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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 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Priorities for Microgravity Combustion Research and Goals for Workshop Discussions

Several concerns motivate fundamental research: combustion-generated pollutants are re-emerging as a major problem, new combustion technologies are needed for effective energy utilization, municipal and hazardous waste incineration are needed to replace landfills and storage, new combustion technologies are needed for advanced aircraft and spacecraft propulsion systems, and current understanding of fires and explosion hazards is limited - particularly for space-craft environments. Thus, it is of interest to determine how experimentation using microgravity facilities can advance research relevant to these problems.

Faeth, Gerard M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Incineration for resource recovery in a closed ecological life support system

A functional schematic, including mass and energy balance, of a solid waste processing system for a controlled ecological life support system (CELSS) was developed using Aspen Plus, a commercial computer simulation program. The primary processor in this system is an incinerator for oxidizing organic wastes. The major products derived from the incinerator are carbon dioxide and water, which can be recycled to a crop growth chamber (CGC) for food production. The majority of soluble inorganics are extracted or leached from the inedible biomass before they reach the incinerator, so that they can be returned directly to the CGC and reused as nutrients. The heat derived from combustion of organic compounds in the incinerator was used for phase-change water purification. The waste streams treated by the incinerator system conceptualized in this work are inedible biomass from a CGC, human urine (including urinal flush water) and feces, humidity condensate, shower water, and trash. It is estimated that the theoretical minimum surface area required for the radiator to reject the unusable heat output from this system would be 0.72 sq m/person at 298 K.

Upadhye, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A teleoperated system for remote site characterization

The detection and characterization of buried objects and materials is an important step in the restoration of burial sites containing chemical and radioactive waste materials at Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Defense (DOD) facilities. By performing these tasks with remotely controlled sensors, it is possible to obtain improved data quality and consistency as well as enhanced safety for on-site workers. Therefore, the DOE Office of Technology Development and the US Army Environmental Center have jointly supported the development of the Remote Characterization System (RCS). One of the main components of the RCS is a small remotely driven survey vehicle that can transport various combinations of geophysical and radiological sensors. Currently implemented sensors include ground-penetrating radar, magnetometers, an electromagnetic induction sensor, and a sodium iodide radiation detector. The survey vehicle was constructed predominantly of non-metallic materials to minimize its effect on the operation of its geophysical sensors. The system operator controls the vehicle from a remote, truck-mounted, base station. Video images are transmitted to the base station by a radio link to give the operator necessary visual information. Vehicle control commands, tracking information, and sensor data are transmitted between the survey vehicle and the base station by means of a radio ethernet link. Precise vehicle tracking coordinates are provided by a differential Global Positioning System (GPS).

Sandness, Gerald A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Electric Aircraft Thermal Management Using a Two-Phase Heat Transport System with Solid-State Thermal Switching Capability

Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) is collaborating with NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) to develop a heat pipe-based thermal delivery system to efficiently manage the waste heat generated onboard an electric aircraft. The heat pipe system will interface with NASA GRC’s thermoacoustic heat pump in order to recycle waste heat by transporting thermal energy to various end users onboard the aircraft. This paper discusses the layout of theoretical heat pipe networks for a MW-class commercial electric aircraft. This is followed by a discussion of progress made on the development of a novel two-phase heat transport system with solid-state thermal switching and control capabilities.

Exergy↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Thermoacoustic Thermal Management for Electric Aircraft

Electric aircraft research and development is on the rise, necessitating an avant-garde thermal management system to effectively dissipate and reuse the typically wasted low-grade thermal energy generated on electric aircraft. Hence, the Thermal Recovery Exergy Efficient System (TREES) was successfully modeled, designed, built, and tested at NASA Glenn Research Center (NASA GRC) to demonstrate a solution. TREES demonstrates the ability to transport and amplify acoustic energy over various distances, with minimal energy dissipation, while creating a thermoacoustic heat pump that can deliver and absorb thermal energy. The in-house rig is now being utilized as a diagnostics testbed to understand the underlying physics of traveling wave thermoacoustics and to enhance future thermal management technology development.

Thermoacoustics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Verification and Validation of START: A Spent Nuclear Fuel Routing and Decision Support Tool

The Stakeholder Tool for Assessing Radioactive Transportation (START) is a web-based geospatial decision-support tool being developed by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Integrated Waste Management (IWM) to support federal interim storage for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and associated transportation. START provides many functions for the IWM program including: serving as a communications tool for conveying geospatial data and information, an options analysis tool for exploring potential transport modes and routes for transporting SNF from nuclear power plants to future federal interim storage facilities, an emergency response planning tool for Tribes and States to identify training needs along potential SNF transport corridors, an environmental analysis tool for estimating potential radiation dose exposure from incident-free and incident-case SNF transport conditions, and a systems analysis support tool providing route-related inputs for system throughput analysis. As part of the START development process, a verification and validation (V&V) effort is being undertaken. In the initial V&V phase, several outputs of the START tool were checked such as the total distance, population and population densities within the buffer zone, and incident free dose. The V&V process is fluid as it will be utilized after each version change to ensure that the core functionalities of the tool are maintained and the results are consistent with the previous versions. Efforts have also been put into developing scripts to aid in the process of automating certain sections of the V&V work. As some of the V&V efforts use Environmental Systems Research Institute’s (ESRI) tools upon which the START framework is built, the START data were compared against outputs from tools like Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) for buffer zone populations and route lengths to ensure independence of the V&V process. Good agreement was observed between the START results and the independent V&V studies with the majority of the differences falling between 1% and 5% for populations within the buffer zone and route distance. This presentation describes the development and design of the START tool, V&V methods employed for various metrics of interest and their respective results, and future plans.

START, transportation, GIS, V&V↗
DOE OSTI2022

Verification and Validation of the Stakeholder Tool for Assessing Radioactive Transportation (START) – 22323

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Integrated Waste Management is planning for the eventual transportation, storage, and disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) from nuclear power plant and DOE sites. The Stakeholder Tool for Assessing Radioactive Transportation (START) is a web-based, geospatial decision-support tool developed for evaluating routing options and other aspects of transporting SNF and HLW, covering rail, truck, barge, and intermodal infrastructure and operations in the continental United States. The verification and validation (V&V) process is intended to independently assess START to provide confidence in the ability of START to accurately provide intended results. The V&V process checks the START tool using a variety of methods, ranging from independent hand calculations to comparison of START performance and results to those of other codes. The V&V activity was conducted independently from the START development team with opportunities to provide feedback and collaborate throughout the process. The V&V analyzed attributes of transportation routes produced by START, including route distance and both population and population density captured within buffer zones around routes. Population in the buffer zone, population density in the buffer zone, and route distance were all identified as crucial outputs of the START code and were subject to V&V tasks. Some of the improvements identified through the V&V process were standardizing the underlying population data in START, changing the projection of the population raster data, and changes to the methodology used for population density to improve its applicability for expected users. This collaboration also led to suggested improvements to some of the underlying shape file segments within START. A formal series of test routes went through the V&V process from START version 3.2.1 following the implementation of the recommended improvements to START. The V&V of the buffer zone population and distance reported in START were achieved by utilizing a custom workflow developed in QGIS. This platform was chosen because it is fully independent of START. The buffer zone population and route distances in START showed excellent agreement to independent V&V test results. Over 200 route test cases were run; in all cases, the percent difference in the population within the buffer zone was less than +/- 5%, and the majority of cases were below +/- 1%. These cases were also duplicated in ArcMap, which is Environmental Systems Research Institute’s (ESRI) GIS desktop application. The ArcMap results also show good agreement; however, they cannot be considered independent of START because START also uses ESRI software. The V&V tasks are currently addressing population density and estimated radiation dose in START as well as implementing further automation of the V&V process to allow larger suites of test routes to be run more easily and quickly by less experienced GIS users. These improvements to the V&V process will make it a valuable tool for the development team and the stakeholders so that each new iteration of START can easily be checked for quality and consistency. This paper and presentation will describe the V&V process, findings and implications, and ongoing V&V activities.

START, DOE, Transporation, dose, GIS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Finite Element Modeling of Spent Nuclear Fuel in Dry Storage under Seismic Excitation

Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is currently stored at independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs) at nuclear power plant sites across the US. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) program is currently working to understand the response of SNF during a seismic event. This investigation is part of a long-term effort by DOE to quantify the external mechanical loads on SNF. The SFWST program has recently completed campaigns evaluating SNF behavior during normal conditions of transport and in 30 cm package drop scenarios; both campaigns included a combination of testing and modeling. Likewise, the investigation into seismic response of SNF will include full-size shake table tests of a vertical storage overpack containing instrumented surrogate fuel assemblies, as well as pre- and post-test finite element modeling. This work focuses on the development of finite element models simulating the planned test configuration. The seismic response is calculated at two scales: at the package level, and at the fuel level. The package level model evaluates the behavior of the storage overpack and its contents in response to the ground motions of a representative earthquake. The motion of the package is input to the fuel level model, which consists of a detailed finite element model of a 17x17 or 16x16 pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel assembly or of a 10x10 boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel assembly. The stress and strain on individual components such as fuel rods and guide tubes are extracted from this model. This work details the SNF response to various input ground motions, considering representative earthquakes in the Central and Eastern US under various site conditions. Also discussed is the development of a “reduced scope” finite element model of the SNF, which consists of a single fuel rod while retaining the dynamic response of the entire fuel assembly. This reduced scope model addresses the significant computational expense of modeling the SNF under long-duration input ground motions and facilitates simulating additional parameter variations of the model beyond the as-tested configuration. The modeling results provide important insight that will help to inform future testing and modeling efforts by the SFWST program to close the knowledge gap related to external loads on SNF.

Kadooka, Kevin↗
DOE OSTI2020

Interactive Visualizations for Communicating Compliance and Sustainability Statements in Annual Site Environmental Reports - 20419

The annual reports of organizations are a recurring type of public disclosure that communicates what an organization has done and/or plans to do. Worldwide, organizations use annual reports as powerful instruments for communication that is rich in narrative content and visuals. From the perspective of the leadership of an organization, statutory annual reports are communication devices to stakeholders. By analogy, from the perspective of stakeholders, the annual reports are learning devices that presents stakeholders with contents to generate knowledge about an organization. We have chosen the online accessible U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Annual Site Environmental Reports (ASERs) as a collection of resources for communicating and learning the environmental management strategies on environmental compliance and environmental sustainability. Environmental Compliance 'consists of regulatory compliance and monitoring programs that implement federal, state, and local requirements, agreements, and permits.' Environmental Sustainability 'promotes and integrates initiatives such as energy and natural resource conservation, waste minimization, green remediation, and the use of sustainable products and services.' Interactive visualizations of textual data designed with visual analytics software can allow stakeholders to interact with statements on the environmental management strategies by performing diverse actions that promote learning. These actions include annotating, comparing, filtering, navigating, selecting and sharing relevant statements. We expect that the possibility of these multiple actions in an interactive manner help stakeholders to learn more effectively about the environmental strategies at U.S. DOE sites. The current case study for the project is a collection of 1,894 annotated (value-added) statements (sentence text) from the eight chapters of the 2017 Savanah River Site (SRS) annual site environmental report. The preliminary interactive visualizations are available online. (authors)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Chapter 10 - Thermal Energy Harvesting Using Thermomagnetic Effect

Low-grade thermal energy, either in the form of waste heat or nature heat, is available abundantly around us. Since Carnot efficiency reduces with decrease in operating temperature difference, there are very limited practical options for low-grade thermal energy conversion. Thermomagnetic effect is the effect of heat on magnetic properties of a material. This phenomenon can be used to generate electricity using either direct thermal to electrical energy conversion or indirect thermal to mechanical energy conversion. This chapter provides a broad overview of various aspects of thermomagnetic energy conversion. We first explain the working principle behind the thermomagnetic energy harvesting. We then formulate mathematical equations needed to calculate the work output and energy conversion efficiency of a thermomagnetic cycle. Based on this formulation, we provide a list of working materials that can be employed in the thermomagnetic harvesters. At last, we describe various thermomagnetic harvesters proposed in the literature.

ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION↗
NASA NTRS2000

Practical Considerations of Waste Heat Reuse for a Mars Mission Advanced Life Support System

Energy conservation is a key issue in design optimization of Advanced Life Support Systems (ALSS) for long-term space missions. By considering designs for conservation at the system level, energy saving opportunities arise that would otherwise go unnoticed. This paper builds on a steady-state investigation of system-level waste heat reuse in an ALSS with a low degree of crop growth for a Mars mission. In past studies, such a system has been defined in terms of technology types, hot and cold stream identification and stream energy content. The maximum steady-state potential for power and cooling savings within the system was computed via the Pinch Method. In this paper, several practical issues are considered for achieving a pragmatic estimate of total system savings in terms of equivalent system mass (ESM), rather than savings solely in terms of power and cooling. In this paper, more realistic ESM savings are computed by considering heat transfer inefficiencies during material transfer. An estimate of the steady-state mass, volume and crewtime requirements associated with heat exchange equipment is made by considering heat exchange equipment material type and configuration, stream flow characteristics and associated energy losses during the heat exchange process. Also, previously estimated power and cooling savings are adjusted to reflect the impact of such energy losses. This paper goes one step further than the traditional Pinch Method of considering waste heat reuse in heat exchangers to include ESM savings that occur with direct reuse of a stream. For example, rather than exchanging heat between crop growth lamp cooling air and air going to a clothes dryer, air used to cool crop lamps might be reused directly for clothes drying purposes. When thermodynamically feasible, such an approach may increase ESM savings by minimizing the mass, volume and crewtime requirements associated with stream routing equipment.

Levri, Julie↗
DOE OSTI2022

Effect of solution concentration on ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) nonmetallic components used in caustic liquid waste transfer lines

The hose-in-hose transfer lines (HIHTL) used to transfer waste at the United States Department of Energy’s Hanford Site Tank Farm are fabricated from an ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) synthetic rubber. During waste transport, these hoses are exposed to several stressors including caustic solutions at high temperatures and high pressures, as well as β and γ radiation. The aging behavior of HIHTL and dog-bone shaped EPDM specimens were evaluated by exposure to solutions at 77 °C containing 0.00, 6.25, 12.50, and 25.00 % (v/v) sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for 12-months. After the exposure, the material properties of the specimens were measured and compared to the unaged samples. The material properties evaluated included the tensile strength of the EPDM dog-bone samples and the burst pressure of the HIHTL. Both the tensile strength of the EPDM dog-bone samples and the burst pressure of the HIHTL specimens exposed to the 6.25 % NaOH solution exhibited the most significant deterioration and those exposed to 25.00 % NaOH solution had the least deterioration. Finally, examination of the HIHTL and the EPDM dog-bone specimens with scanning electron microscopy showed that the deterioration for the specimens exposed to 6.25 % NaOH solution were the most severe and the samples exposed to 25.00 % NaOH solution had the least deterioration.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Selective Recovery of Critical Minerals from Simulated Electronic Wastes Via Reaction‐Diffusion Coupling

Abstract Atom‐ and energy‐efficient chemical separations are urgently needed to meet the surging demand for critical materials that has strained supply chains and threatened environmental damage. In this study, we used reaction‐diffusion coupling to separate iron, neodymium, and dysprosium ions from model feedstocks of permanent magnets, which are typically found in electronic wastes. Feedstock solutions were placed in contact with a hydrogel loaded with potassium hydroxide and/or dibutyl phosphate, resulting in complex precipitation patterns as the various metal ions diffused into the reaction medium. Specifically, we observed the precipitation of up to 40 mM of iron from the feedstock, followed by the enrichment of 73 % dysprosium, and the extraction of >95 % neodymium product at a further distance from the solution‐gel interface. We designed a series of experiments and simulations to determine the relevant ion diffusivities, D Nd =5.4×10 −10 and D Dy =5.1×10 −10 m 2 /s, and precipitation rates, k Nd =1.0×10 −5 and k Dy =5.0×10 −3 m 9 mol −3 s −1 , which enabled a numerical model to be established for predicting the distribution of products in the reaction medium. Our proof‐of‐concept study validates reaction‐diffusion coupling as an effective and versatile approach for critical materials separations, without relying on ligands, membranes, resins, or other specialty chemicals.

Wang, Qingpu [Physical and Computational Sciences ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Challenges and Opportunities Associated with the Municipal Solid Waste

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the important challenges in today’s world. A continuous surge in population, increasing living standards, and rapid urbanization are generating an enormous quantity of MSW. Improper management of this MSW often leads to the release of greenhouse gases, emission of particulate matters, and formation of dioxins, which all ultimately contributes to climate change. Recycling these wastes via landfills with gas recovery and/or energy and material production via thermal and chemical conversions could be viable options to manage these challenges. Recycling of MSW is difficult because it is very heterogeneous in nature. The heterogeneity of MSW varies significantly from country to country and from one municipality to another. Such variation depends mainly on the waste management regulations and industrial structure of each region. The quantity and the quality of MSW are critical for determination of the handling and management. This presentation will discuss the statistics (e.g., source, quantity, quality, etc.) of MSW following by the current state-of-the-art technologies for handling those wastes. The key challenges handling those wastes and possible improvements of the handling processes will be discussed further. Finally, the potential opportunities for MSW, especially the contributions to the bio-energy field, will be discussed.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Insights from high-fidelity modeling of industrial rotary bell atomization

The global automotive industry sprayed over 2.6 billion liters of paint in 2018, much of which through electrostatic rotary bell atomization, a highly complex process involving the fluid mechanics of rapidly rotating thin films tearing apart into micrometer-thin filaments and droplets. Coating operations account for 65% of the energy usage in a typical automotive assembly plant, representing 10,000s of gigawatt-hours each year in the United States alone. Optimization of these processes would allow for improved robustness, reduced material waste, increased throughput, and significantly reduced energy usage. Here, we introduce a high-fidelity mathematical and algorithmic framework to analyze rotary bell atomization dynamics at industrially relevant conditions. Our approach couples laboratory experiment with the development of robust non-Newtonian fluid models; devises high-order accurate numerical methods to compute the coupled bell, paint, and gas dynamics; and efficiently exploits high-performance supercomputing architectures. These advances have yielded insight into key dynamics, including i) parametric trends in film, sheeting, and filament characteristics as a function of fluid rheology, delivery rates, and bell speed; ii) the impact of nonuniform film thicknesses on atomization performance; and iii) an understanding of spray composition via primary and secondary atomization. These findings result in coating design principles that are poised to improve energy- and cost-efficiency in a wide array of industrial and manufacturing settings.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Panel Session 3: Prospects for Shared Solutions for Solving the WM Challenges for Small and Emerging Nuclear Countries

This panel focused on sharing WM solutions for small and emerging nuclear countries. As countries with substantial inventories of spent nuclear fuel pursue their national repository programs with varying degrees of progress, countries with only a few reactors and those at the beginning stages of their nuclear programs face a far different and substantial challenge toward developing a national solution. This session brought together a panel of experts from government and industry to explore shared solutions and next steps building off the recent progress made by international organizations and the recent efforts and lessons learned. Panelists with presentations: The Rationale for a Multinational Repository (Sean Tyson); Perspectives on the Future of the Multi-National Repository Concept (Alan Brownstein); Why Would any Country Accept Foreign Spent Nuclear Fuel? (Charles McCombie); Dual Track Strategy for Small Countries (Leon Kegel)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Material Flow Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment of Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polyolefin Plastics Supply Chains in the United States

Plastics are useful and beneficial materials that contribute to an improved quality of life, yet they generate significant solid wastes and emissions and consume significant energy resources. Systems analysis is incomplete on current linear production systems of plastics supply chains and their associated processes. Our study combines material flow and life cycle assessment data sets of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and the main polyolefin polymers in the United States, comprising over 70% of plastics flows. This study estimates the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption of these supply chains, including transportation and end-of-life processes, lacking in prior studies. Here we calculate annual GHG emissions and energy consumption of these plastic supply chains to be 101 MMT CO 2 -eq and 3248 PJ in 2019, respectively. The GHG emissions of these supply chains represented 1.5% of the total U.S. emissions and 5% of the total U.S. industry-related GHG emissions. The total energy consumption of these supply chains represented 3.1% of the total U.S. energy consumption in 2019. Transportation of PET and polyolefin plastic materials contributes 5% and 2% to the total supply chain GHG emissions and energy consumption, respectively. This baseline study provides a benchmark and enables a comparison to future circular production systems for plastics in the United States.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Salt Heater Test (FY19), Rev. 2

This report summarizes the 2019 fiscal year (FY19) status of the borehole heater test in salt funded by the US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Spent Fuel and Waste Science & Technology (SFWST) campaign. This report satisfies SFWST level-three milestone report M3SF-19SN010303033. This report is an update of the April 2019 level-two milestone report M2SF-19SNO10303031 to reflect the nearly complete as-built status of the borehole heater test. This report discusses the fiscal year 2019 (FY19) design, implementation, and preliminary data interpretation plan for a set of borehole heater tests call the brine availability tests in salt (BATS), which is funded by the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a DOE Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) site. The organization of BATS is outlined in Project Plan: Salt In-Situ Heater Test (SNL, 2018). An early design of the field test is laid out in Kuhlman et al. (2017), including extensive references to previous field tests, which illustrates aspects of the present test. The previous test plan by Stauffer et al. (2015) places BATS in the context of a multi-year testing strategy, which involves tests of multiple scales and processes, eventually culminating in a drift-scale disposal demonstration. This level-3 milestone report is an update of a level-2 milestone report from April 2019 by the same name. The update adds as-built details of the heater test, which at the time of writing (August 2019) is near complete implementation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗