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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 991 records · Page 55

Subscale Validation of the Subsurface Active Filtration of Exhaust (SAFE) Approach to NTP Ground Testing

Brief History of NTP: Project Rover Began in 1950s by Los Alamos Scientific Labs (now Los Alamos National Labs) and ran until 1970s Tested a series of nuclear reactor engines of varying size at Nevada Test Site (now Nevada National Security Site) Ranged in scale from 111 kN (25 klbf) to 1.1 MN (250 klbf) Included Nuclear Furnace-1 tests Demonstrated the viability and capability of a nuclear rocket engine test program One of Kennedys 4 goals during famous moon speech to Congress Nuclear Engines for Rocket Vehicle Applications (NERVA) Atomic Energy Commission and NASA joint venture started in 1964 Parallel effort to Project Rover was focused on technology demonstration Tested XE engine, a 245-kN (55-klbf) engine to demonstrate startup shutdown sequencing. Hot-hydrogen stream is passed directly through fuel elements potential for radioactive material to be eroded into gaseous fuel flow as identified in previous programs NERVA and Project Rover (1950s-70s) were able to test in open atmosphere similar to conventional rocket engine test stands today Nuclear Furance-1 tests employed a full scrubber system Increased government and environmental regulations prohibit the modern testing in open atmosphere. Since the 1960s, there has been an increasing cessation on open air testing of nuclear material Political and national security concerns further compound the regulatory environment

Test Facilities↗

Atomic and electronic structure of the CdTe(111)B–(2√3 × 4) orthogonal surface

The atomic and electronic structure of four variants of Te-terminated CdTe(111)B–(2√3 × 4) orthogonal polar surface (ideal, relaxed, reconstructed, and reconstructed with subsequent relaxation) are calculated ab initio for the first time. The surface is modeled by a film composed of 12 atomic layers with a vacuum gap of ~16 Å in the layered superlattice approximation. To close Cd dangling bonds on the opposite side of the film, 24 fictitious hydrogen atoms with a charge of 1.5 electrons each are added. Ab initio calculations are performed using the Quantum Espresso program based on density functional theory. It is demonstrated that relaxation leads to splitting of the four upper layers. The band energy structures and total and layer-by-layer densities of electronic states for the four surface variants are calculated and analyzed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Significant Roles of Surface Hydrides in Enhancing the Performance of Cu/BaTiO 2.8 H 0.2 Catalyst for CO 2 Hydrogenation to Methanol

Abstract Tuning the anionic site of catalyst supports can impact reaction pathways by creating active sites on the support or influencing metal‐support interactions when using supported metal nanoparticles. This study focuses on CO 2 hydrogenation over supported Cu nanoparticles, revealing a 3‐fold increase in methanol yield when replacing oxygen anions with hydrides in the perovskite support (Cu/BaTiO 2.8 H 0.2 yields ~146 mg/h/gCu vs. Cu/BaTiO 3 yields ~50 mg/h/gCu). The contrast suggests that significant roles are played by the support hydrides in the reaction. Temperature programmed reaction and isotopic labelling studies indicate that BaTiO 2.8 H 0.2 surface hydride species follow a Mars van Krevelen mechanism in CO 2 hydrogenation, promoting methanol production. High‐pressure steady‐state isotopic transient kinetic analysis (SSITKA) studies suggest that Cu/BaTiO 2.8 H 0.2 possesses both a higher density and more active and selective sites for methanol production compared to Cu/BaTiO 3 . An operando high‐pressure diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS)‐SSITKA study shows that formate species are the major surface intermediates over both catalysts, and the subsequent hydrogenation steps of formate are likely rate‐limiting. However, the catalytic reactivity of Cu/BaTiO 2.8 H 0.2 towards the formate species is much higher than Cu/BaTiO 3 , likely due to the altered electronic structure of interface Cu sites by the hydrides in the support as validated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

He, Yang↗

Development of High Temperature Out-of-Pile Experiments for Testing Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Fuel Surrogates

Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) technology is designed to provide “in-space” vehicle propulsion by deriving thrust from a hydrogen working fluid that is heated from a nuclear reaction. Initial NTP fuel structures (primarily carbon/carbide based materials) developed by the Rover/NERVA program were designed to withstand temperatures exceeding 2400 K and remain intact after tens of firing cycles. Current programs responsible for development of this technology expect the fuels to withstand temperatures in excess of 2550K under a similar duty cycle. Experiments that subject fuels to these conditions are being developed to provide data and performance information for optimization and potential down-selection of the candidate materials. Initial tests will be designed for laboratory benchtop operation and will not expose surrogate specimens to the hydrogen working fluid or irradiation fields. The primary focus of these out-of-pile experiments will be to study thermal performance and thermal failure limits of the candidate specimen materials.

Howard, Richard↗

Idaho national laboratory to demonstrate collaboration first versus competition to accelerate achieving a secure clean energy future by 2031

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) announced at COP27 it would reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2031. As a Nuclear, Energy and Environment, and National Homeland Security laboratory, the predominant solution to closing the clean energy gap will include nuclear as a safe, clean, reliable and affordable electricity source with the additional benefit of producing heat and hydrogen to fuel INL’s large transportation fleet. INL’s collaboration first vs. competition is essential to the program’s success. The focused actions in INL’s Nuclear Roadmap include: Infrastructure, Licensing/Regulatory, Financial, Time to Market, Fuel Cycle and Public Confidence/Communications. The roadmap also includes nuclear technology innovations and creative partnerships with utility providers, regulators, businesses, community members, and Indigenous Peoples to accelerate deployment of advanced reactors. Through development of the Net-Zero Nuclear Roadmap, INL will offer a model to provide safe and secure energy for the nation and the world by: (1) establishing the necessary infrastructure on its 890-square mile site to support demonstration, (2) showing proven pathways through the licensing and regulation process, (3) partnering with utilities to ensure commercial application, and (4) collaborating with industry to site new technologies.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Evaluation of Advanced Composite Structures Technologies for Application to NASA's Vision for Space Exploration

AS&M performed a broad assessment survey and study to establish the potential composite materials and structures applications and benefits to the Constellation Program Elements. Trade studies were performed on selected elements to determine the potential weight or performance payoff from use of composites. Weight predictions were made for liquid hydrogen and oxygen tanks, interstage cylindrical shell, lunar surface access module, ascent module liquid methane tank, and lunar surface manipulator. A key part of this study was the evaluation of 88 different composite technologies to establish their criticality to applications for the Constellation Program. The overall outcome of this study shows that composites are viable structural materials which offer from 20% to 40% weight savings for many of the structural components that make up the Major Elements of the Constellation Program. NASA investment in advancing composite technologies for space structural applications is an investment in America's Space Exploration Program.

Tenney, Darrel R.↗

ARES I Upper Stage Subsystems Design and Development

From 2005 through early 2011, NASA conducted concept definition, design, and development of the Ares I launch vehicle. The Ares I was conceived to serve as a crew launch vehicle for beyond-low-Earth-orbit human space exploration missions as part of the Constellation Program Architecture. The vehicle was configured with a single shuttle-derived solid rocket booster first stage and a new liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen upper stage, propelled by a single, newly developed J-2X engine. The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle was to be mated to the forward end of the Ares I upper stage through an interface with fairings and a payload adapter. The vehicle design passed a Preliminary Design Review in August 2008, and was nearing the Critical Design Review when efforts were concluded as a result of the Constellation Program s cancellation. At NASA Glenn Research Center, four subsystems were developed for the Ares I upper stage. These were thrust vector control (TVC) for the J-2X, electrical power system (EPS), purge and hazardous gas (P&HG), and development flight instrumentation (DFI). The teams working each of these subsystems achieved 80 percent or greater design completion and extensive development testing. These efforts were extremely successful representing state-of-the-art technology and hardware advances necessary to achieve Ares I reliability, safety, availability, and performance requirements. This paper documents the designs, development test activity, and results.

Frate, David T.↗

Shape-selective catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch chemistry : atomic layer deposition of active catalytic metals. Activity report : January 1, 2005 - September 30, 2005.

Argonne National Laboratory is carrying out a research program to create, prepare, and evaluate catalysts to promote Fischer-Tropsch (FT) chemistry - specifically, the reaction of hydrogen with carbon monoxide to form long-chain hydrocarbons. In addition to needing high activity, it is desirable that the catalysts have high selectivity and stability with respect to both mechanical strength and aging properties. The broad goal is to produce diesel fraction components and avoiding excess yields of both light hydrocarbons and heavy waxes. Originally the goal was to prepare shape-selective catalysts that would limit the formation of long-chain products and yet retain the active metal sites in a protected 'cage.' Such catalysts were prepared with silica-containing fractal cages. The activity was essentially the same as that of catalysts without the cages. We are currently awaiting follow-up experiments to determine the attrition strength of these catalysts. A second experimental stage was undertaken to prepare and evaluate active FT catalysts formed by atomic-layer deposition [ALD] of active components on supported membranes and particulate supports. The concept was that of depositing active metals (i.e. ruthenium, iron or cobalt) upon membranes with well defined flow channels of small diameter and length such that the catalytic activity and product molecular weight distribution could be controlled. In order to rapidly evaluate the catalytic membranes, the ALD coating processes were performed in an 'exploratory mode' in which ALD procedures from the literature appropriate for coating flat surfaces were applied to the high surface area membranes. Consequently, the Fe and Ru loadings in the membranes were likely to be smaller than those expected for complete monolayer coverage. In addition, there was likely to be significant variation in the Fe and Ru loading among the membranes due to difficulties in nucleating these materials on the aluminum oxide surfaces. The first series of experiments using coated membranes demonstrated that the technology needed further improvement. Specifically, observed catalytic FT activity was low. This low activity appeared to be due to: (1) low available surface area, (2) atomic deposition techniques that needed improvements, and (3) insufficient preconditioning of the catalyst surface prior to FT testing. Therefore, experimentation was expanded to the use of particulate silica supports having defined channels and reasonably high surface area. This later experimentation will be discussed in the next progress report. Subsequently, we plan to evaluate membranes after the ALD techniques are improved with a careful study to control and quantify the Fe and Ru loadings. The preconditioning of these surfaces will also be further developed. (A number of improvements have been made with particulate supports; they will be discussed in the subsequent report.) In support of the above, there was an opportunity to undertake a short study of cobalt/promoter/support interaction using the Advanced Photon Source (APS) of Argonne. Five catalysts and a reference cobalt oxide were characterized during a temperature programmed EXAFS/XANES experimental study with the combined effort of Argonne and the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) of the University of Kentucky. This project was completed, and it resulted in an extensive understanding of the preconditioning step of reducing Co-containing FT catalysts. A copy of the resulting manuscript has been submitted and accepted for publication. A similar project was undertaken with iron-containing FT catalysts; the data is currently being studied.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Hydrogen monitoring requirements in the global technical regulation on hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles

Here, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Global Technical Regulation (GTR) Number 13 ( Global Technical Regulation on Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Vehicles ) is the defining document regulating safety requirements in hydrogen vehicles, and in particular, fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). GTR Number 13 has been formally adopted and will serve as the basis for the national regulatory standards for FCEV safety in North America (led by the United States), Japan, Korea, and the European Union. The GTR defines safety requirements for these vehicles, including specifications on the allowable hydrogen levels in vehicle enclosures during in-use and post-crash conditions and on the allowable hydrogen emissions levels in vehicle exhaust during certain modes of normal operation. However, in order to be incorporated into national regulations, that is, to be legally binding, methods to verify compliance with the specific requirements must exist. In a collaborative program, the Sensor Laboratories at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the United States and the Joint Research Centre, Institute for Energy and Transport in the Netherlands have been evaluating and developing analytical methods that can be used to verify compliance with the hydrogen release requirements as specified in the GTR.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

SAE J2579 Validation Testing Program: Powertech Final Report

The Safety Working Group at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has developed a new 'systems-level' document for hydrogen vehicles. This document, SAE TIR J2579, is a new approach to certification standards for components. The document eliminates the need for dozens of test samples, tested in isolation from each other. SAE TIR J2579 describes the components which create the 'high-pressureenvelope', the components whose primary function is the containment of the high-pressure hydrogen on-board the vehicle, and has created a sequential test based on those specific components.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Turbine endwall two-cylinder program

Progress is reported in an effort to study the three dimensional separation of fluid flow around two isolated cylinders mounted on an endwall. The design and performance of a hydrogen bubble generator for water tunnel tests to determine bulk flow properties and to measure main stream velocity and boundary layer thickness are described. Although the water tunnel tests are behind schedule because of inlet distortion problems, tests are far enough along to indicate cylinder spacing, wall effects and low Reynolds number behavior, all of which impacted wind tunnel model design. The construction, assembly, and operation of the wind tunnel and the check out of its characteristics are described. An off-body potential flow program was adapted to calculate normal streams streamwise pressure gradients at the saddle point locations.

Langston, L. S.↗

Advanced Fuels Can Reduce the Cost of Getting Into Space

Rocket propellant and propulsion technology improvements can reduce the development time and operational costs of new space vehicle programs, and advanced propellant technologies can make space vehicles safer and easier to operate, and can improve their performance. Five major areas have been identified for fruitful research: monopropellants, alternative hydrocarbons, gelled hydrogen, metallized gelled propellants, and high-energy-density propellants. During the development of the NASA Advanced Space Transportation Plan, these technologies were identified as those most likely to be effective for new NASA vehicles. Several NASA research programs had fostered work in fuels under the topic Fuels and Space Propellants for Reusable Launch Vehicles in 1996 to 1997. One component of this topic was to promote the development and commercialization of monopropellant rocket fuels, hypersonic fuels, and high-energy-density propellants. This research resulted in the teaming of small business with large industries, universities, and Government laboratories. This work is ongoing with seven contractors. The commercial products from these contracts will bolster advanced propellant research. Work also is continuing under other programs, which were recently realigned under the "Three Pillars" of NASA: Global Civil Aviation, Revolutionary Technology Leaps, and Access to Space. One of the five areas is described below, and its applications and effect on future missions is discussed. This work is being conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center with the assistance of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The regenerative cooling of spacecraft engines and other components can improve overall vehicle performance. Endothermic fuels can absorb energy from an engine nozzle and chamber and help to vaporize high-density fuel before it enters the combustion chamber. For supersonic and hypersonic aircraft, endothermic fuels can absorb the high heat fluxes created on the wing leading edges and other aerodynamically heated components. Dual-fuel options are also possible, where endothermic hydrocarbon fuels are used for the lower speed portions of flight below Mach 8, and hydrogen fuel is used for the final acceleration to the upper stage separation velocity.

Palaszewski, Bryan A.↗

DOE Chair of Excellence in Environmental Disciplines-Final Technical Report

The report Massie Chair of Excellence Program at Universidad del Turabo, contract DE-FG02-95EW12610, during the period of 9/29/1995 to 9/29/2011. The initial program aims included development of academic programs in the Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Research and Development focused initially on environmentally friendly processes and later revised also include: renewable energy and international cooperation. From 1995 -2005, the Program at UT lead the establishment of the new undergraduate program in electrical engineering at the School of Engineering (SoE), worked on requirements to achieve ABET accreditation of the SoE B.S. Mechanical Engineering and B.S. Electrical Engineering programs, mentored junior faculty, taught undergraduate courses in electrical engineering, and revised the electrical engineering curriculum. Engineering undergraduate laboratories were designed and developed. The following research sub-project was developed: Research and development of new perovskite-alumina hydrogen permeable asymmetrical nanostructured membranes for hydrogen purification, and extremely high specific surface area silica materials for hydrogen storage in the form of ammonia, Dr. Rolando Roque-Malherbe Subproject PI, Dr. Santander Nieto and Mr. Will Gómez Research Assistants. In 2006, the Massie Chair of Excellence Program was transferred to the National Nuclear Security Agency, NNSA and DNN. DoE required a revised proposal aligned with the priorities of the Administration. The revised approved program aims included: (1) Research (2) Student Development: promote the development of minority undergraduate and graduate students through research teams, internships, conferences, new courses; and, (3) Support: (a) Research administration and (b) Dissemination through international conferences, the UT Distinguished Lecturer Series in STEM fields and at the annual Universidad del Turabo (UT) Researchers Conference. Research included: Sub-Project 1: Synthesis and Characterization of low Refractive Index Aerogel Silica for Cherenkov Counters- Dr. Rolando Roque-Malherbe Sub-project PI, Dr. Jose Duconge Sub-project Co-PI, Dr. Santander Nieto Assistant Researcher, Francisco Diaz and Carlos Neira Associate Researchers. The initial aim of this sub-project was changed to the synthesis and characterization of extremely high specific surface area aerogel silica for gas storage. A high specific surface area silica gel that has applications in gas drying, cleaning operation useful in nuclear industry in process was developed. Sub-Project 2: Investigation Study of Magnetic and Electronic Transport Properties at Material Interfaces in Magnetic Multilayer Heterostructure using Gd. – Dr. Yazan Hijazi, Sub-project Co-PI. UT developed the capability and infrastructure to produce high quality thin-film magnetic films and magnetic multilayer structures with fine control over film quality and thickness using sputter deposition capability to perform in-house electric and magnetic characterization of these films. The research experimentally quantified the effect of Gd incorporation within the magnetic multilayer structure and produce magnetic media with exchanged decoupled multilevel magnetic anisotropy. From September 2006 to September 2011 the Massie Chair produced nineteen (19) publications, (including 3 books), five (5) presentations and three (3) international conferences abstracts. A total of fourteen (14) undergraduates and (6) graduate students acquired research experience. Two Ph.D. students presented their dissertations on topics related to nuclear energy and graduated as follows: María Cotto (May 2009) and Eric Calderón (May 2011). Five of the participating undergraduate students graduated: Ramon Polanco (BSME, May 2009), Jason Pérez (BSEE, May 2008), Rafael Colón (BSME, May 2008), Jessenia Marfisi (BS Chemistry, May 2008). Eleven (11) students were sent to National Laboratories (LANL, SNL and LLNL), NNSA and DoE facilities for summer internships. Twenty eight (28) undergraduate students participated in Summer Internships (2010, 2011) at the Puerto Rico Energy Center (PREC). Four international energy symposiums were held aligned with the DoE and the NNSA missions and dissemination of Massie Chair research activities (660 attendees). Academic programs developed or revised under advice of the Massie Chair: Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences (revised); MSc in Environmental Sciences (revised); MSc in Mechanical Engineering with concentration in Alternative Energy (new); BS in Industrial Management & Engineering (revised to fulfill the ABET requirements); BS in Civil Engineering including an environmental option (new); BS in Electrical Engineering (revised); and, Associate in Renewable Energy (new). The Puerto Rico Energy Center (PREC) was designed and developed under the Massie Chair initiative. Thirty-three (33) proposals were developed and submitted during the period of which 12 were approved in the amount of $ $1,931,306.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Apollo cryogenic integrated systems program

The integrated systems program is capable of simulating both nominal and anomalous operation of the Apollo cryogenics storage system (CSS). Two versions of the program exist; one for the Apollo 14 configuration and the other for J Type Mission configurations. The program consists of two mathematical models which are dynamically coupled. A model of the CSS components and lines determines the oxygen and hydrogen flowrate from each storage tank given the tank pressures and temperatures, and the electrical power subsystem and environmental control subsystem flow demands. Temperatures and pressures throughout the components and lines are also determined. A model of the CSS tankage determines the pressure and temperatures in the tanks given the flowrate from each tank and the thermal environment. The model accounts for tank stretch and includes simplified oxygen tank heater and stratification routines. The program is currently operational on the Univac 1108 computer.

Seto, R. K. M.↗

Advanced Hydrogen Liquefaction Process

The project identified and quantified ways to reduce the cost of hydrogen liquefaction, and reduce the cost of hydrogen distribution. The goal was to reduce the power consumption by 20% and then to reduce the capital cost. Optimizing the process, improving process equipment, and improving ortho-para conversion significantly reduced the power consumption of liquefaction, but by less than 20%. Because the efficiency improvement was less than the target, the program was stopped before the capital cost was addressed. These efficiency improvements could provide a benefit to the public to improve the design of future hydrogen liquefiers. The project increased the understanding of hydrogen liquefaction by modeling different processes and thoroughly examining ortho-para separation and conversion. The process modeling provided a benefit to the public because the project incorporated para hydrogen into the process modeling software, so liquefaction processes can be modeled more accurately than using only normal hydrogen. Adding catalyst to the first heat exchanger, a simple method to reduce liquefaction power, was identified, analyzed, and quantified. The demonstrated performance of ortho-para separation is sufficient for at least one identified process concept to show reduced power cost when compared to hydrogen liquefaction processes using conventional ortho-para conversion. The impact of improved ortho-para conversion can be significant because ortho para conversion uses about 20-25% of the total liquefaction power, but performance improvement is necessary to realize a substantial benefit. Most of the energy used in liquefaction is for gas compression. Improvements in hydrogen compression will have a significant impact on overall liquefier efficiency. Improvements to turbines, heat exchangers, and other process equipment will have less impact.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Annual Report: Fuels (30 September 2012)

The thermochemical conversion of fossil fuels through gasification will likely be the cornerstone of future energy and chemical processes due to its flexibility to accommodate numerous feeds (coal, biomass, natural gas, municipal waste, etc.) and to produce a variety of products (heat, specialty chemicals, power, etc.), as well as the inherent nature of the process to facilitate near zero emissions. Currently, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Fuels Program has two pathways for syngas utilization: The production of transportation fuels, chemicals, or chemical intermediates. The hydrogen production as an intermediate for power production via advanced combustion turbines or fuel cells. Work under this activity focuses on the production, separation, and utilization of hydrogen from syngas using novel separation materials and processes. Advanced integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) schemes require the production of clean hydrogen to fuel innovative combustion turbines and fuel cells.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Nanoscaled Components for Improved Efficiency in a Multiplanel Photocatalytic Water-Splitting System

The goal of this program was to construct a multicell photochemical device for the direct conversion of solar energy directly to hydrogen by water splitting. We have fabricated a practical photolytic system for quantum efficient production of hydrogen. Our approach is based on the assembly of a multi-component integrated system for direct photocatalytic splitting of water for the efficient production of hydrogen. We propose to produce hydrogen as an energy source that is cost competitive with fossil fuels and without the concomitant production of greenhouse gases. The concept is quite straightforward. In order to achieve the over potential required for direct water splitting, the device is composed of multiple dye-sensitized cells directly linked in series, as illustrated in the figure below. The advantage of this concept is that each cell need contribute only a fraction of the overall potential required for water splitting, thus permitting device engineering to maximized efficiently without regard to electric potential. Progress and barriers to practical application will be described.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Ultra Efficient CHHP Using a High Temperature Fuel Cell to Provide On-Site Process Reducing Gas, Clean Power, and Heat

FuelCell Energy and ACuPowder investigated and demonstrated the use of waste anode exhaust gas from a high temperature fuel cell for replacing the reducing gas in a metal processing furnace. Currently companies purchase high pressure or liquefied gases for the reducing gas which requires substantial energy in production, compression/liquefaction, and transportation, all of which is eliminated by on-site use of anode exhaust gas as reducing gas. We performed research on the impact of the gas composition on product quality and then demonstrated at FuelCell Energy’s manufacturing facility in Torrington, Connecticut. This demonstration project continues to operate even though the research program is completed as it provides substantial benefits to the manufacturing facility by supplying power, heat, and hydrogen.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗