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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 739 records · Page 41
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

A competition between 2D and 3D magnetic orderings in novel mixed valent copper frameworks

Low-dimensional hybrid inorganic–organic frameworks exhibit high structural flexibility and allow for the inclusion of various magnetic and optically-active species into their host structures. The emergence of copper-based hybrid structures for various optical applications provides a promising foundation for exploring the integration of magnetic sublattices, paving the way for advancements in magneto-optical coupling and multifunctional materials. Herein, we introduce a novel class of hybrid copper frameworks with covalently-connected alternating magnetic 2D copper(II) formate and non-magnetic copper(I) bromide layers. The anionic framework is stabilized by A + cations to form ACu 5 Br 4 (COOH) 4 (A + = Na + , K + , Rb + , NH 4 + ) semiconductors (bandgaps 2.1–2.2 eV) with optical transitions suitable for optoelectronic applications. Comprehensive magnetometry studies show that ACu 5 Br 4 (COOH) 4 compounds exhibit low-dimensional 2D short-range antiferromagnetic order within the formate layers, characterized by strong exchange coupling (J/k B ∼ −100 K). Upon further temperature reduction, interactions between Cu(II) layers give rise to 3D long-range magnetic order at ∼40 K, despite the large (8.6–8.8 Å) spatial separation of the magnetic Cu(II) formate layers by nonmagnetic Cu(I)–Br bridging layers. This transition is further supported by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In conclusion, this study expands our understanding of low-dimensional hybrid frameworks and opens new avenues for the design of 2D multifunctional materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Optical amplification in disordered electrooptic Tm{sup 3+} and Ho{sup 3+} codoped lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate ceramics and study of spectroscopy and communication between cations

Rare earth doped electro-optic (EO) ceramics of lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) are promising in building multifunctional optical devices, by taking advantage of both EO effect and optical activity. In this work, the combination of the measured spectra of absorption and photoluminescence, the fluorescent decay, the calculated Judd-Ofelt parameters, and measured single pass gain in Tm{sup 3+}, Ho{sup 3+} codoped PLZT ceramics have marked them out as promising gain media in building electrically controllable lasers/optical amplifiers and other multifunctional devices. Optical energy storage was also observed in the optical amplification dynamics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Dynamics of water in prussian blue analogues: Neutron scattering study

Dynamics of crystal water in Prussian blue (PB), Fe(III){sub 4}[Fe(II)(CN){sub 6}]{sub 3}.14H{sub 2}O and its analogue Prussian green (PG), ferriferricynaide, Fe(III){sub 4}[Fe(III)(CN){sub 6}]{sub 4}.16H{sub 2}O have been investigated using Quasielastic Neutron Scattering (QENS) technique. PB and its analogue compounds are important materials for their various interesting multifunctional properties. It is known that crystal water plays a crucial role towards the multifunctional properties of Prussian blue analogue compounds. Three structurally distinguishable water molecules: (i) coordinated water molecules at empty nitrogen sites, (ii) non-coordinated water molecules in the spherical cavities, and (iii) at interstitial sites exist in PB. Here spherical cavities are created due to the vacant sites of Fe(CN){sub 6} units. However, PG does not have any such vacant N or Fe(CN){sub 6} units, and only one kind of water molecules, exists only at interstitial sites. QENS experiments have been carried out on both the compounds in the temperature range of 260–360 K to elucidate the dynamical behavior of different kinds of water molecules. Dynamics is found to be much more pronounced in case of PB, compared to PG. A detailed data analysis showed that localized translational diffusion model could describe the observed data for both PB and PG systems. The average diffusion coefficient is found to be much larger in the PB than PG. The obtained domain of dynamics is found to be consistent with the geometry of the structure of the two systems. Combining the data of the two systems, a quantitative estimate of the dynamics, corresponding to the water molecules at different locations is made.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Bright reddish-orange emission and good piezoelectric properties of Sm{sub 2}O{sub 3}-modified (K{sub 0.5}Na{sub 0.5})NbO{sub 3}-based lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

Reddish orange-emitting 0.948(K{sub 0.5}Na{sub 0.5})NbO{sub 3}-0.052LiSbO{sub 3}-xmol%Sm{sub 2}O{sub 3} (KNN-5.2LS-xSm{sub 2}O{sub 3}) lead-free piezoelectric ceramics with good piezoelectric properties were fabricated in this study, and the photoluminescence and electrical properties of the ceramics were systematically studied. Results showed that Sm{sub 2}O{sub 3} substitution into KNN-5.2LS induces a phase transition from the coexistence of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases to a pseudocubic phase and shifts the polymorphic phase transition (PPT) to below room temperature. The temperature stability and fatigue resistance of the modified ceramics were significantly improved by Sm{sub 2}O{sub 3} substitution. The KNN-5.2LS ceramic with 0.4 mol. % Sm{sub 2}O{sub 3} exhibited temperature-independent properties (25–150 °C), fatigue-free behavior (up to 10{sup 6} cycles), and good piezoelectric properties (d{sub 33}{sup * }= 230 pm/V, d{sub 33} = 176 pC/N, k{sub p} = 35%). Studies on the photoluminescence properties of the samples showed strong reddish-orange emission upon blue light excitation; these emission intensities were strongly dependent on the doping concentration and sintering temperature. The 0.4 mol. % Sm{sub 2}O{sub 3}-modified sample exhibited temperature responses over a wide temperature range of 10–443 K. The maximum sensing sensitivity of the sample was 7.5 × 10{sup −4} K at 293 K, at which point PPT occurred. A relatively long decay lifetime τ of 1.27–1.40 ms and a large quantum yield η of 0.17–0.19 were obtained from the Sm-modified samples. These results suggest that the KNN-5.2LS-xSm{sub 2}O{sub 3} system presents multifunctional properties and significant technological potential in novel multifunctional devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Gd-doped BaSnO{sub 3}: A transparent conducting oxide with localized magnetic moments

We have synthesized transparent, conducting, paramagnetic stannate thin films via rare-earth doping of BaSnO{sub 3}. Gd{sup 3+} (4f{sup 7}) substitution on the Ba{sup 2+} site results in optical transparency in the visible regime, low resistivities, and high electron mobilities, along with a significant magnetic moment. Pulsed laser deposition was used to stabilize epitaxial Ba{sub 0.96}Gd{sub 0.04}SnO{sub 3} thin films on (001) SrTiO{sub 3} substrates, and compared with Ba{sub 0.96}La{sub 0.04}SnO{sub 3} and undoped BaSnO{sub 3} thin films. Gd as well as La doping schemes result in electron mobilities at room temperature that exceed those of conventional complex oxides, with values as high as 60 cm{sup 2}/V·s (n = 2.5 × 10{sup 20 }cm{sup −3}) and 30 cm{sup 2}/V·s (n = 1 × 10{sup 20 }cm{sup −3}) for La and Gd doping, respectively. The resistivity shows little temperature dependence across a broad temperature range, indicating that in both types of films the transport is not dominated by phonon scattering. Gd-doped BaSnO{sub 3} films have a strong magnetic moment of ∼7 μ{sub B}/Gd ion. Such an optically transparent conductor with localized magnetic moments may unlock opportunities for multifunctional devices in the design of next-generation displays and photovoltaics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Interface modulated currents in periodically proton exchanged Mg doped lithium niobate

Conductivity in Mg doped lithium niobate (Mg:LN) plays a key role in the reduction of photorefraction and is therefore widely exploited in optical devices. However, charge transport through Mg:LN and across interfaces such as electrodes also yields potential electronic applications in devices with switchable conductivity states. Furthermore, the introduction of proton exchanged (PE) phases in Mg:LN enhances ionic conductivity, thus providing tailorability of conduction mechanisms and functionality dependent on sample composition. To facilitate the construction and design of such multifunctional electronic devices based on periodically PE Mg:LN or similar ferroelectric semiconductors, fundamental understanding of charge transport in these materials, as well as the impact of internal and external interfaces, is essential. In order to gain insight into polarization and interface dependent conductivity due to band bending, UV illumination, and chemical reactivity, wedge shaped samples consisting of polar oriented Mg:LN and PE phases were investigated using conductive atomic force microscopy. In Mg:LN, three conductivity states (on/off/transient) were observed under UV illumination, controllable by the polarity of the sample and the externally applied electric field. Measurements of currents originating from electrochemical reactions at the metal electrode–PE phase interfaces demonstrate a memresistive and rectifying capability of the PE phase. Furthermore, internal interfaces such as domain walls and Mg:LN–PE phase boundaries were found to play a major role in the accumulation of charge carriers due to polarization gradients, which can lead to increased currents. The insight gained from these findings yield the potential for multifunctional applications such as switchable UV sensitive micro- and nanoelectronic devices and bistable memristors.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Neural units with time-dependent functionality

We show that the time-resolved dynamics of an underdamped harmonic oscillator can be used to do multifunctional computation, performing distinct computations at distinct times within a single dynamical trajectory. We consider the amplitude of an oscillator whose inputs influence its frequency. The activity of the oscillator at fixed times is a nonmonotonic function of its inputs, so it can solve problems such as XOR that are not linearly separable. The activity of the oscillator at fixed input is a nonmonotonic function of time, so it is multifunctional in a temporal sense, and able to carry out distinct nonlinear computations at distinct times within the same dynamical trajectory. We show that a single oscillator, observed at different times, can act as all of the elementary logic gates and perform binary addition, the latter usually implemented in hardware using five logic gates. We show that a set of n oscillators, observed at different times, can perform an arbitrary number of analog-to-n-bit digital conversions. We also show that oscillators can be trained by gradient descent to perform distinct classification tasks at distinct times. Computing with time-dependent functionality can be done in or out of equilibrium, and suggests a way of reducing the number of parameters or devices required to do nonlinear computations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dynamic microbial assembly processes correspond to soil fertility in sustainable paddy agroecosystems

1. Microorganisms underpin the sustainability of agroecosystems, but we have a poor understanding of how the assembly processes that govern microbial community structure interact through time to maintain soil fertility. 2. Ancient rice paddies have a history of cultivation spanning hundreds or thousands of years and provide an ideal opportunity to explore relationships between community assembly processes and long-term agroecosystem sustainability. We used statistical null models to evaluate temporal patterns of bacterial community assembly processes across rice cultivation years and their associations with increases in soil fertility in paddy agroecosystems. 3. We found that stochasticity was a persistent force structuring paddy soil microbial communities, putatively due to frequent flooding that facilities dispersal. However, determinism gradually increased over centuries of agriculture and corresponded to increases in soil fertility. Accordingly, multifunctionality, calculated using enzymes catalyzing key soil functions in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur cycling significantly increased along rice cultivation years. We therefore propose that balanced assembly processes preserve a diverse array of traits that can dominate under various circumstances (stochasticity) while allowing for traits relevant to soil fertility to be selected for by soil fertility (determinism), thus supporting multifunctionality that underlies sustainable agroecosystems. 4. In total, our results highlight that knowledge on temporal microbial assembly processes, community composition, and ecological function in context of soil fertility is key to understanding ecological mechanisms maintaining agroecosystems sustainability.

Liu, Wenjing↗
DOE OSTI2020

Differentiation strategies of soil rare and abundant microbial taxa in response to changing climatic regimes

Despite the important roles of soil microbes, especially the most diverse rare taxa in maintaining community diversity and multifunctionality, how different climate regimes alter the stability and functions of the rare microbial biosphere remains unknown. We reciprocally transplanted field soils across a latitudinal gradient to simulate climate change and sampled the soils annually after harvesting the maize over the following 6 years (from 2005 to 2011). By sequencing microbial 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicons, we found that changing climate regimes significantly altered the composition and dynamics of soil microbial communities. A continuous succession of the rare and abundant communities was observed. Rare microbial communities were more stable under changing climatic regimes, with lower variations in temporal dynamics, and higher stability and constancy of diversity. More nitrogen cycling genes were detected in the rare members than in the abundant members, including amoA, napA, nifH, nirK, nirS, norB and nrfA. Random forest analysis and receiver operating characteristics analysis showed that rare taxa may act as potential contributors to maize yield under changing climatics. The study indicates that the taxonomically and functionally diverse rare biosphere has the potential to increase functional redundancy and enhance the ability of soil communities to counteract environmental disturbances. With ongoing global climate change, exploring the succession process and functional changes of rare taxa may be important in elucidating the ecosystem stability and multifunctionality that are mediated by microbial communities.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Epitaxial growth and atomic arrangement in Fe2CrO4 on crystal symmetry matched (001) MgAl2O4

We report on the chemical, structural, and optical properties of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) synthesized thin films of multifunctional Fe2CrO4 on (001)-oriented MgAl2O4 (MAO). Substrate temperatures near 500 °C are required to obtain smooth films with the expected out-of-plane (OOP) lattice parameter. Mg diffusion from the MAO substrate is kinetically suppressed up to 500 °C. We discuss anti-phase boundaries in symmetry matched epitaxial systems. This research provides new insight into the epitaxial growth and crystalline properties of crystal-symmetry-matched Fe2CrO4/MAO(001) heterostructures.

Scafetta, Mark↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-333: Towards Customizable Radiotherapy Enhancement (CuRE) for Prostate Cancer Using Cisplatin Nanoparticles

Purpose: Replacing routinely used brachytherapy spacers with multifunctional ones loaded with cisplatin nanoparticles (CNP), which can be released into the tumor after implantation, could enable customizable radiation boosting to the prostate tumor in addition to chemotherapy effect. This study investigates the feasibility of customizing the intra-tumor biodistribution and corresponding dose enhancement (DEF) over time for the released CNP as a function of nanoparticle size. Methods: Dose enhancement factors (DEF) due to photon-induced emission of photo-/Auger electrons from CNPs were calculated as a function of concentration using previously published analytical calculation method. An experimentally determined diffusion coefficient (D) for 10 nm nanoparticles in mouse tumor model was employed to estimate D for other sizes using the Stoke- Einstein equation. The error function diffusion model in the experimental study was applied to generate the intra-tumor concentration profile for a burst release of CNPs from the spacer over time. The corresponding DEF profiles were then determined for brachytherapy using Pd-103 and I-125 sources. Results: As expected, the generated profiles showed greater DEF over time for smaller CNP sizes at sample distances from the spacer. For example, for a centrally located spacer, clinically significant DEF (> 20%) could be achieved near the tumor periphery (ca. 0.85 cm distance from the spacer for average PCa tumor size) after 20, and 100 days, respectively for CNPs sizes of 2 nm, and 10 nm, using I-125. Meanwhile for Pd-103, clinically significant DEF could be achieved at the same position after 22 and 108 days, respectively, for same size particles. Conclusion: Our preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of customizing dose enhancement to prostate tumors as a function of spacer location, brachytherapy source type or size of CNPs released from multifunctional spacers. Such an approach could enable customizable radiation boosting to tumor sub-volumes, while minimizing dose to healthy tissues.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

SU-F-T-662: Feasibility Study of Fe3O4/TaOx Nano Particles as a Radiosensitizer for Radiation Therapy

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of using multifunctional Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/TaOx(core / shell) nano particles developed for CT and MRI contrast agent as dose enhancing radiosensitizers. Methods: Firstly, to verify the imaging detectability of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/TaOx nano particles, in-vivo tests were conducted. Approximately 600 mg/kg of 19 nm diameter Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/TaOx nano particles dispersed in phosphate buffered saline(PBS) were injected to ten nude Balb/c mice through the tail vein. Difference between pre- and post-injection images was analyzed by computing the pixel histogram and correlation coefficient factor using MATLAB in the user defined ROI. Secondly, to quantify the potential therapeutic enhancement with nano materials, DER (Dose Enhancement Ratio) and number of SER (Secondary Electron Ratio) were computed using TOPAS(ver.2.0 P-03) MC simulation. Results: In CT, MRI imaging, the aorta, the blood vessel, and the liver were clearly visualized after intravenous injection of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/TaOx nano particles. There was large different between pre and post-injection images of Histogram data and Coefficients of correlation factor in CT and MR are 0.006, 0.060, respectively. When 70 MeV protons were irradiated for a Gold, Tantalum, TaOx, Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/TaOx, Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nano particle, DER was 2.59, 2.41, 1.68, 1.54 and 1.36 respectively. Similarly, SER increment was 2.31, 2.15, 1.56, 1.46, and 1.27 for Gold, Tantalum, TaOx, Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/TaOx, Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nano particle, respectively. Conclusion: Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/TaOx nano particles have potential as a multifunctional agent which enhances the accuracy in cancer detection through visualization of developed tumor lesion and increases the therapeutic effect in proton therapy. The dose enhancement with Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/TaOx was estimated as half of the Gold. However, tumor targeting such as combined with magnetic field may overcome the low DER. This research was supported by the NRF funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (2012M3A9B6055201 and 2012R1A1A2042414), Samsung Medical Center grant[GFO1130081].

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Phase transition enhanced superior elasticity in freestanding single-crystalline multiferroic BiFeO 3 membranes

The integration of ferroic oxide thin films into advanced flexible electronics will bring multifunctionality beyond organic and metallic materials. However, it is challenging to achieve high flexibility in single-crystalline ferroic oxides that is considerable to organic or metallic materials. Here, we demonstrate the superior flexibility of freestanding single-crystalline BiFeO 3 membranes, which are typical multiferroic materials with multifunctionality. They can endure cyclic 180° folding and have good recoverability, with the maximum bending strain up to 5.42% during in situ bending under scanning electron microscopy, far beyond their bulk counterparts. Such superior elasticity mainly originates from reversible rhombohedral-tetragonal phase transition, as revealed by phase-field simulations. This study suggests a general fundamental mechanism for a variety of ferroic oxides to achieve high flexibility and to work as smart materials in flexible electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Discovering polyelemental nanostructures with redistributed plasmonic modes through combinatorial synthesis

Coupling plasmonic and functional materials provides a promising way to generate multifunctional structures. However, finding plasmonic nanomaterials and elucidating the roles of various geometric and dielectric configurations are tedious. This work describes a combinatorial approach to rapidly exploring and identifying plasmonic heteronanomaterials. Symmetry-broken noble/non-noble metal particle heterojunctions (~100 nanometers) were synthesized on multiwindow silicon chips with silicon nitride membranes. The metal types and the interface locations were controlled to establish a nanoparticle library, where the particle morphology and scattering color can be rapidly screened. By correlating structural data with near- and far-field single-particle spectroscopy data, we found that certain low-energy plasmonic modes could be supported across the heterointerface, while others are localized. Furthermore, we found a series of triangular heteronanoplates stabilized by epitaxial Moiré superlattices, which show strong plasmonic responses despite largely comprising a lossy metal (~70 atomic %). These architectures can become the basis for multifunctional and cost-effective plasmonic devices.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

An Improved Representation of Vegetative Filter Strips in SWAT

Abstract. Vegetative filter strips (VFS) are popular conservation practices installed at the edges of agricultural fields to reduce losses of pollutants from agricultural areas to receiving waterbodies. The recent interest in using VFS areas as multifunctional landscapes necessitates an improved depiction of VFS in simulation models. This study is aimed to enhance the physical representation of VFS in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to improve the representation of ecohydrologic processes and land management practices in VFS areas. The proposed enhancement enables routing of water, sediment, and nutrients from the source area through the VFS area and makes the infiltrated water and nutrients available for filter crop uptake. The improvements are implemented in SWAT by modifying input files through Matlab scripts and by changing SWAT subroutines to enable routing. The model improvements are tested with three paired watershed studies with and without edge-of-field VFS in central Iowa. The improved model estimated 46% runoff reduction, 91% sediment reduction, 83% total phosphorus reduction, and 54% nitrate reduction with VFS, and these estimates closely matched the measured VFS reductions. The improved model was able to represent increased infiltration, soil moisture, and denitrification in the VFS area, along with accurately capturing crop yields in the source and VFS areas. Overall, the results indicate improved physical representation of VFS in SWAT. Keywords: Conservation measures, Flexible buffer strips, Multifunctional buffers, SWAT model, Vegetative filter strips.

Agriculture↗
DOE OSTI2013

Hetero-junctions of Boron Nitride and Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis and Characterization

Hetero-junctions of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are expected to have appealing new properties that are not available from pure BNNTs and CNTs. Theoretical studies indicate that BNNT/CNT junctions could be multifunctional and applicable as memory, spintronic, electronic, and photonics devices with tunable band structures. This will lead to energy and material efficient multifunctional devices that will be beneficial to the society. However, experimental realization of BNNT/CNT junctions was hindered by the absent of a common growth technique for BNNTs and CNTs. In fact, the synthesis of BNNTs was very challenging and may involve high temperatures (up to 3000 degree Celsius by laser ablation) and explosive chemicals. During the award period, we have successfully developed a simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique to grow BNNTs at 1100-1200 degree Celsius without using dangerous chemicals. A series of common catalyst have then been identified for the synthesis of BNNTs and CNTs. Both of these breakthroughs have led to our preliminary success in growing two types of BNNT/CNT junctions and two additional new nanostructures: 1) branching BNNT/CNT junctions and 2) co-axial BNNT/CNT junctions, 3) quantum dots functionalized BNNTs (QDs-BNNTs), 4) BNNT/graphene junctions. We have started to understand their structural, compositional, and electronic properties. Latest results indicate that the branching BNNT/CNT junctions and QDs-BNNTs are functional as room-temperature tunneling devices. We have submitted the application of a renewal grant to continue the study of these new energy efficient materials. Finally, this project has also strengthened our collaborations with multiple Department of Energy's Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRCs), including the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINTs) at Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Results obtained during the current funding period have led to the publication of twelve peer reviewed articles, three review papers, two book and one encyclopedia chapters, and thirty eight conference/seminar presentation. One US provisional patent and one international patent have also been filed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

PILOT TESTING: PRETREATMENT OPTIONS TO ALLOW RE-USE OF FRAC FLOWBACK AND PRODUCED BRINE FOR GAS SHALE RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

The goal of the A&M DOE NETL Project No. DE-FE0000847 was to develop a mobile, multifunctional water treatment capability designed specifically for “pre-treatment” of field waste brine. The project consisted of constructing s mobile “field laboratory” incorporating new technology for treating high salinity produced water and using the lab to conduct a side-by-side comparison between this new technology and that already existing in field operations. A series of four field trials were performed utilizing the mobile unit to demonstrate the effectiveness of different technology suitable for use with high salinity flow back brines and produced water. The design of the mobile unit was based on previous and current work at the Texas A&M Separation Sciences Pilot Plant. The several treatment techniques which have been found to be successful in both pilot plant and field tests had been tested to incorporate into a single multifunctional process train. Eight different components were evaluated during the trials, two types of oil and grease removal, one BTEX removal step, three micro-filters, and two different nanofilters. The performance of each technique was measured by its separation efficiency, power consumption, and ability to withstand fouling. The field trials were a success. Four different field brines were evaluated in the first trial in New York. Over 16,000 gallons of brine were processed. Using a power cost of $.10 per kWh, media pretreatment power use averaged $0.004 per barrel, solids removal $.04 per barrel and brine “softening” $.84 per barrel. Total power cost was approximately $1.00 per barrel of fluid treated. In Pennsylvania, brines collected from frac ponds were tested in two additional trials. Each of the brines was converted to an oil-free, solids-free brine with no biological activity. Brines were stable over time and would be good candidates for use as a make-up fluid in a subsequent fracturing fluid design. Reports on all of the field trials and subcontractor research have been summarized in this Final Report. Individual field trial reports and research reports are contained in the companion volume titled “Appendices”

Burnett, David↗