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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

A comparative review on cold sprayed cermet coatings and their applications in high temperature corrosion, oxidation and wear resistance

This review article explores the properties and bonding mechanisms specific to cold sprayed cermet coatings, highlighting its contrast with that of pure metals, and pure ceramics. The general cost structure of cold spraying is compared with other thermal spray techniques and the advantages are highlighted. Several cold sprayed cermet coatings with good corrosion, oxidation and wear resistance behavior in elevated temperatures show convincing potential for applications in power generation industries. The important factors that are attributed to producing highly functional cold sprayed cermet coatings are discussed. A strategic approach involving material, equipment, and application specific optimization of the cold spray process is currently relevant and of utmost importance to meet the coating requirements in several industrial applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating Liquid Waste Transfers and their Impacts to the SRS Tank Farms to Support Operations and Closure

BACKGROUND • SRMC mission critical milestones – 34 million liters (9 million gallons) Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) Processing Rate – Accelerated Waste Tank Closures • Results in an increase in Tank Farm transfers • Barriers – Equipment failures, replacements, and adjustments – Weather – Procedure development – Outside facility changes How has the Tank Farm adapted to meet these milestones? By improving the transfer evaluation process

B↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fuel Salt Synthesis for the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment: Scale-up, Operations, and Production Update

Over the previous 5 years, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has been working with Southern Co. and TerraPower on the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) funded Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment (MCRE) project. As part of this effort, INL has developed a fuel synthesis process to produce the NaCl-UCl3 fuel salt that MCRE will need for operation. Dr. Phillips will present on process development and scale-up testing and results, as well as provide an update on the current status of fuel production for MCRE. To date, the fuel synthesis process has been demonstrated at full scale using depleted uranium, and the equipment necessary for production of the fuel for MCRE has been installed in the Fuel Manufacturing Facility (FMF) at the INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC). The NaCl-UCl3 produced to-date has been shown to be of 99.99% purity or greater, and be within tolerance for all relevant parameters. Overall process efficiency in terms of uranium utilization has been demonstrated to be above 90%. The synthesis operation has also been shortened to allow for completion of the reaction within a single 10 hour working shift. Consequently, the process developed is expected to be capable of meeting all project objectives for efficiency, purity, scale, and scheduling. Production of NaCl-UCl3 fuel salt for MCRE is projected to begin during the Summer of 2025.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Accelerating Multiphase Simulations With Denoising Diffusion Model Driven Initializations

This study introduces a hybrid fluid simulation approach that integrates generative diffusion models with physics‐based simulations, aiming at reducing the computational costs of flow simulations while still honoring all the physical properties of interest. Pore‐scale simulations enhance our understanding of applications such as assessing hydrogen and storage efficiency in underground reservoirs. Nevertheless, they are computationally expensive and the presence of non‐unique solutions can require multiple simulations within a single geometry. To overcome the computational cost hurdle, we propose a method that couples generative diffusion models and physics‐based simulations. While training the data‐driven model, we simultaneously generate initial conditions and perform physics‐based simulations using these. This integrated approach enables us to receive real‐time feedback on a single compute node equipped with both CPUs and GPUs. By efficiently managing these processes within a single compute node, we can continuously monitor performance and halt training once the model meets the specified criteria. To test our model, we generate realizations in a real Berea sandstone fracture which shows that our technique is up to 4.4 times faster than commonly used flow simulation initializations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

DESIGN ISSUES AND QUALIFICATION OF HYDROFORMED DOUBLE WALLED EXPANSION JOINTS IN VACUUM SERVICE

The Vacuum Auxiliary System for ITER is devoted to pumping out, venting, and purging the vacuum volumes of the tokamak. Over 5000 clients including the cryostat and vacuum vessel, at 8500 m3 and 1400 m3 respectively, are serviced by approximately 150 pumping stations through 6 km of pipework. The piping and functions provided to the clients include component operation, routing of potentially tritiated gases, and timely leak localization. Expansion joints are used to reduce loadings on pumps and piping stresses but also to qualify in-line components having low allowable design loads. The ITER project utilizes vacuum valves that are not designed to withstand typical piping system loadings and require detailed design and evaluation. Loading scenarios prescribed by governing system specifications must be considered. To maintain allowable design loads for components and to keep piping stresses below code requirements, double walled hydroformed expansion joints have been employed in the design. These are not standard items and require custom fabrication. Installation space constraints and adjacent pipe support attachment location availability at ITER limit standard expansion joint installation guidelines provided by the Expasion Joint Manufacturers Association (EJMA). Careful consideration must be given to the analysis model to ensure proper function and life expectancy of the component. These considerations include accurate accounting of thrust forces, thermal movements, seismic accelerations, equipment and building differential displacements. In addition to displacements, the process internal, external, and interspace pressures affect the qualification and selection of the double walled expansion joints. The calculation results shall confirm that deflections, forces, and moments are reasonable for the size and type required for the system’s demands as evaluated against the manufacturer’s design.

Clark, Forrest [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000678106843)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Leveraging Existing Assets for Long Duration Energy Storage

Increased renewables penetration to electrical grid is necessary to reduce overall emissions from the electrical power generation sector. Nonetheless, its integration creates challenges to grid operators who must match the power being generated by intermittent renewables and other traditional energy sources with the demand from consumers, while ensuring the reliability and power quality for the entire system. Energy storage has been proposed as an alternative to natural gas peaking plants and a form to deliver excess renewable energy generation at times of peak demand. For energy storage to provide benefits to end customers (energy consumers), it must be reliable, efficient, and cost effective. The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), one of the surveys that integrate the Prairie Research Institute (PRI), aims to develop a Center for Energy Storage at Existing Assets (CESEA) at UIUC with the participation of Waste Pressure Corp and Ecotek Engineering USA LLC. CESEA will focus on LDES systems that can integrate to existing infrastructure in a manner that reduces the initial capital expenditure and demonstrates the ability to repurpose fossil assets that would otherwise become stranded, to serve the energy transition. CESEA aims to leverage UIUC’s unique facilities to validate LDES systems performance at a relevant operating environment. UIUC’s facilities include a 85-MW combined heat and power (CHP) power plant, two (2) solar PV plants totaling over 18 MWdc of installed capacity, an electrical grid along with a substation at transmission and distribution voltages, a 22-mile gas pipeline network operating at two pressure levels, along with steam and chilled water distribution networks. The new LDES systems will connect to the existing UIUC grid through a new test electrical station, which will have the capacity to accommodate additional connections to test new devices and technologies as part of future CESEA R&D activities. The test electrical station will contain meters, instrumentation, and controls to accurately capture data and allow optimization of control algorithms. CESEA will initially focus on technologies that: i) utilize existing equipment or facilities to perform at least one of the process steps in LDES (charging, storage, or discharging), ii) leverage mature or commercially available components or controls, iii) show potential for cost-leadership in 10+ hour storage at a commercial scale. Initial technologies that were identified to meet these criteria include Compressed Gas Energy Storage (CGES), and TES. CGES stores electricity by raising the pressure of a compressible gas inside a control volume and converting the stored energy to electricity via expansion-generation. CGES is a generalization of CAES that covers any working gas (not just air). A successful CGES demo will help to circumvent many challenges faced by CAES (long development times due to site prospecting, high cost of compression and storage, heat recovery management, etc.) by: 1) utilizing existing infrastructure (compressors, pipelines, underground storage or pressure vessels) used in the transportation and storage of industrial gases for LDES charging and storage; 2) deploying over sites already-developed for industrial applications with minor additional work; 3) leveraging the price structure of commercial industrial gas to cover the costs of electricity used during charging. A previous DOE-sponsored conceptual study (DE-FE-0032018) estimated the levelized cost of energy of a 1.1 MW / 17 MWh CGES system at $0.08/kWh, with a commercial 10x scale system cost estimated at <$0.04/kWh (Giardinella, 2022). The pilot-sized system was estimated to avoid up to 2693 tons of CO2/year.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Basics of Electrorefining in the Fuel Cycle Facility

The basic electrochemical concepts that are relevant to the Fuel Cycle Facility electrorefiner (FCF ER) are discussed. Key points are developed in the report that equip the reader to examine the literature for the ER process, and these points are clearly identified. Basic electrochemical concepts are presented and definitions are given prior to a discussion of the energetics and rates of electrorefining. A brief explanation of power supply operation for the electrorefining operation is then given, followed by an elementary discussion of chemical equilibrium. With this background information, FCF ER operations are described in terms of typical operations, their sequence, and the attending chemical reactions.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Oscilloscope Data Push Program

Data acquisition (DAQ) is a complex and costly process. Creating DAQ systems for analyzing a system requires expensive electronics and a dedicated team of engineers for support, posing a challenge for users who readily need data. This project is a proof of concept to create a temporary or one-off DAQ system using equipment commonly available to every team. We aim to automate the data acquisition process from the Rohde \& Schwarz RTO 1044 oscilloscope, convert the acquired binary data into floating point values, and store the results in a CSV file format. By developing a Python program to handle these tasks, we seek to reduce the manual effort involved in data collection, significantly increasing efficiency.

Osei-Tutu, Jason↗
DOE OSTI2024

Special Observing Period (SOP) data for the Year of Polar Prediction site Model Intercomparison Project (YOPPsiteMIP)

The rapid changes occurring in the polar regions require an improved understanding of the processes that are driving these changes. At the same time, increased human activities such as marine navigation, resource exploitation, aviation, commercial fishing, and tourism require reliable and relevant weather information. One of the primary goals of the World Meteorological Organization's Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) project is to improve the accuracy of numerical weather prediction (NWP) at high latitudes. During YOPP, two Canadian “supersites” were commissioned and equipped with new ground-based instruments for enhanced meteorological and system process observations. Additional pre-existing supersites in Canada, the United States, Norway, Finland, and Russia also provided data from ongoing long-term observing programs. These supersites collected a wealth of observations that are well suited to address YOPP objectives. In order to increase data useability and station interoperability, novel Merged Observatory Data Files (MODFs) were created for the seven supersites over two Special Observing Periods (February to March 2018 and July to September 2018). All observations collected at the supersites were compiled into this standardized NetCDF MODF format, simplifying the process of conducting pan-Arctic NWP verification and process evaluation studies. This paper describes the seven Arctic YOPP supersites, their instrumentation, data collection and processing methods, the novel MODF format, and examples of the observations contained therein. MODFs comprise the observational contribution to the model intercomparison effort, termed YOPP site Model Intercomparison Project (YOPPsiteMIP). All YOPPsiteMIP MODFs are publicly accessible via the YOPP Data Portal (Whitehorse: https://doi.org/10.21343/a33e-j150, Huang et al., 2023a; Iqaluit: https://doi.org/10.21343/yrnf-ck57, Huang et al., 2023b; Sodankylä: https://doi.org/10.21343/m16p-pq17, O'Connor, 2023; Utqiagvik: https://doi.org/10.21343/a2dx-nq55, Akish and Morris, 2023c; Tiksi: https://doi.org/10.21343/5bwn-w881, Akish and Morris, 2023b; Ny-Ålesund: https://doi.org/10.21343/y89m-6393, Holt, 2023; and Eureka: https://doi.org/10.21343/r85j-tc61, Akish and Morris, 2023a), which is hosted by MET Norway, with corresponding output from NWP models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Blueprint: Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure (CVD) Adaption and Adoption Guide for Industry To Create Their Own CVD Program

This guide provides a series of steps and guidance for electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) industry members to set up their own coordinated vulnerability disclosure (CVD) program by utilizing the Software Engineering Institute/Computer Emergency Response Team (SEI/CERT)’s CVD how-to guide. Due to the complexity of CVD, and with the existing resources out there, this guide is intended that this portion of the blueprint is an extension of the CVD how-to guide, not meant as a replacement. This guide is meant to outline a process for what to do when you discover a vulnerability on EVSE equipment. It is written for developers, vendors and security researchers as well as management. This is not a technical document. It is meant to be accessible for both technical and non-technical roles.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2024

1. Physical Security Engineering by Design for Nuclear Facilities; 2. Nuclear Power Plant Site Security Management – A Security Strategy; 3. The UAE Women in Nuclear Energy Security

1. Security by design, or SeBD, is a comprehensive approach that integrates the physical protection system of a nuclear plant into every stage of its existence. This includes planning, designing, constructing, commissioning, and operating the facility, using a combination of analytical, physical, technological, and procedural measures. Essentially, SeBD involves intentionally applying and incorporating security into all aspects of design and operation throughout the entire lifecycle of a facility. By implementing this methodology throughout various phases such as program development, process implementation, staff training and procedures management in conjunction with plant equipment, facilities can be optimized to minimize security risks without compromising functional design requirements. This ultimately improves the overall security posture of the site and reduces the need for costly modifications or additional security resources post-design. 2. A site security strategy is a living document that is revised on a periodic or event-driven basis, ensuring that site security operations and corresponding procedures provide long-term, effective protection for the entire nuclear power plant (NPP) site. A site security strategy aims to mitigate threats across the entire NPP site via in-depth defense approaches and mutual support; therefore, if a layer is omitted or altered, then the effect across all layers must be re-evaluated. Therefore, the aim of the site security strategy is to provide an appropriate, scalable security regime that deters, denies, delays, and detects incidents and, equally importantly, reassures legitimate users and the regulator that due diligence and regulatory compliance have been achieved, ensuring that the site is safe and secure. Robust access control for vehicles and pedestrians is at the heart of the strategy. Vehicle and pedestrian searching and screening are seen as the strongest mitigation methods against vehicle- and pedestrian-borne attacks. The security strategy must also be supported through comprehensive staff training and the development of robust processes, procedures, and planning. If all these measures are to be effective, then training must be implemented during each phase of construction, partial operation/commissioning, and full operation. No single element of site security is completely isolated from the influence of other elements. Ideally, consideration of all key elements will result in a security strategy that is integrated and proportional to the threat and that does not over specify individual security solutions through the application of isolated measures but rather applies a holistic, all-encompassing approach. 3. When women enter the labor force, numerous positive outcomes emerge, including increased GDP, educational gains, and decreased maternal mortality. Despite these benefits, women's employment rates and equality vary significantly worldwide as does support for women in the workforce. This paper will explore the multifaceted benefits of women's employment, the factors influencing labor force participation rates, and the urgency to achieve gender equality as outlined in the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will then examine the emerging presence of women in the traditionally male-dominated nuclear field, specifically within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a testament to their resilience and determination to break social norms and advance gender equality.

Zineddin, Dr. Z.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Proliferation Detection via Acoustic Monitoring of Pyroprocessing Equipment and Related Systems

In support of nuclear safeguards and nonproliferation, this effort is leveraging acoustic and seismic sensors to advance detection of pyroprocessing activities. Pyroprocessing, or electrochemical processing, is a method of separating irradiated nuclear fuel into its actinide and fission product components, enabling the reuse of fuel materials and reducing the radiotoxicity of the remaining waste. Verification and accountability in the process poses several challenges because of the high radiation environment and the presence of material holdup through the facility. Irregular or unaccounted-for equipment operation can signify diversion or misuse of critical materials. Acoustic and seismic sensors offer the capability to identify periods of equipment operation and help verify adherence to accountancy records.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Automation of Solid Oxyde Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC) & Stack Assembly

The work performed under this agreement before the No/Go decision amounted to the following: 1. Preliminary manufacturing requirements defined by business sensitivity, baseline processes & risk assessment; 2. Process & materials development, in-line gauge exploration, and preliminary automation work used to reduce risk & further refine equipment specifications; 3. “Request for Quote” issued to multiple suppliers for major equipment; 4. Application specific equipment, hardware, and fixturing will be more beneficial to fabricate inhouse; 5.Current proposals & estimates meet cycle time, capital spend, & direct labor; space is on target but requires awareness; 6. Team will continue to explore opportunities to reduce risk (dry time, traceability); 7. Go / No-Go, Purchase Orders, Equipment build & commissioning next All other future task were not completed because during the Go /No-Go decision it was confirmed this project was a "No-Go" and did not proceed past BP1; these included the following: 1. Preliminary manufacturing requirements defined by business sensitivity, baseline processes & risk assessment; 2. Process & materials development, in-line gauge exploration, and preliminary automation work used to reduce risk & further refine equipment specifications; 3. “Request for Quote” issued to multiple suppliers for major equipment; 4. Application specific equipment, hardware, and fixturing will be more beneficial to fabricate inhouse; 5. Current proposals & estimates meet cycle time, capital spend, & direct labor; space is on target but requires awareness; 6. Team will continue to explore opportunities to reduce risk (dry time, traceability) In final preparation of the termination of the Automation of Solid Oxyde Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC) & Stack Assembly, Cummins has purchased no equipment with government funds, and there is no government-owned property in Cummins possession related to this project. Minimal labor and travel were completed and paid. This acts as the Final technical report and concludes our business with DOE on this grant.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Design Didn't Prevent These Hazard Exposures

Two recent electrical incidents demonstrate how the design of equipment encouraged electrical workers to take actions that violated NFPA 70E principles. The features that encouraged non-compliant work execution will be described, as well as how the equipment was improved to facilitate safe work practices. Design-stage processes that help identify features that will foster rather than compromise safe work practices will be identified as well.

Mertz, David E. [Fermilab] (ORCID:0009000068872719↗
DOE OSTI2025

Design Didn't Prevent These Hazard Exposures

Two recent electrical incidents demonstrate how the design of equipment encouraged electrical workers to take actions that violated NFPA 70E principles. The features that encouraged non-compliant work execution will be described, as well as how the equipment was improved to facilitate safe work practices. Design-stage processes that help identify features that will foster rather than compromise safe work practices will be identified as well.

Mertz, David E. [Fermilab] (ORCID:0009000068872719↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluation of color in digital nuclear power plant control room displays

Human system interface design in industrial process control is guided by industry standards, human factors best practices, and domain-specific conventions, and often there is a conflict between one or more of the sources of design input for specific design elements. In the nuclear domain, one design element for which conflict arises is the use of color to represent equipment state. Here, this study evaluates the tradeoffs associated with using color in a process control display versus using white and shades of gray. The performance metrics were response time, accuracy, and eye movement metrics using a simplified experimental task and professional operators. Results revealed that adhering to color conventions in nuclear power yielded small advantages in simple tasks, but did not exist for more complex tasks. The results did not provide strong evidence for or against using a particular color scheme and revealed the need for further research on the use of color for commercial nuclear power plants and other process control industries.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Unsupervised Process Anomaly Detection and Identification Using the Leave-One-Variable-Out Approach

Automated anomaly detection and identification can signal equipment issues and pinpoint causes in large-scale industrial systems. For systems with limited failure history, unsupervised machine learning methods can be utilized as they do not require past failures. This study introduces the leave-one-variable-out (LOVO) model, which masks one variable at a time to predict the others, learning underlying process correlations. Detection performance was assessed with synthetic and experimental data, while identification performance used only synthetic data due to its ability to generate labeled anomaly types. For detection using synthetic data, the LOVO model generally outperformed comparative models; while using experimental data, the comparative methods outperformed the LOVO model. However, the comparative methods required selecting a latent size, and these conclusions pertain to using the optimal size. In practice, it would not be feasible to always select the optimal value, and incorrect selections impacted performance. In contrast, the LOVO model does not require a latent space. For identification using synthetic data, the LOVO model was slightly outperformed in interpretability and repeatability but still demonstrated impressive results. These outcomes suggest that the LOVO model is an effective model and may be more easily implemented without the challenging tuning process of selecting a latent size.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Transforming the Process Industries through Electrification: Challenges and Opportunities

For the more than 70 years, the process industries have provided essential fuels and materials for global growth. Increased manufacturing production comes with substantial environmental impact. Reducing environmental impact through process electrification, carbon capture, and other emerging technologies would require large changes throughout the process industries. We review opportunities and challenges related to electrification, focusing on technical, operational, and economic considerations. Here, we conclude that electrification could completely eliminate scope 1 CO 2 emissions, increase product quality, and reduce the equipment size and cost. On the other hand, it calls for a significant expansion of power generation capacity, as well as new paradigms for process design and operations.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗