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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

Technology for the future - Long range planning for space technology development

NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) has begun the definition of an Integrated Technology Plan for the civilian space program which guides long-term technology development for space platforms, in light of continuing marker research and other planning data. OAST has conferred particular responsibility for future candidate space mission evaluations and platform performance requirement projections to NASA-Langley. An implementation plan is devised which is amenable to periodic space-platform technology updates.

Collier, Lisa D.↗

Energy Systems Integration: NREL + EATON

Electrification of transportation fleets provides an opportunity for optimizing multiple distributed energy resource (DER) technologies, such as solar and energy storage. NREL is partnering with Eaton to evaluate control strategies for managing electric bus (E-bus) fleets for grid services. The project team will develop a replicable platform for evaluating EV fleet management and quantifying benefits from grid services.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Simulation-Based Design and Optimization of Waste Heat Recovery Systems

This fact sheet features an R&D project that will develop a modeling platform that can quantify the value of a district energy system and its potential for waste heat recovery. The new software analysis platform will evaluate and optimize district energy systems to better utilize low-temperature waste heat from nearby commercial and industrial buildings. The platform will help project developers and engineers easily quantify the potential value and cost savings of community energy systems for both producers and consumers of waste heat.

Combined heat and power, CHP, District energy, Was↗

Hardware-in-the-Loop Evaluation of an Advanced Distributed Energy Resource Management Algorithm

This paper presents the laboratory performance evaluation of voltage regulation under a new distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) algorithm via an advanced hardware-in-tbe-loop (HIL) platform. The HIL platform provides realistic testing in a laboratory environment, including the accurate modeling of a full-scale real-world distribution system from a utility partner, the DERMS software controller, and power hardware photovoltaic (PV) inverters. The new DERMS algorithm is developed based on online multiobjective optimization (OMOO) algorithms that perform fast dispatch of distributed solar PV simulated in a real-time digital simulator and real physical hardware devices. Experimental tests confirm the correct functioning of the HIL platform for evaluating controller algorithms and satisfactory voltage regulation performance of the developed OMOO algorithms.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗

Hardware-in-the-Loop Evaluation of an Advanced Distributed Energy Resource Management Algorithm

This paper presents the laboratory performance evaluation of voltage regulation under a new distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) algorithm via an advanced hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) platform. The HIL platform provides realistic testing in a laboratory environment, including the accurate modeling of a full-scale real-world distribution system from a utility partner, the DERMS software controller, and power hardware photovoltaic (PV) inverters. The new DERMS algorithm is developed based on online multi-objective optimization (OMOO) algorithms that perform fast dispatch of distributed solar PV simulated in a real-time digital simulator and real physical hardware devices. Experimental tests confirm the correct functioning of the HIL platform for evaluating controller algorithms and satisfactory voltage regulation performance of the developed OMOO algorithms.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗

Hardware-in-the-Loop Evaluation of an Advanced Distributed Energy Resource Management Algorithm: Preprint

This paper presents the laboratory performance evaluation of voltage regulation under a new distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) algorithm via an advanced hardware-in-tbe-loop (HIL) platform. The HIL platform provides realistic testing in a laboratory environment, including the accurate modeling of a full-scale real-world distribution system from a utility partner, the DERMS software controller, and power hardware photovoltaic (PV) inverters. The new DERMS algorithm is developed based on online multiobjective optimization (OMOO) algorithms that perform fast dispatch of distributed solar PV simulated in a real-time digital simulator and real physical hardware devices. Experimental tests confirm the correct functioning of the HIL platform for evaluating controller algorithms and satisfactory voltage regulation performance of the developed OMOO algorithms.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗

Exploratory study to induce fan noise in the test section of the NASA Langley full-scale wind tunnel

Measures to reduce the intensity of fan noise in the NASA Langley 30 ft x 60 ft subsonic wind tunnel were sought. Measurements were first performed to document existing aerodynamic and acoustic conditions. The purpose of these experiments was to (1) obtain the transfer function between the sound power output of the fan and the sound pressure on the test platform, (2) evaluate the sound attenuation around the tunnel circuit, (3) measure simultaneously the flow profile and the turbulence spectrum of the inflow to the fan and the noise on the test platform, and (4) perform flow observations and identify secondary noise sources. Subsequently, these data were used to predict (1) the relative contribution of the major aerodynamic parameters to total fan noise and (2) the effect of placing a dissipative silencer in the collector duct upstream of the fan. Promising noise control measures were identified and recommendations were made on how to evaluate them.

Ver, I. L.↗

Lunar Communications Services with Emphasis on Commercialization

In mid-2020 Lockheed Marin Space (LM) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) formed a working group to study and address the need for a lunar communications network to service a growing lunar economy, beginning with the initial crewed and robotic mission needs in 2024. Multiple commercial relay architectures were studied and evaluated for platform requirements, communications capabilities, and commercial business viability in a growing ecosystem. The evolution of communications needs around the Moon were mapped to infrastructure build out. Trade studies were performed to evaluate reliability and lifetime requirements, and the viability of various data protocols. Mission concepts and operations plans were developed for both initial mission support and future autonomous network support. This work has led to Lockheed Martin and JPL to evaluate a single dedicated relay satellite in a frozen lunar orbit, with simultaneous coverage of the far-side and south pole landing sites for over 10 hours per day as a first step towards a comprehensive solution to lunar connectivity. This first satellite is compatible with an ESPA Grande launch volume and would be capable of launching on a rideshare into a variety of orbits and trajectories. The satellite is equipped with both high- and low-rate communications relay payloads with software-defined radios and a delay/disruption tolerant networking protocol. The system is designed to service initial and future mission needs in a commercialized manner, enabling a new class of missions to the Moon. The relay satellite leverages prior spacecraft platform work with on-orbit heritage in a lunar environment expected by 2023.

Davarian, Faramaz↗

Long term orbital storage of cryogenic propellants for advanced space transportation missions

A comprehensive study has developed the major features of a large capacity orbital propellant depot for the space-based, cryogenic OTV. The study has treated both the Dual-Keel Space Station and co-orbiting platforms as the accommodations base for the propellant storage facilities, and trades have examined both tethered and hard-docked options. Five tank set concepts were developed for storing the propellants, and along with layout options for the station and platform, were evaluated from the standpoints of servicing, propellant delivery, boiloff, micrometeoroid/debris shielding, development requirements, and cost. These trades led to the recommendation that an all-passive storage concept be considered for the platform and an actively refrigerated concept providing for reliquefaction of all boiloff be considered for the Space Station. The tank sets are modular, each storing up to 45,400 kg of LO2/LH2, and employ many advanced features to provide for microgravity fluid management and to limit boiloff. The features include such technologies as zero-gravity mass gauging, total communication capillary liquid acquisition devices, autogenous pressurization, thermodynamic vent systems, thick multilayer insulation, vapor-cooled shields, solar-selective coatings, advanced micrometeoroid/debris protection systems, and long-lived cryogenic refrigeration systems.

Schuster, John R.↗

Evaluating Sensory Augmentation as A Non-Pharmaceutical Tool to Mitigate Motion Sickness and Enhance Sensorimotor Task Performance: A Pilot Study Using Simulated Capsule Wave Motion

Wave motion during capsule recovery operations can result in motion sickness and performance decrements exacerbating reentry sickness following long duration spaceflight. The purpose of this pilot study was (1) to validate a capsule wave motion simulation as a platform to evaluate motion sickness countermeasures and (2) to evaluate a sensory augmentation belt providing vibrotactile feedback of gravitational upright. Ten healthy subjects ages 38.0 ± 10.1 (6M|4F) were exposed to complex wave motions on a six degree-of-freedom platform that included pitch, roll, and heave at provocative stimulus frequencies (0.1-0.25 Hz) while seated in an illuminated cabin deprived of external visual cues. Subjects reported acute symptoms for up to three consecutive 15 min trials or until they reached a motion sickness endpoint of 8 pts on the Pensacola Diagnostic Index (PDI). Five subjects were randomly assigned to the Sensory Augmentation (SA) group while the other five served as controls (CN group). Based on a Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire, the two groups had similar motion sickness histories (susceptibility percentile ranking of CN group = 27.5 ± 63.6 in the CN group versus 27.5 ± 37.0 in the SA group, median ± IQR). The vibrotactile feedback consisted of a single array of 8 electromechanical tactors positioned around the torso on an adjustable belt (Engineering Acoustics, Inc) that utilized an integrated inertial measurement unit (IMU) to indicate the direction of upright (e.g., subject’s back tactor on during forward tilt). During each wave motion trial subjects performed a battery of four different tasks: tracking Earth vertical using a joystick with and without a secondary task (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test), an eye-hand target acquisition task on a cabin-fixed tablet, and the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT). All ten subjects reported varying levels of motion sickness with 6 of 10 reaching a symptom endpoint. Interestingly, subjects anecdotally reported that engagement in the joystick tracking task was less provocative than tasks involving the cabin-fixed tablet or periods of no activity. Sensory augmentation appeared to delay symptom onset, with 2 of 5 subjects reaching an endpoint within the first 15 min trial in the CN group versus none in the SA group (PDI after 15 min = 6.0 ± 2.5 in the CN group versus 3.4 ± 2.5 in the SA group, mean ±std). Sensory augmentation also improved performance on the joystick tracking task at lower stimulus frequencies (0.1 Hz in roll and 0.2 Hz in pitch). Both CN and SA groups maintained a consistent level of performance on the eye-hand target acquisition and PVT throughout the baseline (no motion) and wave motion periods. Our results validated that the simulated capsule wave motion paradigm provides an effective motion sickness stressor. This paradigm is currently being used to investigate the efficacy of intranasal scopolamine to mitigate motion sickness. Sensory augmentation using vibrotactile feedback appears to improve spatial awareness and delay symptom onset during complex passive motion. One advantage of this portable belt design is that it incorporates all tactor drive and IMU circuitry and therefore could continue to be worn by crewmembers and serve as a balance aid during egress and ambulation with recovery operations.

A M Bollinger↗

Replenishing liquid sheet targets to enable high-intensity high-repetition-rate laser–plasma interactions for ion-beam technology

We report on the development of a robust microfluidic nozzle capable of generating replenishing liquid sheet targets with sub-micron thickness at up to kHz repetition rates, a λ/20 surface flatness over areas of at least 100 μm 2 , and in-vacuum dimensions of 6 × 1.5 mm 2 . The platform was evaluated for stability under hundreds of 4.3 J laser shots at 0.5 Hz and 6 × 10 20 W/cm 2 peak intensity, delivered in burst mode, totaling 2.9 kJ on the target. The key metrics of the platform, including sheet characteristics, nozzle aperture morphology, and proton spectra, showed no measurable degradation in the performance of the liquid sheet platform following this experiment. Beyond its application to ion beam technology, we outline a pathway to further develop the capabilities of the platform into a high-repetition-rate plasma mirror.

depth profiling techniques↗

Indoor Ground Testing of a Small UAS Sense and Avoid Airborne Doppler Radar

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) project is researching prototype technologies needed to ensure safe integration of UAS operations into the National Airspace System (NAS). Within the UTM Concept of Operations, UAS would be equipped with on-board Sense and Avoid (SAA) technology to continually monitor for manned and unmanned aircraft in its vicinity while operating beyond visual line of sight in uncontrolled airspace. To support this effort, a candidate commercially available 24.5 GHz Doppler radar was selected and evaluated to determine if the technology could reliably support minimum requirements for SAA applications of small UAS (sUAS). Indoor ground tests were conducted inside the NASA Langley Research Center’s Experimental Test Range (ETR) from a stationary platform to evaluate the Doppler radar performance characteristics and gain operational proficiency before the radar was authorized to transmit outdoors. A high speed linear rail system was developed for the radar evaluation and was shown to be an effective method to generate Doppler radar targets of known radar cross section. The accuracy of the range and velocity reported by the radar was shown to be dependent on the Kalman filter state variance parameter settings. Antenna measurements were collected with the radar installed both on and off a sUAS to quantify the relative antenna gain, beam width and side lobe levels of the radar’s Metamaterial Electronically Scanning Array (MESA) antennas at boresight and extreme field of view pointing vectors. The relative antenna gain measured 2.6 dB lower at extreme field view angles compared to the boresight radiation pattern.

Szatkowski, George N.↗

Enhance BISON Metal Fuel Transient Models and Enable Assessment Based on Out-of-Pile Transient Experiments

In this report, the activities and achievements made by Argonne National Laboratory for the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) BISON code metallic fuel validation and verification (V&V) project in FY2023, with a focus on the capability development and assessment case development for the out-of-pile transient experiments, are summarized. The liquid cladding penetration model was improved based on a comprehensive set of fuel behavior test apparatus (FBTA) test results. The new model was implemented into BISON along with a simple model to account for fuel melting effects. The metallic fuel meshing capability was also upgraded to allow local refinement using unstructured triangular mesh. Based on the previous success in developing the BISON-FIPD integration powered BISON assessment case, this database enabled BISON evaluation and V&V capability was expanded to the out-of-pile transient experiments by introducing BISON-OPTD integration. A series of initial out-of-pile transient assessment cases were implemented into BISON to provide powerful platforms to evaluate current BISON’s capabilities in simulating metallic fuel performance during out-of-pile transients. The established capabilities will also benefit the calibration and V&V of future advanced mechanistic models.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

CPS Testbed Architectures for WAMPAC using Industrial Substation and Control Center Platforms and Attack-Defense Evaluation

Advanced persistent threats and cyberattacks can impact wide-area monitoring, protection, and control (WAMPAC) system operation. Many cyber-physical system (CPS) testbeds have been developed for attack-defense experimentation and attack-resiliency tools evaluation for WAMPAC, but they are limited to a simulation-and-emulation based environment. This paper presents a quasi-realistic CPS attack-defense testbed-based framework for WAMPAC applications using the industrial substation and control center platforms such as eTerra integrated with the hardware-in-the-loop CPS smart grid testbed available at Iowa State University. The proposed framework includes various combinations of industry-grade substation and control center platforms, communication topologies, real-time digital simulators, and a novel cyber-physical distributed intrusion-and-anomaly detection system (D-IADS) for WAMPAC applications. The D-IADS includes a master at the control center and geographically distributed sensor devices at each substation. Each D-IADS sensor deployed at a substation or control center network monitors ingress and egress traffic, detect intrusions, and dispatch alerts to the D-IADS master. The D-IADS master centrally monitors and analyze the alerts and controls D-IADS sensors. We considered an EMP60 synthetic CPS grid as a case study to demonstrate the framework and proposed D-IADS for WAMPAC applications against cyberattack vectors such as Man-in-the-Middle DNP3 attack, denial-of-service, and data-integrity attacks.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Evaluating Impacts of Battery Energy Storage System Functionalities on Distribution Systems Using Power Hardware in-the-Loop Simulation: Preprint

In this paper, we present results from a power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) simulation that was performed to test and demonstrate the impact of a battery energy storage system (BESS) on a distribution feeder. The PHIL platform includes a simulated distribution grid in a real-time digital simulator (RTDS), AC and DC power amplifiers, and a battery inverter as the device under test. Guidelines of specific procedures to set up a PHIL platform are provided on how to set up a PHIL platform to evaluate the impact of grid integrated systems. Accelerated time-series PHIL simulations of peak shaving and Volt/Var functionalities were performed using a 540 kVA BESS. These experimental results illustrate how PHIL simulations can be used to evaluate the impact of BESS functionalities on the distribution grid prior to installation in the field.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

CO 2 Storage Site Screening Platform Development and CO 2 Storage Resource Analysis in SECARB Offshore Reservoirs Using SAS Viya

A major goal of the SECARB Offshore Partnership (DE-FE0031557) is to screen deep saline aquifers and hydrocarbon reservoirs in the central Gulf of Mexico for CO 2 sequestration and CO 2 -enhanced oil and gas recovery (EOR/EGR) and estimate the corresponding CO 2 storage resources for select reservoirs. CO 2 storage potential associated with offshore CO 2 -EOR is considerable and likely represents “low hanging fruit” for near-term CO 2 storage given the in-place infrastructure in the region. It is for these reasons that this assessment focuses on oil and gas fields. To this end, three major objectives have been completed and include (1) managing geological data derived from different sources, (2) building a reservoir screening platform for CO 2 storage, and (3) ranking the reservoirs based on the estimated CO 2 storage resources. The SAS ® Viya platform was used for data management and analytics. The Viya platform is a cloud service platform that provides data integration, data management, quick analytics, data visualization, machine learning functions, and application programming interfaces (APIs) for multi-programming languages. Different sources of data containing geologic information, reservoir properties, and EOR/EGR information were collected, cleaned, formatted, and loaded into the SAS ® Viya platform for evaluation. The major geological characteristics of both shelf and deep-water areas of the central Gulf were examined and compared to define the appropriate reservoir screening criteria. Next, a CO 2 storage site screening system was built in the SAS ® Viya platform with the pre-defined criteria. Finally, the CO 2 storage resources of the screened reservoirs were calculated and reported at the BOEM field level to identify fields with the highest estimated CO 2 storage resource. The fields with the largest total estimated CO 2 storage resource are located in the Mississippi Canyon protraction area. Due to proximity to the Mississippi Delta (indicative of less infrastructure) and large estimated CO 2 storage resources, future development activities may wish to focus efforts in the Mississippi Canyon protraction area.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Smart Mobility in the Cloud: Enabling Real-Time Situational Awareness and Cyber-Physical Control Through a Digital Twin for Traffic

This article presents the design, implementation, and use cases of the Chattanooga Digital Twin (CTwin) towards the vision for next-generation smart city applications for urban mobility management. CTwin is an end-to-end web-based platform that incorporates various aspects of the decision-making process for optimizing urban transportation systems in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to reduce traffic congestion, incidents, and vehicle fuel consumption. The platform serves as a cyberinfrastructure to collect and integrate multi-domain urban mobility data from various online repositories and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, covering multiple urban aspects (e.g., traffic, natural hazards, weather, and safety) that are relevant to urban mobility management. The platform enables advanced capabilities for: (a) real-time situational awareness on traffic and infrastructure conditions on highways and urban roads, (b) cyber-physical control for optimizing traffic signal timing, and (c) interactive visual analytics on big urban mobility data and various metrics for traffic prediction and transportation performance evaluation. The platform is designed using a multi-level componentization paradigm and is implemented using modular and adaptive architecture, rendering it as a generalizable and extendable prototype for other urban management applications. We present several use cases to demonstrate CTwin's core capabilities for supporting decision-making in smart urban mobility management.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

The reactive flow evolution of the polymer-bonded explosive PBX 9502: Experiments and model validation in extreme pressure regimes

The shock-to-detonation transition properties of the triaminotrinitrobenzene based PBX 9502 high explosive (HE) are experimentally and computationally explored in extremely high input pressure conditions. These include both slightly sub-Chapman–Jouguet and overdriven input pressure conditions, namely, ∼25 and ∼31 GPa, respectively. Our experiments capture the transient buildup of a shock-induced reaction via measurement of HE and polymethyl methacrylate window interface particle velocity profiles for a variety of sample thicknesses for this insensitive HE. These observations necessitate extremely thin explosive samples, and the high rates of reaction provide a considerable challenge to optical diagnostics. Samples at these thicknesses also provide an opportunity for evaluation of potential micro-structure effects on the resulting shock-to-detonation-transition measurements. To address this, the thin samples are also characterized via x-ray micro-computed tomography. Finally, a pair of previously established continuum-level detonation performance modeling approaches for PBX 9502 were used to analyze the experiments. The employed model variants crucially differ in their definition of each model’s empirical reaction rate functional form, utilization of shock state quantities, and local flow variable dependencies. As a result, the present experiments provide a novel platform to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative consequences stemming from these modeling choices in a challenging initiation scenario, largely beyond the chosen calibration range of either model. This new experimental information will provide a platform for both improved physics and model parameterizations for this well-studied explosive.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗