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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Improving Cyber Situational Understanding

Effective cybersecurity operations require the ability to analyze large amounts of information to assess security risks and formulate defensive strategies against adversaries. This has become more complex in recent years as the sprawl and interconnectivity of devices grows through implementation of virtualization, cloud computing, and Internet of Things (IoT). The amount of data and analysis required for effective cybersecurity command and control decisions far exceeds humans’ capacity to perform manually. We characterize the analysis problem as cyber situational understanding. The research presented to improve cyber situational understanding focuses on vulnerability analysis and threat intelligence. Regarding vulnerabilities, entities must analyze and plan work for between thousands and tens of thousands of software vulnerabilities annually. Entities heavily use network firewalls to limit vulnerability exposure. As a result, some of these vulnerabilities permit exposure to adversarial exploitation, whereas others are inaccessible and therefore present negligible risk of exploitation. Distinguishing between high and low risk software vulnerabilities requires a deep understanding of the vulnerability, network firewall protection, and characteristics of the targeted device. This problem is solved by extracting network service features from vulnerability data features using both machine-learning and natural language processing. Then, the network firewall topology is parsed to determine which vulnerabilities are reachable by adversaries. Ultimately, a state-based safety analysis ascertains which vulnerabilities are unsafe. A related vulnerability analysis problem occurs in cybersecurity operations when associating an entity’s hardware and software assets to public vulnerability databases. Assets often reveal hardware and software through installation artifacts and network service identification, and entities store these artifacts in inventory databases. However, software and hardware vendors apply a standard Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) naming convention when publicly reporting vulnerabilities. Associating these two datasets often requires many hours to days of manual inspection. The proposed solution automates the mapping approach of human analysts using fuzzy matching techniques, natural language processing, and, ultimately, machine learning to present a small set of recommendations for mapping the two datasets. The result significantly reduces human analysis time and reduces the occurrence of false positives in vulnerability notifications. Finally, cyber threat intelligence (CTI) requires associating cyber observable artifacts, such as IP addresses, URIs, and file hashes, with cyber threat tactics, techniques, and procedures. Unfortunately, most CTI data is compartmentalized across multiple organizations and cannot be shared due to the legal and reputational risk with cyber threat being associated with the entity. The approach to solving this problem inovlves using a distributed ledger with anonymous token spending and authentication. This allows a consortium of semi-trusted entities to share the workload of curating CTI for a threat sharing community’s cooperative benefit.

Huff, Philip↗
DOE OSTI2025

Experimental Investigation of Air-Fuel Equivalence Ratio Effects on Advanced Dual-fuel Diesel/Ammonia Combustion on a Single-Cylinder Medium-Duty Diesel Engine at High Load

Ammonia (NH3) has gathered a lot of interest as a low-lifecycle-carbon fuel in sectors with high weight and distance requirements, such as shipping. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) mandates a 70-80% greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by 2040, which is only possible with advanced engine technologies and fuels like NH3. Prior research studies at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have shown strong performance with NH3 under dual-fuel mode using conventional diesel combustion (CDC) manifold air pressure (MAP) settings. Diesel airflow was initially used to simplify retrofitting (no turbocharger modification), which resulted in air-fuel equivalence ratios (λ) greater than 1.5. To characterize potential improvements in dual-fuel NH3 combustion performance at richer in-cylinder conditions, a global λ sweep using a diesel pilot ignition (DPI) strategy with diesel fuel injected near top-dead center (TDC) and a reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) injection strategy with diesel fuel injected earlier during the compression stroke were compared. The experiments were conducted at 1200 RPM and 12.6 bar (75% load), and λ was varied by decreasing the commanded air flow to the engine at greater than 90% ammonia energy substitution (AES) level. A diesel injection timing sweep was conducted for both the combustion modes at fixed λ, and the timing with the lowest engine-out N2O emissions was identified. The results indicated an optimal balance between CO2, eq and thermal efficiency benefits for both DPI and RCCI injection strategy cases compared to CDC at a λ of 1.4. The indicated N-based emissions exhibited a strong correlation to the ratio of CA5–50 and ignition delay for DPI, but no apparent trend emerged for the RCCI injection strategy at the tested boundary conditions.

Tyrewala, Daanish [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000208599324)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advancing \textit{otsdaq}: Enhancements for Usability, Accuracy, and Robustness

High-energy physics (HEP) experiments require data acquisition (DAQ) systems that can orchestrate complex detector operations, high data throughput, and responsive, real-time feedback to operators. Traditional DAQ stacks, which are often bespoke, command-line driven and highly specific, impose large learning curves on users. The Off-The-Shelf Data Acquisition (\textit{otsdaq}) framework was created to address these issues by offering a highly customizable and scalable browser-based ’desktop’ environment, in which experiment-specific control and monitoring applications can be easily deployed and integrated. Although the initial development of the \textit{otsdaq} software was aimed at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility, \textit{otsdaq} is now being leveraged for broader deployment, including the upcoming Mu2e experiment, where real-time monitoring of field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based Data Transfer Controllers (DTCs), Clock and Fanout (CFO) boards, and several other subsystems are critical. We contribute a set of targeted improvements to \textit{otsdaq}: bitmap visualization functionality for configured data, improved and corrected delta-based DTC throughput metrics, version control (VC)-backed source navigation for console messages, custom navigation hooks to eliminate disruptive user interface glitches, and copy-to-clipboard support for macro execution history. These changes improve usability, reduce debugging time, and increase accuracy in performance data as Mu2e moves toward commissioning.

Mohammed, A. [Unlisted, US]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Remote Instrumentation and Data Acquisition: An Internship Research Report

This report outlines the development and implementation of a remote data acquisition system for waveform analysis using a Rohde & Schwarz oscilloscope. The project involved capturing waveform data, and transferring it to a local machine for visualization and analysis. The core logic was developed in C++ with a focus on object oriented programming and the use of polymorphism so the main application can interact with any instrument without knowing its exact type, simplifying the overall logic and making it easier to add or swap out components without changing the rest of the codebase.. The system issues Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI) via a socket connection and parses the oscilloscope’s ASCII waveform data. The C++ application was containerized using Docker for ease of portability, and reproducibility. Emphasis was placed on secure networking practices, error handling, and effective data capture. The report describes the technical steps taken, challenges encountered, and lessons learned, providing insight into the practical integration of hardware interfacing with remote computational environments.

Parikh, Jaymil [Fermilab]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Implementation and Demonstration of the Digital Twin Certification System Remote Operations Framework

Microreactors are one promising advanced-reactor concept being pursued by the nuclear industry. They are distinguished by a relatively low power output of 20 MWth or less. These microreactors are intended for deployment in applications where conventional small-capacity power solutions, such as diesel generators, are either economically unfeasible or logistically challenging. Such applications include providing electric power and/or heat for remote communities, mining sites, defense installations, and humanitarian and disaster-relief missions. An important feature for the successful deployment of microreactors is their capability to be operated remotely. This capability can significantly reduce staffing costs by eliminating the need for licensed operators to be physically present at each reactor site. Instead, operators can be centralized in a single remote operations center placed in an economically advantageous location, thereby optimizing resources by consolidating expertise and enhancing operational efficiency. However, the implementation of a remote operation system for nuclear reactors raises new concerns regarding the security, reliability, and resilience of such a system. One way in which remote operations can be supported in a manner that maintains system security, reliability, and resilience is through the use of digital twins in a novel framework designed to verify and validate sensor data and commands communicated between the remote operations center and reactor. This framework, known as the Digital Twin Certification System (DTCS), has previously been proposed as an operations architecture that can bring security and resiliency levels of remote nuclear-reactor operations to a level acceptable for commercial deployment. This paper moves the proposed DTCS architecture from concept to reality by presenting the implementation and testing of the system. The rationale and implementation of the DTCS using tools such as DeepLynx and Apache Airflow, is covered in-depth. This is followed by a demonstration of the DTCS by applying the implemented system architecture to the Single Primary Heat Extraction and Removal Emulator, a small-scale non-nuclear test bed that emulates thermal behavior of a microreactor. The demonstration includes both normal and abnormal operating scenarios to highlight how the DTCS can increase the security, reliability, and resilience of a remote operations system.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Implementation and Demonstration of the Digital Twin Certification System Remote Operations Framework

Microreactors are one promising advanced-reactor concept being pursued by the nuclear industry. They are distinguished by a relatively low power output of 20 MWth or less. These microreactors are intended for deployment in applications where conventional small-capacity power solutions, such as diesel generators, are either economically unfeasible or logistically challenging. Such applications include providing electric power and/or heat for remote communities, mining sites, defense installations, and humanitarian and disaster-relief missions. An important feature for the successful deployment of microreactors is their capability to be operated remotely. This capability can significantly reduce staffing costs by eliminating the need for licensed operators to be physically present at each reactor site. Instead, operators can be centralized in a single remote operations center placed in an economically advantageous location, thereby optimizing resources by consolidating expertise and enhancing operational efficiency. However, the implementation of a remote operation system for nuclear reactors raises new concerns regarding the security, reliability, and resilience of such a system. One way in which remote operations can be supported in a manner that maintains system security, reliability, and resilience is through the use of digital twins in a novel framework designed to verify and validate sensor data and commands communicated between the remote operations center and reactor. This framework, known as the Digital Twin Certification System (DTCS), has previously been proposed as an operations architecture that can bring security and resiliency levels of remote nuclear-reactor operations to a level acceptable for commercial deployment. This paper moves the proposed DTCS architecture from concept to reality by presenting the implementation and testing of the system. The rationale and implementation of the DTCS using tools such as DeepLynx and Apache Airflow, is covered in-depth. This is followed by a demonstration of the DTCS by applying the implemented system architecture to the Single Primary Heat Extraction and Removal Emulator, a small-scale non-nuclear test bed that emulates thermal behavior of a microreactor. The demonstration includes both normal and abnormal operating scenarios to highlight how the DTCS can increase the security, reliability, and resilience of a remote operations system.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

LeWRON: Agentic Analysis of Electroweak Phase Transitions

The electroweak phase transition (EWPT) is a central topic in particle physics and cosmology, connecting collider phenomenology, baryogenesis, and gravitational-wave observatories. Its analysis requires a technically demanding, convention-sensitive, and model-dependent pipeline, from constructing the finite-temperature effective potential to tracking thermal histories, computing bubble nucleation rates, and predicting gravitational-wave spectra. We present LeWRON (Learning ElectroWeak phase tRansitiON), an agentic framework that orchestrates this pipeline starting from an input Lagrangian. LeWRON combines audited toolbox construction with an Explorer module that uses the generated model-specific code for further analysis, including scans and plots. Intermediate analytic outputs are checked by auditor agents and stored as structured artifacts, enabling reproducible human inspection and downstream use through both a command-line interface and a public Python API. The framework supports a reproduction mode, which infers conventions from the literature and reproduces published results, and a discovery mode, which guides users through structured checkpoints for new models. We demonstrate LeWRON across representative beyond-the-Standard-Model scenarios and release the code on GitHub.

Wang, Isaac R. [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000030789218X)↗
DOE OSTI2026

CONTROL AND DATA ACQUISITION IN A CYBER-PHYSICAL MIDSTREAM TESTBED

This thesis presents the development of a laboratory-scale cyber–physical midstream pipeline testbed designed to address this gap and support research in industrial control systems security. The platform integrates pumps, valves, sensors, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and a human–machine interface (HMI) to emulate the monitoring and control architecture of real pipeline operations. The physical process is implemented as a closed-loop liquid circulation system designed to replicate flow behavior characteristic of midstream pipeline infrastructure. The testbed enables real-time data acquisition of key process variables, including flow rate and pressure facilitating the generation of datasets representative of normal pipeline operation. A threat model encompassing common ICS attack vectors was developed, including sensor spoofing, command injection, false data injection, denial-of-service attacks, and relay manipulation. Multiple attack scenarios were implemented and evaluated to demonstrate how cyber intrusions targeting sensors, actuators, networks, and software propagate into measurable physical consequences in pipeline flow and pressure. The developed platform serves as a practical, cost-effective environment for experimentation, education, and future cybersecurity research in midstream pipeline systems.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Graphical User Interface for a Biasing Board for the PSEC6

The PSEC6 is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designed for a readout system for a large area picosecond photodetector (LAPPD). The PSEC6 is currently in fabrication and pending testing. The testing system for the PSEC5, the previous iteration of the ASIC, required expensive and non-portable equipment, because the ASIC needs twelve adjustable reference voltages. The new testing system consists of an low-cost, open-source, cross-platform graphical user interface (GUI), a digital system, and a biasing board. The digital system is the interface between the GUI and biasing board, and can be implemented on a microcontroller or field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The biasing board contains twelve digital-to-analog converters (DACs) that are configurable via the GUI, which gives users the ability to write voltage values to all or specific DACs. The GUI was developed in C on Linux using the widget library GTK4 and cross-compiled for Windows compatibility. I2C and SPI protocols were implemented on an Adafruit Feather ESP32-S3 microcontroller to write commands to the DACs and PSEC6. A hardware implementation of the I2C protocol is in development on an FPGA. Since LAPPDs will be used by the Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE) at Fermilab, the PSEC6 testing system in this internship project can potentially benefit future neutrino research. The project is relevant to the Department of Energy’s microelectronics mission, because the PSEC6 is an ASIC that will handle fast time signals arriving from the detector for readout. It also provided experience with building a cross-platform user interface, practicing digital design and implementation in hardware description language (HDL), and using simulations to inform new design iterations.

Guerrero, Sasha Camila [North Central Coll.]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Welding investigation of a wrought FeMnAl steel for armor application

A new wrought FeMnAl steel contains high Mn content and high Al content. This steel has high strength. When it is compared to conventional steels with the similar strength, its density is lower. FeMnAl steels can be used in armor vehicle manufacturing, in which welding is a common practice to join the steel plates together. The welding of FeMnAl steels has not been sufficiently studied before. Here, this work studied the weldability and weld microstructure of an FeMnAl steel and provided useful data for the welding practice of FeMnAl steels. The influences of weld filler metals and shielding gases were studied, using single-pass bead-on-plate gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) two processes. The optimal filler metals and shielding gases have been determined to achieve the better weldability. Autogenous GTAW and electron beam welding were also conducted. Cracks were found in the HAZ in the GMAW welds and electron beam welds. Fewer or no cracks were found in the HAZ of GTAW welds. SEM, SEM/EDX, TEM, TEM/EDX, and EBSD were used to analyze the grain boundaries in the HAZ and the cracks. The grain boundaries of FeMnAl base metal are mostly high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs), which attract impurity and solute atoms and cause intergranular cracking. The proposed cracking mechanisms are liquation cracking and ductility-dip cracking. It was found that GTAW provides much better weldability for the FeMnAl steel than GMAW and EBW.

FeMnAl steel↗
DOE OSTI2025

Effect of post-weld heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of rotary inertia friction welded dissimilar 422-4140 martensitic steel piston joints

The study investigated how post‐weld heat treatment (PWHT) temperature affects the microstructure and localized deformation/fracture during bend testing of rotary inertia friction welds (RIFW) between AISI 422 stainless steel and AISI 4140 steel. RIFW produced a fully martensitic interface with approximately 550 HV hardness in both the thermo-mechanically affected (TMAZ) and heat‐affected zones (HAZ). Due to differences in temper resistance, the 4140 TMAZ/HAZ softened progressively under PWHT temperatures from 525 °C to 700 °C, while the 422 TMAZ unexpectedly maintained about 550 HV up to 600 °C before significantly softening at temperatures ≥625 °C. This asymmetric softening generated steep hardness gradients across the interface at temperatures ≤600 °C. Furthermore, carbon migration across the interface was minimal up to 600 °C, moderate at 625 °C, and by 700 °C produced a carbide‐rich eutectoid layer in the 422 TMAZ alongside a carbon‐depleted soft ferrite layer in the 4140 TMAZ. Strain during bending was PWHT‐dependent, concentrating on the 4140 side; in as-welded joints, the high hardness led to deformation and crack initiation in the base metals, whereas in PWHT samples, cracking initiated in the softened 4140 TMAZ near the interface. The intermediate PWHT temperature of 625 °C offered the best balance of limited carbon diffusion across the interface, relatively low peak weld hardness and minimized hardness gradients across the interface, more homogenous deformation, and good bend test performance.

4140 low-alloy steel↗
DOE OSTI2026

Influence of microstructure and temperature on impact toughness of H13 steel produced by binder jet additive manufacturing

Binder Jet Additive Manufacturing (BJAM) is a promising manufacturing pathway to produce H13 steel dies and tooling with complex geometries for applications in high pressure aluminum die casting, hot stamping, and injection molding. While fully dense H13 coupons produced using BJAM have been subjected to detailed microstructure characterization, properties which are critical and relevant to the aforementioned applications, such as impact toughness, have not been reported. Here, this work evaluated the influence of microstructural characteristics and test temperature on the impact toughness of H13 produced by BJAM. Coupons were produced from three different powder size distributions (PSDs), with nominal powder size ranges of −22 μm, 10-32 μm, and 15-53 μm. Coupons were printed, sintered, hot isostatically pressed (HIPed), and heat treated by quenching and tempering. After HIPing, the measured porosities of the different PSDs were all less than 0.015 vol%. The −22 μm PSD BJAM material exhibited the best impact toughness of all three PSDs across the entire test temperature range from 25 to 400 °C, and also exhibited an ambient temperature impact toughness of 10.9 J at a hardness of 46 HRC, equivalent to minimum threshold requirements for premium grade H13. However, all three BJAM PSDs exhibited moderately lower impact toughness than premium grade wrought H13 from RT to 400 °C. We attribute this in part due to the very large prior-austenite grain (PAG) sizes near 400 μm and segregation from former liquid channels leading to greater amounts of carbide precipitation on PAG boundaries. Technical pathways for optimizing processing and chemistry of BJAM H13 to further improve impact toughness are discussed.

Binder jet additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2025

Overcoming the thermal conductivity versus oxidation resistance barrier in high-temperature steels

Heat-resistant steels with high chromium additions (≥5 weight percent) are critical for many high temperature energy and manufacturing applications, including heat exchangers, pistons for engines, and dies for metal working and casting. However, while high chromium additions increase oxidation resistance at elevated temperatures, they also compromise thermal conductivity, resulting in a metallurgical trade-off between these two important properties. Here we show that a microstructure with both higher thermal conductivity and improved oxidation resistance at elevated temperatures is achieved in a unique steel with only 1 weight percent chromium, thereby overcoming the long-standing metallurgical trade-off. This is accomplished through a tailored thermal treatment that produces a tempered martensitic matrix with low solute content and a fine dispersion of copper precipitates and molybdenum enriched carbides. A further discovery is that the resultant thermally grown oxide includes an iron-copper-manganese-enriched outer layer that provides high-temperature oxidation protection equivalent to heat-resistant steels with five times the chromium content and 25% lower thermal conductivity.

Pierce, Dean T. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (OR↗
DOE OSTI2026

Characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex traumatic wound isolates

Healing of traumatic wounds is complicated by infecting pathogens, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and members of the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex among the most common infectious agents. However, a full understanding of genotypic and phenotypic differences between circulating wound isolates is lacking. To address this, traumatic wounds were sampled at Emory University Hospital, and 24 isolates were characterized; we focused on P. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter due to their prevalence and tendency for antibiotic resistance. Even though these species are renowned for antibiotic resistance, only two of the tested isolates could be classified as multidrug resistant. Whole-genome sequencing and analysis revealed that isolates from different patients were genetically distinct; however, longitudinal isolates from the same patient were closely related and appeared to represent chronic colonization by the same strain. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that laboratory strains (PAO1 and AB5075) that were isolated decades previously and from different locations grouped closely to subsets of the recent wound isolates. Given the importance of biofilm formation in infection, the ability of the isolates to form biofilms was assessed; all isolates formed biofilms but showed temporal and magnitude differences. Analysis of a subset of isolates revealed that planktonic P. aeruginosa was resistant to human serum-mediated killing. While the same was true for the majority of Acinetobacter isolates, one showed planktonic sensitivity that was abrogated when grown in a biofilm. Taken together, these data reveal genotypic and phenotypic differences in circulating isolates of P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii.

Acinetobacter↗
DOE OSTI2025

Rotary Inertia Friction Welding of Dissimilar High-Strength 422 Martensitic Stainless Steel and 4140 Low Alloy Steel for Heavy-Duty Engine Piston Fabrication

AISI 422 martensitic stainless steel with superior high temperature performance (oxidation resistance and strength) is under evaluation for replacing current heavy-duty piston crown materials, AISI 4140 martensitic steel and micro alloyed steel (MAS) 38MnSiVS5, to fabricate a multimaterial piston. This multimaterial piston concept further improved power density and fuel economy by allowing heavyduty diesel engines to operate at higher temperatures and pressures. Joining AISI 422 steel piston crowns with AISI 4140 steel piston skirts is a key manufacturing step for this multimaterial piston. However, the significant differences in strength, elevated temperature flow stress, alloy chemistry, and temper resistance between these two martensitic steels cause some weldability issues (cracking) and metallurgical challenges (alloying element migration/segregation) when using conventional fusion-based welding processes. Rotary inertia friction welding (RIFW), a solid-state welding process, has been the preferred method to join 4140 crowns to 4140 skirts (and MAS crowns to MAS skirts) in high-volume production of current heavy-duty diesel engine pistons. It has been used to join these two materials with relatively comparable alloy chemistry to fabricate pistons with MAS skirts and 4140 crowns. Meanwhile, RIFW has also been a preferred method of dissimilar metal welding. However, RIFW of dissimilar high-strength martensitic steels has yet to be widely pursued. The interfacial microstructure complexities created by the thermomechanical process and highly nonequilibrium phase transformations during RIFW are a significant challenge for understanding and predicting their joining behavior and have not been reported in detail. Here, in this work, defect-free AISI 422 steel-AISI 4140 multimaterial pistons were successfully fabricated using the RIFW process. The interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar 422/4140 steel RIFW in the as-welded condition were experimentally studied in detail. The results provide critical baseline information for understanding RIFW mechanisms and guiding subsequent postweld heat treatment (PWHT) practice.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hydrogen from low-density polyethylene via nonthermal plasma: Effects of energy density and process parameters

Nonthermal plasma processes are promising for the modular valorization of plastic waste, especially into hydrogen and carbon materials, due to their high intensity, lack of reliance on catalysts or consumables, and suitability to be directly powered by electricity. We investigate the production of hydrogen from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) as a plastic waste model using streamer Dielectric Barrier Discharge (sDBD) plasma in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. Here, we examine the effects of process energy density (energy input per unit of feedstock mass), feedstock mass, and plasma intensity (electric voltage) on plasma properties, hydrogen yield and energy efficiency via gas chromatography, optical emission spectroscopy, and electrical diagnostics, together with reactor-scale and nonlinear electric circuit modeling. The characteristic temperature of free electrons in the sDBD plasma is approximately 15000 K (1.3 eV), and that of gas species 10 times lower, demonstrating strong thermal non-equilibrium that can lead to molecular bond scission via charged species impact rather than direct heating. Experimental results show that higher energy density leads to greater hydrogen production and diminishing energy efficiency, and that higher plasma intensity and larger feedstock mass lead to greater hydrogen yield due to higher plasma temperatures and enhanced energy fluxes to the feedstock.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Exploring 𝛽 decay and 𝛽-delayed neutron emission in exotic 46,47 Cl isotopes

In this paper, 𝛽 − and 𝛽-delayed neutron decays of 46,47 Cl are reported from an experiment carried out at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory using the Beta Counting System. The half-lives of both 46 Cl and 47 Cl were extracted. Based on the delayed 𝛾-ray transitions observed, the level structure of 𝑁=28 46 Ar was determined. Completely different sets of excited states above the first 2 + state in 46 Ar were populated in the 46 Cl 𝛽⁢0⁢𝑛 and 47 Cl 𝛽⁢1⁢𝑛 decay channels. Two new 𝛾-ray transitions in 47 Ar were identified from the very weak 47 Cl 𝛽⁢0⁢𝑛 decay. Furthermore, 46 Cl 𝛽⁢1⁢𝑛 and 47 Cl 𝛽⁢2⁢𝑛 were also observed to yield different population patterns for levels in 45 Ar, including states of different parities. Here, the experimental results allow us to address some of the open questions related to the delayed neutron emission process. For isotopes with large neutron excess and high 𝑄 𝛽 values, delayed neutron emission remains an important decay mode and can be utilized as a powerful spectroscopic tool. Experimental results were compared with shell-model calculations using the FSU and 𝑉 MU effective interactions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Basin & Range Investigation for Developing Geothermal Energy

Hidden geothermal systems represent a potentially prolific energy resource that could support critical U.S. public and government energy priorities. Basin and Range Investigations for Developing Geothermal Energy (BRIDGE) addressed some the challenges associated with hidden system exploration by prioritizing cost-effective exploration early on through strategic workflow and informed decision-making that mitigates early risk and shifts resources to later exploration stages (e.g., drilling). Sandia National Laboratories partnered with U.S. Navy Geothermal Office, Geologic Geothermal Group, and independent consultants, with additional collaboration with U.S. Geological Survey and private industry. The primary tool of the BRIDGE project was to deploy a regional-scale airborne electromagnetic method to investigate the shallow resistivity structure in areas with high prospectivity. This was followed up at several prospects by a multidisciplinary exploration approach, including additional geologic, geophysical and geochemical studies. A central tenet to the BRIDGE methodology is that zones of low resistivity frequently occur over geothermal systems in the Basin and Range, and when paired with other data constraints, imaging these zones can enable discovery of these systems. In addition to exploring greenfield areas (i.e., Grover Point), the BRIDGE project also flew HTEM resistivity surveys over known geothermal systems including those with established power plants (Don A. Campbell and Salt Wells) and prospects that are known to the literature but remain undeveloped, at least in part, due to a lack of understanding on the location of their producible reservoirs. BRIDGE produced a comprehensive set of data from prospects identified in the Nevada Play Fairway Analysis along with conceptual models for top ranking prospects, wherein all of the observations are used to inform an interpreted model of the system. These models present a range of possible system parameters such as temperature and size, and they are further informed by system analogues in the Basin and Range province and elsewhere. The results of this work leave space for further exploration that may now occur at prospects ‘down the list’ rather than distribution exploration resources evenly across all prospects.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗