The infrastructure in use today includes strict software development and configuration management procedures, including strong control of resource management and critical skills coverage. This will evolve to a fully integrated staff organization with efficient and effective communication throughout all levels guided by a Mission-Systems Architecture framework with focus on risk management and attention toward inevitable product obsolescence. This infrastructure of computing equipment, software and processes will itself be subject to technological change and need for management of change and improvement,

Gouvela, John↗
NASA NTRS2008

Method for Thermal Spraying of Coatings Using Resonant-Pulsed Combustion

A method has been devised for high-volume, high-velocity surface deposition of protective metallic coatings on otherwise vulnerable surfaces. Thermal spraying is used whereby the material to be deposited is heated to the melting point by passing through a flame. Rather than the usual method of deposition from the jet formed from the combustion products, this innovation uses non-steady combustion (i.e. high-frequency, periodic, confined bursts), which generates not only higher temperatures and heat transfer rates, but exceedingly high impingement velocities an order of magnitude higher than conventional thermal systems. Higher impingement rates make for better adhesion. The high heat transfer rates developed here allow the deposition material to be introduced, not as an expensive powder with high surface-area-to-volume, but in convenient rod form, which is also easier and simpler to feed into the system. The nonsteady, resonant combustion process is self-aspirating and requires no external actuation or control and no high-pressure supply of fuel or air. The innovation has been demonstrated using a commercially available resonant combustor shown in the figure. Fuel is naturally aspirated from the tank through the lower Tygon tube and into the pulsejet. Air for starting is ported through the upper Tygon tube line. Once operation commences, this air is no longer needed as additional air is naturally aspirated through the inlet. A spark plug on the device is needed for starting, but the process carries on automatically as the operational device is resonant and reignites itself with each 220-Hz pulse.

Paxson, Daniel E.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Achieving Innovation and Affordability Through Standardization of Materials Development and Testing

The successful expansion of development, innovation, and production within the aeronautics industry during the 20th century was facilitated by collaboration of government agencies with the commercial aviation companies. One of the initial products conceived from the collaboration was the ANC-5 Bulletin, first published in 1937. The ANC-5 Bulletin had intended to standardize the requirements of various government agencies in the design of aircraft structure. The national space policy shift in priority for NASA with an emphasis on transferring the travel to low earth orbit to commercial space providers highlights an opportunity and a need for the national and global space industries. The same collaboration and standardization that is documented and maintained by the industry within MIL-HDBK-5 (MMPDS-01) and MIL-HBDK-17 (nonmetallic mechanical properties) can also be exploited to standardize the thermal performance properties, processing methods, test methods, and analytical methods for use in aircraft and spacecraft design and associated propulsion systems. In addition to the definition of thermal performance description and standardization, the standardization for test methods and analysis for extreme environments (high temperature, cryogenics, deep space radiation, etc) would also be highly valuable to the industry. Its subsequent revisions and conversion to MIL-HDBK-5 and then MMPDS-01 established and then expanded to contain standardized mechanical property design values and other related design information for metallic materials used in aircraft, missiles, and space vehicles. It also includes guidance on standardization of composition, processing, and analytical methods for presentation and inclusion into the handbook. This standardization enabled an expansion of the technologies to provide efficiency and reliability to the consumers. It can be established that many individual programs within the government agencies have been overcome with development costs generated from these nonstandard requirements. Without industry standardization and acceptance, the programs are driven to shoulder the costs of determining design requirements, performance criteria, and then material qualification and certification. A significant investment that the industry could make to both reduce individual program development costs and schedules while expanding commercial space flight capabilities would be to invest in standardizing material performance properties for high temperature, cryogenic, and deep space environments for both metallic and nonmetallic materials.

Bray, M. H.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Innovative Test Operations to Support Orion and Future Human Rated Missions

This paper describes how the Orion program is implementing new and innovative test approaches and strategies in an evolving development environment. The early flight test spacecraft are evolving in design maturity and complexity requiring significant changes in the ground test operations for each mission. The testing approach for EM-2 is planned to validate innovative Orion production acceptance testing methods to support human exploration missions in the future. Manufacturing and testing at Kennedy Space Center in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout facility will provide a seamless transition directly to the launch site avoiding transportation and checkout of the spacecraft from other locations.

Koenig, William J.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Identifying and Documenting Expert Knowledge, A Practical Study of Design Patterns

Globalization, powered by digitization, is increasing technology growth and knowledge transfer rates to levels not seen in the previous 3500 years, obscuring absolute truth and accelerating rates of innovation and production. Competing,or remaining competitive, in this global marketplace requires a learning organization adopt a method of capture, retention, and reuse for demonstrated tacit knowledge to accelerate the development of increasingly complex systems of high quality at a reasonable cost. The architectural theory of Patterns and Pattern Language is a validated methodology for mining tacit domain knowledge from a proven system. This work applies architectural theory to a multi-year development experiment and captures exposed knowledgeas a design patternin a model based systems engineering tool, demonstrating applicability ofdigital engineering initiativesin thedescription and reuse of expert design knowledge.By creating and archiving model based expressions of expert knowledge,a learning organization canimprovepractical decision making and avoid uninformed concept phase decision making

systems engineering↗
DOE OSTI2021

ARIES/Flatirons Facility - Hydrogen System Capability Buildout

Under the Advanced Research for Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) initiative, NREL will build out hydrogen system capabilities at the Flatirons campus. The hydrogen infrastructure at the Flatirons campus will include a research-ready megawatt-scale electrolyzer with hydrogen compression and storage, and a fuel cell system. This hardware will support H2@Scale goals by enabling integrated systems R&D (e.g., to demonstrate grid services, energy storage, renewable hydrogen production, and innovative end-use applications). The system will be coupled with the controllable grid interface at the Flatirons campus and will be designed with flexibility to provide a testbed for integrated electrolyzer R&D, hydrogen utilization R&D, and to study the science of scaling for hydrogen energy systems.

39 EE - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies (EE-3F↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements: NREL Low- and Moderate-Income Solar Flexible Financing Credit Agreement Rubric

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements is a broad term used to describe a suite of solar products with innovative features not currently offered in traditional solar financing programs. The NREL Low- and Moderate-Income Solar Flexible Financing Credit Agreement Rubric brief document is designed to help evaluate innovative strategies for increasing the accessibility of solar and increasing adoption among LMI households. The rubric is modeled after a version developed to support plug-in electric vehicle policy adoption (NASEO and Cadmus).

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY,SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements: Solar Revenues to Retire Arrears

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements is a broad term used to describe a suite of solar products with innovative features not currently offered in traditional solar financing programs. This brief focuses on the Solar Revenues To Retire Arrears model, in which utilities utilize solar revenues to retire utility debts for customers behind on payments.

community solar↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements: Tariff On-Bill Financing (TOBF)

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements is a broad term used to describe a suite of solar products with innovative features not currently offered in traditional solar financing programs. This brief focuses on the Tariff On-Bill Financing (TOBF) model, in which utilities use a tariff to enable customers to pay back the cost of a solar panel without credit or income level conditions.

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements: Low-Interest Secured Flex Loans (LISFL)

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements is a broad term used to describe a suite of solar products with innovative features not currently offered in traditional solar financing programs. This brief focuses on a flex loan program that offers a no- or low-cost capital source to bridge the gap between the initial installation cost and the ultimate receipt of tax credits and energy savings. This program also provides low interest rates, for affordability, as well as a pre-funded debt service reserve account (DSRA), and is secured by the solar PV asset.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY,SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements: Blockchain

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements is a broad term used to describe a suite of solar products with innovative features not currently offered in traditional solar financing programs. This brief focuses on blockchain, which is a highly secure, decentralized cryptographic technology that verifies transactional data and stores it on all participating computers in an immutable ledger. Blockchain is best known for its first application in the creation of Bitcoin cryptocurrency, but its principles offer a basis for innovation in a variety of industries where the complexity of transactional data is better suited for secure, decentralized management.

blockchain↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements: Employer-Sponsored Solar Benefits

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements is a broad term used to describe a suite of solar products with innovative features not currently offered in traditional solar financing programs. This brief focuses on businesses providing financial and structural support to allow their employees the opportunity to benefit from solar PV generation.

community solar↗
DOE OSTI2022

ARIES/Flatirons Facility - Hydrogen System Capability Buildout

Under the "Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems" (ARIES) initiative, hydrogen system capabilities including a MW-scale electrolyzer, storage system, and MW-scale fuel cell generator will be designed and commissioned at NREL's Flatirons Campus. This hydrogen infrastructure will support H2@Scale goals by enabling integrated systems R&D to study the science of scaling for hydrogen energy systems. The system is designed with flexibility to provide a testbed to demonstrate systems integration, grid services, energy storage, direct renewable hydrogen production, and innovative end use applications (e.g. HD transportation, natural gas blending, etc.).

DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION,HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

ARIES / Flatirons Facility - Hydrogen System Capability Buildout

Under the "Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems" (ARIES) initiative, hydrogen system capabilities including a MW-scale electrolyzer, storage system, and MW-scale fuel cell generator will be designed and commissioned at NREL's Flatirons Campus. This hydrogen infrastructure will support H2@Scale goals by enabling integrated systems R&D to study the science of scaling for hydrogen energy systems.The system is designed with flexibility to provide a testbed to demonstrate systems integration, grid services, energy storage, direct renewable hydrogen production, and innovative end use applications (e.g. HD transportation, natural gas blending, etc.).

electrical grid↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cross Section Measurements of Photonuclear Reaction Pathways Towards Promising Medical Radioisotopes

Project Objectives: The goal of this project was to generate data relevant to radioisotope production while developing innovative technologies that foster and enhance novel production of radioisotopes, and, also, while providing opportunities for cultivating and training future generations of scientists. This work has provided the foundation for methodologies for determination of photonuclear cross sections over multiple energies in a single irradiation. Simultaneously, the feasibility of electron LINAC production of several in-demand radioisotopes such as 47 Sc, 67 Cu, 77 As, and 186 Re has been demonstrated. To accomplish these objectives a collaboration was formed between two complimentary facilities, the Low Energy Accelerator Facility (LEAF) at Argonne National Laboratory and the High Intensity Gamma-ray Source (HIGS) at Triangular Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL). The involvement of the research group from North Carolina Central University gave students at this Historically Black University experience in forefront nuclear-physics research relevant to addressing a high-priority interdisciplinary issue. Project Description: HIGS provides a nearly monoenergetic gamma-ray beam by intra-cavity Compton backscattering of free-electron photons from electrons circulating in a storage ring. This beam can be collimated to produce a very precise energy beam. If the beam is un-collimated a calculated and precise energy spread of the beam occurs radially. The γ-flux can be evenly distributed over the radial distribution of energy and used to perform activation experiments on concentric ring targets. Thus providing multiple energy ranges in a single irradiation. Each concentric ring target can be counted separately in order to determine activation at the given energy and successively be correlated to the activation cross section. Targets were activated to determine production feasibility using electron beams at LEAF. Potential Impact: The Nuclear Science Advisory Committee recently named production of radioisotopes with electron LINACs as one of the most compelling and largest-impact opportunities for the production of high specific activity radioisotopes. Improving the photonuclear cross sectional data base with experimentally verified results will greatly enhance a researcher’s ability to rationalize electron LINAC production routes towards desired radioisotopes. This work will provide the foundation for methodologies for determination of photonuclear cross sections over multiple energies and multiple targets in a single irradiation. The techniques developed in this project will enable future studies to continue verifying theoretically predicted photonuclear cross section with experimental results. These data will also enable adaptation of models and support more precise theoretical calculation of photonuclear cross sections. This research will involve undergraduates, graduate students, and post-docs to give them a valuable research experience leading towards the next generation of scientists in the field of medical isotopes.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Innovative fix at LANL keeps pit production milestones in sight

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is well on the path to the W87-1 plutonium pit first production unit. When a piece of equipment in the Plutonium Facility (PF-4) went down in May, teams across the Laboratory who support work in PF-4 rallied to develop an innovative fix.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Transforming Agricultural Productivity with AI-Driven Forecasting: Innovations in Food Security and Supply Chain Optimization

Global food security is under significant threat from climate change, population growth, and resource scarcity. This review examines how advanced AI-driven forecasting models, including machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and time-series forecasting models like SARIMA/ARIMA, are transforming regional agricultural practices and food supply chains. Through the integration of Internet of Things (IoT), remote sensing, and blockchain technologies, these models facilitate the real-time monitoring of crop growth, resource allocation, and market dynamics, enhancing decision making and sustainability. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, including systematic literature analysis and regional case studies. Highlights include AI-driven yield forecasting in European hydroponic systems and resource optimization in southeast Asian aquaponics, showcasing localized efficiency gains. Furthermore, AI applications in food processing, such as plasma, ozone and Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) treatments, are shown to improve food preservation and reduce spoilage. Key challenges—such as data quality, model scalability, and prediction accuracy—are discussed, particularly in the context of data-poor environments, limiting broader model applicability. The paper concludes by outlining future directions, emphasizing context-specific AI implementations, the need for public–private collaboration, and policy interventions to enhance scalability and adoption in food security contexts.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

CRADA Number NFE-21-08879 with Hempitecture Inc. (CRADA Final Report)

Participant is a company that was founded on the idea that sustainable materials can help build a better world. These materials can build a better world by preserving our health, saving energy, and storing carbon dioxide. Participant is at a critical juncture where it has significant sales and manufacturing capabilities that can bring innovative, low-carbon, hemp-based building products to market at scale in the United States, but the company has lacked the time and resources to conduct new product development and testing. At Innovation Crossroads, Participant plans to prototype, test, and develop its product roadmap while obtaining necessary performance and impact measurements of its hemp building products for commercialization. Coming into Innovation Crossroads, only one of Participant’s products has commercial sales, HempWool®. Investments are currently being made to add manufacturing capacity in the United States and to provide Participant with the capability to expand its product line throughout the building envelope.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗