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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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588 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Assessment of Molybdate Based Corrosion Inhibitor for use at the Savannah River Tank Farm Cooling Water System

The Savannah River Site (SRS) has relied on 51 underground storage tanks, many dating back to the 1950s, to store radioactive liquid waste generated from nuclear processing and radionuclide production. These tanks use carbon steel cooling coils, cooled by soft, acidic water, to dissipate the decayed heat produced by radioactive waste. For decades, following historical industry practices, chromate has been added to the cooling water (~450 ppm at pH 9-11) to effectively inhibit corrosion, ensuring cooling coil longevity. Inspections of failed coils reveal that chromate-treated surfaces are generally well-preserved.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1963

Water-Moderated Reactor Concept

Because of the importance of nuclear rockets for manned planetary flight, the Lewis Research Center has been studying alternate nuclear rocket concepts that have the potential for meeting the high performance requirements of these missions. Lewis has concentrated its advanced nuclear rocket research program on a tungsten-water-moderated concept. The purpose of this presentation is to describe this concept and give a brief resume of some of the work that has been done in support of it.

Frank E Rom↗
NASA NTRS1963

The Detection of Water Vapor on Mars

We have found eleven weak lines of water vapor on a high dispersion near-infrared spectrogram of Mars taken at the coudè focus of the Mount Wilson 100-inch reflector on April 12/13,1963. We exposed 43 hours on ammoniated IV-N emulsion with a dispersion of 5.6 A/mm; the plate is well exposed at the poles and somewhat overexposed at the center of the planet’s disk. The Martian H 2 O lines in the X 8200 water-vapor band are displaced 0.42 A longward of their telluric counterparts due to the relative velocities of the earth and Mars: AV = +15 km/sec on that date. The Martian lines are strongest over the poles of the planet-we set the spectrograph slit daost north-south to cover both polar regions. This apparent polar strengthening of the Martian H 2 O lines is at least partially due to the increased air mass through the line of sight to high latitudes.

MARS /PLANET/↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Three-Dimensional, Multi-Phase Unsteady Flow of Water Undergoing Multiple Flow Regimes (Free Surface, Droplet, and Fluid Film)

Upgrades to the Mobile Launcher Rainbird nozzles were implemented for the Artemis II launch to increase water flow rates and improve the mobile launcher deck water coverage while minimizing the water throw distance to avoid impacting the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket nozzles. This analysis describes the use of a three-dimensional, multi-phase, free surface transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to simulate the water flowing out through the Rainbird nozzle and ensure compliance with current Artemis requirements. Flow rates, pressures, velocities, nozzle throw distances and coverage areas were analyzed to ensure that system requirements are met. The completed results were used to make necessary modifications to the Ignition Overpressure Protection and Sound Suppression (IOP/SS) system Rainbird design by reshaping the nozzle used in the system.

CFD↗
NASA NTRS2026

Spatially Refined Satellite Gravimetry Captures Human Signatures in Global Terrestrial Water Storage Trends

Human activities have directly altered the water cycle through water management, aquifer pumping, agricultural irrigation, and land use change. Although satellite gravimetry has transformed global hydrological research, its coarse resolution limits attribution of freshwater change to human activities at many management-relevant scales. Here we assessed global terrestrial water storage (TWS) trends from April 2002 to November 2025 using “stacked” regression of Level-1B intersatellite ranging data, which leverages temporal information and variability to dramatically improve effective spatial resolution relative to standard approaches. We combined this refined product with rigorous uncertainty analysis, autocorrelation-robust geostatistical methods, and literature assessment to evaluate TWS trend associations with land and water use, climate variability, and glacial mass loss. We identified TWS trend hotspots exhibiting significant spatial associations with anthropogenic 40 drivers, including groundwater and surface-water irrigation, rainfed agriculture, deforestation, and reservoir impoundment. Across these regions, cumulative TWS losses (3,122 Gt) substantially exceeded gains (2,432 Gt). Compared with traditional regression of monthly mascons, our approach yielded regional trend magnitudes that are on average 33% larger, revealing that global freshwater depletion, particularly from groundwater pumping, is considerably more acute than previously estimated. Multivariate regression models show that humans account for a significant share of the spatial variability in TWS trends on every non-polar continent except Australia. We detected localized TWS gains linked to rainfed agriculture, surface water irrigation, and reservoir filling that were unresolved in earlier gravimetric studies. The methodology provides a foundation for future gravity missions to independently track decadal freshwater change with unprecedented spatial fidelity.

groundwater↗
DOE OSTI2025

Amphiphilic nanopores that condense undersaturated water vapor and exude water droplets

Condensation of water vapor in confined geometries, known as capillary condensation, is a fundamental phenomenon with far-reaching implications. While hydrophilic pores enable liquid formation from undersaturated vapor without energy input, the condensate typically remains confined, limiting practical utility. Here, we explore the use of amphiphilic nanoporous polymer-infiltrated nanoparticle films that condense and release liquid water under isothermal and undersaturated conditions. By tuning the polymer fraction and nanoparticle size, we optimize condensation and droplet formation. As vapor pressure increases, voids fill with condensate, which subsequently exudes onto the surface as microscopic droplets. This behavior, enabled by a balance of polymer hydrophobicity and capillarity, reveals how amphiphilic nanostructures can drive accessible water collection. Our findings provide design insights for materials supporting energy-efficient water harvesting and heat management without external input.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
NASA NTRS2026

The Significance of Water Vapor Isotopes in Improving Weather Prediction

Water vapor isotopes carry the integrated history of evaporation, condensation, mixing, and transport. Although previous studies have shown potential to improve forecasts under controlled conditions, real-world applications have been limited by systematic biases in both models and satellite retrievals arising from sparse measurements in the free troposphere. Here we assimilate mid‑tropospheric δD retrievals (peak sensitivity ~4.2 km) from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer into the Isotope‑incorporated Global Spectral Model and evaluate the added value beyond co‑assimilated temperature and specific humidity with identical spatial and temporal coverage. Assimilating δD improves 0–120 h forecasts of wind, temperature, specific humidity, and geopotential height, with the largest gains in the midlatitudes; heavy‑precipitation skill also increases for thresholds >3 mm per 6 h. Demonstrated in a coarse‑resolution configuration with limited observations, the results indicate that isotopic information strengthens transport tracking and hydrological constraints, motivating evaluation in operational high‑resolution forecasting systems.

Hydrology↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assembly and Integration Status of a High Fidelity Ground Test Bed for the Water Processor Assembly

The Water Recovery System (WRS) is a critical component of life support aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and will play an essential role in future missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Its primary functional units – the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA), Brine Processor Assembly (BPA), and Water Processor Assembly (WPA) – must be evaluated for extended operation, dormancy resilience, material obsolescence, and reliability under exploration-driven constraints. Ground testing is vital for developing these technologies and generating statistically relevant reliability assessments, which requires extended runtime under integrated, Flight-like conditions. Currently, no high-fidelity, fully integrated WPA ground test bed exists to support these objectives. To address this gap, NASA is developing a WPA test bed at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) that combines downgraded ISS flight hardware with functionally flight-like components in a cost-effective configuration while maintaining priority hardware investigations. This paper describes the current status of hardware assembly and integration, outlines key challenges such as simulating microgravity effects and mitigating obsolescence, and presents future test objectives including software development, reliability assessments, dormancy studies, and exploration-oriented upgrades.

Water Processor Assembly↗
NASA NTRS2019

Earth Observations and Integrative Models in Support of Food and Water Security

Global food production depends upon many factors that Earth observing satellites routinely measure about water, energy, weather, and ecosystems. Increasingly sophisticated, publicly-available satellite data products can improve efficiencies in resource management and provide earlier indication of environmental disruption. Satellite remote sensing provides a consistent, long-term record that can be used effectively to detect large-scale features over time, such as a developing drought. Accuracy and capabilities have increased along with the range of Earth observations and derived products that can support food security decisions with actionable information. This paper highlights major capabilities facilitated by satellite observations and physical models that have been developed and validated using remotely-sensed observations. Although we primarily focus on variables relevant to agriculture, we also include a brief description of the growing use of Earth observations in support of aquaculture and fisheries.

Water Resources↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nuclear Reactor Heat Extraction for Synthetic Fuel Plants

This report looks at the viability and best approach when producing synthetic fuels using heat and power supplied by advanced nuclear energy systems. The report looks at a low temperature integration pathway with four types of advanced reactors: a pressurized water reactor (PWR), an advanced light water reactor (A-LWR), a sodium fast reactor (SFR), and a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). A failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) of the coupling system between the nuclear plant and the synthetic fuel systems is performed with the goal of identifying the reliability of such a thermal delivery system. Furthermore, a high temperature pathway is investigated for synfuel coupling to determine if this is more efficient and more cost effective as a coupling approach.

10 - SYNTHETIC FUELS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Bosch Carbon Catalyst Regeneration in Water I: Bosch Carbon Removal from Reacted Beads Utilizing Mechanical Agitation

The ability to recover oxygen from metabolic carbon dioxide is crucial for crewed long duration missions in which the atmosphere must be recycled. Two physiochemical methods are primarily employed for this purpose: the Bosch process and the Sabatier reaction. This paper focuses on the Bosch process. It utilizes hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst to form water and solid carbon out of metabolic carbon dioxide. The solid carbon product deposits onto the catalyst and eventually causes reactor over pressurization issues. Multiple methods are currently being investigated to regenerate the catalyst’s surface and break up the pressure causing carbon clogs. This paper explores whether water and mechanical abrasion would work to remove Bosch carbon by testing multiple washing conditions. The different washing conditions involved agitation intensity, heating, duration, and volume of water. It was found that it is possible to break up the clumps of carbon formed in the reactor through agitation with room temperature water in one hour and shows promise for completely cleaning the carbon off the beads’ surface.

Agitation↗