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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Automation for Electric Vehicle Battery Pack Disassembly

Battery‐electric vehicles (EVs) are growing exponentially. The demand for these batteries is expected to increase sevenfold by 2035. The EV batteries reach their end of life when the capacity fades to 70%–80% of new, with some being removed from the primary applications with even lower levels of degradation. These batteries can be used in less demanding applications. The disassembly process is currently manual, slow, unsafe, and expensive. Automation is needed to increase the throughput. EV battery packs feature various continually changing designs and form factors, which limit the usefulness of deterministically programmed robotic solutions. The conceptual robotic disassembly of EV batteries has attracted the attention of researchers. However, while many approaches have been proposed, practical implementations are lacking. Here, we review proposed concepts for EV battery disassembly and describe the selected approach, with elements of partial solutions validated in a laboratory setting, including the selection of commercial solutions, the development of custom end effectors, and methodologies for detection, localization, and classification of fasteners. The computer vision tasks employed an overhead 2D camera to detect the type of battery pack and approximate localization of fasteners, and a 3D camera mounted on the robotic arm for precise localization (position and tilt) and classification.

Islam, Abu [Rochester Inst. of Technology, Rochest↗
DOE OSTI2021

Control co-design of 13 MW downwind two-bladed rotors to achieve 25% reduction in levelized cost of wind energy

Wind energy is recognized worldwide as cost-effective and environmentally friendly and is among the fastest-growing sources of electrical energy. To further decrease the cost of wind energy, wind turbines are being designed at ever larger scales, which is challenging due to greater structural loads and deflections. Large-scale systems such as modern wind turbines increasingly require a control co-design approach, whereby the system design and control design are performed in a more integrated fashion. We overview a two-bladed downwind morphing rotor concept that is expected to lower the cost of energy at wind turbine sizes beyond 13 megawatts (MW) compared with continued upscaling of traditional three-bladed upwind rotor designs. We describe an aero-structural-control co-design process that we have used in designing such extreme-scale wind turbines, and we discuss how we were able to achieve a 25% reduction in levelized cost of energy for our final turbine design compared to a conventional upwind three-bladed rotor design.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Approach to startup inventory for viable commercial fusion power plant

With the increasing efforts to commercialize fusion power, private and government organizations are investing heavily in the development of technology to support a viable fusion power plant. Deuterium-Tritium (DT) fueled reactors are more prevalent than other proposed designs, requiring tritium processing and handling technology for safe operations and self-sufficiency. Further, each fusion power plant will need a specific-to-design startup inventory of tritium to begin operations. This startup inventory is required prior to breeding and is the minimum tritium inventory required to fill each processing component in the fuel cycle, to offset radioactive decay losses, and to avoid a zero-fuel situation for continuous operation. We present an approach to calculate the startup tritium inventory for a 500 MW th reactor, with considerations for reserve inventory for maintenance and commissioning. A baseline startup inventory was calculated to be approximately 327 gs. This value was obtained using modest assumptions about the technology and operating parameters of a fusion power plant. The required operating reserve inventory or the inventory necessary to keep a fusion power plant operational using only direct internal recycling for 24 h for the same plant design is approximately 642 gs. The approach and findings of this paper will enable fusion energy stakeholders to better utilize the existing scarce global tritium supply.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Microwave-assisted catalytic gasification of mixed plastics and corn stover for low tar, hydrogen-rich syngas production

The challenge for efficient management of post-consumer plastic and biomass waste has grown over the past few decades due to their dramatic increases. In comparison to conventional gasification, microwave-assisted co-gasification of plastics and corn stover offers many benefits, including increased H 2 yield and gas components compared to unfavorable char/tar. Nonetheless, for future commercialization of the process and ease of product separation, further reduction of the undesirable tar is necessary, which can be achieved over the catalytic route. Here, in this work, we studied the catalytic effect of magnetite for microwave-assisted co-gasification of corn stover and plastic to make syngas with higher H 2 and lower tar selectivity over non-catalytic conditions. A 1:1:1 ratio of plastic-corn stover-magnetite was used to evaluate the reaction parameters such as temperature, space velocity, heating media, and catalytic cycles under gasification conditions. In comparison with the microwave non-catalytic route, a 100% increase in the total H 2 yield with 76% higher H 2 production efficiency (mmol/kWh) was achieved in the presence of the magnetite catalyst, while reducing the overall tar formation from 9% to 2%. When magnetite was reduced in situ during the reaction, it coupled with microwave and delivered oxygen radicals that cracked down plastic and corn stover intermediates generated from the synergistic effect under microwave heating. Soon after the oxygen transfer process initiated, magnetite reached its final oxidation state consisting of microwave-active Fe and Fe 3 C phases that continued coupling with microwaves along with the generated graphitic carbon to maintain the heat necessary to further reduce the generated tar and make additional gaseous products, as confirmed by XRD, Raman, and TGA analyses.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Thermodynamic description of molten salt systems: KCl-LiCl-NaCl and KCl-LiCl-NdCl 3

The mixture of KCl and LiCl has been used as electrolyte in the electrorefining process to recover uranium from used nuclear fuels due to the low melting point. However, lanthanides and sodium in the reactor waste continuously dissolve into it and thus alter its thermodynamic properties. To understand the thermodynamic behavior evolution of the electrolyte with the accumulation of impurities, thermodynamic modeling for KCl-LiCl-NaCl and KCl-LiCl-NdCl 3 and four constituent binary systems in the entire composition space was performed using the CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagrams) approach. The ionic liquid was described by the two-sublattice model, where neutral species were introduced to consider short-range ordering (SRO) within the melt, whereas the solid solution was modeled based on the Compound Energy Formalism. Literature data on phase equilibria and thermochemical properties were critically evaluated and used during the optimization of thermodynamic parameters for KCl-LiCl-NaCl and KCl-LiCl-NdCl 3 and their subsystems. The calculated phase diagrams and mixing enthalpies are in good agreement with the experimental data. The thermodynamic modeling for the KCl-LiCl-NdCl 3 system was carried out for the first time. To fill the gap in experimental measurement, enthalpy of mixing for the KCl-LiCl-NdCl 3 melt was estimated using the surrounded-ion model. These data then served as critical inputs for thermodynamic optimization. Furthermore, the present study can provide insights into thermodynamic property evolution of the electrolyte and solubility limit of various impurities during the electrorefining process.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Strain-Induced Growth of Twisted Bilayers during the Coalescence of Monolayer MoS 2 Crystals

Tailoring the grain boundaries (GBs) and twist angles between two-dimensional (2D) crystals are two crucial synthetic challenges to deterministically enable envisioned applications such as moiré excitons, emerging magnetism, or single-photon emission. Here, we reveal how twisted 2D bilayers can be synthesized from the collision and coalescence of two growing monolayer MoS 2 crystals during chemical vapor deposition. The twisted bilayer (TB) moiré angles are found to preserve the misorientation angle (θ) of the colliding crystals. The shapes of the TB regions are rationalized by a kink propagation model that predicts the GB formed by the coalescing crystals. Optical spectroscopy measurements reveal a θ-dependent long-range strain in crystals with stitched grain boundaries and a sharp (θ > 20°) threshold for the appearance of TBs, which relieves this strain. Reactive molecular dynamics simulations explain this strain from the continued growth of the crystals during coalescence due to the insertion of atoms at unsaturated defects along the GB, a process that self-terminates when the defects become saturated. The simulations also reproduce atomic-resolution electron microscopy observations of faceting along the GB, which is shown to arise from the growth-induced long-range strain. These facets align with the axes of the colliding crystals to provide favorable nucleation sites for second-layer growth of a TB with twist angles that preserve the misorientation angle θ. This interplay between strain generation and aligned nucleation provides a synthetic pathway for the growth of TBs with deterministic angles.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2021

InterCarb: A Community Effort to Improve Interlaboratory Standardization of the Carbonate Clumped Isotope Thermometer Using Carbonate Standards

Abstract Increased use and improved methodology of carbonate clumped isotope thermometry has greatly enhanced our ability to interrogate a suite of Earth‐system processes. However, interlaboratory discrepancies in quantifying carbonate clumped isotope (Δ 47 ) measurements persist, and their specific sources remain unclear. To address interlaboratory differences, we first provide consensus values from the clumped isotope community for four carbonate standards relative to heated and equilibrated gases with 1,819 individual analyses from 10 laboratories. Then we analyzed the four carbonate standards along with three additional standards, spanning a broad range of δ 47 and Δ 47 values, for a total of 5,329 analyses on 25 individual mass spectrometers from 22 different laboratories. Treating three of the materials as known standards and the other four as unknowns, we find that the use of carbonate reference materials is a robust method for standardization that yields interlaboratory discrepancies entirely consistent with intralaboratory analytical uncertainties. Carbonate reference materials, along with measurement and data processing practices described herein, provide the carbonate clumped isotope community with a robust approach to achieve interlaboratory agreement as we continue to use and improve this powerful geochemical tool. We propose that carbonate clumped isotope data normalized to the carbonate reference materials described in this publication should be reported as Δ 47 (I‐CDES) values for Intercarb‐Carbon Dioxide Equilibrium Scale.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Second Radio Synchrotron Background Workshop: Conference Summary and Report

We summarize the second radio synchrotron background workshop, which took place on 2022 June 15–17 in Barolo, Italy. This meeting was convened because available measurements of the diffuse radio zero level continue to suggest that it is several times higher than can be attributed to known Galactic and extragalactic sources and processes, rendering it the least well-understood electromagnetic background at present and a major outstanding question in astrophysics. The workshop agreed on the next priorities for investigations of this phenomenon, which include searching for evidence of the radio Sunyaev–Zel’dovich effect, carrying out cross-correlation analyses of radio emission with other tracers, and supporting the completion of the 310 MHz absolutely calibrated sky map project.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Roadmap on methods and software for electronic structure based simulations in chemistry and materials

This Roadmap article provides a succinct, comprehensive overview of the state of electronic structure methods and software for molecular and materials simulations. Seventeen distinct sections collect insights by 51 leading scientists in the field. Each contribution addresses the status of a particular area, as well as current challenges and anticipated future advances, with a particular eye towards software related aspects and providing key references for further reading. Foundational sections cover density functional theory and its implementation in real-world simulation frameworks, Green's function based many-body perturbation theory, wave-function based and stochastic electronic structure approaches, relativistic effects and semiempirical electronic structure theory approaches. Subsequent sections cover nuclear quantum effects, real-time propagation of the electronic structure, challenges for computational spectroscopy simulations, and exploration of complex potential energy surfaces. The final sections summarize practical aspects, including computational workflows for complex simulation tasks, the impact of current and future high-performance computing architectures, software engineering practices, education and training to maintain and broaden the community, as well as the status of and needs for electronic structure based modeling from the vantage point of industry environments. Overall, the field of electronic structure software and method development continues to unlock immense opportunities for future scientific discovery, based on the growing ability of computations to reveal complex phenomena, processes and properties that are determined by the make-up of matter at the atomic scale, with high precision.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Approaches for Synthesis and Deployment of Controller Models on Automated Vehicles for Car-following in Mixed Autonomy

This paper describes the software design patterns and vehicle interfaces that were employed to transition vehicle controllers from simulation environments to open-road field experiments. The approach relies on a life cycle that utilizes model-based design and code generation, along with agile software development, and both software and hardware-in-the-loop testing, with additional safety margins. Autonomous designs should consider the dynamics of mixed autonomy in traffic to safely operate among humans. The software that provides a vehicle’s behavior intelligence is often developed through simulation, which may have a mismatch between dynamics, or as a result of a reinforcement learning workflow, which may be a black box with challenges to analyze. In each of these cases, it is important to have research interfaces that provide strongly typed data streams accessible to researchers who are not software experts while continuing to satisfy safety and liveness constraints. This paper describes how we design the hardware platform interfaces and software design process for a mixed autonomy traffic experiment with a leader-follower scenario. Controller synthesis for these vehicles requires clearly articulated vehicle interfaces and software design patterns for successful onboard deployment. Testing strategies for such controllers are also described before algorithms are transitioned to full-scale field experiments with safety operators for the vehicles. Testing strategies include software-in-the-loop simulation testing, hardware-in-the-loop simulation, ghost-car testing, and read-only testing in live traffic. With our approach, we were not only able to validate our controller synthesized in scripts and simulation, but also able to scale deployment to multiple vehicles.

Bhadani, Rahul↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of Soil and Rock Magnetic Properties along Multiple Hillslope Transects at Teller Road Site, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2018 and 2023

The magnetometer data was collected in multiple directions across the watershed hillslope at the NGEE Arctic Teller Road site at mile marker 27 (TL_MM27) on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska over multiple years in March 2018 and April 2023. The magnetic data were collected using a Geometrics Inc. G-858 gradiometer and G-857 base station in 2018 and the G-864 gradiometer and G857 base station in 2023. The data was collected (in all instances) by towing the gradiometer behind a snow machine around the watershed with the two sensors in a vertical profile with constant spacing during the continuous survey in that specific year. Magnetic total field measurements were collected by gradiometer and base station, and the data processing was performed in Geometrics MagMap2000 software. The processing steps were limited to removal of data spikes (despiking), reading dropouts, and correction/removal of bad GPS points. All offsets between sensors and GPS are stated within the data files and metadata, alongwith the processed and raw data. The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a research effort to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska.Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy's Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).In this data submission there are two sets of raw magnetic data (.bin and .stn for 2018 and base for 2023; raw rover mag for 2023 is in .csv) inside two .zip files that identify the year the mag data was collected. The data are proprietary format to Geometrics and can be opened and processed with MagMap2000 which can be downloaded for free at Geometrics website. There are also two processed data files *.csv for each year and two metadata files *.csv.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Precision Gas System Isotope Analyzer (PGSISO) Instrument Handbook

The PGSISO is a combination of several systems in series; (1) gas processing components that pressurize and prevent liquid water entering the sample stream, and (2) the Spectronus FTIR spectrometer, which measures continuous CO 2 , 12 CO 2 , 13 CO 2 , CH 4 , CO, N 2 O, and H 2 O. The Spectronus analyzer has been developed by the Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of Wollongong, Australia, and manufactured by Ecotech Pty Ltd, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

RCT Continuing Training: RCT Job Coverage and CONOPS

RCT Continuing Training covering all of the necessary steps associated with RCT, and how conduct of operations ties in with this process. The terminal objective of this training is: Given the need to perform radiological job coverage, recognize the requirements to maintain radiological work control in accordance with P121, Radiation Protection, RP-PROG-TP-200, Radiation Protection Manual, and P315, Conduct of Operations.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2024

From Waste to Clean Fuel: Using Microwave Chemistry to Achieve Process Decarbonization

Microwave co-gasification of plastics and biomass has several advantages over conventional gasification, including enhanced hydrogen production and greater solid-to-gas conversion, as opposed to undesirable char and tar -- via process electrification route. A previous study at NETL has revealed the efficient role of microwave heating, which can liberate the oxygenated free radicals and encourage bond cleavage in non-microwave active plastics, if combined with microwave-active corn stover. However, further reduction of the unwanted tar must be achieved for future process scale-up and higher energy efficiency, which can be realized via a microwave-assisted catalytic approach. This continuous study investigates a series of microwave-active Fe catalysts that can efficiently enhance H2 production and reduce tar for plastic-corn stover co-gasification. The results suggest that in presence of magnetite, hydrogen yield increase 100% as compared to non-catalytic system at similar reaction conditions.

Abedin, Ashraf↗
DOE OSTI2025

Image-Driven Hybrid Structural Analysis Based on Continuum Point Cloud Method with Boundary Capturing Technique

Conventional approaches for the structural health monitoring of infrastructures often rely on physical sensors or targets attached to structural members, which require considerable preparation, maintenance, and operational effort, including continuous on-site adjustments. This paper presents an image-driven hybrid structural analysis technique that combines digital image processing (DIP) and regression analysis with a continuum point cloud method (CPCM) built on a particle-based strong formulation. Polynomial regressions capture the boundary shape change due to the structural loading and precisely identify the edge and corner coordinates of the deformed structure. The captured edge profiles are transformed into essential boundary conditions. This allows the construction of a strongly formulated boundary value problem (BVP), classified as the Dirichlet problem. Capturing boundary conditions from the digital image is novel, although a similar approach was applied to the point cloud data. It was shown that the CPCM is more efficient in this hybrid simulation framework than the weak-form-based numerical schemes. Unlike the finite element method (FEM), it can avoid aligning boundary nodes with regression points. A three-point bending test of a rubber beam was simulated to validate the developed technique. The simulation results were benchmarked against numerical results by ANSYS and various relevant numerical schemes. The technique can effectively solve the Dirichlet-type BVP, yielding accurate deformation, stress, and strain values across the entire problem domain when employing a linear strain model and increasing the number of CPCM nodes. In addition, comparative analysis with conventional displacement tracking techniques verifies the developed technique’s robustness. The proposed technique effectively circumvents the inherent limitations of traditional monitoring methods resulting from the reliance on physical gauges or target markers so that a robust and non-contact solution for remote structural health monitoring in real-scale infrastructures can be provided, even in unfavorable experimental environments.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2022

Snowmass Computational Frontier: Topical Group Report on Experimental Algorithm Parallelization

The substantial increase in data volume and complexity expected from future experiments will require significant investment to prepare experimental algorithms. These algorithms include physics object reconstruction, calibrations, and processing of observational data. In addition, the changing computing architecture landscape, which will be primarily composed of heterogeneous resources, will continue to pose major challenges with regard to algorithmic migration. Portable tools need to be developed that can be shared among the frontiers (e.g., for code execution on different platforms) and opportunities, such as forums or cross-experimental working groups, need to be provided where experiences and lessons learned can be shared between experiments and frontiers. At the same time, individual experiments also need to invest considerable resources to develop algorithms unique to their needs (e.g., for facilities dedicated to the experiment), and ensure that their specific algorithms will be able to efficiently exploit external heterogeneous computing facilities. Common software tools represent a cost-effective solution, providing ready-to-use software solutions as well as a platform for R&D work. These are particularly important for small experiments which typically do not have dedicated resources needed to face the challenges imposed by the evolving computing technologies. Workforce development is a key concern across frontiers and experiments, and additional support is needed to provide career opportunities for researchers working in the field of experimental algorithm development. Finally, cross-discipline collaborations going beyond high-energy physics are a key ingredient to address the challenges ahead and more support for such collaborations needs to be created. This report targets future experiments, observations and experimental algorithm development for the next 10-15 years.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Area-Scalable Zn 2 SnO 4 Electron Transport Layer for Highly Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Modules

The development of a scalable chemical bath deposition (CBD) process facilitates the realization of electron-transporting layers (ETLs) for large-area perovskite solar modules (PSMs). In this work, a method to prepare a uniform and scalable thick Zn 2 SnO 4 ETL by CBD, which yielded high-performance PSMs, is reported. This Zn 2 SnO 4 ETL exhibits excellent electrical properties and enhanced optical transmittance in the visible region. Moreover, the Zn 2 SnO 4 ETL influences the perovskite layer formation, yielding enhanced crystallinity, increased grain size, and a smoother surface, thus facilitating electron extraction and collection from the perovskite to the ETL. Zn 2 SnO 4 thereby yields PSMs with a remarkable photovoltaic performance, low hysteresis index, and high device reproducibility. The champion PSM exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.59%, being among the highest values published so far. In addition, the CBD Zn 2 SnO 4 -based PSMs exhibit high stability, retaining more than 88% of initial efficiency over 1000 h under continuous illumination. This demonstrates that CBD Zn 2 SnO 4 is an appropriate ETL for high-efficiency PSMs and a viable new process for their industrialization.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hybrid Entanglement between Optical Discrete Polarizations and Continuous Quadrature Variables

By coherently combining advantages while largely avoiding limitations of two mainstream platforms, optical hybrid entanglement involving both discrete and continuous variables has recently garnered widespread attention and emerged as a promising idea for building heterogenous quantum networks. In contrast to previous results, here we propose a new scheme to remotely generate hybrid entanglement between discrete polarization and continuous quadrature optical qubits heralded by two-photon Bell-state measurement. As a novel nonclassical light resource, we further use it to discuss two examples of ways—entanglement swapping and quantum teleportation—in which quantum information processing and communications could make use of this hybrid technique.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗