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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 NTRS1985

Exercise thermoregulation in men after 6 hours of immersion

The present investigation is concerned with thermoregulation at rest and during exercise after water-immersion deconditioning, giving particular attention to the effects of fluid shifts and negative water balance on sweat rate and rectal temperature. Six healthy males 20-35 years old were used in the experiments. Rectal and mean skin temperature, skin heat conductance, heart rate, and total body sweat rate were measured during 70 min of supine leg exercise at 50 percent of peak O2 uptake. The data were taken after a 6-h control period in air and after immersion to the neck in water (34.5 C) for 6 h after overnight food and fluid restriction. Attention is given to end exercise heart rates and data during exercise. The obtained results suggest that, compared with control responses, the equilibrium level of core temperature during submaximal exercise is regulated at a higher level after immersion.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Ventilation-perfusion relationships in the lung during head-out water immersion

Mechanisms of altered pulmonary gas exchange during water immersion were studied in 12 normal males: 6 young (aged 20-29) and 6 older (aged 40-45). It is concluded that, in young subjects with closing volume (CV) less than expiratory reserve volume (ERV), gas exchange was enhanced during immersion, because normal ventilation-perfusion relations were preserved, and by mass balance, the ventilation/O2 uptake changes elevated arterial P(O2). In older males with CV greater than ERV and 52 percent of tidal volume below CV, immersion-induced airways closure during tidal breathing was associated with minimally increased shunt that did not significantly impair gas exchange. It is suggested that airways closure of this degree is of little importance to gas exchange.

Derion, Toniann↗
NASA NTRS1953

Theory and procedure for determining loads and motions in chine-immersed hydrodynamic impacts of prismatic bodies

A theoretical method is derived for the determination of the motions and loads during chine-immersed water landings of prismatic bodies. This method makes use of a variation of two-dimensional deflected water mass over the complete range of immersion, modified by a correction for three-dimensional flow. Equations are simplified through omission of the term proportional to the acceleration of the deflected mass for use in calculation of loads on hulls having moderate and heavy beam loading. The effects of water rise at the keel are included in these equations. In order to make a direct comparison of theory with experiment, a modification of the equations was made to include the effect of finite test-carriage mass. A simple method of computation which can be applied without reading the body of this report is presented as an appendix along with the required theoretical plots for determination of loads and motions in chine-immersed landings.

Schnitzer, Emanuel↗
NASA NTRS1993

Cognitive factors associated with immersion in virtual environments

Immersion into the dataspace provided by a computer, and the feeling of really being there or 'presence', are commonly acknowledged as the uniquely important features of virtual reality environments. How immersed one feels appears to be determined by a complex set of physical components and affordances of the environment, and as yet poorly understood psychological processes. Pimentel and Teixeira say that the experience of being immersed in a computer-generated world involves the same mental shift of 'suspending your disbelief for a period of time' as 'when you get wrapped up in a good novel or become absorbed in playing a computer game'. That sounds as if it could be right, but it would be good to get some evidence for these important conclusions. It might be even better to try to connect these statements with theoretical positions that try to do justice to complex cognitive processes. The basic precondition for understanding Virtual Reality (VR) is understanding the spatial representation systems that localize our bodies or egocenters in space. The effort to understand these cognitive processes is being driven with new energy by the pragmatic demands of successful virtual reality environments, but the literature is largely sparse and anecdotal.

Psotka, Joseph↗
NASA NTRS1984

Physiology of Fluid and Electrolyte Responses During Inactivity: Water Immersion and Bed Rest

This manuscript emphasizes the physiology of fluid-electrolyte-hormonal responses during the prolonged inactivity of bed rest and water immersion. An understanding of the total mechanism of adaptation (deconditioning) should provide more insight into the conditioning process. Findings that need to be confirmed during bed rest and immersion are: (1) the volume and tissues of origin of fluid shifted to the thorax and head; (2) interstitial fluid pressure changes in muscle and subcutaneous tissue, particularly during immersion; and (3) the composition of the incoming presumably interstitial fluid that contributes to the early hypervolemia. Better resolution of the time course and source of the diuretic fluid is needed. Important data will be forthcoming when hypotheses are tested involving the probable action of the emerging diuretic and natriuretic hormones, between themselves and among vasopressin and aldosterone, on diuresis and blood pressure control.

Greenleaf, John E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Heat Acclimation and Water-Immersion Deconditioning: Responses to Exercise

Simulated subgravity conditions, such as bed rest and water immersion, cause a decrease in a acceleration tolerance (3, 4), tilt tolerance (3, 9, 10), work capacity (5, 7), and plasma volume (1, 8-10). Moderate exercise training performed during bed rest (4) and prior to water immersion (5) provides some protection against the adverse effects of deconditioning, but the relationship between exercise and changes due to deconditioning remains unclear. Heat acclimation increases plasma and interstitial volumes, total body water, stroke volume (11), and tilt tolerance (6) and may, therefore, be a more efficient method of ameliorating deconditioning than physical training alone. The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of heat acclimation and moderate physical training, performed in cool conditions, on water-immersion deconditioning.

Shvartz, E.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Eye height scaling of absolute size in immersive and nonimmersive displays

Eye-height (EH) scaling of absolute height was investigated in three experiments. In Experiment 1, standing observers viewed cubes in an immersive virtual environment. Observers' center of projection was placed at actual EH and at 0.7 times actual EH. Observers' size judgments revealed that the EH manipulation was 76.8% effective. In Experiment 2, seated observers viewed the same cubes on an interactive desktop display; however, no effect of EH was found in response to the simulated EH manipulation. Experiment 3 tested standing observers in the immersive environment with the field of view reduced to match that of the desktop. Comparable to Experiment 1, the effect of EH was 77%. These results suggest that EH scaling is not generally used when people view an interactive desktop display because the altitude of the center of projection is indeterminate. EH scaling is spontaneously evoked, however, in immersive environments.

NASA Discipline Space Human Factors↗
NASA NTRS2013

The Next Generation of Cold Immersion Dry Suit Design Evolution for Hypothermia Prevention

This new utility patent is an active design that relies on the lung's role as an organic heat exchanger for providing deep body core heating of air. It is based on the fact that the greatest heat loss mechanism for an insulated human body immersed in a cold water environment is due to heat loss through respiration. This innovation successfully merges two existing technologies (cold immersion suit and existing valve technologies) to produce a new product that helps prevent against the onset of hypothermia at sea. During normal operations, a human maintains an approximate body temperature of [98.6 F (37 C)]. A mechanism was developed to recover the warm temperature from the body and reticulate it in a survival suit. The primary intention is to develop an encompassing systems design that can both easily and cost effectively be integrated in all existing currently manufactured cold water survival suits, and as such, it should be noted that the cold water immersion suit is only used as a framework or tool for laying out the required design elements. At the heart of the suit is the Warm Air Recovery (WAR) system, which relies on a single, large Main Purge Valve (MPV) and secondary Purge Valves (PV) to operate. The main purge valve has a thin membrane, which is normally closed, and acts as a one-way check valve. When warm air is expelled from the lungs, it causes the main purge valve to open. Air forced from the MPV is dumped directly into the suit, thereby providing warmth to the torso, legs, and arms. A slight positive over-pressure in the suit causes warm waste air (or water if the suit is punctured) to be safely vented into the sea through large PVs located at the bottom of each arm and leg. The secondary purge valves act to prevent the buildup of large concentrations of CO2 gas and help guard against asphyxia. It is noted that the MPV causes the inhalation and exhalation cycles to be completely isolated from one another in the current suit design.

Galofaro, Joel↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Use of Immersion Rigs for High Temperature Hydrogen Exposure Testing Within the Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES)

The Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES) was designed to perform non-nuclear testing of nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) fuel elements and materials. NTREES can simulate the thermal hydraulic environment within an NTR and has been leveraged to provide critical information on component performance and material compatibility. NTREES has the ability to expose test articles to pressurized Hydrogen gas up to 1000 psig and 225 g/s. NTREES tests are operated in a deoxygenated environment of Nitrogen or Argon pressurized up to 1000 psig. NTREES simulates fission heat through induction heating powered by a 1.2 MW AC power supply, and NTREES has recorded temperatures exceeding 3700K. To perform hot Hydrogen exposure tests on materials more rapidly and earlier in the fuel development process, NTREES must be able to test small material samples on the order of 1 square inch in volume, individual fuel assembly subcomponents, and particle materials. To meet these needs, multiple testing rigs have been developed to immerse test specimens in hot Hydrogen, with each "immersion rig" varying in its capability of sample type and performance range in order to meet the broadest range of testing needs. Herein is a discussion of a selection of these “immersion rigs.”

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion↗
DOE OSTI2025

Immersive Analytics in Critical Spatial Domains: From Materials to Energy Systems

Immersive analytics (IA) leverages virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality to transform how users interact with complex datasets across domains such as science, industry, and education. These immersive technologies offer spatial and multimodal environments that foster intuitive exploration, but they also introduce challenges related to cognitive load, interface design, and system performance. Here, this article presents a comprehensive review of visualization techniques, interaction models, and multimodal inputs utilized in IA. Drawing on case studies in scientific visualization, industrial training, and educational communication, we examine both the potential and limitations of current systems. Finally, we propose future research directions, focusing on real‐time collaboration, adaptive user interfaces, and scalable data exploration strategies to advance the field.

99 - GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
NASA NTRS1997

Exercise thermoregulation with bed rest, confinement, and immersion deconditioning

Altered thermoregulation following exposure to prolonged (12-14 days) of bed rest and 6 hr of head-down thermoneutral water immersion in humans, and cage confinement (8 weeks) in male, mongrel dogs resulted in occasional increased core temperature (Tcore) at rest, but consistent "excessive" increase in Tcore during submaximal exercise. This excessive increase in Tcore in nonexercising and exercising subjects was independent of the mode (isometric or isotonic) of exercise training during bed rest, and was associated with the consistent hypovolemia in men but not in women taking estrogen supplementation (1.25 mg premarin/ day) which restored plasma volume during bed rest to ambulatory control levels. Post-bed rest exercise sweating (evaporative heat loss) was unchanged or higher than control levels; however, calculated tissue heat conductance was significantly lower in men, and forearm venoconstriction was greater (venous volume was reduced) in women during exercise after bed rest. Because sweating appeared proportional to the increased level of Tcore, these findings suggest that one major factor for the excessive hyperthermia is decreased core to periphery heat conduction. Exercising dogs respond like humans with excessive increase in both rectal (Tre) and exercising muscle temperatures (Tmu) after confinement and, after eight weeks of exercise training on a treadmill following confinement, they had an attenuated rate of increase of Tre even below ambulatory control levels. Intravenous infusion of glucose also attenuated not only the rise in Tre during exercise in normal dogs, but also the excessive rise in Tre and exercising Tmu after confinement. Oral glucose also appeared to reduce the rate of increase in excessive Tre in men after immersion deconditioning. There was a greater rate of rise in Tcore in two cosmonauts during supine submaximal exercise (65% VO2 max) on the fifth recovery day after the 115-day Mir 18 mission. Thus, the excessive rise in core temperature after deconditioning appears to be caused by decreased peripheral vasodilation in humans. Factors related to glucose metabolism may influence this mechanism.

NASA Program Space Physiology and Countermeasures↗
DOE OSTI2026

Integrating Immersive Visualization in Molten-Salt Reactor Waste Management for Experimental Design and Planning

Molten-salt reactors (MSRs) represent a promising solution for next-generation nuclear energy, offering advantages in safety, fuel efficiency, and waste minimization. However, their liquid-fueled design presents unique challenges for spent fuel management, making post-shutdown waste characterization essential for developing effective strategies. Despite this need, there is a notable absence of visualization platforms specifically tailored to the unique characteristics and analytical requirements of MSR waste management. Existing tools in the nuclear industry are primarily designed for reactor operations or generic data exploration and lack both integration with MSR-specific multiphysics frameworks and the ability to simultaneously visualize time-dependent thermal fields, chemical composition evolution, and radiation distribution patterns. To address these limitations, this paper presents an immersive virtual reality (VR) visualization platform that processes and displays high-fidelity multiphysics simulation output from the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework in real-time, using Unity. The platform visualizes MSR waste characteristics such as nuclide decay, salt cooling, and corrosion by using Exodus II output data and running on a VR headset. It includes a user-friendly interface with features such as visibility toggling, cross-sectional slicing, and time-series animation for exploring simulation data. These capabilities support experimental design, stakeholder engagement, and public communication by making complex reactor behavior more accessible and understandable. By enhancing spatial reasoning and reducing cognitive load, this immersive environment fosters more effective communication and decision-making in MSR waste management.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Integrating Immersive Visualization in Molten-Salt Reactor Waste Management for Experimental Design and Planning

The Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) represents a significant innovation in nuclear technology, offering several operational and safety benefits over traditional solid-fuel reactors. However, MSRs face uncertainties in waste management due to their flexible designs and variable waste compositions. To address these challenges, we propose a visualization platform that illustrates solutions and performance predictions for various waste management strategies, enhancing user experience and improving strategy and communication. Immersive visualizations are widely used in the nuclear industry for training, simulation, and safety enhancement. Our project aims to develop a visualization platform incorporating virtual reality (VR) technologies to illustrate MSR characteristics immediately following reactor shutdown. This immersive simulation will allow users to interact, explore, and understand different waste management strategies. The platform will display MSR reactor characterizations, including nuclide decay, salt solidification, and corrosion, which are crucial for assessing and selecting backend management strategies. Using the Meta Quest 3 VR headset with Unity software, our platform will provide real-scale visualizations, enabling users to experience and evaluate designs and plans as if they were physically present. This user-friendly interface will make complex data accessible and understandable for non-domain experts, aiding in decision-making for MSR waste management. Our proposed visualization workflow can be applied to other nuclear reactors, assisting in the design and planning of waste management strategies.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Adaptive immersed isogeometric level-set topology optimization

Here, this paper presents for the first time an adaptive immersed approach for level-set topology optimization using higher-order truncated hierarchical B-spline discretizations for design and state variable fields. Boundaries and interfaces are represented implicitly by the iso-contour of one or multiple level-set functions. An immersed finite element method, the eXtended IsoGeometric Analysis, is used to predict the physical response. The proposed optimization framework affords different adaptively refined higher-order B-spline discretizations for individual design and state variable fields. The increased continuity of higher-order B-spline discretizations together with local refinement enables direct control over the accuracy of the representation of each field while simultaneously reducing computational cost compared to uniformly refined discretizations. A flexible mesh adaptation strategy enables local refinement based on geometric measures or physics-based error indicators. These adaptive discretization and analysis approaches are integrated into gradient-based optimization schemes, evaluating the design sensitivities using the adjoint method. Numerical studies illustrate the features of the proposed framework with static, linear elastic, multi-material, two- and three-dimensional problems. The examples provide insight into the effect of refining the design variable field on the optimization result and the convergence rate of the optimization process. Using coarse higher-order B-spline discretizations for level-set fields promotes the development of smooth designs and suppresses the emergence of small features. Moreover, adaptive mesh refinement for state variable fields results in a reduction of overall computational cost. Higher-order B-spline discretizations are especially interesting when evaluating gradients of state variable fields due to their higher inter-element continuity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigating the Relative Roles of INPs and CCN in a Simulated Thunderstorm Using a New Immersion Freezing Algorithm

Microphysical processes in deep convective clouds are sensitive to the number concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nucleating particles (INPs), but the effects of INPs are less studied. Modeling studies investigating the effects of INPs and/or CCN on deep convection typically retain a volume‐dependent raindrop freezing relation. The resulting neglect of aerosol accumulation in raindrops via drop collisions has likely produced unrealistic storm responses to INPs in past studies. To address this deficiency, a new immersion freezing algorithm was developed and embedded in a bulk microphysics scheme that freezes both cloud drops and raindrops using the same immersion freezing INP (IF‐INP) activity spectrum based on measurements. Multiple idealized simulations of a single case of deep convection observed during the Clouds, Aerosols, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) field campaign were conducted, with microphysical differences produced by independently altering IF‐INP temperature dependencies and CCN number concentrations from their observed values. Surface precipitation in all simulations resulted almost exclusively from riming graupel that melted upon descending to the surface. Rainfall and cold pools were substantially and systematically weakened with increased CCN due to decreased graupel riming rates but were relatively insensitive to variations in the magnitude and slope of IF‐INP spectra due to compensating depletion of supercooled liquid water. These compensating processes were a consequence of the accumulation of IF‐INPs in raindrops, encouraging caution in studying IF‐INP effects upon thunderstorms using traditional volume‐dependent drop freezing relationships.

CCN↗
NASA NTRS1965

Wedge immersed thermistor bolometer measures infrared radiation

Wedge immersed-thermistor bolometer measures infrared radiation in the atmosphere. The thermistor flakes are immersed by optical contact on a wedge-shaped germanium lens whose narrow dimension is clamped between two complementary wedge-shaped germanium blocks bonded with a suitable adhesive.

Dreyfus, M. G.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Studies of the Renin-aldosterone System and Sodium Homeostasis During Simulated Weightlessness: Application of the Water Immersion Model to Man

The ability of water immersion to reproducibly suppress renin and aldosterone and to produce a significant natriuresis in man during weightlessness simulation is proven. It is concluded that the water immersion model constitutes a useful tool for elucidating the mechanism of natriuresis occurring during manned space flight and the specific countermeasures for use in its management.

Epstein, M.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Cardiovascular response to apneic immersion in cool and warm water

The influence of prior exposure to cool water and the influence of lung volume on the responses to breath holding were examined. The bradycardia and vasoconstriction that occur during breath-hold diving in man are apparently the resultant of stimuli from apnea, relative expansion of the thorax, lung volume, esophageal pressure, face immersion, and thermal receptor stimulation. It is concluded that the bradycardia and vasoconstriction associated with breath holding during body immersion are not attenuated by a preexisting bradycardia and vasoconstriction due to cold.

Folinsbee, L.↗