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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

Corrosion and Mechanical Durability Testing in High Temperature Molten Sulfur (CRADA Final Report)

The overall goal of the project is to explore and identify suitable candidate materials for high-temperature molten sulfur thermal energy storage (TES) operating up to a maximum temperature of 400°C–420°C for industrial process heat applications. A detailed corrosion and strength analysis of coupons subjected to long-term thermal testing in molten sulfur will be conducted to characterize the fundamental corrosion mechanism, corrosion rates, and mechanical durability. The results from the project contribute to the engineering design of sulfur TES systems with desired longevity and lower construction and maintenance costs. The research outcome benefits the TES research and development community by providing detailed corrosion and degradation information for more effective engineering design of the molten sulfur TES containment. It improves the diversity and reliability of the renewable technologies available for the U.S. industries and U.S. power grid.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

SNL NSTTF Heliostat Refurbishment Project Final Report

This document provides an overview of re-start efforts at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF), for the DOE SETO SNL Heliostat Refurbishment project. Sandia continues to pursue innovative concentrating solar power (CSP) and thermal (CST) research in order to enhance commercial performance and reduce LCOE and LCOH of concentrating solar energy.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Embedding thermocouples in SS316 with laser powder bed fusion

Recent advances in manufacturing technologies have enabled the fabrication of complex geometries for a wide range of applications, including the energy, aerospace, and civil sectors. The ability to integrate sensors at critical locations within these complex components during the manufacturing process could benefit process monitoring and control by reducing reliance on models to relate surface measurements to internal phenomena. This study investigated embedding thermocouples in a SS316 matrix using laser powder bed fusion. Under optimal processing conditions, embedded thermocouples were characterized post-building, finding good bonding to the matrix with no melt pool penetration to the sensing elements. Futher, the embedded thermocouple performed similarly to an identical non-embedded thermocouple during thermal testing to 500 °C with only a slight difference in response time, which was attributed to the differences in mass and the associated thermal time constants.

image analysis↗
DOE OSTI2025

ORNL Package Testing Program Overview

Radioactive materials are widespread in our everyday activities which are used in many different types of industries: Consumer products, Medicine, Industry, Energy, and Defense. In the United States there is about 3 million shipments of radioactive materials per year. With radioactive material being very widespread the number of new applications to ship these quantities increases daily. As such, ensuring the safe and secure transport of these materials is paramount, necessitating stringent packaging, transportation, and certification requirements. Shipments of radioactive materials have been made from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for the past 65 years. Since the 1940s ORNL has been at the forefront of the early development of regulations pertaining to the transport of radioactive shipments and associated regulatory testing. The early involvement resulted in ORNL being one of the leaders in the development of regulations and testing standards pertaining to the testing and design of packages. Today all package testing activities are conducted under the Package Testing Program (PTP) at ORNL at the Package Evaluation Facility (PEF). The PTP develops and evaluates testing solutions – ensuring that they are safe, efficient, and meet regulatory requirements ORNL PTP has extensive experience in the regulatory testing of radioactive material packages, supporting certification of Type A, Type, B, Type AF, and special form packages. The PEF serves as a one-stop-shop for design, testing, and certification of a wide variety of packages needed for shipment of radioactive materials. The facility provides the space, expertise, and equipment necessary to conduct rigorous performance testing under both normal and accident conditions or transport environments including free drop, dynamic crush, puncture, penetration, compression, vibration, water spray, water immersion, and thermal test. The PTP remains a key contributor to the safety and compliance of radioactive material transportation. This presentation will provide an overview of the program’s history, capabilities, and its ongoing role in advancing regulatory standards and transportation safety.

Martinez, Oscar [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000181814046)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Subvoxel Control of Fiber Orientation via Multidirectional Shearing in 3D Printing

Anisotropy, the characteristic of materials exhibiting different properties based on their direction, is widespread in nature. Conventional manufacturing techniques often fall short in recreating such complex anisotropy. While 3D printing allows for precise fiber deposition in anisotropic composites, previous studies have only achieved bulk reorientation of fibers at the voxel level in two dimensions. This limits the replication of localized 3D anisotropies found in natural materials. To address this, a novel 3D printing technique is presented that enables subvoxel control of fiber orientation in all three directions using multidirectional shearing via nozzle rotation and inclination. The fiber orientation control in these experimental tests is driven by a numerical model, enabling a fully digital approach to program microstructures within a strand. This programmability is demonstrated through mechanical and thermal tests, illustrating a localized and controllable response to external stimuli. Achieving such complex anisotropy holds potential across several fields, including wearables and biomedical implants, lightweight composite structures, and energy storage technologies such as batteries and supercapacitors.

3D printing↗
DOE OSTI2022

Design and Technoeconomic Analysis of High-Temperature Particle Conveyance Components for a 100 MW e Concentrating Solar Power Plant

Levelized costs of electricity (LCOE) approaching the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office 2030 goal of 0.05 $/kWh may be achievable using Brayton power cycles that use supercritical CO2 as the working fluid and flowing solid particles with temperatures >700° C as the heat transfer media. The handling and conveyance of bulk solid particles at these temperatures in an insulated environment is a critical technical challenge that must be solved for this approach to be used. A design study was conducted at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM, with the objective of identifying the technical readiness level, performance limits, capital and O&M costs, and expected thermal losses of particle handling and conveyance components in a particle-based CSP plant. Key findings indicated that chutes can be a low-cost option for particle handling but uncertainties in tower costs make it difficult to know whether they can be cost effective in areas above the receiver if tower heights must then be increased. Skips and high temperature particle conveyance technology are available for moving particles up to 640° C. This limits the use of mechanical conveyance above the heat exchanger and suggests vertical integration of the hot storage bin and heat exchanger to facilitate direct gravity fed handling of particles.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal Performance of a Conduction-Cooled CCT Dipole ReBCO Magnet: Several Cycles of Cool-Down and Thermal Gradient Measurements

Here, this paper presents experimental results from conduction-cooled thermal testing of a ReBCO canted cosine theta (CCT) magnet (C2), originally designed and fabricated at LBNL using CORC cables. While the performance of the coil under liquid helium and nitrogen environments has been previously established, this study explores its behavior under conduction cooling using a large test cryostat at The Ohio State University. The magnet, measuring 613 mm in length and weighing ∼75 kg, consists of four helical layers wound with ReBCO-based CORC wire and was thermally anchored to a copper cold ring supported by a G-10 strongback. Cooling was provided by two Sumitomo RDK-415D cryocoolers, offering a combined 3 W at 4.2 K and 150 W at 77 K. Multiple thermal cycles were performed, with cooldown durations of up to 45 hours. Final base temperatures of approximately 10.8 K (at the coil edge) and 12.0 K (at the coil center) were achieved, with an axial temperature difference of approximately 1.2 K. The warm-up period extended over approximately 24.6 hours. Voltage measurements from all four layers were recorded during cooldown and warmup. The system demonstrated stable cooldown performance, repeatable gradients, and good thermal anchoring. These results support the feasibility of conduction cooling in large-scale HTS magnets, aligning with broader goals for “green” cryogen-free accelerator technologies and paving the way for more sustainable, scalable, and energy-efficient high-field magnet systems in next-generation particle accelerators.

Canted cosine theta magnets↗
DOE OSTI2021

Large-scale additive manufacturing of self-heating molds

Large-scale material extrusion additive manufacturing technology is becoming the new mainstream technology for scaled-up composite mold and die applications. This paradigm shift in composite processing technology is primarily driven by out-of-autoclave tooling applications, in which fiber reinforced composite molds with scaled-up sizes and embedded heating elements are attractive. The present research describes the design, manufacturing, and testing of self-heating composite molds fabricated via a large-scale pellet extrusion 3D printing machine with an integrated wire co-extrusion tool. Polycarbonate (PC) composites reinforced with carbon fiber (PC/CF; 20 wt.%) and glass fiber (PC/GF; 20 wt.%) were used to fabricate mold parts. Joule heating thermal test results showed that uniform temperatures (~100 °C) were achieved for both PC/CF and PC/GF mold surfaces, using a custom-made feedback control power supply and infrared thermography. Mechanical characterizations, including tensile and flexural testing were performed on the wire-embedded and un-wired PC/CF and PC/GF base specimens to investigate the impact of the fiber reinforcement as well as the embedded wires. In the direction of extrusion, the ultimate tensile stress of PC/CF was 105 MPa, and that of PC/GF was 73 MPa, while the neat PC value was 64 MPa. Inner-bead voids and interfacial gaps were observed and characterized via optical and scanning electron microscopy. The embedded wires and inner bead impacted the mechanical properties of the composites. Furthermore, the stiffness of the wire-embedded mold was still satisfactory, proving that the technology can be used to fabricate additively manufactured out-of-oven/autoclave molds.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Damage development in neutron-irradiated concrete in a test reactor: Hygro-thermal and mechanical simulations

This paper reports the development of a 3D mesoscale hygro-thermal-mechanical simulation approach to predict damage in concrete irradiated in a test reactor. This framework, developed in MOOSE, considers the effects of elevated temperature, moisture content, and high neutron fluence (energy threshold, E > 0.1 MeV) on the mortar and aggregates separately. The first-stage simulation implements hygro-thermal analysis to determine the temperature and RH inside the specimen as a function of imposed radiation energy. These are used as inputs to the second stage, which considers radiation-induced volumetric expansion (RIVE) of aggregates, and creep, shrinkage, and stress-strain response of mortar to predict the expansion, stresses, and damage in specimens made using different coarse aggregates and subjected to different irradiation times. The irradiation time-dependent damage in the mortar is expressed using an isotropic damage parameter. This multi-physics model serves as a predictive tool for damage quantification in concrete due to neutron irradiation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

An effective survey method for studying volant species activity and behavior at tall structures

The effects of anthropogenic modification of air space on wildlife, particularly volant species, is not fully understood. Thus, it is essential to understand wildlife-interactions with tall structures to implement effective mitigation strategies. Yet, we are currently lacking standard protocols for visual surveys of wildlife behavior at such heights. Our study sought to determine an effective, repeatable method using readily available night vision and thermal technology to survey wildlife at tall structures. Using bats as the taxonomic group of interest, we (1) created a key to identify bats and their behavior, (2) compared the effectiveness of 2 different technologies, and (3) assessed optimal equipment placement to visually capture bat activity and behavior in proximity to wind turbine towers. For the latter, we tested thermal cameras at four distances from the base of the tower. The results of our study revealed that thermal cameras captured ∼34% more flying animals than night vision at a 2 m distance. However, due to the heat signature of the turbine towers themselves, it was challenging to identify behaviors and interactions that occurred in close proximity to the towers. In contrast, it was difficult to identify bats approaching the towers using night vision, yet we were able to clearly observe interactions with the towers themselves. With regards to equipment placement, we visually captured more bats with the thermal cameras placed 2 m from the tower base compared to farther distances. From our findings, we recommend that when using either thermal or night vision technology at tall structures, they be placed 2 m from the base to effectively observe interactions along the length of these structures. In addition, we further recommend that consideration be given to the use of these two technology types together to effectively conduct such surveys. If these survey techniques are incorporated into standard protocols, future surveys at a variety of tall structures are likely to become comparable and repeatable, thereby more effectively informing any mitigation strategies that may be required.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterizing falling particle curtain receivers at commercially relevant scales: Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR-1)

Sandia will construct a cold flow receiver test platform in order to characterize falling particle curtain receivers at commercially relevant scales. While Sandia has extensive experience in R&D of falling particle curtain receivers, most have been at pilot scale and smaller - on the order of 1 MWth with characteristic dimensions of nominally 1-2 m to adequately collect solar energy from the heliostat field at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF). However, scaling up receivers to commercially relevant scales (25 MWth and above) will require a thorough understanding of particle curtain dynamics at larger scales, especially longer drop heights, for design certainty. The goal of this project will be to construct a cold falling particle curtain test rig capable of simulating particle characteristics that are expected in a commercial scale CSP plant, namely the drop height, curtain thickness, and particle mass flow rate (normalized by length of curtain). This will enable data collection on curtain opacity and spread, both of which are correlated to receiver efficiency and reliable construction, for commercially relevant scales. It will also permit validation of numerical models that will enable detailed receiver characterization and design past currently validated scales.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterizing falling particle curtain receivers at commercially relevant scales: Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR-1)

Sandia will construct a cold flow receiver test platform in order to characterize falling particle curtain receivers at commercially relevant scales. While Sandia has extensive experience in R&D of falling particle curtain receivers, most have been at pilot scale and smaller - on the order of 1 MW th with characteristic dimensions of nominally 1-2 m to adequately collect solar energy from the heliostat field at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF). However, scaling up receivers to commercially relevant scales (25 MW th and above) will require a thorough understanding of particle curtain dynamics at larger scales, especially longer drop heights, for design certainty. The goal of this project will be to construct a cold falling particle curtain test rig capable of simulating particle characteristics that are expected in a commercial scale CSP plant, namely the drop height, curtain thickness, and particle mass flow rate (normalized by length of curtain). This will enable data collection on curtain opacity and spread, both of which are correlated to receiver efficiency and reliable construction, for commercially relevant scales. It will also permit validation of numerical models that will enable detailed receiver characterization and design past currently validated scales.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Assembly and Testing of Scintillator Tile Modules for the CMS High-Granularity Calorimeter Upgrade

The High-Granularity Calorimeter (HGCAL), part of the upgrade to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment, employs silicon and scintillator tile modules in the endcaps to maintain detector performance during the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) era, scheduled to operate from 2030 to 2040. The upgraded calorimeter will provide highly segmented three-dimensional imaging, energy measurements, and precise timing for particle shower reconstruction. Approximately half of the HGCal plastic scintillator tile modules (1,834 total) will be assembled at Fermilab using an automated pick-and-place (PnP) machine. Following assembly, each tile module undergoes quality control (QC) procedures such as electrical validation, thermal testing, and physics validation using cosmic rays. This poster/talk presents the QC procedures and results from the tile module production in 2026, demonstrating the performance and quality of the assembled tile modules.

Bazimya, Jean Luc [Grambling State U.]↗
DOE OSTI2022

Effect of Quartz Aperture Covers on the Fluid Dynamics and Thermal Efficiency of Falling Particle Receivers

Falling particle receivers are an emerging technology for use in concentrating solar power systems. In this paper, quartz half-shells are investigated for use as full or partial aperture covers to reduce receiver thermal losses. Quartz half-shell aperture covers offer the ability to minimally interfere with incoming solar radiation from the heliostat field while obstructing thermal radiation and advection from leaving the receiver cavity. The fluid dynamics and heat transfer of a receiver subdomain and surrounding air are modeled using ANSYS®FLUENT We compare the percentage of total incident solar power lost due to conduction through the receiver walls, advective losses through the aperture, and radiation exiting the aperture. Contrary to expected outcomes, results show that quartz aperture covers can increase radiative losses and result in modest to nonexistent reductions in advective losses. The increased radiative losses are driven by elevated quartz half-shell temperatures and have the potential to be mitigated by active cooling and/or material selection. Quartz half-shell total transmissivity was measured experimentally using a radiometer and the National Solar Thermal Test Facility heliostat field with values up to 0.97 ± 0.01. Quartz half-shell aperture covers did not yield expected efficiency gains in numerical results due to increased radiative losses, but efficiency improvement in some numerical results and the performance of quartz half-shells subject to concentrated solar radiation suggest that quartz half-shell aperture covers should be investigated further.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimization of Preparation Method, Nucleating Agent, and Stabilizers for Synthesizing Calcium Chloride Hexahydrate (CaCl2.6H2O) Phase Change Material

This study investigates improvements in low-cost latent heat storage material calcium chloride hexahydrate (CaCl2.6H2O). Its melting point is between 25 and 28 °C, with relatively high enthalpy (170–190 J/g); however, this phase change material (PCM) shows supercooling and phase separation. In CaCl2.6H2O incongruent melting causes lower hydrates of CaCl2 to form, which affects the overall energy storage capacity and long-term durability. In this work, PCM performance enhancement was achieved by adding SrCl2.6H2O as a nucleating agent and NaCl/KCl as a stabilizer to prevent supercooling and phase separation, respectively. We investigated the PCM preparation method and optimized the proportions of SrCl2.6H2O and NaCl/KCl. Thermal testing for 25 cycles combined with DSC and T-history testing was performed to observe changes in enthalpy, phase transitions and supercooling over the extended period of usage. X-ray diffraction was used to verify crystalline structure in the compounds. It was found that the addition of 2 wt.% of SrCl2.6H2O reduced supercooling from 12 °C to 0 °C compared to unmodified CaCl2.6H2O. The addition of 5 wt.% NaCl or KCl proved to effectively suppress separation and the melting enthalpy achieved was 169 J/g–178 J/g with congruent melting over 25 cycles, with no supercooling and almost no reduction in the latent heat.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Critical response to M. Worrall et al. Published in Annals of Nuclear Energy 207 (2024) 110731

M. Worrall et al. recently published a manuscript titled “Fast neutron irradiation capability in existing thermal test reactors” (Worrall, 2024) that summarizes an irradiation vehicle design that would boost the fast neutron flux in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) for testing of nonfuel materials in a neutron flux energy spectrum that is more representative of fast reactors. Here, the authors compare their design with a separate vehicle design that they conceived of that would be implemented within the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). They analyzed both designs and drew conclusions on the most realistic near-term options for shielded nonfuel material irradiations.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

A proposed high-intensity radiometer calibration method using concentrated solar radiation

Accurate calibration of irradiance measurement devices, or radiometers, is essential for ensuring the reliability of measurements in high heat applications such as concentrating solar power (CSP), aerospace, defense, and pulsed power systems. Despite the critical need, existing calibration standards and service providers are limited to irradiance levels below 100 kW/m 2 and specific radiation sources, which is insufficient for many applications. For instance, CSP technologies, particularly those under the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Gen 3 program, require accurate measurements of broadband irradiance at levels exceeding 2000 kW/m 2 . In even more extreme scenarios, such as re-entry vehicles, heat levels can surpass 10000 kW/m 2 . Current ISO standards, specifically ISO 14934–2 and ISO 14934–3, are constrained to lower irradiance levels and dependent on black body heat sources, limiting their applicability for high-intensity broadband irradiance measurements, particularly in concentrated solar applications. Here, to address this shortfall, the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) proposes a calibration method and facility capable of characterizing radiometers up to 2750 kW/m 2 using concentrated solar irradiance. Calibrating with concentrated sunlight is important for solar applications as it aligns the calibration process with the solar spectrum. This alignment is crucial for minimizing systematic errors and avoiding the need for additional corrections that may arise when radiometers designed for solar applications are calibrated using black-body or electrical sources. This paper presents the present day NSTTF characterization facility and procedure, detailing the proposed calibration method and uncertainty quantification. The presented method builds upon 1980′s NSTTF methodology and involves both theoretical and empirical methods to establish a robust relationship between gauge voltage output and irradiance intensity, quantifying both measurement and fitting errors. By addressing the limitations of existing standards and extending the characterization range, this work provides an advancement in the field of high-intensity irradiance measurement and instrumentation characterization.

Gardon gauge↗