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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Monsoon Extremes: Impacts, Metrics, and Synoptic-Scale Drivers

This project was led by UC Berkeley with a subcontract to UC Davis and collaborative funding at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL). It produced new understanding of transient atmospheric disturbances in monsoon regions, the precipitation extremes they produce, and the sensitivity of precipitation and monsoon winds to fine-scale orography (i.e., the narrow mountain ranges that are difficult to represent in conventional Earth system models). Fundamental research undertaken as part of this project led to discovery of new mechanisms that control the generation of extreme weather events and that govern the spatial patterns of intense precipitation in monsoon climates—including the North American monsoon. These research accomplishments are summarized below and documented in a series of 23 publications, 20 of which were led by project personnel (the others were collaborative work led by staff of other projects). One of the publications produced by this project was in Nature, where it was selected for the main cover image, and another was in PNAS. The project also produced two datasets and a tracking algorithm, both of which are publicly available and listed below. The project trained three Ph.D. students and four postdoctoral scientists, the vast majority of whom have progressed to more advanced positions in their scientific careers. Although the university funding for this project ended in 2022, the LBNL component of the project proceeded for almost one year longer; this report is being provided after completion of all components of the project.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

A comprehensive strategy for stable, high productivity cultivation of microalgae with controllable biomass composition

This project was performed primarily as a partnership between three Universities – The University of Toledo (UToledo), Montana State University (MSU) and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). North Carolina State University also contributed to the project through a sub-subcontract. The project developed fundamental and applied knowhow for cultivation systems that are not restricted by (i) proximate availability of flue gas or other high concentration CO 2 sources and (ii) the energy and infrastructure burden to deliver CO 2 over long distances. To overcome these constraints, this project focused on cultivation of alkaliphilic algal cultures in high pH, high alkalinity media (pH>10, alkalinity >100mEq) and demonstrated high biomass productivity, improvement of biomass composition for fuel production, and culture stability. The high media alkalinity ensured availability of sufficient HCO 3 - in solution for high rates of carbon fixation while the high pH of the media facilitated rapid scavenging of atmospheric CO 2 . Overall, the direct air capture rates (DAC) in our system were sufficient to achieve high biomass productivities using atmospheric CO 2 alone. The project also developed and validated toolkits related to metabolic flux modeling and microbiome characterization.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Low RF Loss DC Conductive Ceramic for High Power Input Coupler Windows for SRF Cavities

Euclid Techlabs, LLC is developing a low RF loss/DC conductive MgTi ceramics for high power input coupler windows for SRF cavities, under DOE SBIR phase II grant DE-SC0017150. JLab was subcontracted to: fabricate two 500 kW capable pre-stressed coaxial windows; provide an RF testing fixture, and test the window with low power and high power RF. This collaboration helped to develop a better material for high power RF windows, with low RF loss and less prone to arcing, with the potential to improve the state of the art high power RF window performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Ecosystems and Networks Integrated with Genes and Molecular Assemblies (ENIGMA): Molecular and Computational Technologies for Environmental Microbiology (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

The ENIGMA science focus area (SFA) is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research effort focused on addressing foundational knowledge gaps in environmental microbial communities by studying groundwater and sediment microbiomes in the shallow subsurface at the contaminated Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). We seek to discover and characterize the reciprocal interactions between the microbial communities and the geochemical and geophysical parameters of the shallow subsurface within the contamination plume. The primary goal of this subcontract was to develop experimental and computational tools to advance our understanding of microbial adaptation and community assembly in contaminated environments, with specific efforts in high-throughput genomic methods, microbial ecology tools, and studies of heavy metal contamination impacts.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Near-net shaping of high-density, complex, spatially-tailored ceramics for extreme environments

The purpose of this subcontract is for LLNL to collaborate with the Subcontractor (UCSB) in the areas of binder jet additive manufacturing (BJAM), hot pressing (HP), finite element modeling (FEM), and multi-material sintering studies. LLNL wants to further develop its hot pressing, AM, and modeling capabilities through LLNL’s Early Career Faculty Program. This work will focus on developing a method to hot press complex-shaped ceramic parts through the co-deposition of a structural/functional ceramic and sacrificial mold material in one assembly via multi-material binder jet printing. The method aims to produce dense, near-net shaped parts with applications relevant to a wide variety of fields including aerospace, defense, and energy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Study of x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy from high-energy-density plasmas (Final Report)

The primary objective of this subcontract was to support the development of x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XFS) as a diagnostic tool for high-energy-density (HED) plasmas. Several experimental campaigns were completed to develop and benchmark XFS at various plasmas conditions of interest for inertial confinement fusion and HED science. The experimental measurements at the Omega laser facility used x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to determine the plasma temperature from the shape of the K-edge to benchmark XFS data. During the course of these experiments, it was found that XAS can also constrain ionization from bound-bound absorption features, and it became a primary diagnostic in this study. Several experimental campaigns were conducted at the Omega laser facility to refine XAS and XFS measurements of warm dense copper.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Research, Development and Demonstration of Advanced Vehicle Technologies in Clean Motor Fuels (CRADA Final Report)

NREL/DOE has been funding research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects to facilitate the deployment of alternative fuels into the marketplace in order to achieve three objectives: 1) enhance the reduction of mobile source emissions in California and the U.S.; 2) increase U.S. competitiveness and economic prosperity; and 3) preserve the environment through the reduction of emissions and toxins from the motor vehicle population. The Lewis-Presley Air Quality Management Act requires the South Coast Air Quality Management District to establish a program to encourage participation in projects to increase the utilization of clean-burning fuels. The parties seek to collaborate on a joint RD&D project to perform a field test on a small vehicle fleet operating on Fischer-Tropsch synthetic diesel fuel. Recently the 106th U.S. Congress designated "gas-to-liquid" (GTL) transportation fuels that are produced from domestic products as alternative fuels under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT). Niche markets could develop quickly for these fuel products, perhaps especially for the use of Fischer-Tropsch synthetic fuels in centrally fueled vehicle fleets in California. NREL and its project partners from the U.S. Department of Energy and West Virginia University have recently conducted what we believe to be the first-ever controlled tests of Fischer-Tropsch synthetic fuels in heavy vehicles. These tests have shown that Fischer-Tropsch fuels can be substituted in unmodified trucks and buses without any detectable loss in drivability and performance. Compared to a California diesel fuel baseline, neat Shell Fischer-Tropsch fuel emitted about 12% lower NOx and 24% lower particulate matter over a five-mile driving route while maintaining the same fuel economy on an energy equivalent basis. Whereas these exhaust emissions reductions from these previous studies have been impressive, far greater exhaust emissions reductions can be achieved if the vehicles are retrofitted with emissions control technologies that are enabled by Fischer-Tropsch fuels. For this program, a test fleet would be selected and retrofitted with continuously regenerating traps (CRT’s) or diesel particulate filters (DPF's). The University of West Virginia, under a separate subcontract to SCAQMD will have the responsibility to test and measure the emissions from the test fleet of vehicles.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

(U) STATEMENT OF WORK, UCD RadHard Collaboration

The following subcontract engages UC Davis (UCD) to collaborate with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) on the design and analysis of microelectronic circuits (macrocells). As part of the proposed statement of work UCD will be given access to information that is export controlled. Within this statement of work UCD is to acquire and install any applicable foundry PDK(s) and collaborate with LLNL on the design of new macrocells and assist in making improvements to existing macrocells as well as the design of ASICs using collections of macrocells. The intent is to increase the application space of the existing LLNL macrocell library and demonstrate the use of the macrocell library, including new designs, by making reference design ASICs.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Probabilistic Error Bounds for Low-Rank Tensor Decompositions Used in Large-Scale Data Analysis Applications (LDRD Final Report)

This report documents a research project on analyzing low-rank tensor models for data analysis that took place at Sandia National Laboratories from October 2023–September 2025. The focus of this work was to extend theoretical frameworks from statistics and probability theory for use with models for scalar, vector, and matrix data to models with tensor, or general multi-dimensional array, data. Through this work, we have provided a new set of tools for bounding errors on low-rank tensor models of both complete and sampled data. The remainder of this report is organized as follows. In Section 1, we describe the proposed work at the start of the project. Section 2 describes the research advances made as part of the project. Other research contributions in the form of conference presentations and software development is provided in Section 3. Workforce development at Sandia and Florida Atlantic University (via a subcontract on this project) is provided in Section 4.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Community Choice Aggregation(CCA) Data Collection Webinar for Status and Trends in the Voluntary Market Report (2024 Data) [Slides]

We have subcontracted LEAN Energy US, to help us improve our CCA data collection effort for the Annual Voluntary Energy Markets Data Report. LEAN Energy US (Local Energy Aggregation Network) is a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the country's transition to clean and renewable power, supporting competition and customer choice in the energy sector, and maintaining affordable electricity rates. We work in partnership with a range of organizations to actively support the formation and operational success of Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) programs around the country. This webinar, hosted in partnership with LEAN Energy US, is intended to introduce their members to our data collection effort and encourage CCAs in their network to participate.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Hanford Site Rare Plant Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2015

In 2015, two separate rare plant monitoring efforts occurred on the portion of the Hanford Site managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) (referred to herein as Central Hanford). 1. Upland plants of conservation concern were inventoried concurrently with efforts to map plant communities on Central Hanford. Plants were selected based on 2015 status with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Natural Heritage Program (WNHP) listings, which are summarized in the bullets below. This effort was led by Mission Support Alliance (MSA) and subcontracted personnel from SEE Botanical Consulting.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1961

Rocket-UV Spectrometer

This is a report of the second three months (March-May 1961) of a program to design and fabricate an ultraviolet spectrometer and fine guidance control for use in an Aerobee-Hi rocket. The work is being done under Subcontract No. 1 under Contract NASr-3 between Princeton University and the National Aeronautical and Space Administration. The design goals for this instrument are described in the report for the first three month period (Perkin-Elmer Engineering Report No. 5906). The accomplishments of the second three month period include the solution of certain design problems, the establishment of an effective liaison system with personnel at Goddard Space Flight Center, and the completion of certain design and fabrication tasks.

ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROMETER↗
NASA NTRS1970

Ultra high vacuum adhesion testing of NERVA engine materials

The primary objective of this research program was to determine the effects of surface cleaning and deliberate gaseous contamination on the adhesion behavior of selected candidate materials for use in the NERVA nuclear rocket engine program. Using a torsion balance technique, the relationship between the normal compressive load applied to crossed rod samples and the resultant contact resistance was used to ascertain the extent of adhesion under each set of experimental conditions. In addition to an evaluation of the static adhesion behavior of selected materials combinations, the experimental apparatus was modified to permit a similar investigation relating to the effects of specific tangential displacements of the sample wires, i.e., their sliding friction behavior. During the course of this subcontract, the materials combinations 440 C vs. 440 C. pyrographite vs ZTA graphite, Nbc (graphite) vs. Nbc (graphite), and Electrolize Inconel 718 vs. Au electroplated 302 S/S were evaluated.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1972

Apollo lunar orbital sciences program alpha and X-ray spectrometers

The development of the alpha and X-ray spectrometers which were used on the Apollo 15 and 16 flights is discussed. Specific subjects presented are: (1) lunar program management, (2) scientific and technical approach, (3) major test programs, (4) reliability, quality assurance, and safety, and (5) subcontract management.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1973

Characteristics of a gelled liquid hyprogen polyphenylene oxide (PPO) foam open-cell insulation system, phase 1

A large scale gel production and storage facility and a small scale facility, the latter used for detailed visual examination of the gel/PPO foam interface, were developed. A subcontract was given to investigate techniques for the production of gelled liquid hydrogen, develop a process design for scale-up to a 1.89 cu m (500 gallon) gel production and storage facility, determine gel transfer characteristics, determine the solubility rate of gaseous helium in the gel, and investigate the gross gel/PPO foam interfacial phenomena. An inside-tank process for scaled-up production of gelled liquid hydrogen was selected. No detectable gel structure degradation occurred during repeated shearing. The viscosity of gelled liquid hydrogen at shear rates of 300/sec and higher is 2 to 5-fold greater than that of neat liquid hydrogen. No clogging problems were encountered during the transfer of gelled liquid hydrogen through warmed transfer lines. The solubility rate of helium in liquid hydrogen was significantly reduced by the presence of gel structure. The boil-off rates from gelled liquid hydrogen were reduced from 25 to 50 percent compared to those observed for the neat liquid hydrogen under compatible conditions. The polyphenylene oxide (PPO) foam insulation was found to be compatible with liquid ethane.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1971

Interface definition for the Far Ultraviolet Spectrometer Experiment S169

A final contract for development, fabrication, test and flight of the ultraviolet spectrometer experiment on an Apollo space mission is reported. Two interface control documents were completed and signed off and three more were essentially completed. Supporting preliminary concepts formulation, design study and component investigation, specification and subcontract negotiation were accomplished.

Fastie, W. G.↗