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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

Corrosion Testing of Refractory in Contact with Molten Glasses Designed for Waste Vitrification - HAL24 M1 Matrix Glasses

It is known that the predictive life of the refractory ceramic liner of nuclear waste glass melters is conservative, as demonstrated by performance of these materials such as in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). The motivation for this task is to maximize the useful life of the melters that will be operated at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), which will in turn minimize procurement and disposal costs and melter outage times, as well as to identify maximum loadings in the waste glass of those species that corrode melter components. This task was initiated jointly with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) with the objective to develop a methodology and model to enable more accurate prediction of refractory service life under prototypic conditions from laboratory-scale material corrosion tests.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2026

Corrosion Testing of Refractory in Contact with Molten Glasses Designed for Waste Vitrification – VSL Touchpoint Matrix Glasses (Revision 1)

It is known that the predictive life of the refractory ceramic liner of nuclear waste glass melters is conservative, as demonstrated by performance of these materials such as in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF).[1] The motivation for this task is to maximize the useful life of the melters that will be operated at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), which will in turn minimize procurement and disposal costs and melter outage times, as well as to identify maximum loadings in the waste glass of those species that corrode melter components. This task was initiated jointly with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) with the objective to develop a methodology and model to enable more accurate prediction of refractory service life under prototypic conditions from laboratory-scale material corrosion tests.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1984

Wave scheduling - Decentralized scheduling of task forces in multicomputers

Decentralized operating systems that control large multicomputers need techniques to schedule competing parallel programs called task forces. Wave scheduling is a probabilistic technique that uses a hierarchical distributed virtual machine to schedule task forces by recursively subdividing and issuing wavefront-like commands to processing elements capable of executing individual tasks. Wave scheduling is highly resistant to processing element failures because it uses many distributed schedulers that dynamically assign scheduling responsibilities among themselves. The scheduling technique is trivially extensible as more processing elements join the host multicomputer. A simple model of scheduling cost is used by every scheduler node to distribute scheduling activity and minimize wasted processing capacity by using perceived workload to vary decentralized scheduling rules. At low to moderate levels of network activity, wave scheduling is only slightly less efficient than a central scheduler in its ability to direct processing elements to accomplish useful work.

Van Tilborg, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Conditions and constraints of food processing in space

Requirements and constraints of food processing in space include a balanced diet, food variety, stability for storage, hardware weight and volume, plant performance, build-up of microorganisms, and waste processing. Lunar, Martian, and space station environmental conditions include variations in atmosphere, day length, temperature, gravity, magnetic field, and radiation environment. Weightlessness affects fluid behavior, heat transfer, and mass transfer. Concerns about microbial behavior include survival on Martian and lunar surfaces and in enclosed environments. Many present technologies can be adapted to meet space conditions.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
NASA NTRS1983

Integrated water management system - Description and test results

Water recovery subsystems are being tested at the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center for Space Station use to process waste water generated from urine and wash water collection facilities. These subsystems are being integrated into a water management system that will incorporate wash water and urine processing through the use of hyperfiltration and vapor compression distillation subsystems. Other hardware in the water management system includes a whole body shower, a clothes washing facility, a urine collection and pretreatment unit, a recovered water post-treatment system, and a water quality monitor. This paper describes the integrated test configuration, pertinent performance data, and feasibility and design compatibility conclusions of the integrated water management system.

Elden, N. C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Generation rates and chemical compositions of waste streams in a typical crewed space habitat

A judicious compilation of generation rates and chemical compositions of potential waste feed streams in a typical crewed space habitat was made in connection with the waste-management aspect of NASA's Physical/Chemical Closed-Loop Life Support Program. Waste composition definitions are needed for the design of waste-processing technologies involved in closing major life support functions in future long-duration human space missions. Tables of data for the constituents and chemical formulas of the following waste streams are presented and discussed: human urine, feces, hygiene (laundry and shower) water, cleansing agents, trash, humidity condensate, dried sweat, and trace contaminants. Tables of data on dust generation and pH values of the different waste streams are also presented and discussed.

Wydeven, Theodore↗
NASA NTRS1991

Waste streams in a crewed space habitat

A judicious compilation of generation rates and chemical compositions of potential waste feed streams in a typical crewed space habitat was made in connection with the waste-management aspect of NASA's Physical/Chemical Closed-Loop Life Support Program. Waste composition definitions are needed for the design of waste-processing technologies involved in closing major life support functions in future long-duration human space missions. Tables of data for the constituents and chemical formulas of the following waste streams are presented and discussed: human urine, feces, hygiene (laundry and shower) water, cleansing agents, trash, humidity condensate, dried sweat, and trace contaminants. Tables of data on dust generation and pH values of the different waste streams are also presented and discussed.

Wydeven, T.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Evaluation of Pu Solubility in Glass for Sludge Batch 11

Stainless-steel clad Pu from Japan’s Fast Critical Assembly (FCA) reactor is currently being dispositioned at the Savannah River Site. The electrolytic dissolver, operated by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions in H-Canyon, is being utilized to dissolve the material. The resulting solutions are transferred to the Concentration, Storage, and Transfer Facilities, operated by Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), for subsequent vitrification at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). In support of the FCA mission startup, a preliminary evaluation was conducted by the Savannah River National Laboratory to assess the impact of the FCA discards on the liquid waste system.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1993

Incineration for resource recovery in a closed ecological life support system

A functional schematic, including mass and energy balance, of a solid waste processing system for a controlled ecological life support system (CELSS) was developed using Aspen Plus, a commercial computer simulation program. The primary processor in this system is an incinerator for oxidizing organic wastes. The major products derived from the incinerator are carbon dioxide and water, which can be recycled to a crop growth chamber (CGC) for food production. The majority of soluble inorganics are extracted or leached from the inedible biomass before they reach the incinerator, so that they can be returned directly to the CGC and reused as nutrients. The heat derived from combustion of organic compounds in the incinerator was used for phase-change water purification. The waste streams treated by the incinerator system conceptualized in this work are inedible biomass from a CGC, human urine (including urinal flush water) and feces, humidity condensate, shower water, and trash. It is estimated that the theoretical minimum surface area required for the radiator to reject the unusable heat output from this system would be 0.72 sq m/person at 298 K.

Upadhye, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Earth benefits of interdisciplinary CELSS-related research by the NSCORT in Bioregenerative Life Support

Earth benefits of research from the NSCORT in Bioregenerative Life Support will include the following: development of active control mechanisms for light, CO2, and temperature to maximize photosynthesis of crop plants during important phases of crop development; automation of crop culture systems; creation of novel culture systems for optimum productivity; creation of value-added crops with superior nutritional, yield, and waste-process characteristics; environmental control of food and toxicant composition of crops; new process technologies and novel food products for safe, nutritious, palatable vegetarian diets; creation of menus for healthful vegetarian diets with psychological acceptability; enzymatic procedures to degrade recalcitrant crop residues occurring in municipal waste; control-system strategies to ensure sustainabilty of a CELSS that will enable management of diverse complex systems on Earth.

NASA Discipline Number 93-10↗
NASA NTRS2005

Designing For Human Presence in Space: An Introduction to Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS)

Human exploration and utilization of space requires habitats to provide appropriate conditions for working and living. These conditions are provided by environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) that ensure appropriate atmosphere composition, pressure, and temperature; manage and distribute water, process waste matter, provide fire detection and suppression; and other functions as necessary. The tables in appendix I of NASA RP 1324 "Designing for Human Presence in Space" summarize the life support functions and processes used onboard U.S. and U.S.S.R/Russian space habitats. These tables have been updated to include information on thermal control methods and to provide additional information on the ECLS systems.

Wieland, P. O.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Testing and Analysis of the First Plastic Melt Waste Compactor Prototype

A half scale Plastic Melt Waste Compactor prototype has been developed at NASA Ames Research Center. The half scale prototype unit will lead to the development of a full scale Plastic Melt Waste Compactor prototype that is representative of flight hardware that would be used on near and far term space missions. This report details the testing being done on the prototype Plastic Melt Waste Compactor by the Solid Waste Management group at NASA Ames Research Center. The tests are designed to determine the prototype's functionality, simplicity of operation, ability to contain and control noxious off-gassing, biological stability of the processed waste, and water recovery potential using a waste composite that is representative of the types of wastes produced on the International Space Station, Space Shuttle, MIR and Skylab missions.

Pace, Gregory S.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Design and Testing of a Lyophilizer for Water Recovery from Solid Waste

Mixed liquid/solid wastes, including feces, water processor effluents, and food waste, can be lyophilized (freeze-dried) to recover the water they contain and stabilize the solids remain. Previous research has demonstrated the potential benefits of using thermoelectric heat pumps to build a lyophilizer for processing waste in microgravity. These results were used to build a working prototype suitable for ground-based human testing. This paper describes the prototype design and presents the results of functional and performance tests. Equivalent system mass parameters are calculated, and practical issues such as sanitary waste handling in microgravity are addressed.

Litwiller, Eric↗
NASA NTRS2005

Lyophilization for Water Recovery III, System Design

Mixed liquid/solid wastes, including feces, water processor effluents, and food waste, can be lyophilized (freeze-dried) to recover the water they contain and stabilize the solids that remain. Our previous research has demonstrated the potential benefits of using thermoelectric heat pumps to build a lyophilizer for processing waste in microgravity. These results were used to build a working prototype suitable for ground- based human testing. This paper describes the prototype design and presents results of functional and performance tests.

Litwiller, Eric↗
NASA NTRS2002

Bioregenerative food system cost based on optimized menus for advanced life support

Optimized menus for a bioregenerative life support system have been developed based on measures of crop productivity, food item acceptability, menu diversity, and nutritional requirements of crew. Crop-specific biomass requirements were calculated from menu recipe demands while accounting for food processing and preparation losses. Under the assumption of staggered planting, the optimized menu demanded a total crop production area of 453 m2 for six crew. Cost of the bioregenerative food system is estimated at 439 kg per menu cycle or 7.3 kg ESM crew-1 day-1, including agricultural waste processing costs. On average, about 60% (263.6 kg ESM) of the food system cost is tied up in equipment, 26% (114.2 kg ESM) in labor, and 14% (61.5 kg ESM) in power and cooling. This number is high compared to the STS and ISS (nonregenerative) systems but reductions in ESM may be achieved through intensive crop productivity improvements, reductions in equipment masses associated with crop production, and planning of production, processing, and preparation to minimize the requirement for crew labor.

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2024

Effect of 60 Co Irradiation on Boehmite Dissolution in Caustic Solutions

Here, in this work, we examine how radiation impacts the dissolution behavior of boehmite by subjecting dry nanoparticles of different sizes to 60 Co γ radiation and subsequently analyzing their dissolution behavior in caustic solutions as a function of temperature. The measured kinetics show that irradiation with an amount 228.24 Mrad significantly slows the dissolution rate, particularly for smaller sizes at lower temperatures. Specifically, the temperature-dependent dissolution rates of irradiated 20 nm boehmite versus pristine material in 3 M NaOH solutions were several times lower (e.g., rate constant of 0.026 vs 0.075 h –1 at 60 °C), with an apparent activation energy 40 kJ mol –1 higher. Although various imaging techniques and X-ray diffraction measurements consistently revealed no obvious differences between pristine and irradiated samples, after irradiation significant binding energy shifts were detected in the X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy peaks of Al 2p and O 1s, and a change in their relative intensities indicated a lower O/Al ratio. This suggests that γ-irradiation may stabilize boehmite particle surfaces by driving their chemistry and structure toward more stable aluminum oxide forms. This finding may help explain slower dissolution rates of boehmite in nuclear waste and may be useful for the development of more robust predictive models and effective strategies for waste processing.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
NASA NTRS2009

Environmental Program

NASA's White Sands Test Facility has six core environmental compliance capabilities: remote hazardous testing of reactive, explosive and toxic materials and fluids; hypergolic fluids materials and systems testing; oxygen materials and system testing; hypervelocity impact testing; flight hardware processing; and, propulsion testing. The facility's permit status and challenges are reviewed. Historic operations and practices dating from the 1960s through the early 1980s resulted in contamination of the facility's groundwater. An environmental restoration effort has been employed to protect public health and the health of the workforce. The restoration seeks to properly handle hazardous materials and waste processes; determine the nature and extent of the contamination; stop the migration of contaminated groundwater; stabilize the plume front which has been assessed as the greatest risk to public health; and, clean-up the environment to restore it to preexisting conditions. The Plume Front Treatment System is operational and seeks to stop the westward movement of the plume to protect drinking water and irrigation well. Specifically, the treatment system will extract contaminated water from the aquifer, remove chemical using the best available technology, and return (inject) the treated water back to the aquifer. The Mid-Plume Interception Treatment System also seeks to stop the migration of containment, as well as to evaluate new technologies to accelerate cleanup, such as bioremediation.

Fischer, Holger↗
NASA NTRS1991

The Space Exploration Initiative: a challenge to advanced life support technologies: keynote presentation

President Bush has enunciated an unparalleled, open-ended commitment to human exploration of space called the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). At the heart of the SEI is permanent human presence beyond Earth orbit, which implies a new emphasis on life science research and life support system technology. Proposed bioregenerative systems for planetary surface bases will require carefully designed waste processing elements whose development will lead to streamlined and efficient and efficient systems for applications on Earth.

Ecological Systems, Closed↗