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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

Solid-state batteries: The critical role of mechanics

Solid-state batteries with lithium metal anodes have the potential for higher energy density, longer lifetime, wider operating temperature, and increased safety. Although the bulk of the research has focused on improving transport kinetics and electrochemical stability of the materials and interfaces, there are also critical challenges that require investigation of the mechanics of materials. In batteries with solid-solid interfaces, mechanical contacts, and the development of stresses during operation of the solid-state batteries, become as critical as the electrochemical stability to keep steady charge transfer at these interfaces. In conclusion, this review will focus on stress and strain that result from normal and extended battery cycling and the associated mechanisms for stress relief, some of which lead to failure of these batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Evaluation of proposed Section III Division 5 Class B rules: Piping example problem

Evaluation of proposed Section III Division 5 Class B rules: Piping example problem to be presented include Z pipe geometry and model problem statement, Z pipe loads and design inputs problem statement, Primary Stress Limit overview, Primary stress limit pseudo yield stress calculation, Primary stress limited factored load procedure, Strain limit evaluation composite load cycle, Strain limit evaluation pseudo yield stress, Strain limit evaluation strain limit criteria and ratcheting check, Creep fatigue damage evaluation overview, Creep fatigue damage evaluation alternating stress calculations, Creep fatigue damage evaluation lower bound stress, Creep fatigue damage evaluation stress relaxation history, Creep fatigue damage evaluation damage fractions, and Recommendations to consider for Z-pipe problem.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Performance and Durability of Heavy-Duty Fuel Cell Systems with an Advanced Ordered Intermetallic ORR Alloy Catalyst and Novel Support

Ordered PtCo intermetallic (OIM) catalyst (L1 0 -PtCo/C) is a promising candidate as the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst in hybrid fuel cell systems (FCS) for class-8 heavy duty (HD) trucks. Compared to a baseline annealed Pt on high surface area carbon (a-Pt/HSC) catalyst, its mass activity (MA) is 71% higher initially and 144% higher after 90,000 potential cycles in an accelerated stress test (AST). Analysis of the AST data indicates that the ORR kinetic constants do not change with aging and the degradation in the OIM catalyst activity is linearly proportional to the loss in the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA). Several operational strategies are investigated to mitigate catalyst degradation and achieve 25,000-h electrode lifetime and 2.5 kW g −1 Pt utilization on a HD truck duty cycle including load sharing with the hybrid battery, regulating the radiator fan power to maintain the coolant temperature close to 60 °C, clipping the maximum cell voltage below 850 mV, limiting the ECSA loss to 55%, and oversizing the active area of the membrane electrode assemblies by 20%. Drive cycle simulations indicate that the lifetime average voltage degradation rate is about 1.8 μV h −1 and the integrated stack and FCS drive cycle efficiencies decrease by 3.5 to 3.9%.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

SNF1-related protein kinase 1 represses Arabidopsis growth through post-translational modification of E2Fa in response to energy stress

Cellular sugar starvation and/or energy deprivation serves as an important signaling cue for the live cells to trigger the necessary stress adaptation response. When exposed to cellular energy stress (ES) conditions, the plants reconfigure metabolic pathways and rebalance energy status while restricting vegetative organ growth. Despite the vital importance of this ES-induced growth restriction, the regulatory mechanism underlying the response remains largely elusive in plants.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Metalloproteomics Reveals Multi-Level Stress Response in Escherichia coli When Exposed to Arsenite

The arsRBC operon encodes a three-protein arsenic resistance system. ArsR regulates the transcription of the operon, while ArsB and ArsC are involved in exporting trivalent arsenic and reducing pentavalent arsenic, respectively. Previous research into Agrobacterium tumefaciens 5A has demonstrated that ArsR has regulatory control over a wide range of metal-related proteins and metabolic pathways. We hypothesized that ArsR has broad regulatory control in other Gram-negative bacteria and set out to test this. Here, we use differential proteomics to investigate changes caused by the presence of the arsR gene in human microbiome-relevant Escherichia coli during arsenite (AsIII) exposure. We show that ArsR has broad-ranging impacts such as the expression of TCA cycle enzymes during AsIII stress. Additionally, we found that the Isc [Fe-S] cluster and molybdenum cofactor assembly proteins are upregulated regardless of the presence of ArsR under these same conditions. An important finding from this differential proteomics analysis was the identification of response mechanisms that were strain-, ArsR-, and arsenic-specific, providing new clarity to this complex regulon. Given the widespread occurrence of the arsRBC operon, these findings should have broad applicability across microbial genera, including sensitive environments such as the human gastrointestinal tract.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology↗

Thermal / structural analysis of the HB 650 thermal shield

Fermilab’s PIP-II project’s superconducting linear accelerator will drive the next generation of particle accelerators through a revolution in beam intensity. Key to beam intensification are the high efficiencies of niobium-tin superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities operating at cryogenic temperatures near 5 Kelvin. A multifaceted approach is employed to achieve and maintain the extreme temperature. Vacuum provides the first barrier to thermal convection. Physical thermal intercept zones further isolate the exterior shell vacuum vessel at 300 Kelvin from the supercooled beamline. The first thermal intercept lies just inside the exterior vacuum vessel forming the 40 Kelvin zone. This 40K thermal shield is the focus of this investigation. In preparation for operation, the thermal shield is cooled from 300K to 40K in a slow process over 2-1/2 days. The factors limiting the cooling rate are a high thermal gradient which produces thermal strain and high mechanical stress. D ecreasing the time required to reach operational temperatures is the desired research goal. Physical testing data and finite element method (FEM) computer models from the Single Spoke Resonator – 1 (SSR1) and Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS-II) cryomodules will be evaluated to determine needed design changes. The thermal shield design for the High Beta 650 MHz (HB650) will be modified and analyzed using FEM computer models to determine maximum cooling rate with a target of 50 thermal cycles of life. Maximum allowable stress will be determined through low cycle fatigue calculations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

One-pot synthesis of mechanically robust hierarchical graphene-polyethylene aerogels

Fabricating mechanically robust graphene aerogels (GAs) without compromising their notable features including superelasticity, large surface area, high porosity, and low density is challenging. Here, this work presents a new one-pot strategy based on ambient drying to fabricate a three-dimensional (3D) graphene-polyethylene aerogel (G-PEA) with a unique hierarchical porous structure, in which the highly porous polyethylene is encapsulated by graphene frameworks. The hierarchical G-PEA exhibited substantially enhanced compressive strength while maintaining low density and superelasticity comparable to those of bare GAs. The G-PEAs with 5 wt% PE (G-PEA5) showed a significant improvement (up to 2083 %) in compressive stress compared to bare GAs, which can be attributed to the porous PE support within the GA framework. The G-PEA5 retained 94% of its compressive stress after 100 compression cycles, which is still higher than that (∼80%) of bare GAs, and maintained good elastic recovery. The designed hierarchical G-PEAs show great promise in the applications that require outstanding mechanical properties.

Composite↗

Structural design challenges and implications for high temperature concentrating solar power receivers

High operating temperatures along with diurnal cycling and high operating stresses bring many material and engineering challenges for concentrated solar power (CSP) receivers. Current design rules in ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel (B&PV) Code for high temperature structural components were not intended for CSP components. The paper reviews the design rules in several sections of ASME B&PV Code in terms of their applicability in designing high temperature CSP receivers. With some restrictions and modifications, the conditions assumed in the design rules in Section III, Division 5 of ASME B&PV Code are found to closely resemble the loading conditions of CSP receiver, including accounting for the interaction between creep and fatigue damage. Further, the paper applies the proposed design rules to an external tubular receiver design and discusses several lessons learned from the design study. The creep damage accumulation due to high thermal stresses resulting from circumferentially non-uniform flux distribution is found to control the design of CSP receivers. Several mitigation actions to improve the design life of receivers are also discussed.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Ionomer-free and recyclable porous-transport electrode for high-performing proton-exchange-membrane water electrolysis

Abstract Clean hydrogen production requires large-scale deployment of water-electrolysis technologies, particularly proton-exchange-membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs). However, as iridium-based electrocatalysts remain the only practical option for PEMWEs, their low abundance will become a bottleneck for a sustainable hydrogen economy. Herein, we propose high-performing and durable ionomer-free porous transport electrodes (PTEs) with facile recycling features enabling Ir thrifting and reclamation. The ionomer-free porous transport electrodes offer a practical pathway to investigate the role of ionomer in the catalyst layer and, from microelectrode measurements, point to an ionomer poisoning effect for the oxygen evolution reaction. The ionomer-free porous transport electrodes demonstrate a voltage reduction of > 600 mV compared to conventional ionomer-coated porous transport electrodes at 1.8 A cm −2 and <0.1 mg Ir cm −2 , and a voltage degradation of 29 mV at average rate of 0.58 mV per 1000-cycles after 50k cycles of accelerated-stress tests at 4 A cm −2 . Moreover, the ionomer-free feature enables facile recycling of multiple components of PEMWEs, which is critical to a circular clean hydrogen economy.

08 HYDROGEN↗

UV-Fluorescence Imaging of Silicon PV Modules After Outdoor Aging and Accelerated Stress Testing

Fast, non-destructive, outdoor-compatible methods for photovoltaic module characterization are essential for monitoring module quality without disrupting energy production. UV-fluorescence (UVF) imaging of the encapsulant layer can be used for crack detection in the field. We show that UVF patterns vary widely between modules and types of applied stress. We propose that combining accelerated stress testing (e.g. thermal cycling and damp heat) with field investigations can help build understanding of different types of UVF, which are formed and subsequently quenched at varying rates. Ultimately, such understanding could enable estimating when cracks were formed.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗

RDPP: Accelerating Diversity in DOE Climate Science and Resilience Research (Final Report)

The scope of the project was set out to accelerate the inclusion of diversity into the Department of Energy (DOE) Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division (EESSD) relevant climate science and resilience research to inclusively advance solutions. The Project Objectives were to usher in equitable use-inspired climate-related research with underrepresented Minorities of which this project helped fund 7 HU graduate students work with the DOE (three of which will graduate in Spring 2025). The two key aims underpinning that core goal were AIM1: developing partnerships (18 organized engaged, see partners list) and AIM2: Developing capabilities (3 visits to DOE facilities, 5 DOE partners visits to HU, increased visiting faculty participation in BNL-DOE lab, secured 5 grants together totaling 1.2 million in funds for HU). The project objectives were highly successful as they were designed to ambitiously pull together DOE lab researchers with the long-standing and successful transdisciplinary climate science research programs of the PI and local DC groups. The major outcomes of this RDPP program will be in the new fundamentally inclusive partnerships with DOE and HU tasked to understand the urban-rural impacts due to climate change in the US, Eastern South Atlantic (ESA) Region, related to energy issues driven by heat stress and the water cycle. Overall, this project contributes to the DOE and science community vision for catalyze connections for project-ready underrepresented minorities (URMs) at a prominent HBCU to DOE projects supported by the Biological and Environmental research (BER) Program; particularly, the Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division (EESSD).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Projected Seismic Activity at the Tiger Stripe Fractures on Enceladus, Saturn, From an Analog Study of Tidally Modulated Icequakes Within the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Abstract Dissipation of tidal energy is expected to generate seismicity on icy‐ocean worlds; however, the distribution and timing of this seismic activity throughout an orbital cycle is not known. We used new observations from an icy‐ocean‐world analog environment on Earth to examine the relationship between tidally driven tensile stress and seismic activity within an ice shell. We investigated a pair of rifts within Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf which are tidally stressed in a manner analogous to the orbital cycle of tidal stress experienced by Enceladus' Tiger Stripe Fractures. We found that seismic activity at the Antarctic rifts is sensitive to both the amplitude and the rate of tensile stress across the rifts. We combined these findings with calculated stress values along Enceladus' Tiger Stripe Fractures to predict seismic‐activity levels expected along the ice‐shell fractures. We predict a peak in seismicity along the four Tiger Stripe Fractures when Enceladus is 90°–120° past pericenter in its orbit around Saturn, at which point tensile stresses would reach ∼2/3 of their maximum value. We also used the magnitude distribution of icequakes along Antarctic rifts to investigate implications for the likely size of stick‐slip rupture patches along icy faults on Enceladus. Our findings predict that the Tiger Stripe Fractures should produce sustained, low‐magnitude seismic events that involve rupture along discrete portions of each fracture's total length. We predict that seismicity would fall to 50% of peak levels when stresses across the Tiger Stripe Fractures are dominantly compressional.

Olsen, Kira G.↗

Inelastic Deformation in Methylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite and Mitigation by Additives during Thermal Cycling

Metal halide perovskite thin films are promising materials for next-generation photovoltaic applications, but the thermomechanical instabilities of these materials are critical barriers to device longevity. In this study, we measure the evolution of stresses in methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) films thermally cycled from 25 to 105 °C using a multibeam optical stress sensor (MOSS) system. We demonstrate that these films undergo residual stress buildup due to inelastic deformation as well as a simple mitigation strategy by incorporating low concentrations of 5-aminovaleric acid hydrochloride (5-AVACl) as an additive. Adding 5-AVACl increases the tensile stresses measured at room temperature but beneficially decreases the biaxial modulus from 9.60 ± 0.44 GPa to 7.95 ± 0.55 GPa, resulting in greater accommodation of thermal stresses. The hysteresis loop is ~63% smaller with the inclusion of 5-AVACl, and the stress relaxation at 50 °C decreases from 86.46 to 51.49 MPa. The larger stress relaxation in pristine MAPbI 3 is correlated with grain boundary opening after five cycles, while the inclusion of 5-AVACl mitigates this degradation. Furthermore, our findings underscore the importance of studying the dynamic response of perovskite films during thermal cycling and lay the foundation for further exploration into the mechanisms governing the thermomechanical behavior of perovskite thin films.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Implementation of WBG devices in circuits - Electric Drive Technologies Project (Final Technical Report)

The objective of the project is to ensure that SiC devices are reliable and rugged as required in automotive applications for operational life of 300,000 hrs and create new device designs to address various weaknesses in currently available commercial devices. OSU has worked closely with SUNY Polytechnic. OSU has carried out the reliability and ruggedness evaluations of commercial devices as well as those fabricated by SUNY Polytechnic, discussed the results with SUNY Poly, and collaborated with the PI at SUNY Poly to improve the designs with respect to reliability/ruggedness. OSU work focused on reliability/ruggedness evaluation of SiC devices by individually testing them and then evaluate them in a 10 kW, 3 phase inverter system built with a specific purpose of stressing devices using realistic drive cycles such as a 10-minute hill climb. It should be noted that the primary purpose of the 10 kW inverter is to provide a platform for stressing the SiC devices under accelerated but realistic drive conditions.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Electrochemical Evolution of Fuel Cell Platinum Nanocatalysts on Carbon Nanotubes at the Atomic Scale

The evolution of Pt nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes is analyzed before and after electrochemical potential cycling, using identical location aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, for applications in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The work is focused on the half-cell accelerated stress test protocol of potential cycles ranging between 1.0 and 1.5 V RHE to represent the start-up/shutdown settings of a fuel cell vehicle. The research work reveals that particle migration and coalescence are key mechanisms for a reduction in the Pt nanoparticle surface area at the early stages of potential cycling. Further, the mechanism for particle movement and coalescence is attributed to carbon corrosion, catalyzed either by Pt or by bulk corrosion of the carbon nanotubes. Carbon corrosion results in the appearance of carbon vacancies at the carbon nanotube/Pt nanoparticle interface during cycling, as well as the formation of edge and surface defects. During cycling, the concentration of the dissoluble Pt increases. As soon as a significant amount is reached, subnanometer/atomic clusters emerge on the carbon nanotube support, which can move and coalesce, or redeposit on the surface of larger particles through Ostwald ripening.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Prediction of residual stresses in additively manufactured parts using lumped capacitance and classical lamination theory

Several industries are interested in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) Additively Manufactured (AM) metal parts because their designs can be made arbitrarily complex while retaining bulk-type material properties. However, the residual stresses (RS) and distortions caused by the heat gradients inherent to L-PBF processes are detrimental to the structural integrity of the parts and must be taken into consideration during the part design cycle. Predicting the state of stresses in as-built 3D printed parts is a difficult problem that is typically approached with the use of transient thermomechanical Finite Element Models (FEMs). However, the nonlinearities associated with AM processes are difficult to capture in these FEMs without increasing the computational cost of the simulation, limiting their ability to be incorporated into practical design cycles. This work presents a novel analytical framework that combines lumped capacitance nonlinear heat transfer with time dependent classical lamination theory to efficiently and accurately predict RS in as-built L-PBF parts without the need of FEMs. The simulation was compared to Neutron Diffraction (ND) residual strain measurements taken at Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL) as well as Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction (XRD) strain data published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The simulation predictions and the experimental data showed excellent agreement for the in-plane strain directions, and general agreement for the out of plane strain component, highlighting an area where further development can be implemented.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Stress evolution and creep deformation in solid-oxide electrolysis cell systems – Dynamic modeling and multi-objective optimization to maximize stack life and efficiency

Here, this study develops a thermal stress model of solid-oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) including a model for creep strain and failure probability that is integrated with a dynamic plant-wide model of a hydrogen production process. Uncertainties in key material properties of the cell are quantified to assess their impact on stress profile variability. The oxygen electrode is found to have about 10 times higher failure probability compared to the fuel electrode. The study shows that if the stack operation is not optimized, cycling operation would lead to stress build-up eventually leading to catastrophic failure. A dynamic optimization problem is set up for obtaining the optimal operational profile considering a variable hydrogen production rate. Due to the tradeoff between the efficiency and stress build-up, the dynamic optimization problem is multi-objective. It is observed that the optimizer can considerably reduce the stress build-up (i.e., can increase the stack life) albeit at the cost of a lower efficiency thus exhibiting strong tradeoffs between capital and operating costs. For example, if the stack would be replaced in 0.5 yr, specific energy requirement would be 48.5 kWh/kg H 2 while for a stack replacement time of about 6 yr, the specific energy requirement rises by about 4.2 %.

SOEC↗

Precursory Locking Precedes Slip Events on Laboratory Fault

Earthquakes occur through repeated cycles of locking and slip. What is the relationship between transiently locked patches and the size, location, and timing of the subsequent slip events? Here we use an experimental fault made of transparent rubber to image the slip history of over 18,000 events. The soft elastic system allows for contained ruptures and thus a natural evolution of stress heterogeneity over multiple earthquake cycles. We observe a precursory locking phase preceding slip nucleation for events of all sizes. The integrated locking distance increases linearly with the moment of the eventual event. The most intense (largest slip deficit) locking events are spatially and temporally correlated with the hypocenters of the largest rupture events. These results show that the transient locking is statistically, but not deterministically, predictive of the location, timing, and size of the eventual slip event.

earthquakes↗