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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
NASA NTRS2011

Onboard Radar Processing Development for Rapid Response Applications

We are developing onboard processor (OBP) technology to streamline data acquisition on-demand and explore the potential of the L-band SAR instrument onboard the proposed DESDynI mission and UAVSAR for rapid response applications. The technology would enable the observation and use of surface change data over rapidly evolving natural hazards, both as an aid to scientific understanding and to provide timely data to agencies responsible for the management and mitigation of natural disasters. We are adapting complex science algorithms for surface water extent to detect flooding, snow/water/ice classification to assist in transportation/ shipping forecasts, and repeat-pass change detection to detect disturbances. We are near completion of the development of a custom FPGA board to meet the specific memory and processing needs of L-band SAR processor algorithms and high speed interfaces to reformat and route raw radar data to/from the FPGA processor board. We have also developed a high fidelity Matlab model of the SAR processor that is modularized and parameterized for ease to prototype various SAR processor algorithms targeted for the FPGA. We will be testing the OBP and rapid response algorithms with UAVSAR data to determine the fidelity of the products.

dual polarized data↗
DOE OSTI2019

Advanced Simulation Tools for Muon-Based Accelerators

The project developed new software tools incorporating the most accurate theoretical calculations and experimental data available for crucial and not-yet-considered physics processes specific to muon accelerators. These new tools were applied to modeling muon ionization cooling channels for a muon collider or a neutrino factory, the facilities that have the potential to discover and explore new exciting fundamental physics but require the development of demanding technologies and innovative concepts. G4beamline, COSY Infinity, and WARP computer codes are particularly well-suited for addressing muon accelerator modeling problems. G4beamline was chosen for its flexibility and modularity, and for being one of the de facto standard codes used by the muon accelerator community. COSY was selected for speed, ability to take into account high-order nonlinear effects essential for the large beams under consideration, and availability of built-in optimization tools. WARP was chosen for its space charge calculation capabilities, speed and flexibility of implementing new lattice elements such as RF cavities. This final technical report summarizes the efforts on implementing advanced new tools in these computer codes addressing the shortcomings in modeling muon physics processes and using these tools to model muon ionization cooling channels.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRS1993

NEP processing, operations, and disposal

Several recent studies by ASAO/NPO staff members at LeRC and by other organizations have highlighted the potential benefits of using Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) as the primary transportation means for some of the proposed missions of the Space Exploration Initiative. These include the potential to reduce initial mass in orbit and Mars transit time. Modular NEP configurations also introduce fully redundant main propulsion to Mars flight systems adding several abort or fall back options not otherwise available. Recent studies have also identified mission operations, such as on orbital assembly, refurbishment, and reactor disposal, as important discriminators for propulsion system evaluation. This study is intended to identify and assess 'end-to-end' operational issues associated with using NEP for transporting crews and cargo between Earth and Mars. We also include some consideration of lunar cargo transfer as well.

Stancati, Mike↗
DOE OSTI2023

Book Chapter: Small Modular Reactors

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) have been a very promising development in nuclear power over the last two decades. SMRs are defined as nuclear reactors with a power output of less than 300 MWe. This is in comparison to gigawatt-size reactors, which can have electrical output of 1000–1500 MWe or more. This chapter will consist of two major sections. The first will be a detailed summary of the small modular reactor designs being proposed around the world. This section will focus on those that are the furthest along in their development, but will also include some information about the wide variety of proposed designs that require significant research and development. The second part will be a discussion of the remaining challenges to the adoption of SMRs as a major energy source. SMRs are not a new concept, but they do represent a new vision for an older concept. These reactors have the potential to become a major source of energy in the near future. The development of small, modular designs can help promote the adoption of nuclear energy by reducing upfront costs, reducing the financial risk associated with nuclear power, and the barriers to entry. However, the adoption of SMRs is not without challenges. Regulatory and licensing changes to address the unique benefits and concerns associated with SMRs will continue to be a challenge as regulators adapt to the unique features emerging from the design process. The development of new instrumentation and control systems is an ongoing issue. And economics is possibly the most significant challenge, with high construction costs, cheap natural gas, and government subsidies, combining to result in significant financial risk associated with adopting nuclear generation.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Chapter 8: Metabolic Engineering of Methanotrophic Bacteria for Industrial Biomanufacturing

CH4 offers a promising, high-volume petroleum replacement for fuel and chemical bioprocesses. Recent advances in gas recovery technologies have facilitated access to previously inaccessible natural gas reserves, while biogas generated from anaerobic digestion of waste streams offers a versatile, renewable CH4 source. Importantly, CH4 is also the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG), with nearly 60% of emissions derived from anthropogenic sources. However, the gaseous state of CH4 makes for a lack of compatibility with current transportation and industrial manufacturing infrastructure, limiting its utilization as a transportation fuel and intermediate in biochemical processes. Resurgent interest in CH4 upgrading has pushed microbial conversion of CH4 to fuels and value-added chemicals to the forefront of industrial bioprocessing. CH4 bioconversion offers both CH4 valorization and GHG emission reduction potential and importantly offers a scalable, modular, and selective approach to CH4 utilization compared to conventional physical and chemical conversion strategies. However, as noted above, advances in CH4 biocatalysis have been constrained by limited genetic tractability of natural CH4-consuming microbes. In this chapter, we review recent advances in methanotrophic genetic and genomic tool development and metabolic engineering.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Accelerated Fuel Qualification of Fast Modular Reactor Fuel in a Thermal Reactor: Modeling and Simulation Paired with Irradiation Testing

The accelerated fuel qualification (AFQ) methodology is applied by simulating accelerated fuel tests of the General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems’ fuel system for its 44-MW(electric) gas-cooled, fast-spectrum fast modular reactor (FMR). This fuel is comprised of UO 2 pellets in SiGA® cladding, a silicon carbide ceramic matrix composite. Fast reactors, like the FMR, offer many benefits, including high fuel utilization and flexibility, but may require a lengthy material design process if tests are performed using fast neutron irradiation alone. A thermal neutron irradiation can instead be used to rapidly test how well key components of the current material models extend to high burnup. Thermal neutrons produce a different radial power distribution within the pin than fast neutrons. However, the temperature and burnup values for the two neutron types are comparable, and the differences between the simulated fuel responses are relatively small, demonstrating the weak sensitivity of the physics-based fuel model calculations on the neutron type and the irradiation rate. Furthermore, the deformation of the SiGA cladding saturates after about 1 displacement per atom for both neutron spectra. In an accelerated fuel test, the irradiation time required to reach the target fuel burnup can be reduced by a factor of 3 by using a small rodlet with a 45% smaller pellet diameter while maintaining the same linear power. Therefore, the time for data collection up to high burnup can be significantly reduced while maintaining the same temperature profile, which largely determines the material response. Tests of fuel rodlets of standard and compact size will be carried out in the Idaho National Laboratory’s Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), including full size and compact rodlets with varying gap sizes. By applying physics-based mechanistic modeling and simulation in accordance with the AFQ methodology, this type of compact rodlet testing in a thermal test reactor captures the necessary phenomena to test fuel material models up to high burnup and to simulate the expected impact of fast neutron radiation on the fuel in FMR operations. Finally, this approach to testing fast reactor fuels in existing thermal test reactors, paired with advanced physics-based mechanistic modeling and simulation, is expected to be applicable to a range of advanced fuels and will decrease the overall fuel qualification timeframe from decades to years.

Advanced test reactor (ATR)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Alerga: Alert Aggregation and Reasoning in GOOSE Simulation Pipeline

IEC 61850 specifies the Generic Object Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE) protocol as one option for low latency communication of substation-related events. Due to its strict timing requirements, GOOSE lacks any form of encryption or authentication and has only minimal integrity guarantees. These absences render the protocol vulnerable to a variety of communication anomalies, including adversarial action. In particular, an adversary with access to the substation network can launch man in the middle (MITM) attacks. We propose Alerga, a set of tools to allow operators to mitigate some of the risks of the protocol while retaining its strengths. To that end, we have developed first a GOOSE simulation pipeline including data generation, anomaly detection, alert handling, causal reasoning and data visualization components. The simulator is designed to be modular, allowing operators to swap components to better fit their network capabilities. The volume of alert traffic on a substation network threatens operators with alert fatigue. In order to combat this, we secondly present a novel form of alert aggregation and processing, offering operators a condensed view of any threats to the system. Thirdly, to facilitate the handling of these threats, our causal reasoning system traces the alerts back to their most likely cause, generating an initial hypothesis for operators to investigate.

alert aggregation↗
DOE OSTI2017

Reliable SOFC Systems

The goal of this U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored project was to advance the reliability, robustness and endurance of low-cost SOFC technology suitable for ultimate deployment in ≥100 MWe Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell (IGFC) or Natural Gas Fuel Cell (NGFC) systems capable of ≥97% CO2 capture. The ultimate SOFC program goals are ≤ 0.2% per 1000 hours power degradation over a 5-plus year stack life, high-volume (≥ 250 MW/year) stack production cost of ≤$225/kWsystem net AC, and “power block” (exclusive of fuel supply, contaminant removal, and CO2 capture subsystems) capital cost of ≤ 900/kWsystem net AC (in year 2011). To progress towards the ultimate program goals, the specific objectives of this project were to achieve an SOFC stack power degradation rate of ≤1.5% per 1000 hours in a 100 kW (125 kW Peak) Modular Power Block (MPB) stand-alone power system under thermally self-sustained normal operating conditions and to verify the prospects for high volume SOFC stack production cost below the DOE target of ≤ 225/kW. This final technical report summarizes the progress made during the project period of 36 months. Significant progress was made in the areas of cell and stack technology development, Modular Power Block (MPB) development, sub-MW MPB system development, and MW-class SOFC System Development and Costing. The work focused on areas necessary for comprehensive development of an SOFC fuel cell system, including, active cell improvement, contaminant resistance, process engineering, and development of non-repeat module components. Additionally, several custom built balance-of-plant components were designed and fabricated to support the fuel cell system. SOFC cell and stack development focused on improving cell performance and durability. Enhancements were achieved in areas of electrode stability and impurity tolerance. Additionally, several quality control techniques and tools were developed to ensure predictable and repeatable fabrication of SOFC stacks. Module development continued previous development efforts to achieve footprint reduction and higher efficiency by incorporating balance-of-plant functional equipment into the fuel cell containment module. Several improvements were made to prior design. Control and instrumentation hardware was integrated within the module for serviceability and size reduction. The design efforts culminated in a complete SOFC power plant system. The designed plant was constructed and tested at FCE. Stack and system costs were updated, reflecting advances made in this program.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Domain Specific Language Support for Exascale Application Development

The University of Oregon has produced a Fortran parser based on an SDF (Syntax Definition Formalism) grammar. Primary partners in this effort were Rice University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The developed Fortran parser incorporates the full Fortran 2008 standard with extensions from the more recent document, TS 29113, “Further Interoperability of Fortran with C,” (to be included in the Fortran 2018 standard). In the final year of the project, the Fortran parser was updated to comply with the complete 2018 standard, as specified in the ISO/IEC document, JTC 1/SC 22/WG 5/N2146. The research explored in this project provided the expression of the Fortran grammar in SDF form for integration with the Rosebud DSL framework developed by Rice University. The Rosebud framework is a cohesive interface allowing modular DSL plugins to be developed independently and then distributed and combined in HPC applications. These plugins implement a form of generalized DSL which includes both concrete languages used to write application source code and abstract languages used within the compilation process. ROSE’s predefined DSL Building Blocks (for example the Fortran base language) are represented as abstract language plugins and DSL developers can use Rosebud to construct additional building blocks in the same way.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1974

Electromagnetic containerless processing requirements and recommended facility concept and capabilities for space lab

Containerless melting, reaction, and solidification experiments and processes which potentially can lead to new understanding of material science and production of new or improved materials in the weightless space environment are reviewed in terms of planning for spacelab. Most of the experiments and processes discussed are amenable to the employment of electromagnetic position control and electromagnetic induction or electron beam heating and melting. The spectrum of relevant properties of materials, which determine requirements for a space laboratory electromagnetic containerless processing facility are reviewed. Appropriate distributions and associated coil structures are analyzed and compared on the basis of efficiency, for providing the functions of position sensing, control, and induction heating. Several coil systems are found capable of providing these functions. Exchangeable modular coils in appropriate sizes are recommended to achieve the maximum power efficiencies, for a wide range of specimen sizes and resistivities, in order to conserve total facility power.

Frost, R. T.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Using Ada for a distributed, fault tolerant system

It is pointed out that advanced avionics applications increasingly require underlying machine architectures which are damage and fault tolerant, and which provide access to distributed sensors, effectors and high-throughput computational resources. The Advanced Information Processing System (AIPS), sponsored by NASA, is to provide an architecture which can meet the considered requirements. Ada was selected for implementing the AIPS system software. Advantages of Ada are related to its provisions for real-time programming, error detection, modularity and separate compilation, and standardization and portability. Chief drawbacks of this language are currently limited availability and maturity of language implementations, and limited experience in applying the language to real-time applications. The present investigation is concerned with current plans for employing Ada in the design of the software for AIPS. Attention is given to an overview of AIPS, AIPS software services, and representative design issues in each of four major software categories.

Dewolf, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Recursive forward dynamics for multiple robot arms moving a common task object

Recursive forward dynamics algorithms are developed for an arbitrary number of robot arms moving a commonly held object. The multiarm forward dynamics problem is to find the angular accelerations at the joints and the contact forces that the arms impart to the task object. The problem also involves finding the acceleration of this object. The multiarm forward dynamics solutions provide a thorough physical and mathematical understanding of the way several arms behave in response to a set of applied joint moments. Such an understanding simplifies and guides the subsequent control design and experimentation process. The forward dynamics algorithms also provide the necessary analytical foundation for conducting analysis and simulation studies. The multiarm algorithms are based on the filtering and smoothing approach recently advanced for single-arm dynamics, and they can be built up modularly from the single-arm algorithms. The algorithms compute recursively the joint-angle accelerations, the contact forces, and the task-object accelerations. Algorithms are also developed to evaluate in closed form the linear transformations from the active joint moments to the joint-angle accelerations, to the task-object accelerations., and to the task-object contact forces. A possible computing architecture is presented as a precursor to a more complete investigation of the computational performance of the dynamics algorithms.

Rodriguez, G.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Recursive forward dynamics for multiple robot arms moving a common task object

Recursive forward dynamics algorithms are developed and presented for an arbitrary number of robot arms moving a commonly held object. The multiarm forward dynamics problem is to find the angular accelerations at the joints and the contact forces that the arms impart to the task object. The problem also involves finding the acceleration of this object. The multiarm forward dynamics solutions provide a thorough physical and mathematical understanding of the way several arms behave in response to a set of applied joint moments. Such an understanding simplifies and guides the subsequent control design and experimentation process. The forward dynamics algorithms also provide the necessary analytical foundation for conducting analysis and simulation studies. The multiarm algorithms are based on the filtering and smoothing approach recently advanced for single-arm dynamics, and they can be built up modularly from the single-arm algorithms. The algorithms compute recursively the joint angle accelerations, the contact forces, and the task-object accelerations. Algorithms are also developed to evaluate in closed form the linear transformations from the active joint moments to the joint angle accelerations, to the task object accelerations, and to the task-object contact forces. A possible computing architecture is presented as a precursor to a more complete investigation of the computational performance of the dynamics algorithms.

Rodriguez, Guillermo↗
NASA NTRS1991

Analysis of field measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes

Analysis of the field measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes is discussed. These data were examined in conjunction with reflectance obtained from helicopter mounted Modular Multiband Radiometer. These measurements are representative of the canopy scale (10 to 100 m)(exp 2) and provide a good basis for investigating the hypotheses/relationship potentially useful in remote sensing applications. All the micrometeorological data collected during FIFE-89 were processed and fluxes of CO2, water vapor, and sensible heat were calculated. Soil CO2 fluxes were also estimated. Employing these soil CO2 flux values, in conjunction with micrometeorological measurements, canopy photosynthesis is being estimated. A biochemical model of leaf photosynthesis was adapted to the prairie vegetation. The modeled leaf photosynthesis rates were scaled up to the canopy level. This model and a multiplicative stomatal conductance model are also used to calculate canopy conductance.

Verma, Shashi B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Transputer based control system for MTLRS

The Modular Transportable Laser Ranging Systems (MTLRS-1 and MTLRS-2) have been designed in the early eighties and have been in operation very successfully since 1984. The original design of the electronic control system was based on the philosophy of parallel processing, but these ideas could at that time only be implemented to a very limited extent. This present system utilizes two MOTOROLA 6800 8-bit processors slaved to a HP A-600 micro-computer. These processors support the telescope tracking system and the data-acquisition/formatting, respectively. Nevertheless, the overall design still is largely hardware oriented. Because the system is now some nine years old, aging of components increases the risk of malfunctioning and some components or units are outdated and not available anymore. The control system for MTLRS is now being re-designed completely, based on the original philosophy of parallel processing, making use of contemporary advanced electronics and processor technology. The new design aims at the requirements for Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) in the nineties, making use of the extensive operational experience obtained with the two transportable systems.

Vermaat, Erik↗
NASA NTRS2009

The Radio Frequency Health Node Wireless Sensor System

The Radio Frequency Health Node (RFHN) wireless sensor system differs from other wireless sensor systems in ways originally intended to enhance utility as an instrumentation system for a spacecraft. The RFHN can also be adapted to use in terrestrial applications in which there are requirements for operational flexibility and integrability into higher-level instrumentation and data acquisition systems. As shown in the figure, the heart of the system is the RFHN, which is a unit that passes commands and data between (1) one or more commercially available wireless sensor units (optionally, also including wired sensor units) and (2) command and data interfaces with a local control computer that may be part of the spacecraft or other engineering system in which the wireless sensor system is installed. In turn, the local control computer can be in radio or wire communication with a remote control computer that may be part of a higher-level system. The remote control computer, acting via the local control computer and the RFHN, cannot only monitor readout data from the sensor units but can also remotely configure (program or reprogram) the RFHN and the sensor units during operation. In a spacecraft application, the RFHN and the sensor units can also be configured more nearly directly, prior to launch, via a serial interface that includes an umbilical cable between the spacecraft and ground support equipment. In either case, the RFHN wireless sensor system has the flexibility to be configured, as required, with different numbers and types of sensors for different applications. The RFHN can be used to effect realtime transfer of data from, and commands to, the wireless sensor units. It can also store data for later retrieval by an external computer. The RFHN communicates with the wireless sensor units via a radio transceiver module. The modular design of the RFHN makes it possible to add radio transceiver modules as needed to accommodate additional sets of wireless sensor units. The RFHN includes a core module that performs generic computer functions, including management of power and input, output, processing, and storage of data. In a typical application, the processing capabilities in the RFHN are utilized to perform preprocessing, trending, and fusion of sensor data. The core module also serves as the unit through which the remote control computer configures the sensor units and the rest of the RFHN.

Valencia, J. Emilio↗
DOE OSTI2017

LaserSnake2: An Innovative Approach to Nuclear Decommissioning - 17080

Nuclear decommissioning challenges exist the world over and require innovative approaches to ensure safe and cost effective dismantling of high hazard nuclear facilities. LaserSnake technology makes use of the flexibility and dexterity of snake arm robots to deploy high-powered laser cutting, lifting and manipulation tools. This paper describes the development and use of the system to achieve the successful size reduction and removal of a substantial stainless steel vessel within the First Generation Reprocessing Plant (FGRP) at Sellafield in the UK. Due to the environment, nuclear decommissioning is an extremely challenging activity. High ambient radiation levels often preclude entry to the areas involved, and as industry tries to minimise dose uptake, even moderate radiation levels now require remote solutions. 'In-situ' size reduction of process plant, including vessels and pipework, will allow the removal of the nuclear inventory from a building prior to further decontamination and demolition. The term 'in situ' is in this case used to mean work done on plant items within their existing cells as opposed to moving items from their original location to a dedicated size reduction facility. Traditional size reduction cutting methods, such as reciprocating saws or grinders, pose a significant challenge for remote deployment platforms. This includes the loss of haptic feedback and the length of time taken to perform the task, and difficulty dealing with the reaction forces. Although remote engineered solutions for these tools are possible, they are are typically complicated, unreliable and expensive. Robot deployed laser cutting is widely used in non-nuclear industrial sectors, and offers a simpler method for size reduction. LaserSnake2 is a UK collaborative project, co-funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Innovate UK and the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The project combined the skills of robotic experts and laser and optic specialists, to develop a remote handling technology suited for deployment within active nuclear environments. As well as meeting strict safety case requirements, the system provides a safe and cost effective method for decommissioning of complex nuclear spaces. An overview of the system development and deployment is presented in this paper. In July 2016, a successful decommissioning campaign was conducted in the FGRP at Sellafield. The LaserSnake2 system was used to size reduce a double-skinned dissolver vessel within a radiologically active nuclear cell. Planning of the size reduction method and processes, as well as results of the campaign itself are described in this paper. The containment procedures and radiological considerations for the system are presented along with the effects of operations on the cell and ventilation systems. LaserSnake, developed as a modular arm system with up to 4.5 m of articulation, carries an integrated tool comprising a high power, decommissioning specific, laser cutting head, high definition cameras and high powered illumination LEDs. It is designed for precise dismantling work within confined and hazardous environments. The tool can be interchanged, allowing the snake-arm robot also to carry grippers, environmental mapping sensors and other tools which may prove advantageous during a decommissioning campaign. (authors)

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

A Scalable Method for Decarbonizing Modular Building Solutions: Preprint

The decarbonization movement emphasizes the shift in focus from energy efficiency to directly reducing global-warming impact. Blokable, LLC, a vertically integrated modular builder with an all-electric portfolio, worked with NREL on a roadmap to decarbonize its high-performance building product at a relative cost advantage by utilizing the learning curves of mass production. Previous decarbonization literature focused on either i) lifecycle assessments, or ii) efficiency measures. These decarbonization exercises were bespoke to individual building projects and did not consider positive feedback loops of builder experience or process repetition. Vertically integrated, prefab builders possess the unique ability to leverage learning and repetition to decarbonize their design-build-operate process. This collaboration between Blokable and NREL resulted in a decarbonization strategy utilizing the company's scaling and production efficiencies, on-site renewable energy and storage, and the projected evolution of building components over time based on trends and emerging legislation. The method developed here encompasses a growing business model, lifecycle carbon assessment, and projected changes in product and grid emissions over time due to existing trends and emerging legislation. This methodology incorporates learning-curve efficiencies gleaned from scaled manufacturing, as well as open-source tools integration for energy and carbon accounting. The output projects and compares cost and carbon savings per modular unit as production increases to 10,000 dwelling units annually over 15 years. The resulting roadmap illustrates a path to roughly 60% carbon savings and beyond-net-zero-energy performance at no incremental cost by 2030. The methodology can be mapped to other integrated or productized builders for methodical decarbonization.

affordable housing↗