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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Lessons Learned from the Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) Peer-Learning Cohort on Planning and Funding for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Deployment

From June to December 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) partnered with World Resources Institute (WRI) to run a peer-learning cohort for local governments on Planning and Funding for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Deployment. This cohort effort, funded by DOE's Clean Energy to Communities Program, paired 15 local and regional governments with Clean Cities and Communities coalitions to translate cohort learnings to local context and conduct activities that brought participants closer developing of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure plans. This document shares key takeaways, lessons learned, and resources from the six-month cohort.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Supporting Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Deployment

FEMP assists federal agencies with the transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by offering technical guidance on electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) installations and site-specific planning through partnerships with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) EVSE Tiger Teams. This fact sheet introduces the EVSE Tiger Team site assessment and technical assistance process.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Supporting Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Deployment

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) helps federal agencies electrify their fleets and support the deployment of charging infrastructure. To assist agencies with the transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), FEMP offers technical guidance on electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) installations and site-specific planning through on-site and virtual EVSE Tiger Teams.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS2019

Pterodactyl: An Uncoupled Range Control Approach to Fully Numerical Predictor-Corrector Entry Guidance

Entry, descent, and landing (EDL) has been identified as a core area of investment in NASA's Strategic Technology Investment Plan (NASA STIP). STIP lists the space technologies needed to help achieve NASA's science, technology, and exploration goals across the agency. Within the EDL core area, deployable hypersonic decelerators, also known as deployable entry vehicles (DEVs), have been identified as an area of investment, due to its potential to revolutionize payload delivery methods to Earth and other planets. These vehicles, which can deploy their heat shields or alter their shape before entry, exploit an increased and more effective drag ratio by using less mass than traditional blunt body vehicles with rigid aeroshells. DEVs like Adaptive Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT) and Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) have demonstrated the capability of transporting the equivalent science payloads of blunt body rigid aeroshells, while using a significantly smaller diameter when stowed within a launch vehicle. While DEVs' increased energy dissipation for less mass is an attractive feature, their ability to contract and expand would require advancements in the current state-of-the-art guidance and control (G&C) architectures used by traditional rigid vehicles. Pterodactyl, a project funded by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), aims to provide feasible integrated G&C solutions for DEVs, complete with optimized vehicle designs and packaging analyses. Structural and aerodynamic analyses for the explored control systems suggested a need for a bank angle guidance algorithm, a heritage guidance approach that has been used in many entry precision targeting vehicles, as well as an additional need for the development of a non-bank angle guidance. For this reason, Pterodactyl will consider four different G&C configurations during its design phase: i) a reaction control system for bank (sigma) control, ii) a mass movement system for angle of attack (alpha) sideslip (beta) control, iii) flaps for alpha - beta control, and iv) flaps for sigma control. To increase the applicability of each proposed integrated G&C architecture, an 11 km/s lunar return demonstration mission is selected to stress the developed technology capability. The Lifting Nano-ADEPT (LNA) vehicle is chosen as the DEV to demonstrate the integrated solutions. This paper will detail the trajectory design for a lunar return mission, using the validated bank control guidance algorithm Fully Numerical Predictor-Corrector Entry Guidance (FNPEG) and a newly developed guidance algorithm: FNPEG Uncoupled Range Control (URC). FNPEG-URC diverges from traditional bank angle guidances by producing alpha and beta commands to thereby decouple downrange and crossrange control. This presentation will discuss the development and overall performance of FNPEG and FNPEG-URC for each of the four G&C configurations. Successful G&C configurations are defined as those that can deliver payloads to the intended descent and landing site while abiding by trajectory constraints in the face of dispersions.

Johnson, Breanna↗
DOE OSTI2024

Survey and Gap Prioritization of U.S. Electric Vehicle Charge Management Deployments

The goal of this study was to survey and characterize the scope of current technical and programmatic knowledge pertaining to EV charge management technologies and practices in the US and relevant international jurisdictions. This characterization of existing field demonstrations and knowledge derived were used to determine gaps in the SCM demonstration landscape. Addressing these gaps through research and demonstration could increase confidence in the U.S. that load management and EV charge control could achieve overarching societal benefits. A survey of charge management deployments and input from stakeholders was completed to determine the state-of-the-art of smart charge management (SCM) where SCM is defined as controlling the amount of power exchanged between chargers and EVs to meet customers' charging needs while also responding to external power demand or pricing signals to provide load management, resilience, or other benefits to the customer and electric grid. The survey was the basis of the gap analysis in this report and determines which areas are well understood, with high confidence, and which areas need further investigation. Existing examples of EV charge management are characterized here to determine aspects that are ready for widespread deployment and have been demonstrated in the field. These include demonstration studies, pilots, programs, and EV-specific tariffs. In all, 110 examples of charge management were characterized. The data sources were public literature and utility filings as well as targeted interviews. In addition, 43 interviews with stakeholders were conducted with a consistent set of questions used in each interview. This study prioritized gaps in demonstrated SCM capabilities based on 1) Urgency of the particular use-case to offset traditional grid assets, 2) Impact, extensibility, and scaling of results across the entire spectrum of 3000+ utility service territories including projected technical and market potential for a given grid service, and 3) Value of federal funding in addressing the gap, including potential to leverage and/or add scope to existing field demonstrations funded by other non-federal funding mechanisms.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Pterodactyl: Non-propulsive Control Systems for Future Planetary Missions

This white paper presents an assessment of control systems as it relates to state-of-the-art hypersonic entry vehicles and addresses technological advances that enable new control systems for future hypersonic entry vehicles. Advancements in deployable entry vehicle (DEV) technology, entry guidance, woven thermal protection systems, and affordable launch services make it possible to conceive of entry vehicles that optimize entry loads, maneuverability, usable payload mass and volume, and operational costs. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) is currently funding the authors on a project, Pterodactyl, that is using on-the-fly trajectory design and integrated software and hardware development to investigate non-propulsive entry control systems for precision targeting of mechanical DEVs. The authors recently reported key findings of these control systems for an asymmetric DEV to track bank commands for a lunar sample return entry.

Sarah D'Souza↗
DOE OSTI2023

Energy Cost Analysis and Operational Range Prediction Based on Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle Real-World Deployments across the United States

While the market for medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric vehicles (MHD EVs) is still nascent, a growing number of these vehicles are being deployed across the U.S. This study used over 2.3 million miles of operational data from multiple types of MHD EVs across various regions and operating conditions to address knowledge gaps in total cost of ownership and operational range. First, real-world energy cost savings were determined: MHD fleets should experience energy cost savings each year from 2021 to 2035, regardless of vehicle platform, with the greatest savings seen in transit buses (up to USD 4459 annually) and HD trucks (up to USD 3284 annually). Second, to help fleets across various geographies throughout the U.S. assess the suitability of EVs for their year-round operating needs, operational range was modeled using the XGBoost algorithm (R2: 70%) given 22 input features relevant to vehicle efficiency. Finally, this paper recommends (1) that MHD fleets apply energy-saving practices to minimize the impacts of cold temperatures and high congestion levels on vehicle efficiency and range, and (2) that local hauling fleets select trucks with a nominal range nearly double the expected maximum daily range to account for range losses under local, urban driving conditions.

Qiu, Yin (ORCID:0009000900948794)↗
NASA NTRS2018

ADEPT, A Mechanically Deployable Re-Entry Vehicle System, Enabling Interplanetary CubeSat and Small Satellite Missions

There is growing interest for utilizing Small Satellites beyond low Earth orbit. A number of secondary CubeSat payload missions are planned at Mars, cis-Lunar Space, near Earth objects, and moons of the Gas Giants. Use of smaller systems may enable utilization of otherwise unused capacity of larger "host" missions. Development of re-entry systems that leverage and accommodate Small Satellite technology will substantially expand the range of mission applications by offering the capability for high speed entry or aerocapture at destinations with atmospheres. Deployable entry vehicles (DEVs) offer benefits over traditional rigid aeroshells including volume, mass and payload form factor. The Adaptive Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT) offers such a delivery capability for Small Sat or CubeSat orbiter(s), in-situ elements, or landers. The ADEPT system can package with off the shelf CubeSat deployment systems (1U-16U) to offer a delivery capability for a single CubeSat or constellations. Furthermore, ADEPT can deliver the same science payload to a destination with a stowed diameter a factor of 3-4 times smaller than an equivalent rigid aeroshell, alleviating volumetric constraints on the secondary payload accommodation or primary carrier spacecraft bus. This paper will describe ADEPT's current development status and define various interplanetary mission concepts in order to provide guidelines for potential Small Satellite payload developers and mission implementers.

Adaptive Deployable Entry and Placement Technology↗
NASA NTRS2014

ADEPT for Secondary Payloads

Deployable entry vehicles provide an enabling capability for large payloads at destinations across the solar system. The primary advantage of such systems derives from the fundamental limitation of available launch vehicle shroads preventing tried-and-true rigid aeroshell technology from being applied. However, little mission-pull exists for deployable entry vehicle technology for missions where the entry vehicle is the primary payload and can fit within available shrouds. The propensity toward applying rigid aeroshell technology is logical given that deployable concepts are higher risk and provide no marginal scientific benefit for missions where a rigid aeroshell is an option. A movement toward flying smaller spacecraft has emerged in recent years and is revealing novel applications for deployable entry vehicles as secondary payloads. Secondary payloads must minimize interference with the primary payload in order to ease accomodation. Advancements in small spacecraft technology have caught the attention of government entities who are now recognizing the high value proposition of small spacecraft for frequent, incremental technology development and science return rather than the traditional high cost and infrequent big-bang approaches. Worldwide, well over 200 small satellites (mass < 180 kg) have launched in recent years for such purposes as eduation, technology development, science, commerce, and defense. The Adaptable Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT), a mechanically-deployable entry vehicle technology, has been under development at NASA since 2011. An Ames Center Innovation Fund (CIF) proposal was recently awarded to study ADEPT for EDL of small payloads. The unique capability of ADEPT for small science payloads comes from its ability to stow within a slender volume and deploy passively to achieve a mass-efficient drag surface with a high heat rate capability. The low ballistic coefficient results in entry heating and mechanical loads that can be met by a revolutionary three-dimensionally woven carbon fabric supported with rib structures. This carbon fabric has test-proven capability as both primary structure and payload thermal protection. This presentation will inform the EDL community of the capability of ADEPT for delivery of small secondary payloads as well as provide status of on-going technology development activities. Results of a mission applications study for secondary payloads to Mars and Venus will be presented. A primary goal of these mission design activities is to integrate high-value verification approaches wherever possible. For example, for some mission applications it is possible to test in NASA arc jet facilities at full-scale. This enables endto- end thermostructural requirement verification with a single test. Another important challenge that needs to be solved is the reliability of the decelerator to achieve the desired shape using simple passive mechanical actuators (such as springs) that do not require power from the primary payload for deployment. A configuration of ADEPT is being prototyped and used to evaluate the functionality and reliability of the deployment mechanism through bench-top testing. The prototype will then be tested in a low speed wind tunnel in late 2014 to evaluate aerodynamic load-carrying capability and deflected shape. Results of the deployment testing and status of wind tunnel test plans will be discussed.

Smith, B.↗
NASA NTRS2019

ADEPT Sounding Rocket One (SR-1) Flight Test

A sounding rocket flight test was conducted on a mechanically-deployed entry vehicle (DEV) known as the Adaptable Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT). This flight test was a major milestone in a technology development campaign for ADEPT: the application of ADEPT for small secondary payloads. The test was conducted above White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico on a SpaceLoft XL rocket on September 12, 2018. The first objective of the SR-1 flight test was to demonstrate that ADEPT could transform from a compact stowed configuration, separate from the launch vehicle, and successfully deploy exo-atmospherically into the desired low ballistic coefficient entry configuration. The second objective was to characterize the aerodynamic performance of the deployed configuration in order to evaluate the faceted blunt body geometry dynamic stability characteristics as it decelerated from supersonic to subsonic speeds.The ADEPT DEV had several sensors on-board and also leveraged third-party data sources for post-flight analysis and trajectory reconstruction. Based upon data review, the launch vehicle met exo-atmospheric delivery performance requirements of spin rate, no re-contact, separation velocity, and delivery altitude. The unique ADEPT forebody geometry (blunted octagonal pyramid, 0.7 m diameter at the rib tips) and aftbody configuration has never flown before. The forebody half cone angle at the ribs is 70 deg, while the half cone angle mid gore is 68.5 deg. The aftbody, where the 3U CubeSat 'payload' resides is a rectangular prism that extends ~ ½ the minimum forebody diameter behind the nose. Understanding DEV blunt body dynamic stability performance is critical for determining how they can be employed for atmospheric entry, descent and landing.The primary data products were used to perform flight mechanics analysis and reconstruct the as-flown trajectory. On-board video recovered post-flight demonstrated that the DEV achieved and maintained the desired entry configuration. Post-flight analyses showed that the vehicle met the threshold of achieving stable flight below Mach = 0.8. The ADEPT project has focused on ballistic, axisymmetric shapes as the logical 'first step' in mission infusion applications. With the current maturation and development of the ballistic (non-lifting) 1 m class ADEPT, the next step in ADEPT maturation is the focus on configurations that are capable of generating lift in order to accomplish aerocapture and precision landing mission capabilities. ADEPT is particularly attractive for evaluating various guidance and control approaches as the deployable structure enables attachment points for various actuation methods such as control surfaces, moving mass elements, or RCS thrusters. The ADEPT sounding rocket flight test provided a low-cost means of achieving significant system level maturity for the 1 m class ADEPT configuration. A description of the technology, system components, flight test execution, and conclusions will be described.

Cassell, Alan↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Multi-Fidelity Heating Prediction of Adaptable, Deployable Entry Placement Technology Vehicles

The objective of this work was to investigate a multi-fidelity modeling approach to accurately and efficiently predict the laminar and turbulent convective heating on adaptable, deployable entry placement technology vehicles in Mars entry. A previously developed co-Kriging based multi-fidelity modeling approach was used to model the laminar and turbulent convective heat fluxes at several surface locations along the vehicle, including the rib sections. The laminar convective heat flux multi-fidelity model was found to have a mean convective heat rate error of approximately 3% when compared to high-fidelity CFD simulations. The turbulent convective heat flux multi-fidelity model was found to have a mean convective heat rate error of approximately 8% when compared to high-fidelity CFD simulations. Compared to a single fidelity model, the multi-fidelity model required approximately one-third the number of high-fidelity model evaluations to obtain the same accuracy level. The computational cost of evaluating the multi-fidelity model was approximately five orders of magnitude less than one high-fidelity model simulation.

Mario Santos↗
NASA NTRS1979

Coupling device for moving vehicles

A mechanical system is disclosed to capture and/or deploy a device or vehicle having relative motion with respect to another vehicle. The mechanism includes an onboard controlled collapsible iris assembly located at the end of a controlled manipulator system carried by one moving vehicle. The iris assembly by means of the manipulator system encircles a probe located on the other moving vehicle whereupon the iris assembly is activated and one or more iris elements close around the probe, thus capturing, and axially aligning the other vehicle with the iris assembly. Additionally, a rotator assembly is included for spinning the iris assembly in a manner adapted to engage the probe of a spinning vehicle. Deployment of the other vehicle is accomplished by reversing the capture procedure.

Rudmann, A. A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Model-Based Framework to Optimize Charger Station Deployment for Battery Electric Vehicles

The development of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is accelerating due to their environmental advantages over gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles, including a decrease in air pollution and an increase in energy efficiency. The deployment of charging infrastructure will need to increase to keep pace with demand, especially for large commercial vehicles for which few public chargers currently exist. In this paper, a new flexible framework is proposed for optimizing the placement of charging stations for BEVs, within which different physical models and optimization techniques may be used. Furthermore, a set of metrics is suggested to help enforce complex constraints and facilitate direct comparison between different optimization techniques. Unlike many existing charger placement techniques, the proposed method directly considers the historical driving patterns on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis, using transparent models to assess impacts of candidate charger placements, thus improving the explainability of the results. In the developed framework, modeled BEVs are first generated along the road network to mimic historical traffic data and are simulated traveling along a given route according to a simplified vehicle model. During the simulation, the charger placement problem is initially relaxed to allow vehicles to charge at any node along the road network, and vehicle states are tracked to assess areas of high charging demand. Charging stations are then placed based on the results of the relaxed simulation, and suggested placements are evaluated via road network simulation with fixed charger locations. This proposed framework is applied to a sample problem of placing charging stations along five major highway corridors for Class 8 over-the-road electric trucks. A novel mixed integer programming (MIP) formulation is proposed to optimize charger placements based upon the expected charging demand. Constraints were imposed on the final placement results to limit expected wait times at each station and ensure a minimum threshold of trucking routes are viable for BEVs. The results demonstrate the flexibility and potential effectiveness of the developed model-based framework for scalable charger station deployment.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗