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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

Bridging the Gap on Data and Analysis for Distribution System Planning: Information That Utilities Can Provide Regulators, State Energy Offices and Other Stakeholders

Electric utilities conduct planning annually to ensure their distribution system meets technical standards, policies, and regulations; addresses forecasted grid conditions; satisfies customer needs; and advances utility priorities. The plan identifies grid deficiencies, analyzes potential solutions, and prioritizes capital investments and other expenditures. About 20 U.S. states and jurisdictions require regulated utilities to file some type of distribution system plan with the public utility commission for review. Requirements for sharing distribution system data and analyses vary widely, from few specific requirements to a detailed list of information that must be provided. While utilities conduct extensive analysis to develop distribution system plans, in most jurisdictions regulators and stakeholders do not know what data are available and how the utility uses the data in planning and investing. This report aims to bridge the gap by increasing understanding of the types of data and analyses utilities employ to develop distribution system plans and how the information affects their decision-making. The report describes information that states and stakeholders can ask for related to 11 data categories: -Forecasting loads and distributed energy resources (DERs) -Scenario analysis -Worst-performing circuits -Asset management strategy -Hosting capacity analysis -Value of DERs -Grid needs assessment -Cost-effectiveness framework for investments -Distribution system investment strategy and implementation -Geotargeted programs -Non-wires alternatives procurements.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Design of Transportation Frames for 650 MHz Cavities and High Power Couplers

This work presents the design of a transportation frame system for 650~MHz superconducting radio frequency cavities with high power couplers. Modal analysis identified the coupler antenna as the critical component with a 38~Hz natural frequency, leading to a dual-frame design with wire rope isolators that achieves 82\% vibration attenuation at the critical frequency. The system meets all transportation requirements, fits within standard shipping crates, and maintains structural integrity under 12g shock loads.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Design of Transportation Frames for 650 MHz Cavities and High Power Couplers

This work presents the design of a transportation frame system for 650~MHz superconducting radio frequency cavities with high power couplers. Modal analysis identified the coupler antenna as the critical component with a 38~Hz natural frequency, leading to a dual-frame design with wire rope isolators that achieves 82\% vibration attenuation at the critical frequency. The system meets all transportation requirements, fits within standard shipping crates, and maintains structural integrity under 12g shock loads.

Argento, Marco [Fermilab]↗

Laboratory Testing to Assess the Feasibility of Polyurethane Flat Belts for Marine Energy Applications

Polyurethane flat belts have received limited scientific attention as load-bearing elements in marine energy systems, particularly in applications involving dynamic tensile and bending loads. This study evaluates their potential as a replacement for traditional wire ropes in marine energy applications, with a focus on their ability to be integrated into winch-driven wave energy converters where bending and tensile stresses can make long-term operation difficult. Polyurethane belts are hypothesized to offer enhanced fatigue resistance due to their reduced thickness in the bending plane and therefore lower bending stresses. This research involves a series of tests utilizing the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Large-Amplitude Motion Platform to replicate the dynamic conditions experienced by mooring lines of winch-based point-absorber-type marine energy converters. The conditions tested include unequal coiling and uncoiling tensions and load cases resulting from the device’s unconstrained movement relative to its anchor, such as twisting and off-axis loading. Results from this study show that polyurethane flat belts can achieve more than 198 percent of the fatigue life of a conventional wire rope under similar load profiles. The stress concentrations resulting from off-axis loading and cumulative twist beyond the system’s allowable limits have been identified as potential failure modes for flat belt mooring lines used in winch-driven wave energy converters deployed in ocean environments. To mitigate these risks, the use of anti-spin systems and fairleads designed to accommodate off-axis loading while limiting twist accumulation is recommended.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

Piezo-Antenna: An Electromagnetic-Ultrasonic Data Transfer System

Electronic systems contained within sealed metallic enclosures, such as nuclear waste containers where wire penetration is not an option, require a through-wall data transfer technology to communicate. One such technology utilizes piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers to communicate through the barrier using elastic waves. Currently demonstrated ultrasonic through-wall data communication techniques have relied on having a direct interface with the ultrasonic transducers on either side. Here, this work studies the coupling of an antenna to such an ultrasonic communication system. A computationally efficient model of a piezobarrier ultrasonic communication system and antenna using a simplified antenna model and a transfer matrix piezobarrier model is utilized to perform a representative parameter space search. The system efficiency and bandwidth trends are shown for the system parameters as well as operating frequency. The tradeoff between efficiency and bandwidth is also presented. A system configuration within the parameter space is fabricated and demonstrated to achieve a data rate of up to 100 kb/s.

Antenna↗

Attempting to Develop the World’s Most Cost-Effective Metal 3D Printing Technology Through Industrial Adoption of a High-Temperature Electro-Magnetic Nozzle for 3D Printing and Computer Numerical Control Integration

This project aimed to make a practical system capable of sustained metal deposition in air engineered with industrial integration and controls. The Al-Ce wire feedstock was tailored with appropriate deposition and solidification properties for direct reactive interface printing (DRIP), and the goal was to integrate onto a Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies system for producing test parts without a controlled environment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Attempting to Develop the World’s Most Cost-Effective Metal 3D Printing Technology Through Industrial Adoption of a High-Temperature Electro-Magnetic Nozzle for 3D Printing and Computer Numerical Control Integration

This project aimed to make a practical system capable of sustained metal deposition in air engineered with industrial integration and controls. The Al-Ce wire feedstock was tailored with appropriate deposition and solidification properties for direct reactive interface printing (DRIP), and the goal was to integrate onto a Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies system for producing test parts without a controlled environment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Scintillation light in SBND: simulation, reconstruction, and expected performance of the photon detection system

SBND is the near detector of the Short-Baseline Neutrino program at Fermilab. Its location near to the Booster Neutrino Beam source and relatively large mass will allow the study of neutrino interactions on argon with unprecedented statistics. This paper describes the expected performance of the SBND photon detection system, using a simulated sample of beam neutrinos and cosmogenic particles. Its design is a dual readout concept combining a system of 120 photomultiplier tubes, used for triggering, with a system of 192 X-ARAPUCA devices, located behind the anode wire planes. Furthermore, covering the cathode plane with highly-reflective panels coated with a wavelength-shifting compound recovers part of the light emitted towards the cathode, where no optical detectors exist. We show how this new design provides a high light yield and a more uniform detection efficiency, an excellent timing resolution and an independent 3D-position reconstruction using only the scintillation light. Finally, the whole reconstruction chain is applied to recover the temporal structure of the beam spill, which is resolved with a resolution on the order of nanoseconds.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Demonstration and performance of an online data selection algorithm for liquid argon time projection chambers using MicroBooNE

The MicroBooNE detector is a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) that produces three-dimensional images of particle interactions using ionization charge collected by anode wire plane arrays and scintillation light collected by a light detection system. In addition to testing long-standing experimental neutrino anomalies and performing measurements of neutrino interactions with argon nuclei using the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam, MicroBooNE aims to develop methodologies for rare beyond the Standard Model and off-beam physics searches. Looking ahead to the upcoming Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), with MicroBooNE serving as a valuable testbed, achieving high sensitivity and livetime for off-beam physics while satisfying data processing and storage constraints will require data-driven, intelligent, and online or real-time data selection techniques. These techniques are essential for reducing data rates and preserving rare signals with high accuracy. In this paper, we describe a fast data selection algorithm suitable for online execution to identify electrons from stopping cosmic ray muons in the MicroBooNE detector utilizing ionization charge information, and present its performance. This represents the first demonstration of online data selection in a LArTPC using real data and charge information exclusively and provides an important proof-of-principle for applying such techniques to other LArTPC experiments such as the Short-Baseline Near Detector and DUNE.

Abratenko, P. [Tufts U. (main)]↗

Quantum confining excitons with an electrostatic moiré superlattice

Quantum confining excitons has been a persistent challenge in the pursuit of strong exciton interactions and quantum light generation. Unlike electrons, which can be readily controlled via electric fields, imposing strong nanoscale potentials on excitons to enable quantum confinement has proven challenging. In this study, we utilize piezoelectric force microscopy to image the domain structures of twisted hexagonal boron nitride (h – BN), revealing evidence of strong in-plane electric fields at the domain boundaries. By placing a monolayer MoSe 2 only one to two nanometers away from the twisted h – BN interface, we observe energy splitting of neutral excitons and Fermi polarons by several millielectronvolts at the moiré domain boundaries. By directly correlating local structural and optical properties, we attribute such observations to excitons confined in a nanoscale one-dimensional electrostatic potential created by the strong in-plane electric fields at the moiré domain boundaries. Intriguingly, this 1D quantum confinement results in pronounced polarization anisotropy in the excitons’ reflection and emission, persistent to temperatures as high as ~80 Kelvins. Furthermore, these findings open new avenues for exploring and controlling strongly interacting excitons for classical and quantum optoelectronics.

2-dimensional systems↗

Least-cost Optimal Distribution Grid Expansion (LODGE): Utility Pilots

The Least-cost Optimal Distribution Grid Expansion (LODGE) model provides the optimal portfolio of distribution system upgrades—e.g., voltage regulators, feeder reconductoring, transformer upgrades and non-wires alternatives (NWA), such as strategic siting of storage and distributed generation—to interconnect distributed energy resources (DERs) and enable load growth. It can be used to assess grid infrastructure costs and explore policy and regulatory solutions for distribution planning and DER valuation.In 2025, Berkeley Lab conducted three pilot analyses to validate LODGE results with empirical utility data before the model’s first release in 2026. The pilots, done with utilities in Washington, Colorado, and New Mexico, provide examples that illustrate how the model works, what it can do, and the value of the analysis.

Heleno, Miguel↗

Understanding Majorana braiding in superconductors with a fixed total number of particles

Mean-field one-dimensional topological superconductors host edge Majorana zero modes (MZMs) that encode a topologically protected ground-state degeneracy and enable robust braiding operations within this subspace. Mean-field states lack definite particle number and thus cannot represent isolated systems. Nevertheless, projecting them onto fixed particle number can yield good approximations to an isolated superconductor ground state. In earlier work [Sajith et al., Phys. Rev. B 109, 184509 (2024)] we showed that the projected Kitaev wave function of a single wire preserves some important mean-field features, such as the zero-energy spectral peaks near the wire edges. However, uniqueness of the fixed-number ground state does not allow for any nontrivial operations in the ground-state subspace. To overcome this limitation, here we consider the case of multiple wires with a conserved total charge, using the same approach. In the limit of vanishing interwire coupling, this system has a macroscopic ground-state degeneracy. We show how this degeneracy is resolved by coherent single-particle tunneling, and identify special many-body states which play the same role as the MZM parity states in the mean field. In this work, we demonstrate how braiding operations can be implemented and discuss both intrinsic and extrinsic limits on their fidelity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Localized material compression to correct distortion in wire arc additive manufacturing

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is an advanced manufacturing technology which utilizes welding systems to generate three dimensional geometries in a layer-by-layer fashion. Distortion or warping of a print substrate and WAAM components due to thermally induced residual stresses is an ongoing challenge limiting the widespread adoption of WAAM technologies for producing components. In this manuscript, a novel approach is described to address thermal distortion in deposited components by applying lateral compressions along the length of the deposited material. To demonstrate this method, a series of single-track walls were printed and compressed at evenly spaced intervals using a modified hydraulic cutter tool. The jaws of the tool were modified to compress material rather than to shear it. A mathematical model was developed to relate the curvature of the deposited material to the volume of compression required to eliminate this distortion. Validation of this model was performed using 3D scan data to compare the change in wall curvature induced by compression to the volume of the applied compressions. Substrate deflection was also compared against a control wall, and implementation of wall compression reduced maximum deflections by 93% across a series of four depositions and subsequent compressions. Wall cross sections were also analyzed to determine the impact of compression on material hardness and grain structure. The results demonstrate that successively placed lateral compressions can effectively control and potentially eliminate bending distortion in printed parts. This methodology can be further developed to form a robust model for correction of thermally-induced distortion in WAAM components.

Additive manufacturing↗

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Ferritic Steel Wire Feedstock Development for Larger Format Additive Manufacturing (CRADA Final Report)

This CRADA project funded through DOE’s INFUSE program sought to demonstrate the viability of fabricating large, complex parts from oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel with advanced manufacturing. Exhibiting excellent radiation tolerance and high mechanical performance at elevated temperatures, ODS steel is a promising structural material candidate for near-plasma components in fusion energy systems. Its use, however, has been limited by a lack of manufacturability. This project sought to produce ODS steel wire through a solid-state shear assisted extrusion process and then demonstrate that the wire can undergo controlled local melting while being welded with the final part sufficiently retaining the beneficial properties of ODS steel. This would allow the use of wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) to manufacture large-scale ODS parts, even though ODS is currently only available as a powder. WAAM is a promising technique for producing components like the replaceable ARC vacuum vessel in CFS’ fusion reactor design. Meanwhile, this project will also expand PNNL’s capability in producing custom wire feedstock with friction extrusion, enabling downstream large-scale manufacturing with WAAM and solid-state based additive manufacturing. The project achieved its goals of developing tooling and fixturing to produce ODS wire at smaller diameters than previous projects. Several small lengths of wire of 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm diameter in the range of 2.5-30 mm long were produced at tool temperatures that are known to cause ODS particle coarsening (~1200 °C). Fixtures and tooling for longer (>1 m) wires were developed but further process development is needed reduce tool temperature during extrusions and to increase wire length needed for WAAM testing and development.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A network of soil moisture, soil temperature, air temperature, net radiation, ground heat flux and ground water for Chicago, Illinois

This dataset contains environmental monitoring data collected using solar-powered Multi-Function Research (MFR) Long Range Wide Area (LoRaWAN)-enabled nodes at 11 sites in Chicago, Illinois, as part of the DOE Urban Integrated Field Lab CROCUS project. The MFR node system consists of an Input/Output Digital Input Module (IB8) interface box (ICT International) providing wired connections for environmental sensors and an MFR-Node-L data logger that manages power, data processing, and LoRaWAN communication. The wireless data are ingested via Sage network (https://sagecontinuum.org/) nodes that contain LoRaWAN antennae. Measurements were collected from 11 MFR nodes deployed across Chicago State University (CSU), Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), Northwestern University (NU), University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), West Woodlawn "Blacks in Green" (BIG), and Indian Boundary Prairies (IBP). Each MFR node supports a consistent suite of sensors measuring atmospheric, soil, and hydrological variables. Atmospheric measurements include 2m air temperature (°C), 2m vapor pressure deficit (kPa), and 2m shortwave/longwave radiation (incoming and outgoing, W/m²) measured using ATH-VPD and Apogee SN500 sensors. Soil measurements include volumetric water content (VWC, %) and temperature (°C) at four depths (15, 30, 45, and 60 cm below surface) using Meter Teros54 sensors, and heat flux (W/m²) at 10 cm depth using Huske HFP01-05 sensors. At selected locations, Meter Hydros21 sensors measure groundwater depth (mm), specific conductivity (dS/m), and temperature (°C). The dataset includes timestamps, site identifiers with location names, device IDs, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, variable names with units, measurement depths, values, sensor names, and Sage node identifiers. All timestamps are in local Chicago time (CDT/CST). Quality control flags are provided using a 6-bit binary system indicating physical range violations, step spikes, 24-hour flat-line conditions, 6-hour jitter, 7-day ultra-low variance, and persistent high offset. Data is provided in CSV and CF-compliant NetCDF formats. This dataset is part of a larger collection of CROCUS environmental monitoring data, including linked datasets from Air Quality Transmitter (AQT) sensors, Weather Transmitter (WXT) sensors, and Sap Flow Meter (SFM1x) sensors.

Chicago↗

Multiscale Thermal-hydraulic analysis of the MARVEL micro-reactor using coupled MOOSE Subchannel (SCM) and SAM

MARVEL is a natural-convection-cooled sodium-potassium microreactor that is anticipated to generate 85 kilowatts of thermal energy. It will operate within Idaho National Laboratory’s Transient Reactor Test Facility and is being developed by the DOE Microreactor Program. MARVEL will be used to test microreactor applications, evaluate systems for remote monitoring, and develop autonomous control technologies. A thermal-hydraulic computational model of this facility is a valuable tool to study important transients and calculate the safety limits of the micro-reactor design. For this purpose, the authors have chosen to use a multiscale coupled simulation: SCM for modeling the reactor core and SAM for the reactor’s primary cooling system. SCM is MOOSE physics module for subchannel analysis, which was designed to model single-phase flows through liquid-metal cooled, wire-wrapped fuel pin sub-assemblies, ordered in a triangular lattice. The SCM code was modified to be able to model MARVEL’s unique geometry. SAM is a systems analysis module based on the MOOSE framework. It aims to provide fast-running, whole-plant transient analyses capability with improved-fidelity for various advanced reactor types. The coupling between the two SCM and SAM for MARVEL modeling is done implementing a domain over-lapping approach. The resulting coupled simulation can model transients such as reactor startup/shutdown and provide an intermediate fidelity picture of the temperature field and other variables, in the core. Results for the steady-state simulations are presented in the article as well as flow blockage transient.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Multiscale Thermal-hydraulic analysis of the MARVEL microreactor using a coupled SAM and SCM simulation. (PPTX)

This is .pptx document presenting a summary of the paper of the same name that has been submitted and accepted to NURETH-21: MARVEL is a natural-convection-cooled sodium-potassium microreactor that is anticipated to generate 85 kilowatts of thermal energy. It will operate within Idaho National Laboratory Transient Reactor Test Facility and is being developed by the DOE Microreactor Program. MARVEL will be used to test microreactor applications, evaluate systems for remote monitoring, and develop autonomous control technologies. A thermal-hydraulic computational model of this facility is a valuable tool to study important transients and calculate the safety limits of the micro-reactor design. For this purpose, the authors have chosen to use a multiscale coupled simulation: SCM for modeling the reactor core and SAM for the reactor's primary cooling system. SCM is MOOSE physics module for subchannel analysis, which was designed to model single-phase flows through liquid-metal cooled, wire-wrapped fuel pin sub-assemblies, ordered in a triangular lattice. The SCM code was modified to be able to model MARVEL?s unique geometry. SAM is a systems analysis module based on the MOOSE framework. It aims to provide fast-running, whole-plant transient analyses capability with improved-fidelity for various advanced reactor types. The coupling between the two SCM and SAM for MARVEL modeling is done implementing a domain over-lapping approach. The resulting coupled simulation can model transients such as reactor startup/shutdown and provide an intermediate fidelity picture of the temperature field and other variables, in the core. Results for the steady-state simulations are presented in the article as well as flow blockage transient.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗

A new tubular ironless linear induction motor using non-interrupted winding method

The ironless linear induction motor device can be used for any application which requires a large motion span or rotation restrictedly by the ironless feature due to the strong magnetic field environment. One of the possible applications is ITER diagnostics shutters. The tokamak reactor systems have a severe radiation issue during the operation. The traditional Kapton-insulated wires have significantly lower radiation resistance than an expected large radiation dose at ITER Motion Stark Effect (MSE) shutter location. Furthermore, the traditional single-sided linear induction motor winds the wire to make the N-turn pitch coils independently and then connect them in series to make a one-phase winding. Therefore, it is a big challenge to make so many radiation-protection connectors in such a limited space as inside the vacuum vessel of fusion reactors. The approved mineral-insulated kinds of cables need a large bend radius for the end turns, so the traditional single-sided linear motor with two-layer three-phase windings need to be upgraded to the tubular linear motors. The new proposed tubular ironless linear induction motor can not only overcome the large bend radius issue with the mineral-insulated cables but also allow the motor coils wound continuously around the tubular-shaped stator, forward and backward N times to make a N-turn winding for each phase, in order to resolve the radiation protection issue with the winding connection. The 3D transient Maxwell electromagnetic model with a tubular three-phase linear induction motor has been analyzed. Furthermore, this paper will present the detailed design and winding method of ironless linear induction motor actuators, and results of the 3D transient numerical simulation of the actuator performance.

Ironless↗